I thin my guinea pig is pregnant!

Question
I just got (what my family believes is a female) a guinea pig about 3 weeks ago. We don't know how old she is but she is getting bigger in the back and she doesn't liked being picked up. She is eating and drinking more.

Do you think she is pregnant and if so when do you think she will have the babies?
Thanks Maddison

Answer
Maddison,

Your right, she is pregnant. Now Guinea Pigs are pregnant for 63 to 70 days. The easiest way to tell when your Guinea Pig is going to have the babies is this. Around 42 days (six weeks) into the pregnancy you should be able to see and feel the babies as they move around in the womb. As the day of birth draws nearer they will become more active. Do not try squeezing her body to find the babies as you could inflict a serious injury. Avoid any unnecessary handling during the last month. Once you see and feel the babies move you know she is about 42 days along with just about a week and half to two weeks left in her pregnancy.  

Ok because she is pregnant your going to need to change her diet a little. Pregnant sows need alfalfa hay and/or alfalfa based pellets in addition to their timothy hay and a cup of veggies every day. The veggies need to be high in vitamin C. After she is done nursing the babies at 3 to 4 weeks of age separate the males from mom and sisters so no one ends up pregnant again, once done with nursing she'll need to be switched back to full timothy hay and a timothy hay based pellet. The babies will need access to alfalfa hay and alfalfa based pellets until they are about 10 months old then they'll need a 50/50 mix of alfalfa and timothy till they are a year then they'll need full timothy.

Since you don't know how old she is, take her to the vet and have her looked at. As if she is over 10 months old and this is her first litter she'll need the vet for a C-Section as her pelvic bones will be fused together. So take her to an exotic or small animals vet just to be on the safe side.

I hope this helps,
  Good luck to you,
     Take care now,
         Jules