Oprhan Guinea Pig Pup Feeding
Like 0 Dislike 0 Published on 25 Mar 2015
Orphan Pups
Some pups lose their mother to pregnancy related complications ( like ours) . Other pups do not thrive.
We weighed our pups when they arrived via caesar and now daily for the next week to make sure they gain weight. The first 2 days they lost a little.
Tips for the weak and the young:
What to Feed: Critical Care works best for babies. See one of our babies at 2 days of age eating the Critical care off a lid.
The first 2 days we fed small amounts frequently during the day (0.1-0.3ml) (the more frequent the better, perhaps every 1-2 hours, at least every 3 hours). We also gave a few drops of water after each feed. We used a cut off 1ml syringe.
We fed carefully to avoid aspiration (getting fluids into the lungs vs. the stomach -- may cause pneumonia).
Some tips from Guinea Lynx
Encourage Eating Standard Foods: Make sure pellets, hay, water, leafy green vegetables, and grass are always available so the guinea pig can begin eating on its own as soon as possible.
Elimination Tips: You will need to help orphans to pass waste during the first week or so of life. Normally a mother will do this by cleaning the pup's genitals. Wiping the genitals after feeding will help to stimulate elimination. Try a warm, wet washcloth, stroking several times.
Foster Mothers: A foster mother will often accept pups. Pairing a mother with few pups with one that has many gives the pups from the larger litter a better chance at survival.
Unfortunately we didn’t have one available. Hopefully this will work – Will keep you all updated.
www.rabbitandguineapigcare.com.au