Can I use soft cloths for guinea pig's bedding? Although usually a concern for breeders, it is not tied to pregnancy specifically. If you are willing to give your guinea pig a good home with proper food, attention, living space, grooming, and veterinary care, you will be rewarded with a happy, healthy, cute, and fun guinea pig. This expertly written blog will provide all the information you need to care for your pet with complete confidence. The meat is low in cholesterol and fats which makes it a great animal protein choice. Thanks. basically tells them no more. To take care of a pregnant female guinea pig, feed it a healthy, balanced diet of fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, and vitamin C-fortified guinea pig pellets. Your veterinarian or local pet store may be able to recommend who to contact. This article has been viewed 21,631 times. Each guinea pig should have a minimum of two square feet in its cage. To survive on their own and develop appropriately for their age, a male guinea pig should be weaned at around 3 weeks. By the fourth week, the young only required a bottle every eight hours. Please subscribe to our newsletter so you don't have to miss a post. How many litters can a female guinea pig have in her lifetime? Create space for ventilation to minimise the ammonia fumes from their urine that can make them ill. Wash and clean feeders and drinkers occasionally. This tends to be quite challenging, but it is significantly easier than with other types of rodents, such as hamsters, where the young are born in a very undeveloped state, with their eyes closed and without fur. Fitness is also important, and guinea pigs suffering from pregnancy toxaemia will appear lethargic. Weaning the Babies You can start separating and weaning the babies by the age of 2 weeks, if they weigh enough. In fact, Jennifer loves all animals. I was able to raise a litter of three coronet pups, which were orphaned when their mother sadly died from pregnancy toxaemia. Guinea pig originates from the high plains of Southern America and can also be found in other regions of the world. There was an error while trying to send your request. I used a bottle with an extremely small teat that was originally used to bottle feed a miniature Jack Russell puppy. Guinea pigs can easily catch their feet and legs in a mesh bottom and often lose toes and break legs. They produce large amounts of delicious, tasty, healthy and highly nutritional meat containing a lot of protein. Otherwise, leave them alone. This helps to make cleaning of the cage easier and protect the bottom of the cage or hutch from urine and droppings. I understand the separation is done at four weeks, but for how long? Where possible, wait until baby guinea pigs are weaned (over 3 weeks of age) before trying to determine their gender. Fleece cage liners are an option, but they are not just blankets. They naturally nurse from their mother, but if she dies during birth or is otherwise unable to feed them, guinea pig pups can consume solid food. [1] X Trustworthy Source The Humane Society of the Unit Guinea pigs produce organic manure which is a high-quality fertilizer that contains phosphorus and nitrogen. I plan on getting guinea pigs started along with rabbits since it would be similar housing. They will be expensive at first, but in the long run, worth it. Nevertheless, you should seek veterinary advice at the earliest opportunities, even if the outlook is grim. It isnt used to being held, and may miss mommy. Whilst I was feeding them regularly, I kept them in their cage in the house because as I was up during the night, it was easier to have them nearby. Although guinea pigs with pregnancy toxaemia usually do not recover, it is crucial to seek veterinary advice without delay. Researchers are still using them for both disease and nutritional studies. I also covered their cage with a blanket to make sure they were not in any draughts. Disclosure. A Guinea pig that is under 300g needs a mesh of 10mm made of 10-12 gauge wire while cavy above 300g requires a 16 mm mesh of 9-10 gauge. The signs include nasal discharge, sneezing, and difficulty breathing. All Rights Reserved. Already have quail going and that has been very easy and successful. Other bedding options include cotton cloth, cotton fleece, and towels. Good record keeping will also help you monitor and control diseases. Guinea pig mothers don't care if you handle their offspring, so you can and should weigh the babies regularly. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It's important not just to wean the babies by the age of 3 weeks, but also to separate the males from the females and their mothers. Unfortunately, there is no certain cure for ketosis, and as suggested, treatment is rarely effective. Some of them still have their unbilical cords. What Does It Mean When the Hamster Mom Kills the Babies. As for females, four weeks is ideal. You can line the cage with newspaper and then place the bedding over the top. You need to keep the female pup away from her mom for seven to eight weeks. Weaning age should be determined by watching the sows body condition, milk supply, overall behavior with the litter, and the piglets weight gain or lack there of. This can also stop the guinea pig from eating. You can start raising guinea pigs and sell them as pets. (: Does Jerry Seinfeld have Parkinson's disease? At what age can you put your pups in a cage by themselves? Do guinea pigs eat their babies? During pregnancy, problems can occur, of which the most serious is likely to be pregnancy toxaemia. