Are you interested to know about that do guinea pigs eat their young? Well. I am here with a detailed knowledge of guinea pigs, which I am going to share with you. So let’s start.
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Will guinea pigs eat their young
It can be a fantastic experience having a guine a pig as a pet.  When we talk about guinea pups, numerous people know that they the lovely. With their big eyes and small bodies, it’s hard not to love them.
When it comes to animal communication and instinct, we adhere to the same principles and expectations, and it can be a very incorrect assumption. To eat young babies is not rare for pests. Hamsters and mice are infamous or so. While Guinea pigs eating pups is not uncommon. Still, this is something that can happen.
Males can eat their children if they do not accept as accurate they have children. It is better to keep them out of the cage after mating until he’s spay.
This species of pigs necessitates a lot of foodstuff and nutrition. And his need increases in females during pregnancy because they are giving birth to a bagy. Having a baby is also an agonizing activity that will need a lot of additional nutrition.
And when a female’s guinea pig is not finding enough food, she can feed her young. If take out from the pregnancy, she may also be more likely to have some deficiencies that prompt her to eat young.
Why Guinea Pigs eat their young’s?
Although unusual, insufficient water or food can cause guinea pigs to succumb to nurture behavior. To live a healthy life, guinea pigs need to consume enough food every day. As I discuss earlier, growing babies in the womb increase the need during pregnancy.
Giving birth to a child is a painful activity that necessitates healthy and adequate food. And if a mother pregnant several times in a short period, they are more likely to have multiple defects. Shortly after birth, some guinea pig mothers mystify the umbilical cord with newborn babies and eat both.
Moreover, there are several reasons why pigs eat their young’s. I have listed a few of them. Let’s discuss them in detail.
Placenta
Guinea pigs are bothered while feeding calves, umbilical cords, and pups they may eat, considering them a part of postpartum.
Dietary proteins
After babies are born, they are irritated and lack energy and food, which prompts them to eat their young.
Less Probability to harm
These species may have Darwinism in the process towards motherhood. It shows only strong pups can survive and reproduce as much as possible.
StillBorn
The Guinea pigs begin to eat the body of the baby if he is stillborn.
Regional Behavior
To end the competition, these animals are unwilling to share their raids, and it can be true, especially if all-male guinea pigs are staying together.
Territorial Behavior
To prevent the attention of predators, they eat their children.
How can Guinea Pigs be stopped from eating their babies?
It is very simple, first of all, eliminate malnutrition. Ensure that your guinea pig is well-fed and has a complete and healthy diet. A lot of people may abandon providing their guinea pigs pet a nutritional intake of food, especially in pregnancy.
For instance, it is not necessary to reduce the need for vitamin C in Guinea pigs. Your guinea pig naturally falls into the wild due to a lack of essential nutrients. So search for the vital Guinea Pig food list for a complete list of food types that your pet can eat, as well as what you should be eating.
How to Care for Guinea Pups?
Mostly, caring for guinea pups does not get your too much attention. Mothers can take care of the tough part for so long,
Nothing like several other animals, guinea pigs are self-sufficient. They have to stay with the mom and feed for a while. These pups are already born with fur and rapidly begin to move around it.
So it is advisable that handle them often and quickly. Don’t detach the babies from their mothers in a hurry, and don’t have to worry about their mother refusing her young. Guinea pigs are serene creatures and, if you take care of the mother regularly, it is suspect that she will be defensive with you to touch her children.
Another essential thing that you need to take care of is that their cages large, comfortable, and avertable. Guiana pups are smaller than their parents, so suited to avoid saving your cage, and you won’t fit me. As long as the wall is safe and the bars are tight, you should be fine.
Moreover, a cage with a deep pan will make it harder for your guinea pig to escape, but not necessarily. You also need to take care of these pups coming out of the womb, ready to have a lot of fun by running around the cage.
What do Guinea babies eat?
Baby guinea pigs eat the same food as adult guinea pigs. There is no need for special food prepared for them. Feed the pups what you are providing their parents! One thing they need that is a little different from their parents is extra calcium. During the first 2 to 3weeks of life, the additional quantity of calcium will help them raise bigger and stronger.
Alfalfa hay is something that is loaded with calcium. It is not rare for this product that you are already feeding your guinea pigs. It should also be declared on food labels. If you don’t notice it, consider replacing alfalfa pellets for your guinea pig babies for the early duration of their life.
Make sure not to hit your adult guinea pig with a more alfalfa diet, as it can have unwanted health effects due to high calcium content.
When we talk about water, like their adults or parents, keeping a water bowl in a cage can be a dangerous and dirty idea. Because they have a lot of energy, and it is likely to spread everywhere. Also, bowls increase the risk of drowning.
So water bottles are a safer option and easy to manage as well. Guinea pups are of small height for some time. So, when they are short, be sure to adjust the water bottle in the cage, which can be accessible for them to drink water. But don’t forget the mother while doing this. Ensure that you don’t drop the bottle too much. Moreover, it would be good to put in in two bottles of water and keep them at different heights.
How Long would Guinea pups have to stay with their Mom?
How long guinea pups live with their mom? It depends on gender. Guinea pigs are easy to distinguish between sexes, such as male pigs develop a tent where they have testes and a prominent penis.
If you have a male guinea pig baby, he needs to be weaned in 3 weeks. It will give him enough time to live with their mother and avoid having to live too long, which puts her at risk of impregnating his mom or sisters.
While female pups can be kept in the cage with their siblings for at least one more week because you don’t have to worry about copying them, separating them too early can be hectic for both baby and mother.
If spay or male and you have sufficient space, it may be safer to put them all together.
Can Guinea Pups live without their Mom?
Newborn Guinea pigs, also referred to as puppies, are fully sheltered with open eyes and able to stand up directly after birth.
Though, they cannot prevent themselves and should be growing up for at least five days. Guinean pig’s mothers are best and give the babies an excellent chance of survival.
If mother pigs are incapable of nursing due to death or illness, keep the baby orphans with as many pet guinea pigs as probable.
Orphans should be feed with a pet nurse or eyedropper within the first 12 to 24 hours after birth. This process should be continuing for the first 5 hours in the first five days and can be reduced to every 4 hours during this time.
After two weeks, the feeding time steadily lessens. Provide the orphaned pup the same amount of water and steamed milk. So continue to feed the baby guinea pigs with milk for 21 days until they reproduce after eating a solid diet.
Conclusion
So this was a detailed discussion about the do guinea pigs eating their young. Although guinea pigs fed their babies, they are rare if you take necessary precautions. The trick is to feed them well and take away the baby from the male pigs immediately after birth. I hope this guinea pig’s guide will prove very helpful for you if you are also having a guinea pig as a pet.Â