babies or not

Question
I've got two guinea pigs boy an girl i have them in the same cage with only a wire separating them my girl is looking really big in the belly area i just wonder could she be pregnant?

Answer
Megan,

The chances of your girl being pregnant great. Male guinea pigs can get a female pregnant through wire, that is why it is recommended that they have separate cages or plastic separating them.

Signs of pregnancy are these, so you can tell for sure if she is pregnant or not.

1. she is eating and drinking more

2. she will not let you rub her stomach

3. her stomach is larger

4. nipples become very prominent

5. becomes sluggish and doesn't move a lot

If she is pregnant she'll need extra vitamin C from now until she is done nursing the pups at 3 weeks of age. Best way to provide this is with fresh foods that contain lots of vitamin C. Also start feeding her Alfalfa hay, it contains lots of calcium for her and the babies bones to develop, it is also a fatty hay which is good for the development of the babies and will help her in her in producing milk. Alfalfa is a hay that is a recommended hay for pregnant, nursing and baby Guinea Pigs.  

The pregnancy will last for 63 to 70 days, 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.

After about 70 days or so the sow will produce her pups, usually at either dawn or dusk when they are most active and also the safest time to give birth in the wild (their natural instinct is to protect their pups and have them at the safest time). There is very little blood or mess when guinea pigs are born... mom will do a superb job of cleaning the babies up!

Pups are miniature adults, fully developed at birth with strong legs, eyes open and hair. Like all herd animals they must be ready to move with their families soon after they are born. Being born in such an advanced stage of development, the pups will be able to eat solid foods within a day, but will benefit greatly from their mother's milk. Mom will suckle her babies for about three weeks, after which the baby boys will need to be separated from their mother and sisters as they can and will get mom and sisters pregnant. So make sure to sex them close the the 3 week mark so you know who is who. If you place the boys with their father, first rub them all over with litter from his cage so that they smell of him rather than of mom.

I hope this helps and good luck to you.
     Take care now,
                Jules