Guinea pig pregnancy. What to do?  

Hi there - She actually had the piglets the next day. They are so cute and she had three - all different colours. They are very healthy and I am glad you told me to separate them out at 3 weeks of age as I would not have realised.

How fun. Can you post some pictures? I would like to see them. Best of luck with the little cuties.

Glad to hear they're all healthy! Yay!

You can see photos of how to sex babies at www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm It's confusing at first, but when they reach 3 weeks you should be able to tell. I've seen hundreds of piggies, so I can tell within hours of the birth, but it's hard at first. If you're unsure, see if there is a guinea pig rescuer near you who could help.

Best of luck, and yes, post some pics if you can!

When is it okay to put the mother in with her old flames? Don't want to keep them separated for ever.

Back in with the male? You'll have to neuter him if you don't want them to breed. Otherwise, they are going to breed again. Guinea pig pregnancies can be dangerous. You were lucky this time, but I wouldn't count on continued luck.

Here's what I would do personally. You could keep a male baby in with the male, and a female in with your sow. Then they'll both have friends and be happy, with no breeding going on.

If your intention is to breed more, research your area first. Many areas have serious guinea pig overpopulation problems. Here in Southern CA, hundreds of guinea pigs are put to sleep each year just in Los Angeles county alone. Add the other counties and thousands don't find homes. You can check with www.petfinder.com and www.petharbor.com to see if there are guinea pigs for adoption available near you. If there are, there are probably more than just what is shown.

Besides, why risk the health of the female? You want them as pets right? I know I'd be sad if any of mine died from a complication during a birth or something preventable like that. It's so easy for something to go wrong.

Guinea pigs do not pull out their hair to keep the babies warm. Guinea pig babies are born with hair, unlike rats and hamsters.

Guinea pigs also do not eat their babies. Neither do a lot of animals. You can pick up baby guinea pigs as soon as you need to. If you are there during the birth, stay. You likely won't catch it anyway. But if you are, stay incase something goes wrong. Watch to make sure the placentas come out if you're present. Pick up the babies and check them out once the mom cleans them off. Make sure they are okay.

And if you wait until 6 weeks, the male babies will get the female pregnant (and even the baby females by then). Separate the males out at 3 WEEKS of age! Not 6.

The babies will be eating some solid foods at 1 week old, and a lot of solid food by 2 weeks. If the mom died when the babies were 2 weeks, you wouldn't be in a huge mess with having to handfed. But do weigh the babies daily no matter what, because even babies that have a mom might get pushed aside and need some additional help. You can use Critical Care to supplement babies that have trouble gaining weight. Buy it at an animal hospital or www.oxbowhay.com or www.bunnybunchboutique.com also has some available.

Obviously, by this point this information is just for anyone else reading this, as the babies have now been born. But I wanted to correct your information for others who may read this thread and have an accidental pregnancy on their hands.

And one last correction, guinea pigs should NOT be kept in a tank. Open air cages are better. Cages at least 6 square feet are preferred, more is better. See www.guineapigcages.com for how to build your own cage.