Various creatures have distinct and different habits and this one, our very own guinea pig; the rodent pet creature has been seen sometimes eating their babies. Now, this may sound shocking to most pet lovers but we can go deep into this matter to understand it in a better way.
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Does guinea pig eat their babies?
When guinea pigs are captivated and kept in cages they seldom have been found to eat their babies. In the wilderness, however, when they give birth to babies and the mother finds that there is a shortage of food for the mother and babies, then it may eat one of its babies.
Can the guinea pig eat its babies because of hunger?
When the mother guinea pig is left without much food at the shelter at the time of its pregnancy then it can be stressed and may eat its babies. If you are keeping it in the shelter and providing the right diet to the guinea pig then there is less chance that it may eat its babies after they are born.
Does the guinea pig eat its babies because it is stressed?
Yes, this can be the situation where the mother guinea pig may become stressed or anxious due to some reason, and then it may eat its babies. It can be insecure or tense. This is a rare behavior among guinea pigs though it is seen often among dogs and cats, that the father animal kills its pups or kittens. But guinea pig is less likely seen to kill babies.
Does guinea pig kill its babies?
Guinea pigs are not in the general habit of killing their babies but it can happen once in a while. Due to stress or sometimes hunger, they may kill their babies. Sometimes they are inexperienced and sometimes they can kill their babies accidentally. So you need to keep them well-fed and check the babies for their good health and well-being.
Do dad guinea pigs kill their babies?
Dad guinea pigs kill their babies for the same reason as mother guinea pigs, which is, a shortage of food. In the wilderness sometimes there is a shortage of food and the male guinea pigs, unable to find food, may end up killing and eating their babies. This does not happen when they are in the shelter as there should not be a shortage of food in the cages.
However, sometimes when there is more than one male guinea pig living in the same house after the babies are born, they do not recognize which ones are their own babies. They then may kill some baby guinea pigs thinking those to be others’ offspring.
Do male guinea pigs eat their babies?
Yes, there is the chance of the male guinea pigs eating the newborn babies if you keep them in the same cage. Male rodents can eat the babies of their own species and thus, you should not leave the babies with the males. In fact, the babies should be kept separately in another cage when they are born.
Some rodents are known to have this habit of eating their babies when they are too young. It can be due to aggression, dominating attitude, or a mere food crisis.
Why do male guinea pigs eat their babies?
There are several reasons behind this odd behavior of male guinea pigs. It can be due to the territorial agenda that makes the male guinea pig feel threatened and thus they can try to kill the newborn guinea pig babies.
Sometimes they also feel threatened when in the wilderness and there is a scarcity of food and water. In this condition when they see many babies are being born, they kill the babies out of insecurity. This is a mere struggle for the survival of creatures and nothing can change it.
Do you need to keep the baby guinea pigs separated from their mother?
Guinea pig mothers should stay with their babies. If the owner gets afraid of the babies’ security and keeps them apart from their mother then they will be deprived of the nurturing of their mother. The baby guinea pigs should stay with their mother until they become 2 weeks of age. Weaning happens at this time and thus they should not be separated from their mother during this period.
Do baby guinea pigs eat each other?
Cannibalism or eating creatures of own species are actually rare among guinea pigs. We have described the mother or male guinea pigs eating some of their babies under some circumstances. Baby guinea pigs are very rarely found to hurt each other. But mother guinea pigs, while trying to save their babies from the other predators, may end up eating one of two of them.
In the wild area, there are several bigger animals that may try to hunt the baby guinea pigs. The mother then consumes the babies in order to save them from the enemy.
Why do guinea pigs eat some of their babies?
This can be the question of survival of the fittest as in some cases it has been seen that the mother guinea pig is devouring only the weak and sick ones. It may be that the mother feels it best to kill the weak ones and that is how the living conditions of the fitter and healthier ones will be good. They may try to manage the resources and do not want the sick or weak ones to live unhealthy life.
How can you ensure that the mother guinea pig will not eat the babies?
You have to keep the mother guinea pig with the babies as that is necessary for their growth. But along with that, you have to ensure that the mother guinea pig is having ample food to fill its tummy. It should not stay malnourished or underfed. Then the chance of eating its own babies will increase.
The owners may not always have the right idea of the food amount that is needed by the mother guinea pigs. Give it a good amount of food as it should stay nourished and healthy in order to keep its babies healthy.
Make sure that the mother guinea pig does not get pregnant back to back. In that case, the mother guinea pig may eat some of the weak babies of its own. After 3 weeks separate the mother from her babies as the babies will be now good to survive on their own.
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