https://www.merckvetmanual.com/all-other-pets/guinea-pigs/breeding-and-reproduction-of-guinea-pigs, Care of pregnant Guinea pigs.
Breeding and Reproduction of Guinea Pigs - All Other Pets - Merck Sometimes, male Guinea pigs will eat pups if they were fathered by another cavy. View our privacy policy and our disclosure policy for more information. They are born precocial, which means they already have teeth and fur, and from their earliest moments they can see, hear, and move about. Guinea pigs are social animals and do best when kept in pairs or groups. Can the male guinea pig stay with the mother and babies? If her diet doesnt contain enough vital vitamins and nutrients, she can still be malnourished whilst receiving enough calories to maintain her body weight. A mix of alfalfa and timothy hay could keep the mother full and prevent this from happening. Try to provide your pet with the extra company as much as you can, even if only for a short period of time. To understand why a guinea pig mother killing and gobbling up her offspring is so rare and why its still a possibility (although it is a long shot), you need to know a little bit about the dynamics of. A pregnant guinea pig requires a lot of extra nutrition.
Do Guinea Pigs Recognize Their Owners?: 10 Tips You Need Now Even their own children. For instance, most rats eat their babies. (2014, March 28). Under certain circumstances, the sow may eat her offspring for various reasons. Guinea pigs are also notorious communicators, and they start vocalising from babyhood. And the result is that guinea pig babies are born already more mature than many other species. How Few Is Too Few? The same goes for males. Following delivery, your guinea pig mama will be exhausted and hungry. Now, lets begin at the beginning. If you carefully run a finger over the area, you should be able to feel the shaft of their penis under the skin. Firstly, please provide them with plenty of toys and treats to keep them occupied. I'm here to help you smash the EASY button on pet parenting. On the other hand, female guinea pigs mature sexually at 2 months of age, so make sure to keep them separated from their brothers and father. 3 hours ago WebBaby Guinea Pig Diet The first week of life is critical. We were stressed out during this time because we did not want to have another unexpected guinea pig pregnancy. Show some tender feelings towards your guinea pig. And guinea pigs are quite fertile little creatures too! They will nurse every two hours for the first three weeks. My mission is to teach others useful tips and tricks about these cute creatures.
Newborn Guinea Pig Babies 10 Minutes Old! - YouTube But if you have a tiny little guinea pig with a noteworthy squeak, this name is pretty darn adorable. Giving birth is very stressful for guinea pigs and the mortality rate of pregnant guinea pigs is quite high due to complications that occur during the delivery process. My first piggy some years ago did a big dance of joy each time I came back home after some days of being away. As a whole, guinea pigs do not eat their offspring, but it can happen. The Best Pet Health & Care Advice from Real Vets | PetMD. Wed love to hear from you in the comments below. Newborn guinea pigs have fur and are born with their eyes open. This often happens when owners of female guinea pigs discover an unplanned pregnancy and arent able to care for all the babies. Guinea pigs are tailless rodents that weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 lbs.
Do Guinea Pigs Remember Their Siblings, Names, Owners & More If you are a new guinea pig parent or have an unexpected pregnancy like we did, you too may have lots of questions about newborn baby guinea pigs. This can be very misleading especially when it comes to motherhood as many animals eat their offspring in certain circumstances. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. (Find Out Now)Continue. Keep in mind that guinea pigs are not the best choice to raise other female guinea pigs babies. So, its possible for their mother (especially if shes inexperienced with babies) to kill them with too much force. This article has been extensively revised for 2019.
Do Guinea Pigs Eat Their Babies? [The Surprising Truth] But do all animals miss their babies as much as we do? How long does it take for guinea pigs to be born? Yes, female guinea pigs do nurse their young for a few weeks after birth. Guinea pigs are fragile animals at any age but especially during their early days of life. Guinea pigs definitely can eat clementines. Yes, guinea pigs miss their owners. The male guinea pig staying with the mother and babies is important because he helps keep them warm and protects them from predators.
