Tiny baby sow

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Yvette

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I have an 8 week old baby that is the size of a 3 week baby - her breeder said it was because her mum had no milk for any of her babies. I got her on a Sunday, and by Tuesday she was so limp I thought she was about to die.Anyhow, after munching thru some dandelions she was a 'new piggy!' I am so pleased she has made it, but now I need to address the facts that it is far too cold/wet to put her with any of my others, and what do I pair her with? I am thinking a young baby sow? any suggestions gratefully rec'd, Yvette
 
Poor little thing. Another girl of any age should be fine except for perhaps a teenager if she is little and vulnerable. Maybe an older calm sow who can adopt her and look after her might be nice.
 
I agree with an older to sow to care for and show her the way. If you put pics on we need a warning, i literally EXPLODE when i see tiny baby piggies drool
 
Is she eating okay? You may need to syringe feed her. I would not put her outside at all as she is so frail. You need to keep her in quarantine for two weeks before you can think of bonding her with another sow to ensure she is well.
 
I wonder if maybe she is infact alot younger than you have been told? If possible could you please give us a detailed description of what has happened since you have had her, what she has eaten dry food, hay and fresh food?
 
I have now had her for 2 and a half weeks - she ate very little the 1st 2 days, just dry mix and 1 dandelion leaf - her breeder told me not to give any more that 1 a day or it could upset her tummy. She didn't appear to drink from a bottle so I tried a bowl, all to no avail. I then used a syringe to put little drops of water into her mouth. Now she has perked up as a normal but tiny baby piggie and loves her cuddles etc. She eats mix like it's going to be taken away from her! I have also increased the dandelions/carrots/grass etc as my pigs all have loads every day. I think she was possibly younger than I was told? which may explain her listlessness at first owing to shock(?) at being moved too soon. Thankyou for your advise so far, it is appreciated,Yvette
 
Keeping an eye on her weight will be the most important thing :)
 
Please weigh your little girl daily. How much is she? And which country are you in?

You can mush up her pellets instead of feeding them dry to get more fluid into her. We recommend this to help out mummies of big litters and ill piggies.

How much hay is your girl getting? Up to 80% of a piggy diet should be hay - it keeps the guts going and the crucial back teeth ground down.
I would start to feed her veg, one new variety every day. Start slowly, but give her a little bit more than just a leaf of dandelion. A normal diet should eventually consist of one cupful of mixed veg, ideally one of them a high vitamin C veg like a slice of pepper, a floret or chunk of broccoli or a sprig of parsley.
This is the diet advice from the best medical website for guinea pigs: http://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html
 
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Oh dear! how much does the piggie weigh? They shouldn't be separated from mum before 3 weeks and should not be rehomed before six weeks and I think about 400g (which is about 14 oz ish). Are you getting any back up from the breeder?
 
Katie Krafter said:
Oh dear! how much does the piggie weigh? They shouldn't be separated from mum before 3 weeks and should not be rehomed before six weeks and I think about 400g (which is about 14 oz ish). Are you getting any back up from the breeder?
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I will weigh her and post on here later.She had been away from her mum for a week before I got her, so too soon. The breeder doesn't really want to know, other than she'll replace her if she dies! That is not the point, I want her and to do the best I can for her.I really do think she is ok now as she is eating drinking loads and I have increased her veggies too. She has free access to hay fresh every day and is eating a lot, thankyou for all your advice,Yvette
 
That sounds good. Let's hope the little one stays that way and grows quickly.
 
Yvette said:
I will weigh her and post on here later.She had been away from her mum for a week before I got her, so too soon. The breeder doesn't really want to know, other than she'll replace her if she dies! That is not the point, I want her and to do the best I can for her.I really do think she is ok now as she is eating drinking loads and I have increased her veggies too. She has free access to hay fresh every day and is eating a lot, thankyou for all your advice,Yvette
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I think this says it all about breeders.
 
Katie Krafter said:
I think this says it all about breeders.
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It would seem to her breeder that she (Caramel ) is expendable, but to me she's not! I would never make money from any of my animals 'cos I get too attached to them8...
 
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