Complete guidance for pregnant guppy signs of delivery

One of the most beautiful gifts of nature is the process of giving birth to a newborn baby. This is the blessing that has been provided by nature to all the females and is not only an essential part of development but also requires attention and care.

Female guppies can become pregnant when they are just a few weeks. It is better to keep them separated from male guppies after a specific interval of time because they can give birth on average once a month for several years. If you are maintaining guppies in a community tank, then it is recommended that you should separate the female guppy from the main tank just before giving birth to young fry. You can put the pregnant guppy into a separate container or even in a breeding box.

But now you may be worried about the exact timing when you should separate a pregnant female guppy from the community tank? Or how can you realize that the female guppy is about to give birth and what are pregnant guppy signs?

Here, I will give you complete guidance to determine if a guppy is pregnant or not? And how you can take care of your guppy when she is pregnant?

Pregnant guppy signs of delivery 

How to determine pregnant guppy signs

As we are talking about the pregnancy of female guppy fishes, the first thing to be considered is how you can determine that your guppy is pregnant.

The best part is that it is not challenging to determine if the guppy is pregnant or not. If the female guppies are fertile and you keep them with the male guppies, then there are high chances of having pregnant female guppies.

During the time of pregnancy, a ubiquitous feature is that the female puppies will develop a big rounded belly and it will keep on growing until they release the fry. The gravid spot will become darker and bigger which is near the base of the anal fin under the tail.

The approximation gestation period for guppies is around 22 to 26 days, but it may vary with the tank’s condition and female guppies health & characteristics.

Pregnant guppy Stages before delivery

The Pregnant guppy signs may vary because different fish have different personalities, and not every female guppy shows similar signs when they are ready to give birth to young fry. But here, I will present some of the common pregnant guppy stages features that you will observe when your female guppy is ready for birth.

Change in body shape

• A few days before giving birth to young fry you will notice that the female guppies belly will form an angular shape, it will become challenging to explain the exact way; however, it is not difficult to observe the change in their belly. It is the best pregnant guppy stage to separate them from the main tank.

Pregnant guppy staying still in corners

• One of the readily observed behaviours of female guppy, when they are ready to give birth, is that they will start hiding behind plants or pregnant guppy stay still in a corner. This is not a standard feature, and that is why you can easily spot the change.

Change in eating habits

• Usually, pregnant guppies also change their eating habits when they are about to give birth. Sometimes they spit the food out or even refuse to eat.

Unusual behaviour of pregnant guppy fish

• Pregnant guppies also show that some unusual behaviour like shivering for shuttering motions during contractions or increasingly rapid breathing.

Things to keep in mind after the birth

It is a very familiar fact that female guppies eat the fry once they are born. So it becomes not only essential but challenging as well to take care of guppy fry.

But how to save and care for guppy fry?

If you want to save as many fries as possible, then it is essential to separate the pregnant female guppy from the fry. 

You can also add some live plants in your aquarium because it will increase the chances for some of the fry to survive.