Post by Dawn - Admin on Apr 20, 2006 14:59:53 GMT
Sows should not be bred until they weigh at least 500 g. However, many female guinea pigs that are purchased from pet stores are housed with males, and are already pregnant before they come home. Hence, it is rather common for a young sow to give birth before she has completely matured. If your young sow is pregnant, there are some precautions that you can take to decrease the risks.
Sow fails to break the membranes on newborns
While in the mother's womb, that babies are enveloped in a membrane (or sack) and are protected by fluid. When the babies are born, the mother is supposed to reach down with her teeth and break the sack. If she does not do this, the babies will suffocate; often times, people may think her babies were stillborn, when in fact she did not break the sack in time. If you are lucky enough to be present during the birth, you can save any babies that are not released from their sacks.
Break the membrane over the nose, open the mouth and blow several breaths, in rapid succession into the babies throat. Move the legs to get circulation (and the heart) going, and the lungs. If the baby gasps, you may be able to save it. Keep it warm in your hands and continue to blow down it's throat until you can find a towel or cloth for drying it's body (rub gently!).
Once it starts to squeak, you are on the road to recovery. Keep it warm, but do not give it anything to drink. Cover the baby with a towel and place it near a source of heat, such as a warm water bottle, or insulate it well so it will retain it's body heat and not catch a chill. After about an hour or so, when the baby is able to stand on it's own, you can reintroduce it to it's mother. Because she hasn't cleaned the baby, she won't recognize it; put it under her body, and watch her very carefully to make sure she will accept it. If she rejects the baby, you may try again later, but if she continues to reject it then you will have to treat it as an orphaned cavy.
Premature termination of labor
If the sow is having an especially difficult labor, and can not deliver one or more of her babies, labor may terminate before they are all born. If you suspect that this is happening or might happen, then you should get her to a vet right away. If labor terminates with unborn babies in her womb, they will need to be surgically removed. The babies will die inside her and will poison her as they decompose if they are not removed immediately.
Rejected babies
Some sows may, on rare occasions reject one of their litter. She will refuse to nurse it, and will constantly move away from it if you try to introduce it to her. In these cases, you will have to treat the baby as an orphaned cavy.
Terrified mothers
Some sows are actually terrified of their own litter, even if they have partially cleaned the babies. In these cases, the mother will shriek wildly and run away from the babies, who will of course, try to follow her around the cage to be nursed and frighten her more. If left this way, the babies could die from chills.
In these cases, you should remove the babies and sow from the hutch, and introduce the babies to her one at a time. Hold the sow and let her smell each of her babies, then place her in a small space such as a box. Introduce the babies, one at a time, to the mother, even though she will probably start shrieking again. After the first has been introduced, wait and watch to see if she will settle down, and sense what the baby is. If she accepts the baby, you may slowly introduce the rest. If she continues to be afraid of them, then you will have to raise them as orphaned cavies.
Insufficient milk for the litter
If the sow is too young, or if the litter is large, she may not be able to produce enough milk to nurse all of her babies. If this is the case, you can either locate another lactating sow (with a litter under 10 days old) that the babies can suckle from, or you can assist the mother by feeding the babies a formula substitute for their mother's milk.
Orphaned cavies
If babies are rejected, or the mother dies during or shortly after labor, you will need to make arrangements to raise the babies. If you are fortunate enough to have another sow that has just given birth within the last one or two days, you can opt to try and raise the guinea pigs with her as a foster mother. To do this, remove all but one of the mother's litter, and rub your orphaned litter against these babies so that they will pick up their scent. Then introduce the orphans to their foster mother; she will sniff them, and then accept or reject them. If they are rejected, you'll have to hand-raise them. If you have to hand-raise the babies, they will need a milk substitute formula every two hours during the daytime
f you feed them late at night before going to bed, and keep them very warm, they should be fine until the next morning. After each feeding, be sure to wash their mouths to remove any spilled milk, as guinea pigs are miserable if their coat gets sticky. You will need to feed them this way for the first four days.
