Stop Pregnancy in Guinea Pigs

Question
Dear Kat,

My femail guinea pig Musia is about 3-4 years old.  I was foolish enough to get a male (I felt bad for him at a store).  They are separated but I allow them to run around under a watchful eye of mine.  There was a circumstance because of which I suspect male had a chance to mount the female.  Is there a contraceptive (like a morning after pill) that I can give Musia to make sure she is not pregnant?  My vet said the only way was to neuter her.  But I don't want to subject her to the unnecessary surgery.  Is there a way to stop a pregnancy?  

Answer
Hello Helen,

No, there isn't other than an abortive spay which I truly don't recommend. Not knowing for sure that she is pregnant  you could risk surgery complications that could kill her needlessly. I'm assuming this would be her first litter and that is the reason for concern and not just that you don't want more piggies? If so, if you know the date of conception, which it sounds like you do, You can plan a C-Section (possibly a C-section/spay would be good to keep this from happening again) around the 65th day of the pregnancy and save mom and possibly the pups as well. They will be slightly premature, but premature piggies, because they are born so well developed, have a good chance of survival. Chances are good that she may not be pregnant. You could still opt for an abortive spay if you really don't want more piggies, but I would wait until you know she's pregnant before having her go through any surgery. Good luck. I'll be praying little Musia isn't pregnant. Oh, and if she isn't, you may want to look into having your little boy neutered. The procedure for males is less invasive and could save alot of headache if this sneaky little boy tries anything again.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs