For how many days/weeks should I hand feed my 2 baby guinea pigs? They are with a sow with an older litter.?

Question

We bought 2 female guinea pigs from our pet shop when they were 9 weeks old. To my surprise a few weeks later I went into the hutch one morning to discover 3 baby guinea pigs cuddled up with their mum and auntie. We then discovered the auntie (Ruby) was pregnant too. She gave birth 2 days ago but sadly died, along with 2 of the babies. We are now left with the 2 orphaned babies. We put them in with the other mum (Rose) and her 3 babies. One newborn still had the placenta attached and she ate that and cleaned it up straight away so we were hopeful. She did feed it a little but never for long and less enthusiastically than her own 3. The other one was allowed to cuddle up but could not even find a nipple to feed itself. I could only get it to feed by holding the mother up and latching it on myself. I was advised by a vet to top up their feeds myself which I have been doing every 2 hours. They feed well and have been nursing a little aswell and eating solids. How long should I?

Answer 1

Am surprised the female didn't take on the extra babies because guinea pigs will readily feed another's babies. It is probably because the pig is really young. That is probably why the other pig died right after having her young.
One of the best things you can do is provide Timothy Hay. It is nutrient rich for the babies and mother. Let the guinea pig that is nursing off the surrogate mother nurse as often as possible because it sounds like she has bonded to that one.
The good thing about guinea pigs is that since in the wild, they are prey animals, they don't nurse very long. Keep nursing the orphaned pig(s) until the other mother is finished, well, 2 weeks longer. Best of luck. It really disgusts me when I get pregnant guinea pigs that are very young. That means the breeder doesn't care. When customers get them from pet shops, usually animal husbandry at the shop isn't too good.

Answer 2

Guinea Pigs start eating solid food within a day or two of being born. Just make sure there is enough food for them all, when we have babies we put in extra food bowls. and make sure there is plenty of water, we also add extra water bottles, and it should be alright. You will find some bully each other over water and food, so adding food bowls and bottles gives them a chance to eat and drink without being picked on by the other babies or mom. You can also put in a little bit of cotton or even a washcloth for warmth for the baby, if you are concerned. I am sorry about the others that died. Make sure you separate any males you have at 6 weeks or you will be having more babies again. Good Luck !

Answer 3

You have a good answer already- I'll just build on it. Guinea pigs are born very developed, and often already have eyes open, and teeth forming. Put some thick cream of wheat and softened parrot biscuits in the cage for them to get used to nibbling on solid food, and it will help the weaning process right along. Be sure to separate the males and females as soon as possible, too. A slice of orange or a strawberry is also a very goof treat- soft and chewy and full of vitamin C. Good luck!

Answer 4

Guinea Lynx has some good tips about hand feeding babies over at http://www.guinealynx.com/handfeeding.html#pups.

While you're on the site, be sure to look at their pages about diet and nutrition. You'll find a lot of helpful information about food, hay, fruits, and vegetables.

I'm sorry to hear you lost so many, but praise you for trying so hard to do right by the ones who remain. Like another respondent here, I (and other guinea pig rescues) get very angry at pet stores and breeders who are irresponsible about keeping male and females separated. I would urge you to complain (in writing) to the store and send a letter of complaint to the Better Business Bureau in your state. Additionally, many states have one or more of the following who can follow up on complaints about pet stores: State Dog Warden or Animal Control Officer, USDA field representative, SPCA officer. If you have any of those in your state, send them a copy of your letter of complaint.

The only way to combat this problem is for the public to complain loudly every time it happens. Rescues can only do so much and, for obvious reasons, complaints from us usually fall on deaf ears at pet stores and their chains' corporate headquarters.

Answer 5

firstly get an almost as good as mums milk suppliment, I used evaporated milk, slightly watered down. get a small bottle with a tiny tiny teat, possibly from your chemist. You can use a syringe but you could choke them, be careful encourage the baby to take the teat like he would his mum, then he will get the hang of it. you have to feed every 2 hours thru the day, but you can usually get away with 4-6 hours during the night all depends how old the little ones are. Newborns will need 2 hourly feeds, but only for a while. guinea pigs are able to eat dry food within 3 weeks, so you only have to keep them going for at the most 3 weeks, then they should be feeding themselves. I had it happen to me, mum died, leaving me with 1 little g/pig to feed, he survived, the experience... g/pigs are not so needy as you may think, they are born to take care of themselves right from the off, but for a while they need mothers milk. You also have to wipe them on their bits, to make them wee, the mother stimulates the babies to pee by washing them, so if you get a piece of cotton wool, dampen it with warm water, then just wipe their little bits, they will do what they have to do, I hope you enjoy the experience.