my guinea pig is having her babies soon what do i do?

Question
Hi, my guinea pig is due to have her babies within the next week or two. And i was just wondering what i need to know about them? Does the female need to be on her own without the male? What will i have to feed the babies on? how long are they weaned to there mum for? what age can i sell them at? have i got to keep the babies warm? Do i need to help her during pregnancy? how many babies could she have? Is there any chance of her (mum) dying? Can she go in her run with the babies? at what age? is an indoor cage better than a hutch for the babies? when can the female and the male go back in the hutch together? katy xxx

Answer
Hello Katy,
The male and female do need to be separated as a few hours after the birth the female can become pregnant again and it is not good for her to have more than 1-2 pregnancies a year as she will be too tired. Grind up your female guineas food into small pieces because the babies start eating solid food 2-3 days after birth. Give you guineas bread with warm milk a few times a week so they can have extra food if they are not getting enough from their mum. You should separate the boys and girls from about 6 weeks, that is when they have finished weaning and it also means you will not have any problems with pregnancy as if one of the babies fall pregnant they are too young to have babies and could have serious complications with birth. You can sell the babies at about 7/6 weeks when you have separated them. Ensure that the mother and babies have clean and warm bedding but do not disturb them too much. Unless there are any complications in the birth which would need medical help you can leave your female too herself. Your guinea will have 2-7 babies(sometimes more) most guineas have 4. There is a 20% chance of the mother dying but usually she doesn't so don't worry too much about her. If you see any changes in her I would consult your vet. Ensure that she has clean fresh and lots of water as giving birth is thirsty work. She can go in the run with her babies but make sure it is not too cold for her and them. I would not put them out for the first week though. Whether you have an indoor cage or outdoor it does not matter just make sure it isn't too cold. I you want more babies you can put the male back about 4- 5 months later to give the female a rest but I would suggest longer.
Love Aleksandra