Help

[manda]

I got 2 guinea pigs from a rescue center 10 weeks ago, They havnt got on so they live in a 2 storey hutch with ramp in between,we got up today to 4 babys up the top and 2babys down the bottom, not sure if they have fallen down or if they have both given birth, is there a way to tell which guinea pigs have given birth, the babys are feeding from both it looks like it anyway.Hope somone can help :{

[flips]

Goodness, what a shock. :{

They must have been caught just before you picked them up from the rescue as gestation is about 10 weeks. Are both mums giving milk? They need plenty of leafy greens to keep up the milk as nursing is pretty harsh on the body's resources.

Do you know how old the mums are?

[flips]

Bump.

Perhaps a mod to move this to another section.

[Wiebke]

That IS a shock!!!

A birthing sow can trigger labour in a sow that is living with/next to her. As pregnancy lasts for about 10 weeks, they must have been impregnated just before they came to you. But it would be good if you could find out which pups belongs to which mum!

I would ask the rescue how your girls were kept as this would and should not happen with a reputable rescue!

Make sure that the sows are having loads of hay (preferably alfalfa during nursing to account for the higher demand of calcium), plenty of fresh food (especially vitamin C rich veg like peppers of any colour, parsley or broccoli; they need double the amount right now and putting it into the water is NOT a good idea!). You can't overfeed nursing mums, as everything goes straight towards the milk bar. The mummies will need rest and tlc afterwards, especially if they are young themselves and need building up their bodies.

Please weigh the babies; they should ideally be between 70-100g. You are in with a chance from 40g onward with supplementary feeding.
http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

Any boar pups need to be separated from three weeks onwards. The earliest documented brother-sister pregnancy is from 24 days old.
Here is a link for sexing pups (and mums to make sure):
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

Don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have.

[flips]

Thankyou Wiebke. I was hoping you would come along with some advice. :)