guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Oct 22, 2013 17:32:04 GMT
So, first I am so thankful in finding this site...was worried I wouldn't be able to find somewhere I can ask questions, share stories/comments on my herd without being criticized... I have 4 sows: Cookie and Caramel who are 10 months old, Cocoa, is 9 months, and Charlie is 5 months (I believe they are all short hair other than Caramel who has a little longer hair in the rear area) I have 1 boar: Gibson who is approximately 4 months old? and is a texel. I have now put them all together in one cage, did the intros last night and all seemed well. Woke up this morning and all are still in fine form. Gibson is the happiest I have seen yet, he's popcorning, zooming, and rumbling...think he's staking his harem?? LOL He seems to get along best with Caramel, they have quite similar colouring other than he has a black face and she's brown and white there. I will try to get pics up soon, how do I do that?...have a hard time getting them all to stay still together yet. I have a 2x6 w/ 2 lofts on each end C&C cage...hope this is big enough for them? Am prepared to build another cage on top of the current set up as I do not have room to go out, just up. Am thinking of moving them from the living room to the loft space we have upstairs, but know that they may not wheek as much?? Cookie is a little on the plump side, the rest are average, I should weigh them to get an accurate size, right? especially if they are going to be breeding anytime soon? I feed them timothy hay, oxbow pellets, and veggies x2 a day (2 huge kale leaves, 1/2 bell pepper, and some dandelion leaves in two bowls each time) I have three water bottles, there cage is fleece lined with the two hay bags hanging over two litter boxes filled with Boxo bedding (same as carefresh just cheaper) I have had Caramel and Cookie since February, Cocoa in March, Charlie in August, and Gibson we picked up Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian - October 13th)...another thing that I just thought of, I have the boar housed with all 4 sows, is this okay, or too much, are they only to be one at a time? what are the risks?
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Post by Kayleigh on Oct 22, 2013 20:28:56 GMT
Welcome to the forum
I MUST however say that your 5 month old sow is TOO YOUNG to breed so i would strongly recommend removing her.
Have you done research on breeding?
Your boar is a little on the young side too be used in my opinion too. He will probably get the job done but personally hes too young.
your cage size sounds fine, BUT breeding 4 sows at once is very brave especially if you havent got the funds, cages, experience and time to watch them. You could go from 5 pigs to 25 in a matter of months.
Sows should also be at least 950grams before being put into breeding, So i would take a weight of your sows to make sure.
Please dont be afraid to ask questions, but as always be prepared for honest friendly advice.
We are NOT an anti breeding forum, nor an anti pet. We are here for the love and wellbeing of our guinea pigs.
Welcome again
Kayleigh
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Oct 23, 2013 0:01:00 GMT
First I must admit the ages are only estimates - 3 of them were bought at pet store, 4th was from a neighbour and Gibson (the boar) I got off of kijiji (a free web classifieds) and his age at time of posting on September 27th was 8 weeks? But looking at him he is quite large for that size in my eyes. I've been reading as much as I can and even watching videos of births...if all 4 get pregnant will I have to separate them or just the boar? And then after weaning can add the baby boys with the boar? Or should I have a separate cage for each sow and pups? I am leaning more towards putting them up in the loft area upstairs as there would be more room to house more cages...
How do I add pictures?
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Post by Kayleigh on Oct 23, 2013 19:45:53 GMT
I would strongly reccommend removing the boar now. Do your research and then plan a pregnancy with one or two of the sows. Leave the younger ones to grow on.
The sows can all stay together but the boar must come away before wny sow litters. Baby boars must also come away between 3/5 weeks, they can go in with the adult boar if he will accept them yes.
Research is key, make sure you find reputable information, there are many myths floating about regarding breeding.
Do you have weights of the sows and boar?
Too add pictures you can use a photo hosting site like photobucket, post the url imge link and it should work.
Kayleigh
Sent from my GT-I9300 using proboards
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Oct 24, 2013 15:33:21 GMT
Where would I be able to find more reputable information? I've been reading posts on this forum and they have helped me out immensely for the short time I've been on, I've been reading non-stop. My girls and boy popcorn and wheek all the time, they are living together quite harmoniously it seems. So, I shouldn't have him with all four? I'm not planning on keeping him in there for much longer, but I do need to get the supplies to build an adequate cage to support him as well as any baby boys that may arrive in a couple of months? Can the sows refuse the boar? I haven't been able to weigh them as yet, I should have when I cleaned their cage this past Sunday...I have a kitchen scale all set up for them too...I will do my best to get them weighed by the weekend. I'm in the middle of uploading pics to the photobucket site and hope to show off my beautiful herd to all here. s1007.photobucket.com/user/dgoddard73/media/null_zps0c47712b.jpg.html] this is of the four when Charlie was introduced during floor time...back in August s1007.photobucket.com/user/dgoddard73/media/null_zps5f219d1f.jpg.html] This is Gibson our boar before being introduced to the rest of the herd.
