mother wont feed baby

Question
Hi,my female guinea pig(Lexi), gave birth to a little baby(Spook)and she doesn't seem to want to care of it, by this i mean she won't let it suckle of her and keeps running either away from the baby or running on top of the baby. Is there anyway i can take care of the baby and feed it without the mother?. Also this is the second time the mother has been pregnant but the first time she aborted and they came out early and didn't survive, i don't know if that has anything to do with it.
if you can help me with this problem I'd be very grateful

P.S
the mother is about 1 and a half years old.

thank you so much for taking time to read my question :-)


Answer
Hi Samantha,

Unfortunately it sounds as though Lexi has definitely rejected Spook, which is unusual, but it does happen. It may well be to do with her still being upset about her dead babies, or it may be to do with her age. Lexi is old for a first-time Mum (they are usually under 6 months old) and she's very lucky that she successfully gave birth to Spook.

If Spook is definitely not suckling any of Lexi's milk, then you will need to hand-rear her if she/he has a chance of survival. This is a very demanding job, as like humans, baby guinea pigs need feeding regularly. Thankfully they only need to drink milk for the first three weeks, and they can also eat solid foods from day one, so make sure you put a little bit extra in Lexi's cage so Spook can have some. Spook will drink water too if you make sure the metal spout is low enough to reach.

I have never had to hand-rear a guinea pig but there's some helpful advice (and an adorable picture of a baby chincilla) here: http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/herbivores/health/handrearing.php Be careful with the formula you use, as guinea pig milk is low in lactose and so cow's milk is unsuitable. The link to Galens Garden suggests different ready-made formulas to try.

Good luck and well done for taking on this challenge. Remember that you may need to take over all motherly duties by cleaning Spook's bottom and grooming him/her too. Watch Lexi to see if she does these things, or if she has rejected Spook completely. If you find hand-rearing Spook too difficult or demanding, get in touch with your nearest guinea pig rescue. They will be able to hand-rear Spook for you, and then return him/her once he/she is fully weaned.

Best wishes and if you have any other questions ... just ask!

Jenny.