My rescue Piggy has had babies...

[RabbitsMakeBrownEggs]

Four sweet little things. I have added pictures if you want a nose

I am new to Cavy Parenting, so any advice would be welcome.

Getting some alfalfa hay as apparently it is good for lactating females and growing pigs. Anything else they need?

I'm thinking I'd like to neuter the boys and keep them as a herd, do you think that they'd gel together if they were neutered?

If you are keeping boars together, keep them as FAR from females as you can to avoid fights and give them as much space as possible.

Neutering doesn't change behaviour of males. It will make no difference to how they bond with each other.

If you neuter the boys, then you could switch the pairs about mum/dad and 2 sister/brother pairs if you needed to.

Your boar should be old enough to neuter at the moment, then the babies when they are of age.(Assuming you keep them all).

Otherwise you might end up a few months down the line with 2 teenage boars fighting with dad for Alpha Male and your little runty boy might end up being seperated from the group.
At least you could put neutered dad with mum, the 2 boars together until they're 'done' and 2 girls.

If you did rehome them, a neutered boar + female is a nice mix.

Once people know you have baby piggies, you might have to start a waiting list.

YY hmm boars need alot of space.
Though mine will cram themselves into a small box of hay in their haybox (a box within a box) because it's their choice.
But none of this hugging up together nonsense- no no no no no no no

But if I put them in a washing basket (to take them to their Pighouse) they get all arsey and stand on each other

Perhaps I will need to rethink keeping them all then, since it sounds like boars can be more difficult. Perhaps just keep daddy and the girls.

Boars CAN be more difficult.

However I have always found them to be much more rewarding too. If you know how to deal with them, you can help problems starting in the first place.

Girls are generally easier to rehome for precisely the reason you are thinking of - because people are put off and think they are more trouble.

I have a trio of boys and they are very chilled out. Boys are cuddlier than girls (to humans) imo. I also have 2 boys I keep separately but they squabble all the time silly billies
How is runty doing?

mercibuckets are your trio the same age or were they added individually?

Boars are lovely, very lazy huggy cuddly creatures. GP1 adores DD and runs round the pen following her. He's like a little teddy bear when he cuddles her and loves being sneaked up to her room to give her an early morning cuddle. Provided it doesn't hold up Breakfast

Awww cute
Yes, my boys are super cuddly too. Real little personalities. They are brothers. The other 2 are brothers too but don't seem to like each other as much. It's not a problem - just a bit of chuntering and the odd nip. The girls are meaner to each other with sly nips :(

Okay, so Runty isn't getting looked after very well as she is smaller than the rest, and I believe she is blind. Going to the vet this afternoon, but wondering if any of you have had any success hand raising guinea babies?

She is currently residing down my top, snuggled up and warm, and I've gotten her to take 2.5mls of water from a spoon. I just couldn't bear her crying any longer, and no matter how many times I guided her to mum, it wasn't making much difference.

My research has found that I most probably have what is called a "lethal white" guinea pig baby. They are born if two roan pigs are bred together. They frequently have problems with being deaf, blind and having serious teeth problems. They can die due to internal problems too.

I am going to have to decide whether to hand rear or not, and just let nature take it's course. I am off to the vets this afternoon. :(

She is losing the fight tonight, very weakened despite attempts to give her milk and hydrate her with water. She can no longer stand up, an has very laboured, clicky breathing. If she survives the night I will take her to be put to sleep tomorrow. :(

for little piglet.. It does sound like she's slipping away.
Most of my childhood GP had a sort of cold (like you describe- snuffly, floppy, unable to support their heads).
This was usually in the last 24 hours with adult GPs.
So with a baby pig who hasn't really thrived from the start, hopefully it will be a quick and peaceful end.

Cuddle piglet in a soft towel next to your neck, give her water if she'll take it.
I'd be very surprised if she survives the night.

Do you know if your adults are related? Is boar pig the dad to the piglets?
Unfortunately inter breeding does lead to health problems or deformities (especially eyesight, teeth and feet).

No not related I don't think, but both possible have roan colouring, which can be a cause of this genetic throwback.

I did a google search (it's indepth stuff guinea-pig breeding)!

Roan x roan and dalmation x dalmation can result in a Lethal White (25 % chance).
There's one website (USA) that has a GP called Casper- but that poor little souls quality of life must be questionable.

