In
May, I went to the pet store to get a friend for my other guinea pig,
Spicy. I picked out a beautiful little tortoiseshell and brought her
home. I couldn't think of a good name for her, so I took a peek at a
baby name book. I found 'Shakira,' an Arabic name which means 'thankful'
and I thought it suited her perfectly. A little over a month later, I
noticed that Shakira was getting a little fat. I felt around, and sure
enough, I felt some hard little babies inside. I learned all I could
about guinea pig pregnancy and labour, and hoped and prayed that my
little baby would be okay. She was just barely four months old, and
guinea pigs should not be mated before five months. Then on July 12th,
almost exactly two months after I got Shakira, after plenty of waiting
and suspense, two little babies arrived. Actually they were not so
little. They were much bigger than average, but they were alive and
healthy, and so was Shakira. You can see more pictures of Shakira
and her babies at their website.
Shakira is a very good mother, but I am not really surprised. Not only
is she the sweetest most well-behaved pig I have ever met, but I'm sure
my prayers helped too. I have a lot to be thankful for!
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