Post
» Thu Nov 19, 2015 4:15 am
Although I can't be sure to the day, we are settling in October 10th 2015 for Merry's birthdate. I'm really keen to make this thread a record of food, weight and health as much as a 'photo album', and sharing her funny little ways, and a place for support! Having been up twice in the night again, I can assure you I need plenty of support!
Regarding weight. I can't find Fairy's baby-weight chart (all her mementoes have been stored away) but I found a mention of her weight on her medical thread though.
At 12 weeks she was 354g. I always knew she was small, probably half to two-thirds the size of a regular piggy but I'm not sure (if you have any baby piggies I would love to know their weights).
Merry weighed 170g yesterday, according to one weight chart for a litter of 5 the smallest girl weighed that at 10 days old.
Regarding feeding she is eating more and more each day. Starting on Saturday (we didn't get much down her at all on Friday, Day 1, when she arrived), in syringe-fulls:
Day 2 41
Day 3 62
Day 4 64
Day 5 78
Day 6 96
The last 2 days have been a mixture of critical care, carrot purée and Harringtons pellets softened in water mixed together with a spot of water to make it palatable. The first few days she had cc and water, or carrot purée, and also some goats milk and cc on days 1 and 2.
I use a 1ml syringe to feed her every 1 to 2 hours, and twice during the night. She also has a pile of softened pellets to eat when she wants, she probably manages 5 or 6 at a time a few times per day. She isn't showing any interest in fresh grass, veg or salad, but I always make sure there's some there, all cut up really tiny.
Regarding health and behaviour: She is totally blind and deaf. But she doesn't have a head tilt and doesn't bump into things as much as Fairy did! Her eyes are open more than they are closed and both eyes appear fairly normal looking. She doesn't have incisors but she 'mouths' my finger with her gummy little jaw! We think she has molars.
She wriggles a lot, once she has been fed she wants to be put back in her home where she promptly has a wee! She seems indifferent to other Guineas although we make sure one or another is with her if only to try and encourage normal behaviour and, hopefully, make her eat on her own. She likes the warmth and comfort of another Guinea though, but anyway, at all times she has a heat-pad under part of her living area (she likes to be warm)!
Phew! More photos soon!
