Guinea pigs weigh between 700 and 1200g. Male baby guinea pigs have a donut-shaped genital opening in front of their anus. We used fleece bedding which we spot cleaned throughout the day by removing poop and leftover food. Watch carefully for signs of stress or discomfort. A female guinea pig usually wont eat a baby guinea pig deliberately. After your guinea pig has given birth, shell clean up the evidence left behind to stop predators from tracking down their scent. They have learned quite a few life skills from their mother and are ready to go to their new homes. Find The Best Deals on Your Favorite guinea pig Products and Save! Six or seven weeks old is the age at which most breeders will let their pups go to their new homes. If this happens, pop them back in with her, and visit again later. Your guinea pig wont eat its babies if you touch them. Its just as important that your baby guinea pig also spends most of their time with other guinea pigs. Keep your little friend calm. If her diet doesnt contain enough vital vitamins and nutrients, she can still be malnourished whilst receiving enough calories to maintain her body weight. In order to have a peaceful pregnancy and birth, there are some things that you can do: Many people underestimate how much space a guinea pig needs, along with other types of rodents. Where can I find baby guinea pigs for sale? Breeding of guinea pigs is strongly discouraged. This is especially true if pet parents have not given their pregnant sow enough food. Guinea pigs are social animals and do best when kept in pairs or groups. Pets. Under normal circumstances, the sow will give birth and have a healthy litter of pups. The best thing you can do is provide adequate and proper nutrition to the new guinea pig mother. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. Always consult your vet if you think a baby guinea pig overly small, or failing to thrive. If you keep a male guinea pig with the mother and babies, introduce them slowly, so there is no aggression between the two adults. I make sure to take good care of all the animals that come into my life. You need to know if you should reduce the amount of time you spend away from your pet. Common diseases in domestic guinea pigs include respiratory infections, diarrhea, itching, and boils due to infection (often the neck, throat, or external scratches). Calcium can be found in alfalfa hay or alfalfa-based pellets, timothy hay and oranges. However, dont keep them in the same cage for long. 11. Many people believe that male guinea pigs eat their babies as well. There are several major ideas about why would a guinea pig eat the babies: When they are small and weak, its much easier to keep baby guinea pigs away from male guinea pigs. Baby guinea pigs typically stay with their mother for about three weeks, but this can vary depending on the situation. Watch after your guinea pig while she gives birth. (Find Out Now), Filial Cannibalism (and 7 Reasons Why Some Animal Moms Dine On Their Babies). This is why you should do everything in your power to make your female piggy feel at ease. Theres no fixed moment when a guinea pig stops being a pup and becomes an adult. When I'm not writing, I enjoy kickboxing and work as an animal trainer. A mix of alfalfa and timothy hay could keep the mother full and prevent this from happening. It is famously difficult to sex baby rodents, so the easiest way to be sure which of your pups are girls and which are boys is to ask a more experienced mentor, or a vet, to help you. Although guinea pigs occasionally sneeze, frequent sneezing is a sign of pneumonia, especially in response to climate change. Guinea pigs can eat their babies if they lack nutrition. Theres a few traits unique to piggies that probably explain why they usually dont feel the need to eat their babies. Guinea pigs are fragile animals at any age but especially during their early days of life. So as long as the enclosure is secure and the bars are tight, you should be fine. If you are just considering the idea of owning guinea pigs, ensure that you already have the capacity to take care of them and also provide them with quality interplay. By their second week, you wont be able to miss how much your baby guinea pigs have grown already. Usually, the mother will eat the baby right after it's born. Here are some of our top baby guinea pig name lists to help you feel inspired! Just like big farmyard pigs! Some times, she shows me her displeasure if I have been away overnight and my neighbors fed her. We know that guinea pigs typically stay with their baby for about three weeks. 5 Common Cat Behaviours And What They Mean. This blog will give you some helpful tips on how to make this a wonderful experience. Also, female guinea pigs eat their young if they are overstressed and afraid because they cannot handle the situation. Guinea pigs are less likely to eat their own young than other varieties of rodents because a baby guinea pig reaches maturity quickly. If you have a pregnant guinea pig, consider giving the her cage an upgrade, so she can take care of her pups comfortably. It was fascinating to watch our new mom clean up after her newborn baby guinea pigs. Feed the guinea pig pups for the first 5 days around the clock every 4 to 5 hours. Baby guinea pig care - The Guinea Pig Manual. Hold him against your chest to help him feel secure and safe. There is a chance that your sow will only partially eat her offspring, particularly if she killed them by accident. Guinea pigs can jump over obstacles but these, When they recognize they are in danger, guinea pigs stand in one place for a long time then suddenly run very fast with a darting movement. You need to be able to provide your guinea pigs with regular ample attention all the time. How do I know when my guinea pig is ready to