Finally!! these piggies were born on Tuesday 2/8. The fact that there are 4 of them explains why mama was so HUGE. Mom is a solid red abyssinian (meaning she has cowlicks sticking up all over- crazy hair). Dad was a long haired red with some white stripes. It looks like the black baby (Jamal-according to Jared. Isn't that racial profiling?)has cowlicks too. I am amzed by how easy this birthing process seems to be for these moms (sows). I left the house Tuesday at noon- no babies. I came back 3 hours later- babies. The babies were all dry, no umbilical cords dangling, running around. Mom was skinny again and not showing any signs of wear. Even her bottom was pristine, no blood, no redness, no swelling after giving birth to twice her own weight in babies. One would almost think the stork left them! I am still puzzled how an animal who is suppossed to have litters of between 1-6 babies (kits) only has 2 teats. I guess that is why these piggies are born with teeth and able to eat solid food immediately, cause there is always a line of babies waiting their turn to nurse.
I know this picture is a bit fuzzy but it shows the relative size of one of the babies from this litter when it was 5 days old.
This picture shows the relative size of this litter and a kit from our last litter 11 days before. It is amazing how fast they grow. They are constantly eating- especially once they stop nursing, which they seem to do after about 10 days. They get very vocal right away too. Although their permanent home is outside, we brought the moms/babies inside due to cold temperatures. The babies have already figured out that the sound of crinkling plastic wrappers or produce bags mean they are going to get a treat. Even from the next room if they hear anyone rustling around in the refrigerator they start making all sorts of racket, chirps and whistles especially, hoping for a carrot, red cabbage or their favorite is parsley. But in truth they aren't picky they will eat just about any fruit or vegetable. The only things they don't seem to like is green beans (go figure) and citrus fruit which is odd because they have really high Vitamin C requirements.
Jared and Sam have a lot of things to keep them entertained here at home. They have the computer, xbox, airsoft rifles, cell phones and their ipods. The latest addition to their stash of toys is a dart board given to Jared by Nate and Rachel for Christmas. I noticed that it has been hung in a number of different places in Jared's bedroom in an effort to find the perfect spot that gives them just enough throwing distance. It somewhat worries me that it is so close to the light bulb on top of the lamp, but on the other hand, it shows their prowess that the bulb is still intact. Jared did, however, come and ask me a couple of days ago if we had any more dark blue paint........
One of our guniea pigs, Peaches (short for Peaches and Cream) had 2 babies! They are adorable! The mom is the white and red piggy in the background. Unlike any other rodent that I am familiar with, baby piglets, known as "kits", are born with hair, eyes open, already have teeth, and running around. Although they do nurse for the first couple of weeks, they don't need to as they are eating solid food from the first day. They are totally self-sufficient newborns.
The other piggy named Tulip has not yet had her babies, and she looks like she is about to explode. She is huge! It is almost painful to even look at her. She is nothing but belly. She has gotten to the point that her back legs can't support her weight independently, so although she can walk normally on her front two legs, her back two work together and hop like a bunny. Poor thing is ravenous all the time and eats night and day. She will push everybody else out of the way to get to the food. She is also the most vocal of all the guinea pigs I have ever had. She can get really loud to let you know she is out of food.
We have been keeping the two moms and babies inside for the last week, to monitor the deliveries and try to keep the babies warm as the temperature is getting down to freezing at night. The other 4 pigs are just fine outdoors in cold weather- we just make sure they stay dry and have lots of hay to burrow into. I'll post pictures when Tulip becomes a mom.
I know this picture is a bit fuzzy but it shows the relative size of one of the babies from this litter when it was 5 days old.
This picture shows the relative size of this litter and a kit from our last litter 11 days before. It is amazing how fast they grow. They are constantly eating- especially once they stop nursing, which they seem to do after about 10 days. They get very vocal right away too. Although their permanent home is outside, we brought the moms/babies inside due to cold temperatures. The babies have already figured out that the sound of crinkling plastic wrappers or produce bags mean they are going to get a treat. Even from the next room if they hear anyone rustling around in the refrigerator they start making all sorts of racket, chirps and whistles especially, hoping for a carrot, red cabbage or their favorite is parsley. But in truth they aren't picky they will eat just about any fruit or vegetable. The only things they don't seem to like is green beans (go figure) and citrus fruit which is odd because they have really high Vitamin C requirements. 
