Is something wrong?

Question
One of my guinea pigs just died. Two are still alive, mamma and daddy. Mamma has had 2 litters of babies and is going on three. She has about three piggies everytime. I have noticed just recently that she lost almost all of her hair on her underside. The guinea pigs live in a large cage out on the upstairs patio where no outside predators can get to them. I have a few questions though, they are:

1. Why is mamma losing hair?

2. Will she grow it back?

3. Does the outdoor climate affect them in any way?

4. What can we do to help them be healthier and stay healthy?

Thanks a lot?

----Rachael----

Answer
Hi Rachael,

I need to sort of bombard you with questions so I can answer your questions.

How old is the female?  I seldom breed my females more than twice, although I have occasionally.

What is the weather like where you live?  How hot does it get?  Pregnant guinea pigs produce extra heat and so heat is especially hard on them.  You can use frozen 2 liter bottles in the hutch, but it might be better to bring mom into an air conditioned room until after the pups are born.  Alternately too cold can also have a negative impact on guinea pigs. It is easier to fix than conditions that are too warm - you can cover the cage with blankets, but they should not be in temperatures under 65 degrees F or over 80 degrees F (some recommendations say 75, but that is not very realistic where I am).  Sudden changes are very hard on guinea pigs too.

How often do you clean the cage?  What kind of bedding are they on?

How do you provide the vitamin C they need?  A pregnant or nursing sow needs twice the normal amount of vitamin C. I give mine powdered vitamin C in their water.  A pregnant sow needs 1/8 teaspoon to 32 ounces of water.  

Hair loss during pregnancy can be normal and harmless.  Her body needs the extra protein that the hair normally uses.  Often this kind of hair loss occurs on the tummy and sides.  There are other possible reasons for hair loss also that should not be ruled out just yet.  One of those is scurvy (not enough vitamin C), others might be scald (caused by lying on wet bedding), mites (although they usually start on the back not tummy), and fungus.  If there is any crustiness or flakiness to the skin you have something other than normal pregnancy hair loss.  Also if a sow gets too warm on the tummy her body might respond by shedding the hair on the tummy, but not usually.  Normal hair loss grows back quickly after the sow is finished nursing.

Give her plenty of wet greens while she is pregnant.  If the amount of water she normally drinks decreases at all give her as much red leaf lettuce and other high water content fruits and veggies as she will eat. A common disorder for pregnant guinea pigs is pregnancy toxemia, which there is no cure for and will kill pregnant sows.  Unfortunately with this disorder a sow may look fine one day and can be dead the next - even with perfect husbandry!  I have found that the wet greens help reduce the incidence of pregnancy toxemia in my herd, but I have no scientific evidence or anything, only personal experience.

A handful of grass hay every day will help her stay healthy too.  You can use orchard grass (this comes in farm size bales) or Timothy grass (available in bags at pet food stores).  Too much alfalfa isn't good, and their pellets are alfalfa based so they don't need extra alfalfa in the diet.

Support tummy and rump when she is handled and don't handle her excessively.  

Make sure you take Dad out before she delivers or she will get pregnant right away again.  It is stressful and dangerous for a sow to being nursing one litter while pregnant with another.  Also take any male pups out by the time they reach 4 weeks of age.
I hope this answers your questions. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask.

Annie