When can I touch the pup?

Question
My guinea pig Poppy had her pup, Peri, on Tuesday, and I would like to know when I can first handle him/her. He/she is lovely and there is only one he/she is quite big and today I saw him/her sniffing at the food bowl. Can i handle him/her now, or should I wait till I see him/her actually eating solids?

Answer
Hi Hannah,

It will be fine for you to hold Peri now :o)

Make sure you don't take him/her out of Poppy's sight though, or they will both squeak in distress. Perhaps get someone else to sit next to you and hold Poppy. It is best not to handle new babies for the first 48 hours until their mother is used to looking after them, otherwise she may reject them if she takes on a human scent. As it's been four days now, she will be happy to let you hold her baby, just not for too long.

Peri may actually have eaten some solid food without you noticing as guinea pigs are capable of doing this as soon as they've had their first milk feed. Peri will also want to drink from the water bottle, so make sure it's low enough for the little one to reach. He/she will however continue to suckle from Poppy until three weeks of age. You will be able to tell at around two weeks whether Peri is a boy or a girl; if he's a boy you'll need to take him away from Poppy before he's four weeks old (make sure he has stopped drinking her milk, first) unless you want another litter! Even if you do want some more babies, you should give Poppy a bit of a break between pregnancies.

Enjoy your new guinea pig and let me know if you have any other questions.

Best wishes,
Jenny.