How to Care for a Pet Guinea Pig - The Spruce Pets Three weeks marks the earliest point at which pups may stop nursing from their mother. For example, guinea pigs are born with their eyes open, and their ears which look huge at the moment can already hear. (700 to 1,100 grams), according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW). Certainly not, they only remember their parents for a particular period. If it does occur, the reasons will probably differ slightly from that of other species, and its important to understand these reasons in order to try to prevent it from happening: Most female guinea pigs will never eat their live young on purpose. You can also give them a comfortable place to sleep, like a bed or hammock. Theres a few traits unique to piggies that probably explain why they usually dont feel the need to eat their babies. That way she doesnt have to deal with the stress of more pregnancies. If a guinea pig mother cannot nurse her babies due to illness or death, keep the orphans with as many pet guinea pigs as possible. Be prepared to assess them quickly, because they wont like to be held in that position for long! Lots of small animals (think rats and rabbits) have reputations for being prolific breeders. Watch this video to learn more about guinea pig. Although they are able to conceive year-round, springtime is the peak window for baby guineas appearing on the scene. When separated from their parents, they often experience anxiety and depression. Even then, they must be handled very gently. Or at least make it a less dangerous one, for you, the guinea pig mother, and the baby piggies. Most people find guinea pig babies sweet and beautiful. Continue to give milk to puppies for 21 days even when they start eating solid food. By their second week, you wont be able to miss how much your baby guinea pigs have grown already. If your guinea pig becomes restless or starts to squeak loudly it is a sign that he is ready to go back to his cage. Its understandable to feel that way. Baby guinea pigs are able to digest solid food soon after birth; however, the majority of their required nutrients will come from their mothers milk. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Squeaks and Nibbles is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk, Squeaks and Nibbles is also 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. They have small bodies and big eyes. Guinea pig pregnancy seems short to us, but in fact it lasts a remarkably long time for their size. So, pet parents should be cautious and prepared when dealing with pregnant sows. The act of cannibalism in guinea pigs is usually the mother trying to protect the rest of her litter from predators. I make sure to take good care of all the animals that come into my life. The best thing you can do is provide adequate and proper nutrition to the new guinea pig mother. But, only serve them as an occasional treat, because the high sugar and water content can cause health problems like obesity and diarrhea. Remember to remove any they leave, as it will spoil quickly. This will stop the mother from continuing to feed on them, and it will prevent the risk of diseases through decomposition. Guinea pig babies are born quickly. The size of the pups is often relative to how many pups there are in the litter. This way they can easily confuse their predator and a group of guinea pigs doing this is known as a stampede.. Orphans should be fed by an eyedropper or pet nurse within the first 12 to 24 hours of life. Keep an eye on their weight, and youll be able to observe them steadily gaining ounces until around their first birthday. Place the cage in a quiet, draft-free area your home that is out of direct sunlight. 2 3 cups mostly green, leafy vegetables, Occasional fruit too much sugar can lead to obesity.
Do guinea pigs hurt their babies? - Your Wisdom Tips The average guinea pig gestation is 59 72 days. When you do approach the a baby guinea pig, be careful to move slowly and gently. Make sure to separate your male guinea pigs from females in their litter too. And within a few hours nursing should be established. As they grow, baby guinea pigs will require extra calcium to help their bones develop properly. This is necessary to prevent pregnancy. Whining is typically a noise made by the more passive guinea pig to communicate to a guinea pig that is more pushy or dominant. Popcorning is an incredibly descriptive term to describe the frenzied bursts of energetic jumping, bumping and hopping about that guinea pigs engage in. The gestation period is about 59 to 72 days or about two months. Thankfully, its only done when the mother feels she doesnt have any other option. Male baby guinea pigs have a donut-shaped genital opening in front of their anus. Sows must also have a constant supply of hay (alfalfa for the extra calories) and pellets. Make sure that your guinea pig babies are able to reach the water bottle sipper. Dwyer, C.M., et al, The effect of maternal undernutrition on the growth and development of the guinea pig placenta, Journal of Developmental Physiology, 1992. The earlier and more regularly you handle them, the more likely they are to accept you. Your guinea pig's individual personality will likely play a big role in this. On average, baby guinea pigs come in litters of 2-4, and weigh 70-115g. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made by my readers, but it doesn't cost you anything at all. When female guinea pigs eat their babies, they can do so because they are excessively hungry and because they are under a lot of stress that they cannot handle. Medical Disclaimer. 