New babies - No mum!

[CraigSGM]

Hi everyone

I've just got 2 new baby Guinea Pigs - someone my girlfriend works with was looking to get them re-homed when his had babies. Unfortunately the mum died straight after the birth (she had 6 babies.)

I'm not sure how they were looked after before we got them but they're about 2 weeks old now that we've got them. They seem really happy and full of life, I was just wondering if anyone had been in a similar situation and how did you care for them?

They've got plenty of space to run around. They're eating solid food for the most part, but we've got a bit of their food mixed with water to make it softer for them - they seem to really like that.

Thanks!

 

[TwoPiggies]

I have no idea about piggies that young. I think they still need milk though but not sure what kind. Hopefully someone more knowledgable will be along shortly to help x

 

[Wiebke]

Here are tips for hand feeding/caring for orphaned pups. Your little ones should be able to eat some adult food now, but they still need some topping up.
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html#pups

Please weigh them daily to control the food intake and check them as their immune system is much lower than that of piggies that have had mummy's milk. There is a much higher chance that they can come down very suddenly with something or other, so they will need extra attention.

Some rescues have had success with providing wholemeal bread cubes soaked in full fat goats milk for the pups to nibble on, but mushed up pellets or Critical Care is probably better. Make sure that they get vitamin C with their veg (either a slice of pepper, bit of broccoli or some fresh coriander/cilantro or parsley daily with their mixed veg). make sure that they have plenty of hay and good quality pellets. Add some alfalfa hay for another couple of weeks (high in calcium), but you can phase it out once the youngsters are eating pellets fully. Alfalfa is only needed until the end of the nursing period and should not be given long term as it could cause bladder stones later in life.

Best of luck!

 

[mikulinek]

I'm not an expert on baby piggies unfortunately but I have read that they could do with calcium at this age.

I'm not sure if you can give them milk although I have also read somewhere that you can give them mushed up brown bread and milk... Myra Mahoney (miniencyclopedia of guinea pigs) states:

"Should you have the misfortune to have to hand rear orphaned babies the best method is to use a teaspoon containing a piecie of brown bread soaked in a milk mixture (one part evaporated milk one part water). The babies will suck the bread and then sip the milk from the teaspoon. If you put a dish of bread and milk in their cage they will soon transfer to this and feed as and when they want to. I have found that, after a few days, I can get them to drink from a small hamster bottle filled with the milk mixture....

Warning: Do not let baby guinea pigs suck from a syringe or dropper. In their eagerness the milk will go into their lungs and pneumonia will set in."


I hope that helps. There's also a section on bottom cleaning and peeing etc as some babies need help in the early days. Are they passing movements etc. normally?

 

[missy]

Sorry, I don't know anything about caring for babies either but thought it might be a good idea to ask in the Pregnancy & Labour section as they're still so young and will have special requirements.

Sadly it's not uncommon for guinea pigs to die due to labour/pregnancy complications (one of the reasons why intentional breeding of guinea pigs is often frowned upon, especially in pro-rescue circles).

Good for you for taking them on and doing your research on how best to look after them. Best of luck to you all - hope they thrive

 

[CraigSGM]

Thanks for all the advice, had them a couple of days and I've been putting the vitamin supplement that's available from the pet shop on their food and making sure they've got plenty of veg.

They seem really happy and lively, so hopefully they'll be okay. I'll try the thing with the milk and bread too.

 

[lauralucy]

vitamin drops etc are not advised as they can alter the taste of food and water and may stop your piggies eating as much, as long as they have a variety of veg and nuggets they should get enough vitamin c.

 

[piggyfan]

vitamin drops etc are not advised as they can alter the taste of food and water and may stop your piggies eating as much, as long as they have a variety of veg and nuggets they should get enough vitamin c.

I do not agree with this. I give mine a crushed vitamin c tablet on a slice of cucumber everyday. They cannot store vitamin c so need the extra boost.

 

[missy]

vitamin drops etc are not advised as they can alter the taste of food and water and may stop your piggies eating as much, as long as they have a variety of veg and nuggets they should get enough vitamin c.

I do not agree with this. I give mine a crushed vitamin c tablet on a slice of cucumber everyday. They cannot store vitamin c so need the extra boost.

It's true that it's really important to make sure that guinea pigs get enough Vitamin C as it's vital to their health but they can't naturally produce it themselves....but I agree with lauralucy that, generally-speaking, the vit C intake for healthy pigs should come from their regular diet, with no need for any additional supplement. With a little research it should usually be pretty easy to give a piggy their recommended daily amount of vit C via their regular diet alone. Wiebke's post mentioned some veg which is particularly rich in vit C and dry guinea pig food often also includes vit C to contribute to their daily allowance (just check that it's well-stored and in date otherwise the nutritional content can be adversely affected).

There are times when it may be necessary to give a lot more vit C than usual (eg specific medical reasons). Even then, it may still be possible to give this vit C boost from their usual diet alone but a supplement may well be needed. Personally I'd choose tablet form but I know some people use drops.

GuineaLynx has this caution re adding vitamins to water:
"Do not add vitamin C to drinking water! Besides not knowing how much they're getting, when added to water exposed to air, half its strength will be lost in as little as a day. Heat, metal, mineral content (hard water), and chemicals, most notably chlorine, will also affect how long the vitamin C is viable, and if the flavor of the water is adversely affected, the guinea pig may drink less. Adequate water intake is vital to good health."

It's also worth checking exactly what is contained in vitamin supplements. Definitely avoid multi-vitamins and check sugar levels in vit c drops etc.

GuineaLynx confirms that young pigs need more vitamin C than the average pig so these young babies will definitely need plenty but it sounds like you have it covered, CraigSGM!


Link to GuineaLynx page re Vit C:
http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html

 

[CraigSGM]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I'll try and put a photo online in the next couple of days so that you can all see the adorable little critters in question. They really are ace!