Baby guinea pig! questions...

[ellensy]

I got this baby guinea pig and she's really really tiny, just like the size of a hamster..... she's only about 1 week old. The problem is she's got no mother anymore. Will my guinea pig be able to live on her own??? What will I do??? What shall I feed her??? HELP!!! I really want her to live very badly....

[ellensy]

I attached her pic which was taken just a few hours ago...

OOOOO , what a cutie !!
I have a guinea pig too , Jasper !
Can your sweetie (what's the name ??) drink and eat on her own already ?? In a pet store , you could buy a baby-pet-bottle and a kind of milkpowder which needs to be solved in water . I would make a paste of normal guinea pig food and put this in her mouth bit by bit . A bit fresh salad is good too . Good luck !!

ps. This afternoon , I can ask my sister-in-law ! she is an expert in raising guinea pigs ! I will post more then !

[ellensy]

She's uhm, nameless yet as of now.... maybe you guys would like to name her.......

Yes, she can eat a little bit on her own, and I fed her human milk this afternoon, is that alright?

[Aspen and Misty]

Human milk wont have all the things she needs. You really should go to your pet store and buy the milk. Also, call your vet and take her in to have her looked at. You don't want her to get the other two sick and your vet will be able to answer all your questions.

Ash

[Chinadoll]

From what I remember....

My mother called me in a panic one day because the gpig she brought home for my sister a couple weeks before had two babies. From what research I did that I remember, I believe gpig babies can eat the pellets within a dayof their birth, but they still have their mothers milk (plus veggies, pellets, and hay, that you'd normally feed) until they are 3 to 4 weeks old. At which point I believe the males become sexually mature at 4 or 5 weeks and you want to separate him from mom and sisters because he will impregnate them. If I remember right....Did you know that a female gpig can become pregnant again just an hour or so after giving birth?

Anyway, I'd call a vet and ask what milk you should be feeding and where to get it. At one week your piggy should be still getting mothers milk along with pellets. Besides the pellets also be sure to feed fresh veggies and Timothy Hay.

Please read info from this site on caring for young cavies(gpigs):
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/Guin...ing.html#Young

and here's the main page of that site that will direct you to great info on gpigs:
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/Guineas/

Hope that helps!! Good Luck!!

PS: I saw the pic. What a cutie you have!! Absolutely adorable! Question...I can't really tell from the pic, but is that iceberg lettuce or cabbage? If it's iceberg, I'd reccomend romaine lettuce over iceberg. Iceberg lettuce is almost all water and has no nutritional value whatsoever. I used to feed my grandmother's piggy: romaine lettuce, endive, bokchoy(sp?), fresh spinach, carrots, apples, and oranges. I believe on the site I listed there is a link to good and bad veggies. I know stay away form snap beans...I think I read it's poisonious to gpigs. Hope that helps!

[ellensy]

Thanks for the info!!! I hope she grows up fast..... gosh, she's so tiny

Ellensy , here is the info I promised you !

Give your guinea pig : bread soaked in slim milk (pet milk is better) , special food for young guinea pigs (get it from a pet store) . My sister said not to give veggies before it's almost one month old !
Make sure it also always has fresh hay !

Success !

[Chinadoll]

Other helpful info from a cavie site:
Orphaned cavies
If babies are rejected, or the mother dies during or shortly after labor, you will need to make arrangements to raise the babies. If you are fortunate enough to have another sow that has just given birth within the last one or two days, you can opt to try and raise the guinea pigs with her as a foster mother. To do this, remove all but one of the mother's litter, and rub your orphaned litter against these babies so that they will pick up their scent. Then introduce the orphans to their foster mother; she will sniff them, and then accept or reject them. If they are rejected, you'll have to hand-raise them.
If you have to hand-raise the babies, they will need a milk substitute formula every two hours during the daytime. Some formulas and feeding tips can be found here. If you feed them late at night before going to bed, and keep them very warm, they should be fine until the next morning. After each feeding, be sure to wash their mouths to remove any spilled milk, as guinea pigs are miserable if their coat gets sticky. You will need to feed them this way for the first four days.

You will also need to wipe the anus and genital organs of each cavy with a clean, damp cloth to induce urination and the passing of feces. If the father is present with the babies, he may actually perform this duty for you by licking them, but you should watch closely to make sure he is doing so.

After the fourth day, they will need to learn how to eat solid foods. Again, if the father is present, they may learn from him through observation, and may in fact have already picked it up. If not, any young cavy placed with the babies can teach them this activity; the babies will learn from imitation how to pick up pellets and fresh greens and put them into their mouths.

And as lut said...make sure to have hay available at all times.
Good Luck!

[ellensy]

Thank you very much for the infos... I'll work on them right away!!! Its a gud thing you guys are here.....

[ChewmonkeyBC]

Hi,
I breed Guinea Pigs so maybe i can help.....
Baby GPs can eat GP food right when they are born,but should still be with there mother,but because yours is motherless i would check with your vet and see if they know of any vitamines your GP might need........

Kay

FCR

[Chinadoll]

Chewmonkey...
you say you breed guinea pigs...what do you do with the guinea pigs you breed? Do you find homes with them with your friends/family or do you sell them to a store? How many times a year do you breed the mother? How old is the mother gpig the first time you breed her? I'm very curious why you breed gpigs.