give birth? This way they can easily confuse their predator and a group of guinea pigs doing this is known as a stampede.. Guinea pigs do not share a similar parent-child bond like that of their siblings with their parents. It can therefore be tempting to pick up and cuddle the little babies right away! Guinea pigs are also notorious communicators, and they start vocalising from babyhood. Individual size is generally linked to litter size, so the more siblings there are in a litter, the smaller they are each likely to be. https://www.petmd.com/exotic/conditions/reproductive/c_ex_gp_pregnancy_toxemia, Why do animals sometimes kill their babies? The earlier and more regularly you handle them, the more likely they are to accept you. If a stillborn is not removed from the cage promptly, it might be eaten fairly quickly by the mother. Do guinea pigs get attached to their babies? Guinea pigs eat their babies not because they want to kill them for food but for other reasons. The answer to this question is not entirely clear. Guinea pigs are docile small animals. Guinea Pig Lifespan How Long Do Guinea Pigs Live? Babies grow fast. First of all, dont be too hard on yourself. A typical guinea pig pup weighs between 60 and 115 grams and measures close to 3 to 5 inches long. Dont be surprised if your pup lets out a little chirp as a means of asking for food! 11811 Shaker Blvd, #204, PMB 289Cleveland, Ohio 44120(216) 912-6291. When you decide to introduce baby guinea pigs to an adult guinea pig, follow their behavior (monitor them for aggression) and respond quickly. However, this would put a huge amount of strain on her body and her mental stamina. When Do Guinea Pigs Stop Growing and How Big Do They Get? Do Chickens Get Lonely? She is also teaching them how to interact with other guinea pigs. And make sure that the guinea pig mother is not present. To avoid the risk of your guinea pig, eating her babies, take these safety steps. Wiki User 2008-10-08 02:35:56 This. Aggression between two newly introduced guinea pigs is very common and If your guinea pig is finding it hard to deal with the change of a new cage mate, try engaging him in more interaction with you than ever before. Filial cannibalism is when animals eat their own offspring. If your sow is in a very small enclosure, this could cause her unnecessary stress. At the end of the day we removed the fleece bedding, washed it and replaced it with a fresh fleece liner. The pups will learn a lot from how to form social bonds, to which foods are safe to eat from the adults they live with. The sow needs this time to focus on nursing her living babies, and you need to create an environment that will allow her to do this. By doing this you can prevent accidental killings, as well as promptly remove any still born pups from the cage. The larger the litter, the smaller the pups (as a general rule), so ideally you wouldn't want too many pups born at once. Popcorning is an incredibly descriptive term to describe the frenzied bursts of energetic jumping, bumping and hopping about that guinea pigs engage in. CLICK HERE to check the price. Whether you plan on rearing your own litter of baby Abysinnian guinea pigs, or youre making plans to buy a baby Peruvian guinea pig, its valuable to be able to recognise whether theyre growing and developing normally for the species, and their breed. Male guinea pigs (boars) usually mature sexually and can mate as young as 2-3 months of age. When you do approach the a baby guinea pig, be careful to move slowly and gently. That way she doesnt have to deal with the stress of more pregnancies. Whats your experience with newborn baby guinea pigs? Allowing siblings to breed also poses a risk of dangerous congenital disorders to their offspring. Theyre sweet, juicy, and tasty. Witkowska, A. et al, The Effects of Diet on Anatomy, Physiology and Health in the Guinea Pig, Journal of Animal Health and Behavioural Science, 2017. GuineaPigDen.com is a participant in theAmazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Once the mother gives birth to her babies to the nest, she won't be paying much heed to the nest anymore. However, in captivity that shouldnt happen at all because responsible pet owners keep them separate from pregnant and lactating sows and their babies. (What You Need To Know)Continue. Secondly, even an experienced guinea pig mom might resort to eating her young if she is severely malnourished. Guinea pig babies are born very quickly. This is for several reasons: You should find this post helpful: Can A Father Guinea Pig Be With The Babies? Compared to other rodents, guinea pigs (both in captivity and in the wild) will very rarely choose to eat their offspring. (Fun Facts). Pneumonia can occur with torticollis and can be fatal. Why Do Guinea Pigs Sometimes Eat Their Young? Or house her with a neutered male to prevent future pregnancies. Increase the protein content in your pregnant guinea pigs diet. They will begin to wriggle and move about as soon as theyve been licked clean by their mom. (Find Out Now), Can A Father Guinea Pig Be With The Babies? Stop getting dirty looks from your piggies, because you forgot to do something for themAGAIN. This a sound that only domesticated guinea pigs do for their adoring pet parents. Do guinea pigs miss their babies? The female pups can be weaned the following week at four weeks of age. (700 to 1,100 grams), according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW). She is then back to cuddles and snuggles. Its often the result of starvation, stress, inexperience, or trauma. mypetguineapig.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. However, both males and females can mature and be fertile even earlier. Do everything you can to fulfill the wants and needs of the pregnant female, to make her feel safe and comfortable.