Guinea Pig Babies With Mom
In this crucial period after birth the baby cavy needs to be nursed in a safe environment with the mother.
Guinea pig babies with mom. Male baby guinea pigs have a donut shaped genital opening in front of their anus. The birthing process usually takes about 30 minutes with about three to five minutes between pups. Guinea pig babies are actually called pups female cavies are called sows and males are called boars the gestation period is about 59 to 72 days or about two months newborn guinea pigs weigh only 100 grams but they grow quickly. A mother guinea pig needs to clean the babies and eat the afterbirth to chemically generate the mammary glands to start producing milk.
Even human moms do not produce milk right off the bat. Weaning at three weeks is actually optimal for growing young guinea pigs. You will see the uterus protruding out of her vaginal area. Newborn guinea pigs can meet their fathers but only if their mothers aren t around.
It takes a day or two. It s important for guinea pig mothers to nurse their youngsters until they re a minimum of 2 weeks old. For example the mother guinea pig may experience a difficult birth and end up with a prolapsed uterus. And if you push very gently the penis might appear.
Let s be clear a newborn guinea pig should not leave its mother s side for at least 3 weeks. Don t allow female pups to encounter their dads once they re 21 days old however. Male guinea pigs should be separated from their pups at least for most of the time simply because the little ones have to be with their mothers. Female baby guinea pigs on the other hand have a y shaped genital opening set much closer to the.
Baby guinea pigs start nursing in 24 hours and eat solid foods at three days as mom shows them how. If you carefully run a finger over the area you should be able to feel the shaft of their penis under the skin. Do not separate the pups from their mothers until they re fully weaned. The mother guinea pig will not reject her babies if you hold them but she will need time to complete the birthing process before they are ready to be held.
Failure to do so will show how irresponsible the breeder is.