[Gpdd] Behavior - girl piggies in heat

[DFHAKES at aol.com]

Hi Leah and others!
 
Guinea pigs do not have estrous cycles and therefore don't go into  heat.  
Like rabbits, they are obligate ovulaters which means that they  release eggs 
when their body detects that a male has done his thing.  This  is why it's so 
important to keep the boys & girls  separated.  They are literally "breeding 
machines". 
 
Penny has ovarian cysts and there have been a few times that she has  been a 
real you-know-what to the "baby" pigs.  Rumblestrutting, chasing,  fussing.  
Never to me, because she had the little piggies to boss  around.  I tried to 
help by giving her extra run time to run off excess  energy.
 
Twice, it was so bad that I got her a shot of Depo-provera.  Very  expensive 
but it worked.  One thing to realize about the shots - the  behavior actually 
gets worse for about 12-24 hours after the shot but then it  goes away.
 
Maybe a little stuffed animal would help?



 
Regards,

Dana Felice
Chapter Manager
Tampa Bay House  Rabbit Society

Please check out our rabbit information and lists of  adoptable rabbits 
at:_www.tampabayhrs.org_ (http://www.tampabayhrs.org/) 
http://wwww.tampabayhrs.petfinder.com  (check out our new Petfinder address!)


"It doesn't matter what the  kids say. Rabbits are not disposable like a box 
of cereal or a Disney video.  They WILL get tired of the rabbits and go on to 
the next toy. YOU will have to  deal with the consequences. Unfortunately, 
most people deal with the situation  by DUMPING their rabbits on someone else. 
Ultimately, it is the bunny that pays  for your inability to say NO."



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