My knocked-up guinea pig!

Question
Hi Alisa. I wrote you several weeks ago, and thank you for your response.  My guinea pig is definitely pregnant, and I can feel the babies kicking and moving around in there.  I am very worried about her since she had to have gotten pregnant in the shipment to the pet store when she was only about 4 wks.  She's still just a baby herself!  I studied up on determining the sex, and the other guinea we have is definitely a female.  I will let you know how things turn out.  Thanks again.  Joy

Answer
It is true that she is young, and she will fight with her unborn babies for nutrition. All you can do is get her the best nutrition possible. Good foods are romaine lettuce, parsley, cucumber, carrots, cabbage, green bell pepper, cilantro, turnip greens, collard greens, broccoli, and a whole lot more. Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage can cause gas so should be sparingly. Fruits are good also like strawberries, blueberries, oranges, seedless grapes, watermelon, apples, and much more. Fruits should only be given once or twice a week because they can cause diabetes. SEEDS CAN BE TOXIC AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED. Iceberg lettuce is not healthy for a piggy because it has zero nutritional value. When choosing foods, lean towards greens and veggies with high vitamin C.
She will give birth on her own, and involvement by you is a bad idea. The only time you should get involved is if she is screaming or pushing for over 10 minutes without the result of a baby. In these cases she should be rushed to a local vet. Cesarean sections are not healthy and very dangerous. The babies stay with mommy for 3 weeks.  At this time, mommy, baby girls, and baby boys should be separated from each other. The baby boys are sexually mature at age 3weeks, so they are able to get mommy or sissy pregnant, so separation is important. They should stay in your care for another 3-4 weeks before finding a home. Let me know how things go. Thanks!