Complete Hand Feeding Guide

Click on the link below which will take you to The Guinea Pig Forum Complete Hand Feeding Guide :-

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

You can get Science Recovery Plus or Oxbow Critical Care. Both come in powder form & you mix with water. You can also use your guinea pig nuggets mixed with hot water then allowed to cool with more water added to make into a paste & add a teaspoon of Critical Care or Recovery Plus then feed via 1ml syringe .

Ella's Kitchen products are also good for feeding poorly piggies as a supplement to pellets or critical care but not in place of. When choosing, go for the ones with the vegetarian & no dairy ingredients tags. Here's a page with vegetarian & no dairy products already sorted :-

https://shop.ellaskitchen.co.uk/collections/special-diets/contains-no-dairy+suitable-vegetarian

Aldi & Lidl also do their own range of 4 month plus baby food pouches, Mamia & Lidl'uns. There are virtually the same as the Ella's Kitchen but just over half the price. I find that guinea pigs like the varieties with banana or strawberry. Most have apple.

Syringe feeding by Dave Friel
I take a towel and lay it on one corner of the couch with it running up the arm and laying on top as bit. Then I sit the piggy nestled snugly against the arm and quickly fold the blanket across from the arm to he left ( if snuggled to the right arm), then from the left over to the right, while quickly folding up from the rear forward. This prevents the pig from going in any direction or backing up, leaving it wrapped like a burrito. Practised it can be done in 3 swift movements in just a second or 2 before it even has the chance to move. The thing I like about this technique is when you set the pig down on its feet before wrapping it sits naturally, and wraps up with quick movements that does not give it a chance to move, and leaves it wrapped without the possibility of catching a toe or twisting a limb the process. I wear a very tight fitting glove on my left hand ( not because I'm afraid of a bite , but when they are struggling really hard and desperately, they will gnaw vigorously on anything available), and I don't care how often you do it, or how completely you trust your pig, human nature you will take your eyes off of the syringe tip and on to the teeth gnawing the hand involuntary. Having the glove on let's me keep the eye on the syringe tip without losing it and making me having to chase the mouth down again over and over, as the eyes never leave the mouth or syringe, even involuntary. Now I reach over top of the head with gloved hand with my fingers on both sides of the jaws and the palm of the hand on top of the head. This prevents the pig from moving it's head up or down or left or right. Then I take a syringe that I have prepped removing air bubbles ( bubbles make the plunger jerk unevenly and makes syringing the cc smoothly more difficult) and put the tip of the syringe in at a slight angle to the side, and when it slides slightly back and into the mouth, you will often trigger a chewing motion for a second or 2. This is the golden time. If you start syringing slowly within that first 1 or 2 seconds, you can continue on for several more till you get a partial mouth full. (Giving time to chew in between mouthfuls) If you don't start the syringing process within that first second or two when the chewing motion is triggered, most times they will wiggle just enough for you to have to start over and chase the mouth down again with the syringe tip. So it pays to be prepared during those critical first few seconds, they are key. Now you syringe in an even slow manner. I do not use extremely large syringes, it makes it difficult to impossible to feed it slowly and evenly. Depending on what is being syringed the 1 ml. And the 3 ml. were my favourite sizes. I always give a few seconds to chew and swallow the mouthful, but not to long to start the panicked will of flight or fight to kick in. (It is easier and more efficient when they don't fight to hard) you will get some down the chin, etc, leave it go till last , as if you clean it between mouthfuls it makes the whole process more difficult and time consuming. At the end of feeding I use the towel to clean the chin and neck without breaking the progress of it happening. It is not going to be neat or easy, but very necessary at times. Please put completely out of your mind what they are thinking, or if they are going to be mad at you. Once you clear that mental hurdle the process happens much easier. They forgive and forget quickly. I had one struggle mightily at times, as often as ever few hours, 24/7 for weeks at a time, and as soon as I sat her down, she was immediately my best friend all over again. It made us closer if anything in the end, so please don't over think it. Your baby depends on you accomplishing this. If you are giving narcotic pain relievers, please tag me for additional information. Good luck and God bless you and your piggy.