killer guinea pig?

Question
My daughter has a female pig and has had her for about a year.  I am unsure of her age and she was fully grown when we purchased her.  We bought her with a second female at the time.  Very shortly after, the second pig was found dead in the cage.  We soon bought another for her to have as a cagemate.  Again, that pig died soon after.  Recently, within we placed a male in there for her, hoping this would help with any competion issues.  He, too, was found dead not long after.  We now think she may be pregnant.  She is very fat and does not come out of her igloo.  Could she just not be suited for a cagemate and could this imply that she will also kill her babies?  Also, I have read that she will probably die due to being an older pig because her pelvic bones are fused together.  My daughter is very freaked out, having already lost 3 pigs.  Do you have any suggestions and/or answers?

Answer
Hello Sumer,

Is your piggy actually killing her cagemates (as in is there blood and bite wounds) or are they just dying? Are they fighting beforehand? Guinea Pigs typically aren't violent enough to kill without any warning. Usually they get along or there is quite a bit of fighting before either dies. If there is no sign of trauma, it may just be a sad coincidence or they could have contracted an illness that your girl may be immune to or she may be starving them. Piggies die quickly if they aren't eating. Adding food in more than one area of the cage may help with this, or even removing them to be fed a few times a day. If she is out right killing them, you have a very unusual Guinea Pig and I'm not sure how she would treat pups. Typically even aggressive Guinea Pigs love and care for their pups but most aren't aggressive enough to kill like that. If she's starving them, then she will likely be fine with her pups. If not, they are fairly easy to hand raise with time and determination. As far as dystocia (hardening pelivic bones; they don't actually fuse they just harden and become less flexible) if she has not had a litter before, she will very likely have severe problems. Do you know if she had a litter before you got her? If she has, she should be ok. If not, figure out her due date. If you don't know when it happened for sure go with the date you first introduced the male and calculate from there. They usually have their pups in about 70 days (10 weeks). Typically I tell owners to go from the day you removed the male but for her, you have to do things differently. By the 6th or 7th week you will start to feel movement then you'll know for sure.  I suggest calling your vet soon and possibly having xrays done so you can find out for sure earlier. He may be able to figure out how far along she is that way too. Arrange for a C-Section the day she is due or possibly a few days  to a week before. If the vet can't tell you a more exact due date, have it done on the 70th day from the day the male was introduced. You may lose the pups if it is done too early but but it may be the best chance mom and pups have. If the C-section isn't done, you may lose hem all. Even premature pups have a fairly good chance of survival. On a rare occassion they do deliver ok in spite of age but vet intervention is her best chance. I wish you the best of luck and I'm so sorry for your losses and that you and your daughter have to go through this.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs