pig questions.

Question
I have a pig that i rescued from a pet store. there were going to put her to sleep because she had an abscess and she was pregnant. i flushed her abscess every day, now that is completley healed. she gave birth early this morning to 3 pups. one pup still has the umbilical cord and some thing else attatched. the mom has some blood left on her vagina and there is some in the cage. other than that everything looks ok, but i have alot of questions. can i touch them?, can i clean the cage?how often should she be nursing?, does she need to sit on them all the time?, do they drink from her water bottle?, should i bring them to the vet for an exam or is it too tramatic (its also about 10 degrees out side now), and i also wanted to know if you had any advice on sexing them. thank you so much, i really appreciate it and so does Sweet Potato!

Answer
Hi Colleen,

    First I would like to congratulate you on taking excellent care of the sick guinea pig.  You should be able to pinch off the baby's umbilical by yourself, and if it seems that the mother and the baby keep bleeding then it is necessary to consult a veterinarian who is experienced in the area of guinea pigs.

     You should be able to gently hold them in the palm of your hand when they are a few days old, but be careful not to overhandle them because frequent handling is not good for little pups.  Handling from a few days old is good because it will help them to become aquainted with humans and will make them be better pets who can develop good relationships with people, and not be afraid of humans.

    The mother should know when to nurse her guinea pigs, so it is not something you should have to worry about.  If it seems that she is never nursing them, send a follow-up question on the proper way to hand-rear guinea pigs when the mother is not doing her job.

    Cleaning the cage is fine, just be sure that the babies are in a closed off small area with their mother.  She does not have to sit on them all the time - you may even see the babies trying to sip from the water bottle or sitting in the food bowl trying to nibble pellets.  Bringing them to the vet is not necessary if it does not seem that anything is wrong with them - especially in ten degree weather.

    When it comes to sexing them, that should not be attempted until they are a month or two old.

    Thank you for your question, I hope I have been of some help to you.  If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Good luck with your guinea pigs (=

                                                  - Nicole