baby cavie help, mother died

Question
I have two baby cavies.A boy and a girl, sister and brother. the day I went down to check on my 3 guinea pigs (all at least 4 months and older) I found two baby guinea pigs and their mother dead. they were alive of course. We put the cavies in a seperate cage, gave them 2 stuffed animals, pellets, and water. we took the girl that was in with the mother and placed her with our other guinea pig. 30 minutes ago we gave them kitten's milk. we fed them until they refused to drink it anymore. here are my questions. I heard that you give them milk every 2 hours, does that mean late at night too? Were giving the stuffed animals the right choice? How hot does it have to be to keep them warm? Also, to sum it up, basically how to raise and take care of 2 baby guinea pigs without their mother. We found them 2/1/09. we don't know when they were born exactly though. Please help if you can.  

Answer
Hi,

I sincerely apoligize that I wasn't able to get back to you sooner, I hope the information will help you.

First of all, it sounds like you rescued these pups which is fantastic, thanks for being so compassionate and for reaching out to help!

You're doing a lot of things correctly, but I do have a few suggestions for oyu.

It will be good for you to know that the pups don't need kittens milk. They can survive on a mix called Critical Care, or mashed pellets(diluted with water) and veggies, fruits and hay by now. They can also probably drink from a water bottle, if not encourage them to do so by keeping one inside their cage at all times with fresh, clean water.

Guinea pig pups are born very mature, and although their mother's milk is good for them to have, it's not absolutely essential. For more information you can go to http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html#pups it has advice about raising guinea pig pups, not just in the area of their diet.

By handfeeding and raising these pups you will have a very special bond with them, it's a very rewarding experience!

Remember to separate the male and female pups when they are around three weeks old because they can breed with each other at that age. Continue to care for them affectionately, trying your best to be the best human mother to them possible until they are 6 weeks old, then they can be adopted into new homes. Make sure their owners are educated and responsible and know how to care for a guinea pig properly. You could also print out these booklets to give to them http://www.guinealynx.info/pamphlet.html .

I hope this has helped you, and once again I apoligize that I wasn't able to get back to you sooner. Best wishes for the whole process of raising these pups, and let me know how everything has gone in a few weeks, I'd love to hear how things went!

If you have any other questions feel free to contact me!

                                                         A.Jones