are they pregnant??

Question
Hi

I bought my 7 and 3yr old daughters 2 beautiful baby girl guineas on Sun 15th April.  We were told they were about 8 weeks old.  They have settled in great but I think they are getting a bit chubby but wonder if they could be pregnant.  I had an experience as a 16yr old when I also bought 2 girls who got fatter and fatter and then produced about 6 babies each!  it was very exciting but I'd like to be a bit more prepared this time!!  and if they aren't pregnant I'd like to try to breed them with a friends boy but am aware I need to do this before they are 6 months old...

Looking at my calendar - we have had 'Ruby' and 'Daisy about 5 1/2 weeks which puts them at about 13 1/2 weeks old...

Not knowing whether there could have been an incident before they came to us - I don't really have any dates to go by but am concerned about introducing the boy if they are in the early stages of pregnancy -

Any advice greatly appreciated!  - should I introduce the boy?  how long should I wait etc etc !

Regards
Louise  

Answer
Hi Louise

The 3 main signs of pregnancy are increased drinking of water and appetite, weight gain (up to an ounce per day) and towards the end of the pregnancy, you will be able to feel the babies moving inside.

By my calculations, if they are pregnant you might be about half way through the term so I would certainly suggest weighing Ruby and Daisy each day.

You have up to the age of 9 months to breed them for the first time so I think the best advice wuld be to wait for the end of the possible pregnancy term (about another 6 weeks or so based on what we know) before introducing the male.

Andy