Advice for young, pregnant sows

This information was compiled from various, experienced guinea-pig breeders on the net. As always, you should consult a veterinarian experienced with guinea pigs for assistance in these situations.

• The main problem with young sows is that they may be too small to deliver their babies. To keep the birth weight of the babies down, and make her delivery easier, cut back on the pellets and increase her portions of wet foods (greens, veggies and fruit). Pellets are high in fat, and can lead to larger animals. Avoid nuts and seeds, which are also high in oils and fats (this includes those guinea pig treat sticks).

  Be warned, however, that any time you reduce the amount of pellets in a guinea pig's diet, you are running the risk of malnutrition. If you do opt to reduce the pellet intake to keep the birthweight down, you will nead to make sure that you are giving your sow a wide variety of fresh vegetables to guarantee that she is still obtaining her daily requirements of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C and protein. Be very careful when you do this, and be sure to consult your veterinarian.

• Pregnant and nursing sows need 20mg of Vitamin C each day. If you are doing #1, then this one should not be a problem. Note that this is true for all pregnant sows, not just young ones, but it is still very important.

• Feeding the mother a little bit of sugar each day will also help in preventing toxemia. Clear juices, such as apple or cranberry juice are good sources, as are the non-citrus fruits, themselves.

• In very young mothers, the nurturing instinct is not always intact, and therefore they may not attend to the babies at birth. Be on the lookout for the birth, if possible, and make sure the mother immediately removes her young from their sacks as they are delivered. If she doesn't do this, you will have to do it for her, or the babies will suffocate.

• Young mothers also may not nurse or have enough milk to do so. If this is the case, you'll need to feed the babies with a formula and perform some of the parental duties (though if a male or another female is present, they may help out with everything except for, of course, the nursing).

• She should deliver the whole litter within 5 to 30 minutes. If her contractions go for more than 35-45 minutes, there is probably something wrong, and you'll either have to help her or get her to a vet (if you can in time). After 30 minutes, the chance the babies will be born alive drops drastically.

• Premature births are more common in younger sows, and if this happens the babies may not make it past the first day.

Don't let all of this scare you too much, though. Although the risks are real, most young sows give birth just fine, without complications. Still, it helps to be aware of what can go wrong.