Handfeeding
Here are some sites that may help you with hand feeding your guinea pig due to health or babies.
http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html#top
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RDrKsgA9Yw
This is my own experience with handfeeding baby guinea pigs. First of all you will need the following items:
Pet Nurser or syringe
Kitten breast milk (I have my own formula that I use)
Hot water bottle (take a large needle and heat it to burn hole in the nipple)CAUTION needle get hot
baby blanket/small hand towel
Baby wipes to clean bottom
I fix up a plastic tub with baby blanket in the bottom and one to wrap around the hot water bottle. The hot water bottle provides some heat for the babies to cuddle up too. You can use a heat pad on low under one end...CAUTION is need when use either (hot water bottle or heat pad). I find using a night is sometimes safer cause I can lay in on top of wire that covers have of my tub. Then the babies do not lay directly on the heat source. I put in a small stuffed animal for the baby to cuddle up to...with my scent on it...so they think mama is in with them.
Now for the hand feeding part: Prep your bottle or syringe for feed...CAUTION do not get formula to hot, it will burn your piggie. Hold your piggie and put the bottle or syringe in the side of the mouth. If using sryinge squeeze gently or just a little at a time, this will way you can watch your piggies so they do not aspirate on the formula. If using a pet nurser with large hole in nipple, tilt the bottle up to give piggie some formula than till back down so they do not aspirate on the formula with it following to fast for them. THIS IS A SLOW PROCESS WITH HAND FEEDING. I start out hand feeding every 15 to 30 minutes the first 24 hours then we work our way up to 1 hour the next couple of days. Then as they get older and are eating more on their own we work it up to every 4 hours...and just keep going until they are weaned. Remember you are now the Mama and with the feeding comes the cleaning. Take your baby wipe and clean the bottoms. (I take my wipes and put them on the other half of the heat pad that is not under the plastic tub or one of those warmers for baby wipes. Nobody wants a cold cloth on the bottom.) Here are a couple of mine with bottles.
You find many different ways to hand feed and ideas of what and how to do it. Do what make you comfortable, whether it is bottle or syringe. I hope this can help you out the next time you have a problem.
If you have a Mama feeding babies try to put your new ones in with her, this may not work all the time. You can alway help out mama with some hand feeding in between.
REMEMBER: This is just a guide line of mine, if you need any assisstance please contact your verterinarian.
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This is hand feeding with a spoon, you make a mush of ground pellets, water or pedilite and critical care.
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As you can see this does help with the transition.
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Or-e-0
This is Oreo, she is being hand fed 3x a day minimum.
Tanner
Tanner had stopped eating on us, so off to the vet we go. Come to find out his feed were not aligned...his jaw shifted to one side. This is where the teeth are no straight across but in an angel.
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After vet visit
Oreo went to the vet cause she was not eating on her own like she should. The vet said "she had what would be consider a clift pallet in a human and would never eat correctly on her own"
Tanner
The vet at the time put him on some meds and trimmed his teeth. He still was not eating so through my research I found the handfeeding site. With that I learned how to hand feed and Tanner gain his weight back. Upate: We recently lost Tanner (4yrs).
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Emergency Tub or Hand feeding Tub
This is my emergency tub for Mama and babies....only for a short period time. Then they are moved to larger tub or cage once out of danger.
Here I am using a basket so the have the ventilation, small light, wire top with hinge, baby blanket to help hold heat in, fleece pad in bottom and hot water bottle(cover with small towel or baby blanket) or small heat pad. CAUTION with heat pad, do not cover complete bottom of cage with heat pad. Your Mama and babies need a place to get away from heat source (only about half the bottom should be on heat pad). Start out with heat pad on medium to heat bottom, then turn down to low. The small light at even 7 watts can produce some heat, I like it so I can check on Mama without uncovering or moving wire top. Each time you take top off you have to start over with get heat adjusted again.
This can be use for your sick guinea pig, it will keep him/her warm and a watchful eye on him/her. Always when in doubt see your veterinarian.
This is my emergency tub for Mama and babies....only for a short period time. Then they are moved to larger tub or cage once out of danger.
Here I am using a basket so the have the ventilation, small light, wire top with hinge, baby blanket to help hold heat in, fleece pad in bottom and hot water bottle(cover with small towel or baby blanket) or small heat pad. CAUTION with heat pad, do not cover complete bottom of cage with heat pad. Your Mama and babies need a place to get away from heat source (only about half the bottom should be on heat pad). Start out with heat pad on medium to heat bottom, then turn down to low. The small light at even 7 watts can produce some heat, I like it so I can check on Mama without uncovering or moving wire top. Each time you take top off you have to start over with get heat adjusted again.
This can be use for your sick guinea pig, it will keep him/her warm and a watchful eye on him/her. Always when in doubt see your veterinarian.
