When a guppy is in labor, it will show signs of extreme discomfort. It usually stays at the bottom of the aquarium or hides, moving very little. Even when it does swim, it struggles to maintain balance, swimming in a wobbly manner. If the fish has given birth to a few fry but stops delivering, yet its abdomen remains swollen, it indicates that it is experiencing difficulty in labor. During labor, the guppy will breathe rapidly and may even blow bubbles. If it does not give birth at all, the female guppy will eventually die.
1. What Are the Symptoms of a Guppy in Labor?
A guppy in labor will be in significant distress and will not want to move. It typically stays at the bottom of the tank or hides among the plants, remaining motionless. After giving birth to a few fry, if it stops but its abdomen remains swollen, this is a sign of difficult labor. The guppy will show obvious signs of pain, with an inability to maintain balance, causing it to swim unsteadily in the tank. Due to the difficulty in labor, it will also breathe more rapidly and may even expel bubbles. If you try to feed it during this time, you might see the female guppy take the food but then spit it out repeatedly.
Guppies are viviparous, meaning that the fry inside are already well-formed. If the labor does not progress, the fish inside the mother will eventually die, which could lead to the mother’s death as well. Thus, the final symptom of difficult labor is a swollen abdomen with no fry being born, ultimately resulting in the death of the female guppy.
2. What to Do if the Guppy Dies During Labor?
Guppies are viviparous, with fully developed fry inside them. If the guppy dies during labor, it is important to immediately remove it from the tank and perform a caesarean section. If done in time and the fry are still alive inside the mother, they can be saved. However, most guppies that experience difficult labor have already lost the fry inside them, which causes their death. Thus, the fry removed during a caesarean section will generally be dead. Even if some fry are still alive, their survival is fragile, and they will require careful attention and care to be raised successfully.
