why does kitty reject elliot?????

Question
hi Anngela!
i have asked you many questions before about breeding my two guinea pigs kitty and elliot.
they have been in the cage together for about 2wks and when elliot tries to mount kitty she'll push him away! what does this mean? is there anything i can do to help speed up the process?
now i have some questions about when she IS pregnant!!!!
1)at what point in her pregnancy should i stop picking her up?
2)will she miss elliot when i take him out?
3)will loulou be nice to the new babies?
4)should i do anything special to help make her more comfortable?
5)have you ever taken a preggo piggy to the vet for an xray or anything?
thx in advance!!

Answer
Hi Melissa.  She may not be in heat - and chances are you aren't going to see it happen either.  There isn't much you can do to speed up the process, it will happen.  You just have to give it time.  He may mount her many times before he "gets a hit."  There is a slim chance that after he successfully breeds her, you will find a "plug" in the cage.  It is a waxy plug that the male inserts in the famales vagina to "prevent" another male from breeding her - it falls out.  I've found them maybe 5 times out of I'd say atleast 100 litter so don't get your hopes up, but it is possible.  I am not going to go into too much detail on the pregnancy questions - you still are atleast 2 months out.
1 - handle her as little as possible after you are positive she is pregnant - around a month or so.
2- Not likely, but you can put loulou back in as long as they still get along
3-Yes, she may even help clean them
4-you will want to give her extra dark green veggies - kale, SPINACH, etc, for the vitamins.
5-I have not, but many people have told me they have.  I'd wait a month from now and then take her in if you are going to do it.  It will atleast show if she is pregnant or not.
Anngela   astrathm@purdue.edu