runt of the litter

Question
Hi my guinea pig had six babies this morning all look healthy but one. He is half the size of the rest of the litter and doesn't have much strengh is there anything I can do to help the poor runt.

Answer
Hi - that is a rather large litter. He may have not gotten enough nourishment in the womb, with all those siblings.

You can try giving him alone time with Mom to let him nurse more. Take the other 5 babies out briefly.

If the mom rejects him, that could be a sign that something is wrong with him, but you can try to feed him on your own.

The babies should be eating hard foods soon on their own.

Here are some tips to handfeeding: http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html#pups

You want to weigh all the pups daily and make sure they have access to alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets.

Was the sow pregnant when you got her? If not, I hope the male is separated so she isn't backbred.