Early signs of labor

Question
i just got my Guinea pig today i know she is pregnant and i think she is in labor.
what i think are signs.... she has made a whole in the bedding she is laying with her back legs apart, she keeps cleaning down in that area and she won't move away from her water or food she is also not very active... can you help?  

Answer
Jodi -

Well, I may be a little too late in responding to this one.  (Sorry, my email server was down.)  If by now you have baby guinea pigs, you can just ignore the rest of this message.

It sounds as though she may be in labor.  However, I typically try not to interfere or even concern myself too much with my pregnant sows, except to check on them 4-5 times a day. (About every 2 hours.)  The reason for this is that handling or disturbing a pregnancy can have bad results for the mother and the pups alike.  The only thing I watch for is signs of trouble during the delivery, such as a prolapsed uterus or difficulty delivering, but more often than not, they manage to surprise me with pups.  

I would advise this - keep a watchful eye on a pregnant pig, but try to be patient and let nature do its thing.

Hope this is helpful.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me again.  Good luck!

Lorena