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11-29-2008, 11:59 PM
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Playful Pup
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 38
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Orphaned baby...
I have just ended up with a malnourished baby piggie, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to care for it.
I have been feeding it cat formula every 2 hours, and it has really perked up a lot. It also has free range of guinea pig food and has been eating that regularly as well.
I've named her story.
Any suggestions on care?
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__________________
One Dog, Pup.
Three Leopard Geckos, Morrison, Panzer and Lacerta.
One Spiny Mouse, Cairo.
Two Sugar Gliders, Piper and Cessna.
Three Bettas.
One Bullfrog.
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11-30-2008, 08:57 AM
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Rodentologist
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,447
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STOP! No cat formula, guinea pigs are lactose intolerate and the babies can eat solid food as soon as they're born! I have seen this kill baby guinea pigs. The baby needs to be getting Critical Care (a hay supplement by Oxbow), fresh grass and alfafla hay, fresh vegetables, and pellets.
I'm in NC, and I do guinea pig rescue. If you can meet me halfway to Raleigh (around Wilson) I can pick up this baby and handraise it. I also have a litter here that I picked up from the local shelter with their mom that this baby may be able to go in with if she'll accept him/her.
If you can't meet me, here's a page on how to handfeed a young pig:
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html#pups
Be EXTREMELY careful, as you can aspirate them very easily which will either suffocate them or let them develop aspiration pnuemonia.
Handfeeding extensively, this young, is not optional, but it is hard. They will often drink milk because it tastes good, but it's not good for their digestive systems. There's not a readily available milk replacer on the market that is suitable for guinea pigs because they have a somewhat strange protein:fat ratio in their milk.
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We are as gods to the beasts of the fields. We order the time o' their birth and the time o' their death. Between times, we ha' a duty. - Terry Pratchett.
"Men have forgotten this truth", said the fox, "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Last edited by Jennicat; 11-30-2008 at 09:04 AM.
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11-30-2008, 09:25 AM
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The Islander
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Newfoundland,Canada
Age: 25
Posts: 17,927
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Good luck with him.
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*Lisa*
Proud to be a Newfoundlander!
"May those days never trickle from your mind" (Fred Jorgensen - Days Gone By)
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11-30-2008, 06:21 PM
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Playful Pup
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 38
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He has taken very well to the syringe; chewing to get the milk, but I will stop giving him the cat milk. I have gotten some pumpkin to mix with the food and have mushed it up for him and some fresh veggies. He has taken quite well to this, so I'm hopeful he'll be alright.
I also have him on a heating pad, it's not too hot, I'm sure. I also have a shallow dish of water in their for him to drink out of but not drown in.
__________________
One Dog, Pup.
Three Leopard Geckos, Morrison, Panzer and Lacerta.
One Spiny Mouse, Cairo.
Two Sugar Gliders, Piper and Cessna.
Three Bettas.
One Bullfrog.
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11-30-2008, 06:35 PM
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Rodentologist
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,447
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He will likely not use a water dish, you should be syringing Pedialyte along with the handfeeding mixture.
__________________
We are as gods to the beasts of the fields. We order the time o' their birth and the time o' their death. Between times, we ha' a duty. - Terry Pratchett.
"Men have forgotten this truth", said the fox, "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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11-30-2008, 07:04 PM
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Playful Pup
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 38
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He loves his new food.
It seems as though he is drinking, he goes over to his food bowl, stands in that and eats, then steps over to his water bowl and sticks his head in for a good few seconds, bobbing his head around like he is drinking and the water level has gone down...but I will get some pedialyte just in case, because he does seem to take to the syringe very well.
__________________
One Dog, Pup.
Three Leopard Geckos, Morrison, Panzer and Lacerta.
One Spiny Mouse, Cairo.
Two Sugar Gliders, Piper and Cessna.
Three Bettas.
One Bullfrog.
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06-23-2009, 04:43 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: DFW, TX
Age: 29
Posts: 11
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In case I need to hand feed a sick pig again, what are the signs that you might have gotten some in their lungs?
I have looked online and couldn't find anything.
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06-23-2009, 05:04 PM
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Rodentologist
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,447
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They'll typically start coughing and will develop pneumonia or a wheeze very quickly. If it gets in there, there's really not much you can do about it except treat with antibiotics on top of the handfeeding to try and fight off the pneumonia.
__________________
We are as gods to the beasts of the fields. We order the time o' their birth and the time o' their death. Between times, we ha' a duty. - Terry Pratchett.
"Men have forgotten this truth", said the fox, "But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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