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It helps baby guinea pigs to adjust to human beings if they are held and petted while small. Too much handling causes them stress, so be cautious in your affections. A little bit of human contact each day allows guinea pigs to feel friendlier toward people throughout their lives.
Guinea pig mothers are not put off from caring for their young by the smell of humans on them like birds are. Pups, after two weeks can take care of themselves. Only on rare occasions when a new mother might reject her offspring or dies during delivery will you need to take over raising the babies.
In the event that the mother dies, put the babies in the cage with the father. He will help keep them clean for you and he will teach them how to eat solid food. With no father, you must do all of the work yourself. This includes feeding the pups a milk mixture every two hours and cleaning off their bottoms. The milk mixture consists of twenty-five percent evaporated milk and seventy-five percent boiled and cooled water. Using a bottle or water dropper feed the babies every two hours for the first three days, always wiping off their faces and hair after they have eaten. Use a clean cloth to wipe their genitals and anus two or three times a day. Teach the babies how to eat solid food if the father is not present. Do this by gently hand feeding them small pieces until they catch on.
After three or four weeks your pups will be independent of their mother or you. It is at this time that you must separate the males from the females. The females will have reached sexual maturity and the mother will have entered estrus, so it is vital that all males be removed from the same cage as the females.
We discussed sexing a guinea pig earlier in the book. To remind you of the procedure, gently lift the cavy up and very carefully press above the genital area. Male guinea pigs will show a protruding penis as well as a donut shape around their rectum where the testicles reside. Ask your vet to help you sex the pups if you don’t feel comfortable doing it.
Guinea Pig Mothers
Once a female guinea pig has given birth, she needs to regain her strength. Keep feeding her extra food produce and hay and giving her extra Vitamin C. Don’t be worried if you notice that she is losing some of her hair. For about five days, you may see a little blood throughout the cage. This is normal. If the bleeding continues after five days or is copious, consult your vet.
Guinea Pigs Previous Page (40)
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