Some information the video didn't provide:
Pregnant guinea pigs have to be handled VERY carefully. You can't just pick them up. You MUST fully support their bellies.
A healthy female will need NO intervention. They will do just fine managing themselves. If you have a feeder up off the floor it is advised to put the food bowl on the base of their housing. This makes it easier for the female to eat without having to lug her big belly around.
Common litter size is 3-4. Often one pup will be born dead, particularly with first time moms or with litters with lots of pups. Sows with more than six pups in the litter often need medical intervention to survive.
Having a wide feed bowl is vital with larger litters as the bigger pups will push the smaller ones out of the way unless the smaller ones are quite feisty.
If you run a herd and have the sows pup at the same time, they will help raise each others' pups. Having a wise experienced older sow in the herd is often an aid in raising pups well. Even if she isn't having young any more she'll often assist in keeping pups warm and bundled together in the herd. This is especially important with larger litters. It's easy for mom to miss one, but an experienced sow will simply gather them in.
Things to be alert to
- Pregnant sows need more vitamin C.
- they can overheat easily
- if having a large litter, reaching a high feed/water bowl can be a problem. Water bottles should be lowered to an easily reached height.
- Ketosis.
- Wean boys at three weeks, and the girls at four weeks.
- Pups should be eating within a day or two of birth. guinea pig milk is weak. Pups that have lost their mother can be easily maintained on a diet of cooked pumpkin, oatmeal and mushed up pellets. Ready access to hay is very important at this time as well. Keeping them with a quiet older sow is very helpful in teaching them to eat well. :)