Pregnant guinea pigs are exciting, but they require special care. When you are feeding pregnant guinea pigs, you need awareness of how much she must eat and the correct nutritional balance. Otherwise, the risk of unsuccessful pregnancy increases.
What Happens During Pregnancy
Since laboratory studies favor guinea pigs, extensive research exists on their pregnancies. A guinea pig uterus has, for the purposes of visualization, two horns. Each horn can house the implantation site for anywhere between one and five pups on average. As the fetal pup develops, nutrients pass from the mother’s bloodstream into its own through an umbilical cord.
Over the course of a pregnancy, your guinea pig will experience shifts in the location of her major organs to make room for the pups. She will also experience increased appetite, especially as the pregnancy goes on. The little ones are entirely dependent on her for nutrition until they’re born, and they require a lot of energy to grow.
The Diet
Feeding pregnant guinea pigs looks like the standard guinea pig diet. However, increased quantities are needed. Additionally, you must take more care in supporting balance nutritionally, so the pups receive everything they need to grow healthy.
Grass-Based Feed
Guinea pigs evolved to eat a wide variety of grasses. Therefore, most of their calories should still come from this source. In many cases, these grasses are available in pellet form. This form makes feeding guinea pigs easier since pellets fit in a small ceramic dish.
Pregnant guinea pigs should have access to an increased (but ideally unlimited) amount of pe grass-based feed. This action will allow them the calories they need on-demand without increasing the risk of deposits in their system.
Hay
Feeding pregnant guinea pigs hay also helps their balance nutritionally. Hay is the closest to natural thing you can offer guinea pigs without spending exorbitant amounts of money. However, it’s essential to stay away from alfalfa and clover since you don’t want to overwhelm your pregnant guinea pig’s system.
Vegetables & Fruits
Vegetables, such as dark leafy greens and summer squash, are fantastic for guinea pigs. These items contain the necessary additional vitamins and minerals that other things only have small quantities of. It’s crucial when feeding pregnant guinea pigs that you rotate the selection. Access to these should not be unlimited, but you can increase it.
Fruits, on the other hand, should be kept close to their pre-pregnancy levels. The sugars in fruit are still a concern, even though fruits supply a lot of the proper nutrients. You do not want a hyper pregnant guinea pig running around on a sugar high.
Water
Part of feeding pregnant guinea pigs is ensuring they have access to unlimited clean water. This liquid helps them digest and distribute the nutrients in the food. You should change the water at least once a day and check throughout the day to ensure there is water available.
