How do I care for a mother guinea pig and her baby

Question

can we touch the baby ??? How long does the mother nurse the baby or does the baby just eat on it own ?

Answer 1

Here are some helpful links

http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction....

http://www.guinealynx.info/breeding.html

Answer 2

Baby guinea pigs are the best! You can touch the baby straight away and the baby will take milk from it's mother as well as eating solid food from day one. Just offer them normal food and let them get on with it. Oh and don't be surprised if you see baby eating mum's poo. It's how they get some of the bacteria they need!  

Answer 3

Absolutely begin handling the baby as soon as the mum has cleaned & dried it after the birth. Guinea pigs do not eat their young or refuse them after they've been handled by humans. Hamsters & gerbils do that, but not guinea pigs. The sooner you begin socialising the baby, the tamer it will be!

The pup will need to nurse from the mum for 3 weeks. At that time, you will need to determine the s*x of the baby. If its a boar, it will need to be removed from the mum or you risk pregnancy. If its a sow, she can stay with the mum indefinitely. Here are some sexing photos that will help in a few weeks:

http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

The pup will begin eating the foods you feed the mum within 24 hours or sooner. Make sure the pup has access to hay, pellets, and fresh veggies. Also make sure the water bottle is lowered enough that the pup can reach the sipper tube.

Good luck!

Answer 4

you need to bring the mother food ( dandylions? clover?) and have her water dish nearby - which is probably what you do anyway.

other than that, the mom takes care of everything.