You will also need to wipe the anus and genital organs of each cavy with a clean, damp cloth to induce urination and the passing of feces. If the father is present with the babies, he may actually perform this duty for you by licking them, but you should watch closely to make sure he is doing so.
After the fourth day, they will need to learn how to eat solid foods. Again, if the father is present, they may learn from him through observation, and may in fact have already picked it up. If not, any young cavy placed with the babies can teach them this activity; the babies will learn from imitation how to pick up pellets and fresh greens and put them into their mouths.
Formulas for feeding guinea pig babies
These formulas were provided to me by Vicky A. George, a mem.ber of the Metropolitan and Summerland Cavy Society.
Note: Some breeders recommend feeding babies from a spoon, lettting them lap up the drink that they need, rather than from an eye dropper or a needle-less syringe. This is because there is some coordination involved in being able to breathe while being force-fed, and it is easier for the babies to choke.
Vicky writes:
The thing to rem.ember about feeding babies, is that you should only give them as much as they will take, don't force them to drink because it goes into their lungs and they could get pneunomia. Feeds will be required every 2 hours, from an eye dropper and they will probably only take 1/3 to 1/2 an eye dropper at a time. Formula should be tepid and not too hot.
Formula 1
Works okay, but the others are better, having a better balance in vitamins, etc.
Use evaporated milk 1 part, diluted in 3 parts boiled (cooled) water, or use a milk substitute from vet used for calfs or lambs.
Formula 2
Use a product called divelect (milk substitute from vets) is expensive but is better balanced for baby cavies.
Formula 3
Have milk at room temperature (use a low fat milk, not full cream and not skim milk). Put 2 drops of pentivite (baby vitamin drops from chemist) into 50 mls of milk and add a little clear honey for energy.
Can also use a product called repalyte (from vets) its a product like gatoraide but is for animals. Make up as directed to stop dehydration and replace electrolytes if the weather is hot or if the babies are not drinking and are looking poor (ie just lying around).
Try not to give them any extra feeds if mum seems to be coping. Don't worry if the babies look a little on the thin side at first - they all are, but will fatten out when they start to eat solid foods.
Special thanks to: www.aracnet.com
Sow fails to break the membranes on newborns
While in the mother's womb, that babies are enveloped in a membrane (or sack) and are protected by fluid. When the babies are born, the mother is supposed to reach down with her teeth and break the sack. If she does not do this, the babies will suffocate; often times, people may think her babies were stillborn, when in fact she did not break the sack in time. If you are lucky enough to be present during the birth, you can save any babies that are not released from their sacks.
Break the membrane over the nose, open the mouth and blow several breaths, in rapid succession into the babies throat. Move the legs to get circulation (and the heart) going, and the lungs. If the baby gasps, you may be able to save it. Keep it warm in your hands and continue to blow down it's throat until you can find a towel or cloth for drying it's body (rub gently!).
Once it starts to squeak, you are on the road to recovery. Keep it warm, but do not give it anything to drink. Cover the baby with a towel and place it near a source of heat, such as a warm water bottle, or insulate it well so it will retain it's body heat and not catch a chill. After about an hour or so, when the baby is able to stand on it's own, you can reintroduce it to it's mother. Because she hasn't cleaned the baby, she won't recognize it; put it under her body, and watch her very carefully to make sure she will accept it. If she rejects the baby, you may try again later, but if she continues to reject it then you will have to treat it as an orphaned cavy.
Premature termination of labor
If the sow is having an especially difficult labor, and can not deliver one or more of her babies, labor may terminate before they are all born. If you suspect that this is happening or might happen, then you should get her to a vet right away. If labor terminates with unborn babies in her womb, they will need to be surgically removed. The babies will die inside her and will poison her as they decompose if they are not removed immediately.
Rejected babies
Some sows may, on rare occasions reject one of their litter. She will refuse to nurse it, and will constantly move away from it if you try to introduce it to her. In these cases, you will have to treat the baby as an orphaned cavy.
