Baby guinea pig help?

Misumi

hi two baby guinea pigs were born this afternoon. found them in the hut..Kinda strange as vet and pet shop said both lucky and amber, their parents, were girls which is obviously not the case. anyhow, does anyone know how to look after baby guinea pigs, cavies i think they are called..i'm going to the vet tomorrow am, but i'm anxious they won't last the night...one of them is fine, but the other still has half the sack on and i don't know whether to take it off or not? i'm searching the net at the mo to get info, but any advice and as soon as you can would be great and would be much appreciated. tks!

Our man in Havana

Leave them with mum & dad & all should be fine! Baby piggies are born with hair, eyes open & ready to run - they will suckle milk from mum but will also eat the same food the parents do - they will be ready for new homes in 4 weeks - then get dad neutered so they can continue to live happily together.

Our man in Havana

Can I ask how long you have had your 2 piggies - if its only a short time they may both be girls & were pregnant when you got them - tis easy to sex piggies - pick them up turn the so you can see their bellies - just above their private parts press the tummy gentle - a boys penis will slowly pop out.

Sigma Force

If one is a male then take him out straight away of he will or may have already mated again with her, it could be as Bond said that the two were already pregnant when you got them.

Females have a 'Y' shape and males if you gently turn him upside down and gently press his little man will pop out, babies are sexed easier from 3 weeks onwards but it's possible to sex them younger but it's clearer at 3 weeks.
They need to stay with their mum for 5 to 6 weeks, if one baby is male then take him away to live with his dad at 5 to 6 weeks. If both are male then take them both away at 5 to 6 weeks and they can live together happily as long as they have enough space and plenty of food.
If one or both are female they can stay with their mum for as long as they need to.
If one of the adult is male as Bond said you can have him neutered by a competent and experienced small animal vet, keep him away from the female for 5 to 6 weeks to ensure he is no longer fertile and then you can reintroduce him to the female or females. A neutered male will happily live with one or more females, he'll be in heaven

It's best to let mum clean up the babies, if you feel the baby is distressed and the sack isn't totally removed you can remove it, try not to handle them until you are happy that they are suckling fine, they will also eat hay this is normal. Give the mum extra food and veggies and plenty of water. After a few days you can start handling the babies for very short periods so they get used to you.

If you'd like any more info you can e-mail guineapigrescue123@eircom.net
The most important thing to do is have them all sexed correctly that way you won't end up with loads. Hope this helps, enjoy your mini pigs:)

LegacyUser

Ahh .. thats cute. Just wondering, how big are newly born Guinea pigs? 3-4 inches long?

Maccattack

We had some of those little critters when we were kids.

I dont know much about them but I do remember this.

They are VERY susceptable to cold. Ours kept dying in the winter. You should get some real advice from a pet shop or a vet about how best to keep their little bums warm over the next few months.

Are you going to be selling them?

Just had a thought that one might be a good first pet for my kids.

Sigma Force

Baby guinea pigs are larger than 2 or 3 inches, they are born eyes open, fully furred and eating solids within 2 days but still drinking milk from mum for a few weeks.
They do feel the cold and damp especially can effect a guinea pigs health. This time of year they need to be in a warm shed but ideally in the house.
Guinea pigs should be rehomed in same sex pairs, they are sociable animals and need the company of at least one other guinea pig of the same sex.

Never house them with rabbits under any cirumstances no matter wether you have seen it done before or not. Females will generally live together in pairs or groups with no problem provided they are given the space they require.
Two 5 to 6 week old baby males can live happily together provided they have the space also.
An adult male guinea pig can be introduced to a 5 to 6 wk old baby male on neuteral territory and well supervised at first. You cannot introduce an adult male with another male, on the rare occasion males will live in trios but this is rare.
Also rarely an adult male can be introduced to another adult male but this takes a long long time and you have to be very careful. For more information on male guinea pigs here's an excellent site. http://www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/home.htm

If rehoming them make sure you homecheck and home them in same sex pairs, guinea pigs do make good first pets but young children must always be supervised and it cannot be left fully up to them to take care of the animal parents must take full responsibility. They are delicate animals and bones can easily be broken if dropped or handled roughly. A hutch is not suitable housing for a guinea pig, they are only shelters unless it is one of those 2 storey jobs or an extremely large hutch. Depending on where they are housed and the budget there are many options for guinea pig housing if anyone wants any ideas just let me know we've tried and tested a few.

Highly recommended reading for anyone with guinea pigs or anyone thinking about getting them is 'Guinea Pig' by Peter Gurney. Or in fact any of Peter Gurneys books.

Nothin cuter than mini pigs, they run around like clockwork mice..so cute but they get cuter as they get older well I think so anyway lol.

A pair of guinea pigs require 6 by 6 foot of space ideally, most people are not prepared to give them that space or just don't have that much space. In that case they should get the largest housing possible and then let the guinea pigs have supervised floor time daily. Guinea pigs love their routine and will soon let you know if your late with their veggies.
They can suffer from skin ailments esp. fungal and mites these are all treatable but make sure you get your hands on a vet that is used to dealing with exotics.

I've babbled on again, once I start about guinea pigs I tend to ramble:rolleyes:

Misumi

Hi thanks for all the advice. Amber (mammy) and fish and chips (the cavies) are doing well. Checked again and Amber and Lucky are defo female. Lucky’s belly looks kinda big so she might be up the duff aswell! It looks like I was sold two pregnant guinea pigs. As for the cavies I’m not sure of their sex and I’m usually quite an expert in these matters To be on the safe side, I’ve separated Lucky from the pack and I’m leaving the cavies to feed on Amber at the mo. I’ve made an appointment with the vet tonight to determine all sexes and if Lucky is expecting. They all slept in a hut in the utility room last night, was petrified something would happen. I’m not sure yet if I’m going to give the cavies a new home, if they are all female I’d like to keep them all together. But if one is male I might have to find him a new home. They’re all adorable, so cute and small and I’m utterly smitten’. Thanks again for your advice

Sigma Force

Sounds like the other girl could be pregnant, make sure you let the pet shop know this and that it't not acceptable to sell pregnant animals, they usually offer to take babies from people who complain but if possible say no thank you.
If she is a she and pregnant they should be all ok kept together until any males are old enough to be seperated, if she has her little soon and for example one in the first litter is male and one in the second litter is male then you could put those two together. Let us know how you get on, any chance of some piccies on the little dotes. Depending on what vet you go to some vets can get it wrong, some haven't a notion how to sex guinea pigs Bray vet or Bairbre O'Malley vets would be two places that will be able to help you if you are in the Bray area.

Ok I promise I'll stop lecturing now lol