STILLBORN BABIES

by Mette Lybeck Ruelokke (Mette the Vette)

Permission has been given by CAVIES magazine, published by P.Gammie & B.Mayoh in the UK, to make these articles available on the Internet.

The magazine is published monthly and contains approx. 40 pages of cavy information, including Mette the Vette's articles, forthcoming shows, reports on recent shows, and tips for cavy fanciers. Subscriptions for the magazine are available from :

Mr P Gammie, 7 Alresford Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8HGor via The Winking Cavy Store for those outside the UK

Stillborn babies are very commonly seen. Occasionally a whole litter is found stillborn, although they are big and fully developed. Usually they are still wrapped in their foetal membranes and are dead because of suffocation, as their mother hasn't unpacked them properly. This is quite often seen with first time mothers because of lack of experience, and usually there will be no problem next time she litters. If there is, she should not be bred from again, as there is always a risk that her maternal qualities are not sufficiently developed and she may pass it on to her offspring if some of her babies should manage to survive. Such deaths can usually be avoided if the birth is attended by the cavy's owner. In such case unwrapping is no problem if the sow fails to do so.

A litter which is born too early will quite often be dead or die shortly after birth, as the lungs aren't fully developed. Such babies are smallish with white nails and a very short and thin (if any) coat. When two sows are left to litter together, birth may be induced on the second sow when the first sow litters, as the second sow will help by cleaning the first born babies. If the second sow is not due, she may have her litter prematurely and it will be unable to survive. It has happened to me quite often, and I have stopped the practice of having two sows littering together for this reason. In case of disease in pregnant sows the litter may die within the womb. That is frequently seen in cases of toxaemia or Sell nick Mange. If the sow manages to give birth to the babies she may survive, but more commonly she'll be severely affected and die within a couple of days.

More commonly one or a few babies within a litter will be found dead. This is particularly common in large litters, where babies may arrive at very short intervals leaving the mother unable to unwrap them all properly. Again this is seen with first time mothers, as more experienced mothers, who know what to do, seem less likely to make such errors. It is also well known that stillborn babies are quite commonly seen after prolonged and complicated births. Very large babies are frequently born dead because of oxygen deficiency during a prolonged birth.

.As a curiosity it can be mentioned that although most babies are born head first, some babies may be born backwards. That gives no problems during delivery, but may do so afterwards, as the sow will instinctively clean and unwrap the end that comes out first and may leave the head end unwrapped. If the baby is strong and healthy it usually starts to move around desperately and make sounds, and the sow will soon discover the mistake, but less viable babies are more likely to die. Again such deaths are only avoidable if the owner is able to attend the birth.

As indicated above it is very difficult to avoid stillbirths unless the birth is watched, and anyone who breeds cavies will soon learn; and accept, that a certain percentage will be lost before or during parturition. This rate may vary between different strains, but by keeping records it will be possible to calculate the rate in any strain and hence it will soon be discovered if the death rate for some reason is increasing i.e. as an early infestation of Sellnick.

Maternal qualities have also been mentioned and it is very characteristic that, although some sows never seem to get a stillborn baby, others may get one or more in every litter. In Denmark for example some Satin strains seem to be very poor mothers.

Maternally qualities are certainly hereditary, so use of good mothers should be emphasised to avoid too many problems with stillbirths.

General health of stock is also of utmost importance, as only sows in good but not too fat condition are able to litter without problems. A high quality diet is a must, and sufficient amounts of Vitamin C in the diet are required to succeed in cavy breeding.

One last important thing to note is that, in my opinion, sows should be left to litter on their own. This may vary from strain to strain as there may be differences in temperament, but I feel that my cavies look very relieved and relaxed when they are left on their own to have their babies. On the contrary a sow which litters in company will very often get confused, particularly if the com-panion is a boar which may start flirting during parturition. The result is a higher percentage of stillborn babies caused by unwrap-ping. I'm sure there will be someone disagreeing with me in this respect and I'll be thankful if I get some reactions and other experiences concerning whether a sow should litter alone or in company.

From a subsequent edition.

REACTIONS FROM READERS TO THE ARTICLE ON STILLBORN BABIES

Thanks to Jane Kingsley of lncatu Stud and Mrs K.R. Holmes for their replies on my article in the May issue of CAVIES. Both are in favour of letting sows litter on their own.

Jane Kingsley writes: 'I agree wholeheartedly about not keeping two sows together to litter, I only did this once and lost two litters. I now keep my sows in a littering cage with a wire partition between them, so they have some company with none of the hassle!' what an excellent idea. She continues: 'As for keeping boars in with sows, this varies. Some of my boars are totally brainless in the parenting department, and dash around the cage making them-selves a nuisance' (sadly, many human 'boars' behave just the same way) 'These I remove prior to delivery. I have a couple that make excellent fathers and just watch what is going on from the other end of the cage and then let the babies snuggle up'. Well, at least you had a try, how good a father a boar will be you can only find out by trial and error Uust like humans again, isn't it). Jane Kingsley finally tells me about a very special boar, Gip (Pig spelt backwards) who is a most caring father and never tries to mate a sow before the litter is weaned (in fact an extraordinary boar, and would have been, as well, if it was a human one).

Mrs K.R. Holmes is a bit concerned about letting sows litter on their own, as they may forget each other and start fighting when they are re-introduced. Well, it is not my experience, as long as the sows have been allowed to develop a good social behaviour as babies and youngsters i.e. been able to live togetherwith other cavies of different ages. Or perhaps Jane Kingsley's wire partition model could work to prevent such incidences?

Mette Lybek Ruelokke

Return to Mette the Vette index page