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Guinea Pigs and The Birthing Process
Guinea Pigs usually have uncomplicated deliveries that usually last about an hour. You will probably note a 4-5 minute delay between delivery of each piglet. Litter sizes range from 1 to 6 young, with an average of 3 or 4. Litters resulting from the first breeding are usually very small, while large litters usually have a shorter gestation period. Aborts and stillbirths are common with guinea pigs throughout their breeding lives, espeically when not bred prior to their seventh month of life. It is noted that Pigs bred for the first time before 7 months old have an easier time then and in the future with their deliveries.
The young are born large and furred, with teeth and open eyes and will walk about the cage almost immediately. he piglets can eat solid food and drink water from a container, but don't be deceived, as they still need to nurse their mother for at least 2 weeks.
A sow will develop an obvious bulbous shape during pregnancy and will often double her weight. You will need to provide larger quantities of water for the ‘mother to be’ as she will often drink more than twice her normal water consumption. She will not build a nest like many small mammals so trying to guess when the birth is eminent is often difficult. You may notice a slow widening of the pelvis, just in front of the external genitalia, developing in the week before birth. This separation increases to more than 2.5cms in the hours just before delivery. It’s normal for the sow to eat the afterbirth so don’t be concerned if you see her performing this procedure.
Diets for pregnant guinea pigs:
Attention to the diet of a pregnant sow is important. It’s vital that the sow is given additional vitamin C. Like humans, guinea pigs will suffer from 'scurvy' if not given vitamin C. Guinea pigs don't have the enzyme needed to make their own Vitamin C and when pregnant, a female guinea pig will need three times as much vitamin C as she would do normally.
You can add vitamin C to the water at the rate of 200mg per litre. However, vitamin C degrades quickly in water and supplementing a pregnant guinea pig with specific foods rich in Vitamin C is advisable. Suitable foods, in the order of highest concentration of vitamin C, are dandelion greens (wash them first), kale, brussel sprouts, parsley, broccoli leaves, cauliflower, strawberries, broccoli florets, oranges or cabbage. Note that oranges and cabbage have only a quarter of the vitamin C content of dandelion greens and brussel sprouts. A cup of dandelion greens or brussel sprouts will provide about 200 mg of vitamin C.
Birth control
It’s important that the sow is removed to a nursery before the piglets are born. Firstly, she is quite able to fall pregnant again within a few hours of the birth. Sixty to eighty percent of female guinea pigs will fall pregnant if mated at this time, but it’s too close to the production of the young for her to bear additional young safely.
Secondly, the other guinea pigs could trample the newborn and injure them and, thirdly, the sow is more likely to stay with her young and nurture them if she is not worried by other guinea pigs.
Separate your new guinea pigs from the mother at weaning time as it won’t take them long to learn about the birds and the bees. They will have no hesitation mating with their mother or with other guinea pigs in their enclosure.
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