Monitor guinea pig babies carefully as they could be at risk of being devoured. If their bellies appear round and full, it could indicate that their mother guinea is providing nourishment.
Guinea pigs require their mothers for at least the first three to four weeks post birth for proper growth and development. Without their mother’s care and attention, these babies cannot grow properly and make the proper connections in life.
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Mothers eat their babies when they’re starving
Puerperal cannibalism may be common among other rodents, but it’s very uncommon among guinea pigs. This may be because newborn guinea pigs are generally well developed at birth and covered with hair which makes it almost impossible for their parent to ingest them; however, in case she becomes starving she may kill and consume her babies in order to gain enough nutrients for survival.
After giving birth, mother guinea pigs should be provided with ample alfalfa and timothy hay to reduce stress-induced killing of her own babies. Furthermore, an environment free from stress should also help keep mother guinea pigs at a safe distance from each other to minimize this risk.
At times, guinea pig mothers may inadvertently consume their own offspring by mistakenly eating the placenta instead of their newborn pup. This usually occurs due to extreme exhaustion after giving birth; this should not be seen as an indicator that their care for her litter has declined.
Stillborn babies
Sometimes babies don’t emerge from the birth canal fully formed, whether due to being stillborn or dying soon after they were delivered. When this occurs, their mother often consumes them – this process known as puerperal cannibalism is common among mammals as a way to reduce evidence that they’ve given birth and prevent predators from following its scent back to them.
Guinea pigs aren’t as likely to consume their own young as other rodents for several reasons. Guinea pigs tend to be less hungry than other rodents and thus less likely to eat their offspring; when this does happen it’s often due to poor care or environment issues; when a mother does consume her pups it usually means their care wasn’t optimal or environment issues were present; additionally it should be remembered that baby guinea pigs will only survive with their mothers until around three weeks old when they will need wean off from her milk before weaning off her milk and adopt an adult diet suitable for adult life.
Mothers mistakenly eat their babies
Mother guinea pigs will sometimes mistake stillborn babies as part of their placenta and consume them, especially if there’s not enough food to support the pregnancy. When intervening to assist a pregnant guinea pig in giving birth, be gentle with touching babies directly; rather use a clean towel under them and gently lift their head so you can safely remove their amniotic sac without any stress on either her or the babies.
After baby guinea pigs reach sexual maturity (typically three weeks after birth), you should separate males and females to prevent unintended pregnancies and protect the health of young female guinea pigs by keeping them from meeting their potential fathers. Furthermore, once it’s time for their new homes, mother should also be separated so she can focus on caring for her current litter rather than worrying about rehoming too many puppies at once.
Fathers eat their babies
Guinea pigs are natural herbivores, meaning that they spend most of their time foraging and grazing in small herds in the wild. Therefore, their food should mimic what they would find there naturally such as hay or fresh vegetables; also providing plenty of roughage to chew as their teeth continually erupt helps prevent serious dental issues from arising.
Guinea Pigs should receive an ideal basic diet consisting of unlimited quantities of low-calcium hay such as Timothy, fortified guinea pig pellets and small portions of fresh vegetables and herbs such as lettuce. Iceberg lettuce should be avoided due to its high water content which provides little nutritional benefit and any plants treated with pesticides should also be avoided.
Vegetables that are beneficial to guinea pigs include bell peppers, cilantro, green and red leaf lettuce, turnip greens, zucchini, carrot tops, radicchio and collard greens. Beets provide vitamin C; however it’s wise to limit their intake due to calcium and oxalates found in them.
