Birthing Process
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For the most part, they take care of it all themselves. You most likely won't even see it happen.
Labor: She will begin to have contractions and will reach down to grab a pup with her teeth. It will look like she is grabbing a poo to eat. Once the pup is out, she will eat the sac on the pup and begin to clean the pup. About 5-10 minutes will pass before she has more contractions and has the second pup. She will then clean the second one off and the cycle will continue until she is done. Sometimes the mother will have the pups quickly with little time until the next one arrives. She may not be able to clean one off completely before having to attend to the next one. This is alright. If you feel comfortable enough, you can pick one up, make sure they are breathing, and clean them off with a clean towel or cloth. Mom won't mind. They are not protective of their pups. Afterbirth: She should give birth to one placenta per pup. The placenta will look like a large chunk of bloody jelly - it is quite recognizable. She will push them out after she is done having the pups. The mom will eat some of these (if not all of them). In the wild, they would have to eat them to make sure predators wouldn't smell the blood. It is also good nutrition for them to regain their strength after labor. The other guinea pigs in the cage might eat them too. That's okay, they are helping her. In a few minutes, the pups should be up and either cuddling with mom, or running around stretching their new legs. The whole process shouldn't last longer than 30-45 minutes. |
Autumn and her 3 pups. This photo was taken 2 hours after birth. She cleaned them up well and one is nursing!
Dutchess and her 3 newborn pups.
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Of course, problems can arise and are very common in guinea pigs.
If your girl is showing any of the following signs, get her to a cavy-knowledgeable exotic vet ASAP.
If your girl is showing any of the following signs, get her to a cavy-knowledgeable exotic vet ASAP.
- Straining for more than 10 minutes without producing a baby
- Bleeding (There will be a bit with the afterbirths)
- Squealing loudly with each contraction without producing a baby
- Becoming exhausted and just giving up
- No placenta being produced after the babies
- Mom smelling like acetone (like the smell of nail polish remover) any time from 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after the birth
In the video below, we highlight our own guinea pig, April, giving birth to her second litter. We were able to catch her giving birth from beginning to end. It took her 30 minutes to give birth to all 3 pups.
