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Why is my newborn baby guinea pig not walking2007-11-24 22:19:28

My sow gave birth to 4 babies today but ony 2 were alive. The runt is doing awesome and is already running around and nursing good. The mother is also taking really well to this baby guinea pig. The other guinea pig is quite a bit bigger and is also really sweet, but she wont use her back legs and seems limp. She is alert and her breathing is not labored but I worry because it doesnt seem like the sow is taking to her real well. she doesnt mind being around her but doesnt go out of her way to nurse her and she also has not eaten down the umbilica cord. It is quite long whereas the runt has already been groomed by the sow. Is there anything that i can do for my other newborn guinea?

Answers:

There's possibly something wrong with it that the mother knows so she's left it there and is only going to take care of the healthy baby. You can pick up the baby and see if there's anything wrong you notice with it. Put it near food and a water bottle so it can take care of itself and maybe it will survive a bit longer. Luckily they don't need to nurse to survive.

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take her to the vet you moron!

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not all newborn guinea pigs do walk. Give it some time. After all newborn babies don't walk right away do they?

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Sounds like your little one was born a paraplegic. Mom probably can sense this and therefore will not actively nurse the baby. Your best bet is to see if you can find another female and house her with the little one. Maybe a surrogate mom will nurse her a little more willingly then her birth mom. If that doesnt work, I suggest you euthanize the little one. If U dont, he's in for a long miserable life of suffering by not being able to move around properly. I know its not what you want to hear but its either that or let him starve to death. Mom will eventually get to the point where she wont nurse him at all.