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Small pets

Fatimus, a very porkie guinea girl

22 replies

fortifiedwithtea · 02/08/2012 22:12

Fatimus has always been a big girl being an agouti cross. She lives with Shy girl a black American crested. Fatimus is also very in love with Old Boy. Shy girl shows no interest in him. Old Boy would love any girl piggie given half the chance Blush which is what I'm hinting at here.

In February (last time I weighed them) Fatimus 1050g today 1250g! Shy girl has also put on weight from 975g to 1050g.

So Shy girl has increased 75g whereas Fatimus has increased 200g. I know for definite that Shy is not pg.

However 66 days ago Old Boy had a bubble bath in the garden. And while I was getting his bath really, fatimus squeezed her fat little body under a gap in the run where the ground was uneven. Well I found OB chasing her around the swing set Shock.

Now I'm thinking did she not run as fast as she could have done Hmm. Also she clearly feels uncomfortable being picked up so I scoop a hand under her bottom as soon as possible.

The Dc want me to take her to the vet but I'm inclined to wait and see what happens. She doesn't look like a dinner plate and I can't see or feel any movement. Hoping she is hugely fat. Not saying that that good either.

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BonkeySaysTeamGBAreTheMollocks · 02/08/2012 22:17

Oo Oo have we got a pg piggy thread?

I remember when you posted about the escapee.

Isn't it something like 60days for a gp? Does that sound about right?

I would count but heads not with it

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fortifiedwithtea · 02/08/2012 22:42

I've read 70 days but I've also read that guineas can retain sperm until they come into season which is every 16 days Confused.

Dh would not be impressed and my mother would go balastic. The fact is if we had baby gp's there is no way me and the Dc could part with them.

If Fatimus is just very fat, how do we control her weight? She stands on the food so Shy girl can't get to it. I can't separate them because Shy girl gets distressed and shreaks if she can not see Fatimus.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/08/2012 00:11

It's 63-72 days for pigs.
But how old is your female guinea?
Their pelvic bones are less malleable when they get older so it's more problematical for them to give birth.

IIRC my pg sows (and this was when I was a child so many years ago) had very defined firm pregnancy bumps rather than general chubbiness. Our old sow (2 litters) was actually bigger when she got old than she was when she was pg.But it was wobbly.
Whereas you could see the unborn piglets moving and her sides rippling.

Probably best for a vet check (you said the vet who saw OB was good) to either rule it out or confirm.

WRT food, it's difficult.You think "how the heck can you get fat on veg"?

Our agouti smooth boar is much bigger than his part Abyssian brother, but smooths tend to be bigger anyway.
In certain positions he looks a bit chubby round his haunches and chins. (He's just a big burning hunk of love though)

Food in a toilet roll tube? Hay, veg, packed inside to make her work for her food.?

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/08/2012 00:16

I've looked on a couple of sites.
7 -8 months is too old for a first litter.

And they shouldn't have a litter after 3 yo according to one.

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fortifiedwithtea · 03/08/2012 15:06

I think up to a year is ok for a first litter. As you know their bones fuse.

However, Fatimus is too old. We've had her and Shy girl exactly a year today and pet shop were not sure of their birthdays. So Fatimus 'celebrated her 1st birthday on 14th April and Shy girl on 4th May.

Fatimus is a solid chunk but nothing is moving.

70 I had to laugh at GP2's chins. Food in loo roll tubes could work I'll give it a go Smile.

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BonkeySaysTeamGBAreTheMollocks · 03/08/2012 16:39

Food in loo roll?
May have to try that too.

Big pig is a porker and simply refuses to exercise Confused . All he does all day is sleep and eat, when he comes out for a run he just plonks himself under the table on his cushion Hmm .

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/08/2012 19:10

Guinea-pig lynx says 8 months for fusion and GPs birthing after this age need a C-Section.

So, a trip to the vet would definately be the next port-of-call to give you the next plan of action.
Hopefully she's just porky. Shock


We have a ramp and carpeted lid area for the boars in their Pighouse- not that they use it. (DD puts them on the top level and they scuttle down as fast as their little legs will carry them-towards their salad plate)

Even outside they will mosey round a while then settle down.

Though GP1 (the big boy) will follow DD round and round like a little dog Wink

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/08/2012 00:03

My little black Abyssian-esque (he's fluffy, not proper rossettes) is so scrawny, his hip bones practically poke through his skin.

My Agouti Smooth is well covered. But if I stand him up, support his hind legs and get him to stretch upwards, the tubbiness disappears.

Is Fatimus still big round the tummy if she stretches out, or does it all get smoothed out like or boar does.

(Our boars had a check up, they were weighed and the weight was fine. There is quite a size difference between the two, but they both eat loads)

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/08/2012 00:04

Like our boar , not or boar.

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guineapiglet · 04/08/2012 11:33

Hi there, hope all guinea lovers are well. We have had a succession of guinea girls and two of them were rather on the supersized scale - they were fed exactly the same, given the same grazing time etc etc, some seem to be more disposed to putting on weight. It can spell problems for girls tho' - both of the ;larger sized girls had problems with their ovaries, one had a cyst and one had another complication - the weight gain may be symptomatic of this - so it is worth keeping an eye on her.I guess they are like humans in that they come in all shapes and sizes, both these girls were fed the same as they others, they ate non stop, rested, snoozed, ate again -perfect life!

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fortifiedwithtea · 04/08/2012 16:06

Fatimus is still fat. In answer to 70's question if I stood her on her back paws she would still be fat.

