My baby guinea pig has a dried umbilical cord. Should I cut it?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would suggest just leaving the cord alone. As long as it doesn't have any discharge, and the kitten is eating, drinking, playing and doing well, the cord will die and fall off on it's own. Do not pull on it and you don't have to cut it. Best of luck with Tinkie!

What a cute little puppy!! I would not do anything to the cord stump at this time. Watch for redness, swelling and discharge. If you notice any of these things, or the puppy seems unwell then have it examined by your vet. If the opening into the abdomen does not close over properly there is the risk of an umbilical hernia forming which would need to be surgically repaired.

The umbilical cords should shrivel and fall off on their own, however you can tie off the cords with floss/suture and them trim above them if the mother is unable to do so. The remainder of the cord will then shrivel and fall off on its own.

You can observe just in case there are any problems. It should be a relatively quick process. If Coco is labor for more than hour, you need to take her into a vet immediately. If you see a lot of blood, she should see a vet right away. I hope this helps!

Ideally, they should not be handled for the first two weeks of life. Squeak will eventually eat the placentas but if she doesn't, you can carefully remove any uneaten portions to keep the cage clean.

this is definitely not normal, it is likely to be a uterine infection which can be life threatening if left untreated. treatment with antibiotic would probably be the first option but it is often not successful, in such a case a surgery to have the uterus removed would be needed.

Thanks for reaching out about Bear. If she is doing well, eating and active, probably not. Young female guinea pigs will often pass a single mucous plug from the vaginal vault, but only once. Monitor her, but schedule a veterinary visit if you are concerned. Good luck.