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Post by Kayleigh on Oct 24, 2013 18:54:15 GMT
Sows can only be bred when in season (ever couple of weeks) other times she will not accept the boars advances.
I must strongly advise removing the boar or at least removing the two younger sows. They are too young to breed just now. Its unfair to put their bodies under the stress of pregnancy. Even if they need to go into a smaller cage / crate until you have another cage for them.
You must do whats best for the pigs. And breeding the youngsters right now is not a good thing.
The deed may already be done but only time will tell.
Ask questions and read through this forum. Im happy to help as always.
Kayleigh
Sent from my GT-I9300 using proboards
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 3, 2013 15:12:32 GMT
Okay so I finally got the girls current weights: Cookie - 1135 grams Cocoa - 1054 grams Caramel - 971 grams Charlie - 702 grams
So now am quite concerned for Charlie as she is quite small, removed Gibson into his own 2x4 so maybe she will be safe?
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Post by Orlaith on Nov 6, 2013 12:08:41 GMT
Only time will tell. Weigh her weekly and watch out for signs of little flutterings in about six weeks time. She's at an age where she's still growing so her weight will naturally go up so it'll be hard to tell.
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 11, 2013 2:16:11 GMT
Update on the weights, as of today November 10th:
Cookie - 1134 grams no change really from a week ago (will be a year old next month) Caramel - 1019 grams a gain of 48 grams ( same age as Cookie) Cocoa - 1073 grams a gain of 19 grams (a month younger than the two above) Charlie - 761 grams a gain of 59 grams (6 months approx)
Think I'm going to put a spreadsheet together at work to keep a better log. I also trimmed their nails tonight, have a hard time with Cocoa as apse has dark nails...but luckily no blood drawn! Hope everyone else is doing well...keep u posted on the progress
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 16, 2013 22:36:02 GMT
So I weighed them today since I did a full cage clean and we have: Cookie is now 1171 grams, up 37 grams Caramel - 1116 grams, up 97 grams Cocoa 1075 grams, up 2 grams Charlie no change from last week - 761 grams
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Post by Orlaith on Nov 18, 2013 15:18:07 GMT
Caramel is up a fair amount for one week. Keep an eye on that and see if she's changing shape/becoming rounder around her haunches.
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 18, 2013 15:25:38 GMT
Caramel is up a fair amount for one week. Keep an eye on that and see if she's changing shape/becoming rounder around her haunches. I have noticed that she does ask for her veggies more vehemently now..she's always been the vocal one but now she's right there and so loud. I will definitely be keeping my eye on her as well as Cookie. Is it normal for them to rest more? I change their water twice a day now too. And the hay - I have two hay bags/two sections and they go through it like anything now. Is this a sign that they could be in sow?
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Post by Orlaith on Nov 18, 2013 15:46:16 GMT
Cookie's weight gain isn't that out of the ordinary, so I wouldn't be too sure of her. Caramel does seem to have gained a lot in a week (although maybe she's just having a fat week ) so I'd be looking at her more. Sows in pig will definitely eat more and rest more, especially as their due date approaches. There's nothing you have to do specially for her, though. Just as you're doing, make sure she has a good quality food, nice hay and clean water available all the time, and a good selection of veggies. Even though it's really tempting to declare them pregnant or not pregnant, really only time will tell and when you get definite kicks is the first time you can say for sure for sure.
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
|
Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 18, 2013 17:47:36 GMT
Cookie's weight gain isn't that out of the ordinary, so I wouldn't be too sure of her. Even though she's almost a year old? She isn't eating any more than usual, at least I don't think so as I'm giving them the norm...I'm trying to find where I can get a couple of resource books - have you heard of : The Guinea Pig Handbook by Sharon Lynn Vanderlip or Guinea Piglopaedia: A complete guide to guinea by Margaret Elward?
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 24, 2013 19:45:36 GMT
okay, I am so stumped right now...I weighed the girls and all seem to be back to their weights from two weeks ago??? Can that be correct or is there something wrong with my scale?
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Post by Orlaith on Nov 25, 2013 16:36:21 GMT
I would double check the weights and make sure your scale was zero-ed correctly, and otherwise just make sure they're in good form and eating well and weigh them in a week as normal. Nothing to worry about so long as they're eating and pooping There are no signs of them being off their food or having diarrhoea or anything, are there?
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 25, 2013 16:51:43 GMT
They are eating as normal, drinking, etc, poop looks normal too. Running around, popcorning and lazing around, haven't seen any odd behaviour from any of them... crossing fingers that everything is alright. Caramel has become quite a wheeker now, anytime I or my eldest son go near the cage, she wants veggies! I'm hoping that the scale isn't working properly cause it has made me a little nervous, as posted two weeks ago, Caramel jumped up quite a bit and now she's back down to her previous weight from before, that's too scary for me...the others were only slightly different, guess this is what you get for a cheap kitchen scale, huh?
