Guinea Pig Surprise!

A while back I made a post about my guinea pigs, Newt and Gus (which you can view here if you haven't already). 
A few weeks ago I noticed that Gus' stomach had become bloated. This got me worried, as bloating is very dangerous to guinea pigs. He was eating fine and passing his food, so I decided to keep a close eye on him, and if he had no improvements I would take him to the vet and find out what was going on.

I thought it could be one of two things; bloating, or Gus was actually a girl and he was pregnant! I often had a look at him, and could swear that I could feel babies. Plus his was only large in the tummy area..

So on Saturday the 3rd, I booked an appointment at the vet, and took him down to get checked out.
It didn't take the vet long to diagnose Gus as being a girl!! And she was in fact pregnant! Of course it was a surprise, and not exactly what I wanted, as I bought Gus as a boy, but I would much rather that then him (I mean her!) being unwell. So I'm just glad she's healthy!

I would also like to thank the wonderful vet, Candice, at Best Friends Pet Centre. It can be difficult to determine the gender of a guinea pig at a young age, and Candice was so helpful and good to us!

As I named Gus after the Fault in Our Stars, it only seemed perfect to rename her Hazel (and it matches her fur colour!)


So after that, I was anxiously checking each day to see if there were any babies. Newt was being so good, giving her space and sitting outside protecting her. Plus, it now made sense why our dog Bella got use to Newt, but never Hazel! Animals have an amazing intuition, she obviously knew!

Finally, on Thursday night, the 8th of September, when checking the guinea pigs before going to bed, I lifted up the top of their bed to see three newborn baby guinea pigs!
They were so precious! Obviously as newborn babies, they were squinting and working out how to walk, it was such a beautiful scene!
Hazel gave birth to two brown babies, with different white markings, and a grey and white one. They are so cute and tiny, and I love watching them hop around the cage and following mum! They're currently still feeding of Hazel, but have just started eating pallets and vegetables as well, which I didn't expect so soon.


Sadly, I now have to separate Newt and put him in the downstairs level of the cage, because he can get Hazel pregnant again. But I am planning on getting him de-sexed, so they will be back together soon. They definitely miss each other, and Newt can get a bit stressed from time to time, especially with wanting to see the babies. So I make sure to give him lots of cuddles!
I am also unsure if I will be able to keep the babies.. the pet shop I bought Newt and Hazel from (which was also the vet I took her to), have kindly offered to take them off me when they are old enough. But now I'm starting to become attached to them, and I couldn't bare to separate them from each other, and Newt and Hazel.. However, the only way I will be able to keep them is if they are all girls, to prevent anymore surprise pregnancies! So fingers crossed.. I may have already made the mistake of thinking of some names..


So it's definitely been an exciting two weeks in my household, and I'm enjoying this exciting and cute time with my piggies!
And I'm finally used to referring to her as Hazel, and as a girl!

I'm so proud of Hazel for giving birth to three beautiful pups, and for being a new mummy! And to Newt for being a new dad!

I love my Newty Boy, Hazel Nut, and new three gorgeous babies!

Jess xx