Terrified mothers
Some sows are actually terrified of their own litter, even if they have partially cleaned the babies. In these cases, the mother will shriek wildly and run away from the babies, who will of course, try to follow her around the cage to be nursed and frighten her more. If left this way, the babies could die from chills.
In these cases, you should remove the babies and sow from the hutch, and introduce the babies to her one at a time. Hold the sow and let her smell each of her babies, then place her in a small space such as a box. Introduce the babies, one at a time, to the mother, even though she will probably start shrieking again. After the first has been introduced, wait and watch to see if she will settle down, and sense what the baby is. If she accepts the baby, you may slowly introduce the rest. If she continues to be afraid of them, then you will have to raise them as orphaned cavies.
Insufficient milk for the litter
If the sow is too young, or if the litter is large, she may not be able to produce enough milk to nurse all of her babies. If this is the case, you can either locate another lactating sow (with a litter under 10 days old) that the babies can suckle from, or you can assist the mother by feeding the babies a formula substitute for their mother's milk.
Orphaned cavies
If babies are rejected, or the mother dies during or shortly after labor, you will need to make arrangements to raise the babies. If you are fortunate enough to have another sow that has just given birth within the last one or two days, you can opt to try and raise the guinea pigs with her as a foster mother. To do this, remove all but one of the mother's litter, and rub your orphaned litter against these babies so that they will pick up their scent. Then introduce the orphans to their foster mother; she will sniff them, and then accept or reject them. If they are rejected, you'll have to hand-raise them. If you have to hand-raise the babies, they will need a milk substitute formula every two hours during the daytime
f you feed them late at night before going to bed, and keep them very warm, they should be fine until the next morning. After each feeding, be sure to wash their mouths to remove any spilled milk, as guinea pigs are miserable if their coat gets sticky. You will need to feed them this way for the first four days.
You will also need to wipe the anus and genital organs of each cavy with a clean, damp cloth to induce urination and the passing of feces. If the father is present with the babies, he may actually perform this duty for you by licking them, but you should watch closely to make sure he is doing so.
After the fourth day, they will need to learn how to eat solid foods. Again, if the father is present, they may learn from him through observation, and may in fact have already picked it up. If not, any young cavy placed with the babies can teach them this activity; the babies will learn from imitation how to pick up pellets and fresh greens and put them into their mouths.
Formulas for feeding guinea pig babies
These formulas were provided to me by Vicky A. George, a mem.ber of the Metropolitan and Summerland Cavy Society.
Note: Some breeders recommend feeding babies from a spoon, lettting them lap up the drink that they need, rather than from an eye dropper or a needle-less syringe. This is because there is some coordination involved in being able to breathe while being force-fed, and it is easier for the babies to choke.
Vicky writes:
The thing to rem.ember about feeding babies, is that you should only give them as much as they will take, don't force them to drink because it goes into their lungs and they could get pneunomia. Feeds will be required every 2 hours, from an eye dropper and they will probably only take 1/3 to 1/2 an eye dropper at a time. Formula should be tepid and not too hot.
Formula 1
Works okay, but the others are better, having a better balance in vitamins, etc.
Use evaporated milk 1 part, diluted in 3 parts boiled (cooled) water, or use a milk substitute from vet used for calfs or lambs.
Formula 2
Use a product called divelect (milk substitute from vets) is expensive but is better balanced for baby cavies.
Formula 3
Have milk at room temperature (use a low fat milk, not full cream and not skim milk). Put 2 drops of pentivite (baby vitamin drops from chemist) into 50 mls of milk and add a little clear honey for energy.
Can also use a product called repalyte (from vets) its a product like gatoraide but is for animals. Make up as directed to stop dehydration and replace electrolytes if the weather is hot or if the babies are not drinking and are looking poor (ie just lying around).
Try not to give them any extra feeds if mum seems to be coping. Don't worry if the babies look a little on the thin side at first - they all are, but will fatten out when they start to eat solid foods.
Special thanks to: www.aracnet.com