Spotting during Pregnancy

Question
Hi Nicole,
We recently acquired a Guinea Pig from a pet store, turns out she is pregnant.  I took her to the vet's and he said she is due in two weeks.  We found small amounts of blood in the cage, vet says she may or may not lose the babies.  I was wondering if you have had similar experiences with your guinea pigs, and if so, have they always lost the babies or were there happy endings?


Answer
Hi Karen,

    Blood is usually a sign of delivery problems.  How old was your guinea pig when she conceived?  Any time after about eight months is too old for most sows to have a first litter because their pelvic bones fuse together, making passage of the babies extremely difficult - which can be fatal to the litter and/or the mother.  Not every pregnancy is successful - miscarriages happen, and although I have fortunately never experienced one, I have heard that death is something that guinea pig breeders must learn to deal with.

   Keep in mind that a caesarean section is possible for guinea pigs.  Perhaps your vet can give you advice as to if a c-section is necessary and can possibly save the life of the mother and her litter, should there be a problem during delivery.  Be prepared for the worst so you can prevent the worst from happening.  I'm not saying it is a definite that there will be major problems at the time of birth.

   Thank you for your question, I hope I have been of some help to you.  If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Good luck with your guinea pigs (=

                                                - Nicole