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. When the sow delivers, the babies come fast and furious. Breathing difficulties often follow. If you are 13 years old when were you born? In addition, the pups could be used as food for the reptiles. Check for bright and clear eyes as well as clean and dry ears. Females can get pregnant as early as 4 weeks of age, although 6 weeks is more the norm. The cage should be at least 7.5 square feet. This then ensures that the sow is obtaining all the necessary nutrients that she requires, but in moderation, so she will not become obese. Female guinea pigs have a 20% chance to dying due to pregnancy complications. Use washable or disposable floor covering for wire mesh floor. Under these circumstances, both male and female guinea pigs are vulnerable to the condition, if they are obese. The interval between birth and weaning is brief in guinea pigs. Sow pregnancy ranges from 63 to 70 days -- a long time for a rodent. Once specimens weigh more than 5.2 ounces, or 150 grams, they can be safely weaned. As a result of its loss of appetite, so a guinea pig will have less energy and so it soon becomes lethargic. Jane Meggitt has been a writer for more than 20 years. Although guinea pig pups are usually weaned from their mother at around four weeks, I continued to feed them three times a day for just over an extra week to ensure they were okay. Guinea pigs can then be sterilised at 12 14 weeks for males and 16 20 weeks for females. Not yet. Wendy has always found Royal Canins puppy milk to be as good as anything, and certainly, many litters have done fantastically well on it. You will want to keep them separate, because they could get aggressive towards each other and/or one another's babies. Rabbit Farming: The Beginners Guide To Profit. Nevertheless, hand-rearing the young guinea pigs is another option. First, start by introducing dry feed pre-weaning. At BabyGuineaPig.com, she covers all aspects of choosing and caring for guinea pigs. In the wild, they have lots of predators, so baby guinea pigs are born with a bit more independence and ability. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Guinea Pig undergoes spontaneous ovulation that occurs towards the end of the period of estrus. This creates a surplus of ketone bodies in the blood, and it is this that is invariably fatal! Sometimes, however, pregnancy toxaemia is impossible to prevent. They give birth to their babies fully furred, with their eyes open and their teeth erupted. Some people believe that milk replacers are not suitable for guinea pigs, whereas others have raised orphan litters using goats or sheeps milk. Since guinea pigs dont take long to reach sexual maturity. Baby guinea pigs can be weaned as young as two weeks, but it is suggested to wean them at about three to three and a half weeks. George Doyle & Ciaran Griffin/Stockbyte/Getty Images. You should not be separating baby guinea pigs from their mothers until theyre properly weaned. Guinea pig genitalia is more easily examined when the animal is sitting on its bottom or back. They are able to pull a maximum amount of nutrients out of small quantities of feed. I was just interested in knowing because I would like to raise them to feed my quail for an alternative protein diet. This is interesting because guinea pig pregnancy lasts about 2 months. Since the manure is rich in protein, some livestock farmers dry and add it to the diets of other animal species. Male pups can impregnate their mothers. This so-called first milk helps to protect them from the risk of early infections before their own immune systems are fully functional. A good diet during pregnancy will help to guard against pregnancy toxaemia. Although colostrum can be bought on-line too, it is vital to get it into the young guinea pigs as soon as possible after birth. Guinea pigs are one of the most popular research animals in the world. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. By using our site, you agree to our. just the first 4 weeks they have milk, and after that, the mother Her two female guinea pigs, called Blot and Lilly, keep her company and share her writing office. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply. Wood shavings are a good bedding option, but you must make sure the shavings are free of aromatic oils these oils can cause severe respiratory illness in guinea pigs. Rather than stepping in to raise the pups on your own, allow the mother to nurse her pups, even if it seems like she doesnt care for them very much. A Farmer, Blogger and Agribusiness Expert, I open your mind to successful Agribusiness you can start and teach you how to create new products by exploring different Agricultural Value Chain. In guinea pigs, sexual maturity also comes with amazing speed. For optimum health, They require a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits and supplements. Than as meat ang Imahinasyong guhit na naghahati sa daigdig sa magkaibang araw used Pet them many of the meats in the case of pregnancy plus four months reach Piglets are still using them for both disease and dogs and rabbit are the.. Newspaper and then moving onto a feed every two hours works best tasty healthy An effect on your browsing experience reach sexual maturity also comes with amazing speed purchased from Her milk up 4 weeks of age ) before trying to determine their.. 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