As soon as i came from scool my female guinea pig was eating her babies neck but the male didnt eat it?

Question

why did the female eat the babie and why not the male we separated them

Answer 1

Tell me something.Is the baby nursing?Then it has to be with the mother.If the baby is older-say 3-4 weeks old then perhaps it can be separated.

Birth and nursing put a tremendous physical strain on the mother.She needs good nourishing food to nurse.You must feed her good quality food and lots of it.What is she getting now?

She ,(and all guinea pigs) need top quality timothy hay,fresh veggies daily (carrots and carrot tops,clean unsprayed lawn grass,romaine lettuce,beets,kale,raw corn  and corn husks,parsley to name a few).

They also need clean water in a water bottle changed daily,and fresh quality guinea pig pellets.

You must read up on any animals you want to keep and provide proper nutrition for them or don't have them.

Eating of young is not normal or even very common in a guinea pig.This is highly unusual behavior and means your'e doing something  wrong.

I would separate the male from now on so they cannot reproduce anymore.Also,I would keep the pigs in a quiet spot and not let children annoy them or grab them as this would further stress them.

If the baby is still alive,clean the wound with soap and water and put a bit of antibiotic ointment on it.

Answer 2

she was probably hungry and the male was already full

Answer 3

I've never heard of guinea pigs eating their young before. The male should have been separated from the baby and the mother as the mother can get pregnant very quickly afterwards. Feed the mother and if she is still trying to attack or eat her babies then you should take her out and put her in a cage separate from the both the father and the baby. Feed then maybe you should leave the mother and the baby together but supervise them so the mother doesn't do anything to the baby.

Answer 4

ive never heard of a guinea pig doing that!

Answer 5

You should of seperated your male and female before your female even gave birth as this means now she will be pregnant again straight after having babies which is wrong and inhumane as her body will be pysically exhausted. Keep your male and female apart now for the above reasons alone. I'm very sorry to hear that your baby piggy died but without seeing a vet it would be impossible to determin the cause of death. The mummy piggy was eating the baby as she instinctivly knows that a dead cage mate will (or in the wild would) attract predators into their home as it will start to smell, so they eat them (as best as they can) to cover the evidence that they are living where they are. The fact the male didn't eat the baby too is that he either saw the mum doing it and thought to leave her to it or his instincts aren't as strong as hers which i would understand as he doesnt have that maternal bond with the baby as the mother does. Although unfortunate this is a very natural process.

Keep a very close eye on mummy piggy now as she very well could be pregnant again, offer her lots of alfalfa hay to keep her calcium levels up as she will be very tired. Keep daddy away from mum and babies in the future and take him out BEFORE she gives birth, unless you want to breed again, but this shouldn't be for a while as she will be very tired and could become very ill.

Answer 6

The female may have felt threatened. Why on earth was the male still in with her? She's probably pregnant again now which is very unhealthy for her. Please stop breeding your guinea pigs and adding to the pet overpopulation.

Answer 7

hamsters eat their babies...

Answer 8

Because the female may have felt threatened and the male doesn't feel this- it isn't like a human parent relationship where they share care or even concerns for the baby.