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. If you are unsure if the guinea pig is missing its baby, you may not be able to know if it is ill and needs to see a veterinarian. A fully grown guinea pig is between 20 and 25 cm long. While it might not be anything to worry about, sometimes it can be a sign of sickness. Well chart the milestones of their first days and weeks, and find out what to expect if you discover your female guinea pig is expecting. Do guinea pigs get attached to their babies? In the next section weve assembled some of the most commonly asked questions our readers have about their baby guinea pigs. If you look after the guinea pig mother regularly, she will allow you to touch her baby guinea pigs. Guinea pigs may be Darwinian in their process toward motherhood, meaning only strong individuals can survive and reproduce more, To eliminate competition, guinea pigs are reluctant to share their enclave, especially when other male guinea pigs are around. Pregnant and lactating guinea pigs also need alfalfa hay to sustain their babies. (n.d.). To help you, weve written more about how to tame a guinea pig here. To pick up your guinea pig move slowly and gently pick him up with two hands. Guinea pigs and other rodents do not eat their babies because they are hungry. Regarding animal parents, there is no greater love than that of a mother for her young. Even though they share similar names, guinea pigs do not belong to either the dog or pig family. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/140328-sloth-bear-zoo-infanticide-chimps-bonobos-animals, Your Guinea Pigs Pregnancy: The Stages of Pregnancy. B., Auditory spatial responses of young guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) during and after ear blocking, Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1978. She is more likely to eat her babies as she can confuse the placenta and the babies. Just being near their most preferred people can give guinea pigs a lot of comfort. If your guinea pig consistently has enough extra food, the chances of her needing to eat her pups drop to near zero. Once they are one to two finger-widths apart, it wont be long untilbirth.. After birth, Guinea pig sows can become pregnant again within hours. Bathing them, if its something you plan to try, should wait until they are at least eight weeks old. Piglet Okay, so it's not that clever.
How long does it take for a baby guinea pig to walk? Within twenty-four hours they can start to eat grass, produce, hay, and pellet feed just like adults. It is fine to carefully handle your new guinea pig pups during their first week, but be sure to allow them plenty of time with their mother as well. Prepare to separate the male and female baby guinea pigs by at least three weeks of age.
25 Sweet & Silly Guinea Pig Names - wideopenspaces.com Now, if you have a dog or even a cat, you are sure it misses you when you have to go to work but do guinea pigs miss their owners? Paying lots of brief visits to your litter with mother, and getting them used to gentle handling without worrying them are going to be a vital foundation of good socialization. You can expect your pup to wander curiously about their world during this time, but their legs are still a bit clumsy and theyre apt to suddenly plop down as they explore their environs. A male guinea pig might seriously injure his babies because he is territorial and feels intimidated. This website was inspired by our guinea pig pair, Theo and Remmy, and is our familys journey to becoming the best guinea pig parents. As a whole, guinea pigs do not eat their offspring, but it can happen. In general, the color of Abyssinian guinea pigs is associated with congenital eye defects and digestive problems. Guinea pigs can eat their babies if they lack nutrition. Baby guinea pigs feed on their mothers milk but soon they will need lots of alfalfa hay thats rich in calcium. We spent some time coming up with cute guinea pig names for our babies and decided upon the following; Moose, Aspen, Moon and Finn! So, what is the answer? However, there is no definitive answer as to whether or not this is true. This is especially important in guinea pigs, as they are highly social animals. She is then back to cuddles and snuggles. The causes are different for each species. Like babies of all species, cute baby guinea pigs are tiny and winsome. As herbivores, they dont eat meat at all. You cannot do any harm by touching your adult guinea pig or its babies. More research must be conducted to determine whether or not guinea pigs truly miss their babies when they are apart. (Find Out Now), Filial Cannibalism (and 7 Reasons Why Some Animal Moms Dine On Their Babies). Or house her with a neutered male to prevent future pregnancies. However, male guinea pigs shouldnt eat their young at all because guinea pigs are herbivores. Yes, guinea pigs do mourn.
Do Guinea Pigs Recognize Their Owners? (How to Tell) Do Guinea Pigs Nurse Their Young? This Is What You Should Know! Adult guinea pigs eat timothy hay, orchard hay, or any other hay thats high in fiber. Besides, guinea pigs should eat about 1/8 of pellets, and about a cup of a mixture of herbs, vegetables, and fruits, but all in moderate amounts. Bear in mind this doesnt necessarily mean she is dangerously thin. Also, male guinea pig may kill the babies if he doesnt recognize them as his own offspring. When you decide to introduce baby guinea pigs to an adult guinea pig, follow their behavior (monitor them for aggression) and respond quickly. So, what do you put on the bottom of a guinea pig cage? Guinea pigs do not share a similar parent-child bond like that of their siblings with their parents.