babies

Question
My guinea had babies on Tues. They all seem healthy, but she did have one runt. Today when looked at them, the runt looks like some one chewed off all of his hair???why would this happen?? Thank you!!

Answer
Hi Jill,

Has he lost all of his hair? This is certainly not normal, and if it's down to bullying, it is probably going to be necessary to separate the runt, although at such a young age he still needs to drink from his mother, and hand-rearing is very difficult.

Keep a close eye on them all, and watch the behaviour of the mother and all the babies. If the other babies are attacking the runt, or he is not getting his fair share of milk, then he's not going to do very well if he continues to live in such a stressful environment.

Try contacting a local guinea pig rescue or breeder; if they have a sow who has recently littered, they may be able to take your runt on for you, although this will not be easy to get right.

Hair loss can also be due to mites, although all your guinea pigs would be showing symptoms.

You need to find out the root of the problem soon, for the health of your little guy.

Good luck & best wishes,
Jenny.