Guinea Pig Gestation Period
What Are Baby Guinea Pigs Called?
Despite how guinea pigs share names with pigs, with males being boars and females being sows for both animals, baby guinea pigs are not called piglets, they are referred to as pups. There isn’t really a straightforward answer on why the babies are called pups, so it’s fairly common to see guinea pig owners still referring to the babies as little piglets.
Are Guinea Pigs Born Blind?
Not at all! Guinea pigs are born with their complete sight, as they are precocial animals. Precocial means they are born fully formed with fur, teeth, their eyes, and ears open and are able to move around independently.
Alongside their mothers milk, guinea pig pups are able to eat solid foods almost immediately after birth.
How Can I Tell My Guinea Pig is Pregnant?
Guinea pigs are quite good at hiding their pregnancies, and in many cases owners may never know they’re pregnant until they’re in active labour, or even just a few days before. However, this is not the ideal situation. If you have a female who is in a position where she may become pregnant, then you should be on the constant look out for signs of pregnancy.
One of the main indicators that your guinea pig is pregnant is their appetite and weight gain. A pregnant guinea pig will have a greatly increased appetite, alongside gaining a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. Ideally, you should monitor a guinea pig’s weight weekly, and if you keep to a strict schedule with this then any weight gain should be noticeable immediately.
If you do notice your guinea pig gaining weight, then it should be time for a vet visit. If your female guinea pig is pregnant, it would be best to find out sooner rather than later so you can properly monitor her and prepare for the guinea pig babies.
How Long is a Guinea Pig’s Gestational Period?
A guinea pig’s pregnancy can range anywhere from 59 – 72 days, with the average pregnancy being about 65 days long. While a 2 – 3 month pregnancy seems like a breeze in comparison to human pregnancies, it is actually one of the longer pregnancies in small mammals.
This means they can have about 5 full pregnancies a year. However, it’s definitely not advised to allow your guinea pigs to breed so frequently. While it’s biologically possible, if they were to have pregnancies back-to-back, it would significantly increase the risk of complications to the mother and babies.
Mother and baby guinea pig roaming the garden
How to Prepare for a Guinea Pig Birth
Preparing for a guinea pig birth is quite straightforward. The soon to be mothers will know exactly what they need to do when it comes to the birthing process, so it’s very unlikely you will need to intervene.
The most crucial part of preparing for a guinea pig birth is ensuring all males have been removed from the enclosure. Female guinea pigs are able to become pregnant immediately after birth, so it’s safest for everyone involved to keep the male separated from the female.
Leading up to the birth, it may be best to reduce contact with the mother. While she otherwise may love spending time with you, late-stage pregnancies can be stressful, and often they would prefer to have a little space wherever possible.
There doesn’t need to be too many adjustments to the enclosure for the guinea pig pups. Typically, the same rules that apply to adult piggies apply to the pups. They need to be kept in an escape proof enclosure with a stable temperature of 22 – 25°C, and of course must be kept with the mother at all times. As long as there are no complications, the mother should be fully capable of caring for her guinea pig babies.
Guinea Pig Pregnancy Complications
Just like with any species, pregnancy can come with complications. Growing living beings is hard after all, and sometimes the body just doesn’t cooperate well. Dystocia is the name given to the circumstance where a pregnant guinea pig is not able to give birth correctly. There can be a variety of factors that can cause dystocia, but there are a few primary reasons.
Dystocia
The main reason for dystocia is when the pregnant guinea pig is having their first litter over 8 months of age. This can sound strange, as the usual consensus for animals is to delay pregnancy until they are older and more matured. However, it is quite the opposite in guinea pigs. Female guinea pigs can reach sexual maturity at about 2 – 4 months of age. At around 8 months, a female guinea pig’s pelvis will begin to fuse together, greatly reducing its flexibility and makes it much harder for a pup to pass through. If the guinea pig is bred before 8 months, then the pelvis can remain flexible enough for them to continue having healthy pregnancies.
Dystocia can also occur due to a large foetus size, or larger sized litter of guinea pig pups. Larger sized litters may sadly come with one or several stillbirths, and these can be difficult for the mother to birth.
Pregnancy Toxaemia
Pregnancy Toxaemia most often occurs in the final 2 weeks of pregnancy or shortly after birth. This is typically due to a metabolic imbalance, and its risk increases in a pregnant guinea pig who is overweight or is receiving a poor diet. Factors such as a larger litter size, lack of exercise and environmental stress can also contribute to developing toxaemia. Sadly, a guinea pig that develops toxaemia doesn’t have great odds of recovery, even with medical treatment. The best course of action for this condition is preventative care.
Mastitis
Mastitis is when the mammary glands become infected during the breastfeeding period. This can be caused by multiple sources, but most frequently occurs due to the guinea pig babies creating small cuts on the mother’s teats, allowing bacteria to enter the wound and cause an infection. Mastitis can be easily treated with a course of antibiotics provided by a vet, and they can help clean up any wounds or sores that may have led to the original infection.
