Last updated on January 22nd, 2023 at 06:54 pm
Can guinea pigs abort their babies?
Yes, unfortunately, guinea pigs can abort their babies although this rarely happens. Reasons for aborting their babies are genetic problems, poor nutrition, infections, and stress. Female guinea pigs can also abort if they become pregnant too quickly in a short period of time.
Guinea pigs usually give birth to several babies within 30 minutes, one baby guinea pig every 5 minutes, but they can also abort.
In today’s article, we will find out what are the main reasons for the abortion of babies in female guinea pigs.
Why do guinea pigs abort babies?
Guinea pigs abort their babies due to stress, poor nutrition, infections, too many pregnancies in a short time, and genetic problems.
In general, abortion of guinea pig babies is very rare, but the danger still exists and all guinea pig owners must be aware of it.
So let’s read about the main causes of baby abortion in female guinea pigs.
Too many pregnancies in a short time
A female guinea pig needs to have a break between two pregnancies in order to successfully give birth to new babies.
If she gets pregnant again too soon she will lose the babies or some of them. Female guinea pigs need a certain amount of time to prepare their bodies for a new pregnancy.
Female guinea pigs need to have up to 5 pregnancies a year to give birth to healthy babies.
Stress
Stress is dangerous for the health of guinea pigs and certainly during their pregnancy. If female guinea pigs are stressed they may unfortunately abort their babies.
When female guinea pigs are stressed they eat less and this is bad for their baby and themselves.
That is why it is necessary to always provide them with a pleasant atmosphere and environment when they are pregnant and when they are about to give birth.
Nutrition
A poor diet is not good at all for guinea pigs when they are pregnant.
They should have a varied diet that will allow a proper intake of nutrients, especially vitamin C, which is good both for her and for the baby in her belly.
For example, if guinea pigs eat parsley during pregnancy, they can lose their babies, because parsley can be toxic to them and cause dehydration, which ultimately results in abortion.
Genetic problems
Some guinea pigs have congenital hereditary problems and therefore abort their babies and nothing can be changed here.
It is best to buy a guinea pig from a quality breeder who guarantees that the guinea pig you buy comes from a healthy family, with no abnormalities or health problems.
Infections
Infections are dangerous and can affect guinea pig pregnancy.
Therefore, the female guinea pig’s cage should be cleaned much more frequently during their pregnancy.
If the cage is not clean enough, then the ammonia from the guinea pigs’ urine can cause infections in their genital organs and cause their babies to abort.
How to prevent female guinea pigs from aborting?
In order for female guinea pigs to give birth to healthy babies and have no problems during birth, we need to take care of them as best we can.
Here are some helpful tips:
- hygiene – female guinea pigs need a clean cage and especially clean bedding. If the bedding is not clean they can get infected from the ammonia and abort the babies.
- nutrition – during pregnancy they should eat a healthy diet enriched with vitamin C, and they should avoid eating parsley which is harmful to their health and pregnancy.
- pleasant environment – stress and fear cause her to lose her appetite and lack the nutrients she needs to have a healthy pregnancy.
All these factors affect pregnancy and the risk of abortion in guinea pigs, together with genetics can cause abortion in female guinea pigs.
How long is pregnancy in guinea pigs?
Pregnancy in female guinea pigs lasts from 60 to 70 days.
Then, within 40 minutes, they give birth to 3-4 babies each, and sometimes that number can be even higher, that is, up to 8 babies.
Baby guinea pigs are walking and run and looking right after their mother gives birth.
What do mothers do with dead babies?
If the baby guinea pig is dead then the mothers sometimes eat the babies.
Therefore, they should be taken out of the cage immediately.
Mother guinea pigs eat their dead babies because that’s how mother nature taught them so that predators don’t come after the smell of the baby.
Read more: Guide For Newborn Baby Guinea Pigs
Conclusion
Female guinea pigs can abort their babies although this is very rare.
The most common causes of miscarriage are stress, poor nutrition, too many pregnancies in a short time, and other reasons.
The most important thing is to provide the mother guinea pig with good conditions so that her pregnancy can pass without problems for both the baby and her.
Read more: Why Guinea Pigs Bite and How to Stop It? Let’s Discover