That girl is one big eating machine. Even when it hot she didn't stop. She crawled on her belly and ate grass. She can't look at me without putting her paws up the wire begging for food.

I'm thinking against pg. It's gone on too long and I think the bulge would be lower down by now assuming bulges drop like humans do Confused.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/08/2012 17:12

You could PM dampatchnot (hobby breeder) She might have some photos of her GPs when they were in latter stage of pg.

(My sows had very solid, very definate bulges just before the hind leg area. one had 2 litters of 3. One sneaked in a pg but hers was a singleton.But still definately pg shape.But she was young and thin when we got her ) But as I said it was years ago !

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alemci · 04/08/2012 17:24

yes fortified, i think you may be right about the cyst. years ago i thought my ggp was pregnant but it was a cyst and she did look fat. she was quite old.

another gp was pregnant and she had her first litter when she was about 12 weeks old.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/08/2012 19:56

I think Fatima will be needing a scan to assess what's in there then take it from there.

Little treasures that they are Confused

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fortifiedwithtea · 06/08/2012 18:18

Oh crap Shock and more oh crap Confused sums up today.

Old Boy has the shits Shock big time and has needed a bath again. He loves his bubble baths with leg massages Wink.

Fatimus is still fat, really hating being picked up. When I did pick her up I put my hand in mucus from her back end (yuk). Wondered if that meant she's on heat but she had no interest in OB can't blame her with that smelly arse of his.

So I rang the vet and spoke to the nurse. OB is banned from wet veg like cucumber and celery and generallycut down on veg for a couple of days. Step up dry food and hay and bring him in to vets wednesday if no better or sooner if he goes down hill.

As for Fatimus, she is either on heat or about to litter within 48 hours. Nurse said to bring her into the house and let her sleep on towels. Or I could bring her to the surgery for the vet to look at her. My hunch is still that she is fat.

Wednesday will be a decisive day for the fortified pigs.

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BonkeyHasGOLDMollocks · 06/08/2012 18:35

Roll on wednesday!

Hope Old Boy gets better soon.

Is the mucas a sign of imminent birth?
has she ahd it before when she has been on heat?

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silver73 · 07/08/2012 00:40

fortified please get OB to a GP savvy vet tomorrow as soon as you can. Diarrhea is a medical emergency in a GP and you cannot wait until they go down hill. We lost a piggie because we got similar advice. GPs need antibiotics and probiotics as soon as they get diarrhea. Waiting could be fatal for OB.

www.guinealynx.info/diarrhea.html

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 07/08/2012 20:34

The mucous-
I've Googled on various GP sites, Guinea Lynx.

I remember ( from way back) some of my female guineas having a white thickish fluid ,like toothpaste, in the genitals.
My GP females didn't have a male in the vicinity at the time. I don't know if it makes them have more regular fertile times if there's a male round.Maybe mine CBA because there was no-one to appreciate them Grin

The websites suggest the mocous is the GP in season. The 'plug' is in situ until they are on heat. (and one says after they mate it reforms to stop another boar mating sucessfully with them).

So how is OB, have his bowels stabilised being off the salady veg? (I'm giving my boys salad if they don't have a decent grazing time, Timothy Hay/Alfafa Hay if they've been gorging on grass)

Hopefully tomorrow you'll get answers.

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damppatchnot · 17/08/2012 22:50

I will get some pics on of my pre natals but ad they are super hairy don't show till last week

My coco is a fatty she looks like she's having ten but it will be two at most

She is the most laid back gp I have so lovely

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fortifiedwithtea · 18/08/2012 09:25

Fatimus is not pregnant [sigh of relief emoicon]. Just one hugely fat girl pig.

OB is still giving me grave cause for concern Sad. Poops now black, skinny and not smooth like a gp poop should be. Think burnt chipolata on a bbq and you've got the image about right. And he can't pass them properly. Woddles around with 3 sticking out his bum. Gave him alittle bum massage to help him poo yesterday and I think he's got a tiny hole in his annus skin because alittle bit of poo came out (a hole that shouldn't be there) Shock. I wonder if he's put a tooth through it grabbing a soft edible poop.

Plus there is the lucazade coloured wee. Literally bright orange and no he hadn't been eating carrots. His aim seems to has gone to pot too. Wee over his belly and down his back legs. OB needs another bath.

It's baffling because his blood test showed normal liver and kidney function. Obviously OB is not alright. Unless there's a miracle, this month there will be another bloody big vet bill Sad.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 18/08/2012 11:29

Hi, fortified I googled some GP sites (orange pee) and the answers were Confused and varied.

Either "No problem, orange pee normal" (though I've never seen orange pee. Other colours after my pigs ate a book cover Hmm but I knew what that was)
Apparently young GPs are more likely to have it (though your OB might not come into this catergory- not being ageist, but the name is a hint)

Some sites say it's oxidisation (especially if blood in urine). If he has swallowed a tooth, there could be damage?

The vet would have checked for ITU in the liver/kidney tests.

Is he dehydrated?
Cystitus? If he's in pain passing, he might not aim straight?

Did they look for kidney stones?

There's a link to food that are low in calcium (IIRC it's what can GPs eat, or check under KRITIC her GP boar had cystitus)

The stringey black pooh sounds like he's not getting the bulk/fibre. Is he eating after his teeth problem?

(Our GP1 broke a bottom tooth a while back and DD was worried he might eat it and get it stuck. Hopefully he spat it out, they are huge and sharp) [ouch emoticon]

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damppatchnot · 18/08/2012 16:42

Well you might have to rename little Fatimus as weighed coco just now and she's 1650g Shock

She's about a week off and can feel one. Porker or what!!

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