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Nov 27, 2013 16:07:45 GMT
Another update...I had to make the hardest decision this week in regards to our pets, no worries still have the gps but decided to surrender our cat and dog. My funds have become quite limited and I really don't have enough for all the pets, plus my kids and myself. Especially with the holidays coming, please don't hate me, I didn't want to give them up but in order to make sure my children are being taken care of properly, I had to, I am a single mother, work full time and with the kids busy schedules, we rarely have the time to spend with all of the animals. But, I have noticed now, the gps seem to appreciate us more, they've become more vocal, more social as well, they aren't as quick to run away, popcorning more, running around the cage more. And we don't need to have the cages closed off anymore, my kids seem to be keen on that as well as they've now shown more interest in them since they've made themselves more "visible". And if any of my girls have babies, will need the funds to be available for them if any complications arise. I haven't reweighed them as yet, will do so on the weekend with the cage change...crossing fingers that they're all right but as mentioned, haven't noticed any negative changes, only positive ones this week.
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Post by Orlaith on Nov 28, 2013 13:02:16 GMT
It's a hard decision but you have to do what's best for your family. I'm sure it wasn't one you made flippantly. It's great to hear that your kids are getting more interested in the piglets and that the pigs are happy too.
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Dec 3, 2013 18:33:31 GMT
So, I weighed them again this past weekend...looks like none are in pig? their weights aren't going up at all which has me quite stumped. Gibson was with them for a month and none of them? Could a boar draw blanks?? as far as I know he wasn't neutered, he was only approximately 12 weeks old when we got him. I was hoping at least one would so that we could have some babies for the new year... :`(
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Post by Orlaith on Dec 5, 2013 8:35:29 GMT
In a month they'll only come into heat twice or, if they have a slightly longer cycle, maybe only once, and then they're only receptive to the boar for a few hours, so there's a chance they've missed.
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Dec 7, 2013 1:59:13 GMT
Weight update: Cookie - 1166 grams Caramel - 1071 Cocoa - 1092 Charlie - 792
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Dec 10, 2013 2:34:14 GMT
Okay so I had a chance to have lap time with Cookie and Caramel tonight. I looked at Cookie and definitely noticed a pear shape to her. So I decided to weigh her earlier than the usual weekly and OMG...she weighed a whopping 1245 grams! Three days ago she was 1166 grams, that's a gain of 79 grams! And when I had her in my lap I put my hands on the sides where the bulges were and I felt some kicks! I went and weighed Caramel too as she's looking more pear as well but not sure with her as yet as she only went from 1071 to 1090 in the three days?
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Post by Orlaith on Dec 10, 2013 10:33:09 GMT
They're confusing girls! How accurate is your scale? Does it fluctuate with other things or is it just because the girls are moving around when you weigh them?
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Dec 10, 2013 13:34:09 GMT
I only use the scale to weigh the girls...it was a cheap one so maybe it's temperamental, but I believe Cookie will be having pups by the end of the year? They do move a bit but it usually only jumps around a few grams at a time...hmmm, I'll weigh them again at cage changing which will be this weekend.
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Post by Orlaith on Dec 10, 2013 14:25:14 GMT
It might be an idea to weigh something specific a few times a few hours apart to see if the same weight comes up. If so then your scale is okay, if not then it might account for the fluctuating weights. For the best results, pick something that's in and around the weight of your pigs (like a bag of sugar or something).
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Dec 10, 2013 15:36:28 GMT
Okay, I will try that when I get home, thank you. I was using a large measuring bowl that fits on the scale to weigh them in, subtracting the weight of the bowl of course, but Caramel and Cookie have gotten too big so have been attempting to weigh them while sitting/standing on it themselves...may need to invest in a better scale, eh? LOL...
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Post by Orlaith on Dec 10, 2013 16:02:47 GMT
My scale is quite small (and it was very cheap!) as well, but I have a little carrier that I put on top, then press zero, wait for it to settle and then pop the pig in and wait for them to stop walking around. It works well as you don't have to worry about their weight being on the scale evenly. It's actually this exact carrier, but any smallish one will do, just so long as it's not big enough that it can tip off the scale.
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Dec 11, 2013 17:10:33 GMT
I put a package of muffin mix on the scale (bag says 900g) in fact it weighed 946g, I weighed it standing up, on its side and then in the bowl I was using deducting the weight of the bowl and all came out to be correct. I will try it tonight to see if I get the same weights again. It may just be a low battery in the scale itself, maybe? Cute carrier, have never seen anything like that here in Canada though.
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guinnymom25
Adult Piggy
totally in love with gps
Posts: 124
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Post by guinnymom25 on Dec 21, 2013 16:17:21 GMT
Cookie and Caramel look to be in pig and they can have the pups anywhere from late December to possibly early February?? The way Cookie seems to be growing she may be having them late December/early January?? She's definitely got the pear shape for sure and you can see the pups moving about....praying she has a safe delivery.
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