Top 100 Cavy Breeders

Liz · New Member Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 9

Hi, is there anyone out there who has hand reared pups?
My sow gave birth to four live babies (one dead) but there were complications and they were born breech sadly Kasha died .
i do have another sow with a litter but she wouldn't accept the orphans so i have put a teddy in with them which they snuggle up to.
i have been hand -rearing feeding a mixture of evap milk & water and a very thin gruel made from oats, they have survived their first week and seem to be doing well but just wondered if anybody else had successfully raised any pups and what did you feed etc. They are so tiny but little fighters! Check my site to see pics!
regards
Liz

www.kirton-lanecavies.name/

Pingley Dell Cavies · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 5:43 pm Post subject:

Hello! congrats on the babies! And well done with the hand rearing, the first week is the toughest to get them through, they are so small! I have hand reared twice, both times just a single baby. They both made it and grew up into big healthy piggies. Both of them had to be born by caesarian, and were rejected by their mums.

I used evaporated milk, and got them onto solids too as soon as I could to help them get going. I found you had to show them how to chew things as they didn't have a mother to copy, I dipped a blade of grass into milk and put it in their mouths to start them off, and they soon got the hang of munching away.

a great tip I was given, was when they are a week old, to give them milk in a mini water bottle in their cage, so they go and get it themselves between feeds, it helps them learn how to use a bottle and gives you a rest! Mine used to wake me up at night to be fed, but after a few days of their milk being in a bottle like that they just went to that in the night instead. They didn't mind the milk going cold.

Good luck with them!

Liz · New Member Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 9

many thanks for that, i will try the bottle idea, the largest boar has been having a try at food and often munches hay, i have also caught him investigating the water bottle so that is a great idea !
sadly lost the tiniest one today, but the other three are still battling on.
So difficult to feed day and night on your own so it's great to know it can work Hope so !

once again thanks for the tips

regards Liz

Tayz · New Member Joined: 09 May 2008 Posts: 5

I recently got a baby guineapig from a friend of mine. She said it was 8 weeks + and also gave me the date she was born on. i added up those day to see how old she was excaclty and she ws only 3 weeks old....she wasn't too much of an eater and i started asking for opionions on what to feed her etc...I was told to give her a bit of tomato as it was good for their digestive system. i don't know if it worked but she is now a gorgeous guineapig who will be an adult soon..

Liz · New Member Joined: 06 Apr 2008 Posts: 9

Hi another tip i will try ! glad to hear your little one is going on well, sadly i think mine are up against it another is fading fast (twin to the one we lost last night) such a shame.

Thanks and best wishes with yours hope it continues to thrive.
Liz

savvycavies · New Member Joined: 05 Mar 2008 Posts: 10

One of my sows recently had a very large litter and I supplemented them with bread soaked in goats milk. They loved it. The smallest baby was only 45g so i fed him warm gaots milk off a teaspoon. He is now 7 weeks old and doing great.
You mustnt give cows milk as they are lactose intolerant and it will give them the runs.
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