What are you going to do with piglet? Put her with her siblings or keep her with you?

Very cute!

Yes gp babies are defiantly the cutest babies

I have sold all but two of my latest which I am keeping for myself

My mummy's live in a nursery wing and tend to help each other as well as feed each others babies! The little ones play togthet too. I put museli out for them as nuggets are a bit big and chop the veg up into smaller pieces but you will find that they locate the dishes very quickly!!

Seperate the boys from the mum and girls at three weeks

They are v easy to sex as girls have a y shape vulva which is v clear to see

Have fun!!

I had al mine out in the sun today. 8 pairs mated up so hopefully a busy autumn!

Boars are cuddly but can't live together if there is a whiff of a girl in the air....

Harvey, Charlie, Henry, Arthur, spike and jaja live individually in 5ft hutches and get the occasional female visitor and thier sons from 3 weeks until sold

How is little white guinea Rabbits.

Did she make it?

It's great news today, Tuck not only made it through the night, she's up and about and feeding from mum again today. It's so hard to decide what to do as she seems 100% better from yesterday, is even eating little bits of food now. I'm going to give her a little longer, if it is as simple as being partially deaf and blind and no major problems, then I think she could have a fighting chance. She may need special feed, but as a disabled person myself, I can't help but want to give her a chance despite her problems.

Have you seen the vet with your baby guinea Rabbit?

Ask them for an honest assessment of your piglets prognosis.
(I was reading on a website about horses that have LW- some are born without rectums.)
My sow when I was 9yo had a white piglet born dead (but fully formed. She was a Himalayan, he was a tricolour. Never really thought about it before but wonder if that was why?)

In thw wild these GPs wouldn't survive, but all the breeding has in-bred alot of health issues. Some breeders will deliberately cross brother and sister or piglet with parent pig .

The Satin has a beautiful luminous coat (hollow hairs) but the cost is a form of osteoporosis.

Think long and hard who you are doing it for.
A blind guinea-pig can 'learn' it's way round.
A deaf guinea-pig will miss alot of the warnings that keep it safe.
If they have problems with their teeth and digestion, they won't thrive.
A huge part of a GP life is eating, pooh eating and interacting with other GPs and their owners.

If it was my GP, I'd give her the best chance. Not the chance of living a half-life . The chance of being released from an existance ( it's not a life really for an animal).
We're talking about an animal here Rabbit not a human.

I'd have her PTS personally. That's not what you wanted to hear is it?

And I'd be getting the boar neutered ASAP. (And keep him away from Mrs GP until he's safe)

You talk a lot of sense, and I am probably very biased by my own status as a disabled person.

No not managed to get to the vets yet, it's simply been too difficult to get out, but I will organise with my carer to get little Tuck checked out. If she will have no quality of life, I guarantee I will have her PTS, I don't want to extend any suffering, I just want to know she wouldn't have a decent chance at a comfortable life.

Boar is well away from Mrs. And on the agenda for neutering. My visit with Tuck I will book the neutering for him, and have the others sexed so that I can organise new homes for the boys as I think it will be easier to keep a neutered male with a female herd with my setup.

Oh Rabbit , I don't really know what to say :(

I think if baby pig was either deaf or blind then maybe I might take a chance, but both plus problems with feeding, I think I agree with 70 on this one, I would have her pts :(

It comes down to quality of life with me.
GPs love interaction with their own and humans and they love their food. Thats pretty much it apart from the poo . If they can't enjoy those two basic needs then I don't feel there is much quality of life there. :(

They are naturally quite scared animals, instincts that tell them to run and hide at the slightest warning. What happens if she is in with her mates and she can feel them scattering for cover? What does she do?

Oh its so sad :(

I'm so sorry you have this decision to make.

I would get her to a experienced GP vet if poss and get a honest professional opinion on what would be the best for her!

I know it's difficult to make such a black or white decision, especially when you are praying for them to pull out all the stops.

I had pinkeyed GPs and even their poor sight was a hurdle for them (sow and daughter sow).

But they had razor sharp hearing to compensate.

I move my boars cage toys round to give them variety and stop them getting bored.

With the Himalyans they got very fretful if things weren't put back where they were used to.

Have you phoned the rescue where you got your pigs from? They will have a Guinea-Pig savvy vet who they use. They would be able to give you better advice. Unfortunately alot of vets aren't as up to date with GPs.)Or interested in them)