Should We Hand Rear This Baby Or Not, Advice Please ?

[JnJ]

Like many people we had a semi rescue pig that was supposed to be healthy etc etc. She came as one of a pair and all seemed well. Then we realised one was pregnant ! So she had 2 babies live and one dead. The 2 living ones had been progressing well until today.
Today is day 11 for them and they have been eating well and mother seems to be feeding them well. I went to the cage at lunchtime and one of the babies was dead. A couple of hours previous all seemed well with them. It looked as though the dead baby had maybe been lain on by the mother and perhaps suffocated ? as the other baby is still well as I write as they both were a couple of hours ago.
Should we put this down to just one of those things or is it possible the mother is getting fed up with them ? If she is getting fed up with the remaining baby should we separate them and try the hand rearing route ? although she is feeding it and it is eating hay as normal.
If we do need to hand rear advice please !
Could we be just over reacting and it was just accidental so just keep an eye on them and let mother do her job which she seems to have been doing well up to now.

Thanks in advance JnJ

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry for your loss! It is upsetting, but it is usually one of "these things" - like sudden heart failure. As you don't know the background, it could be a genetic/inbreeding issue or the result of bad conditions before her rescue, especially if mummy hasn't been with you for long.

Please leave the remaining baby with mummy and don't interfere unless your pup is not putting on weight or even losing weight; in that case please open a thread in our pregnancy/baby care section. We recommend to weigh all babies daily for the duration of the nursing period. Babies can go downhill extremely quickly, I don't think that it was mummy's fault. Sows are usually pretty dedicated both a mummies as well as aunties.

You may want to give mummy a check to see whether she has mastitis and is well in herself. Please weigh her regularly all your healthy piggies weekly. Nursing sows tend to lose a little bit weight during the nursing period, but it shouldn't be a lot and it shouldn't happen suddenly. Weighing is one of the most important tools of noticing developing health issues early on.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/after-birth-and-baby-care.109389/

If the remaining pup is male, you will need to separate him at 3 weeks old/250g of weight as he will be able to start the next generation after that. You can leave him with mummy and aunties for a bit longer until he reaches the cut-off weight if he is noticeably smaller at 3 weeks old. Normally sows start the weaning process around that time.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/separating-baby-boars-and-rehoming-babies.109391/
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm