General Newborn piggy questions

[sikka12]

Hi everyone! My piggy, Sherly, gave birth to three babies today while I was in school. Unfortunately, two of the babies were dead when I came back :/ Sherly is currently being treated for mange mites, and she's also very young and small, so the vet told me that there was a good chance the babies wouldn't make it. I was told Sherly was a boy when I got her, so she'd been living with my male, Percy, and voila; one unexpected pregnancy!
Now, the one that survived, currently named Lucky (it seemed fitting, the runt of the litter managing to survive against the odds) is worrying me a bit...
I'm unsure as to wether or not I can just pick Lucky up already, or if it's best to way a couple of days, so I don't know if Lucky's a girl or boy, and it's weight is making me nervous... Lucky's so tiny! And she/he seems to be shaking a bit, not sure if that's normal? I've already caught Lucky nursing a few times, so I know that she/he's getting nutrition.
Should I simply let Sherly do her thing and keep an eye on Lucky? And how old should Lucky be before being introduced to Percy (if Lucky's a girl, we'll have Percy neutered so all three of them can live together)?
All help is appreciated!

 

[bpatters]

Let Sherly take care of Lucky if she will -- that's the best thing. Feed Sherly plenty of good veggies, and Lucky should pick up eating them pretty quickly.

You can handle babies from the beginning, but they're very squirmy. You have to figure out the sex by day 21, because if he's a boy, that's when he has to be separated from mom. See www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm for help on figuring it out. If he's a boy and is going in with dad, you can do it at day 21.

Weigh the pup daily, at the same time of day (preferably before breakfast). It's normal to lose a little the first day or so, but then the weight gain should start. That will be your best indicator of whether s/he's growning normally.

I hope Percy was out of the cage when the birth happened, because if he wasn't, Sherly is likely already pregnant again.

 

[sikka12]

Thank you for the advice! And don't worry, I separated them as soon as I found out Sherly was a female