Going to be fostering for a few weeks... what do I need to know?

[JennyBug]

Our local pet store has us pegged. A few weeks ago, one of the workers who has chins himself asked us if we wanted three more (mother and two kits). We told him that we can't keep them, but we would be willing to foster until the kits are old enough to adopt out.

Last night we got a phone call with the lady's number. She is apparently not doing well health-wise and needs someone to take them. She is not going to charge us anything with the understanding that they will find loving homes.

The kits are now 6 weeks old, and I know they cannot leave mom until they are 8 weeks old. I started asking around as soon as I found out this was a possibility, and I already have a home for one or both of the kits (two boys). My coworker who wants them has never owned chins before, but she is a very responsible lady who would take very good care of them with proper guidance. Given that they are males, I know I will have to tell her about hair ring checks, and I know I'll have to tell her to not get a female, but is there anything else I should tell her about (other than the basics - good food, good cage, good hay, playtime)? I have never owned a kit, all of our girls came to us past 6 months of age.

Is there anything I need to know about fostering in general? I know I need to treat them as new chins and keep them quarantined, but is there anything else? We are going to keep momma-chin for a few additional weeks. She was removed from the male as soon as the woman noticed the kits, but who knows how long she was in there with him. We want to be sure she isn't pregnant, and if she is, we will only adopt her to someone who is experienced (like you all)

 

[chins1222]

hello

i think with babies under 6 months you need to give them alfalpha(sp?) hay
and NO treats(even the healthy ones)

as for pregnancy i think gestation lasts around 100 or so days

hopefully some else can give you a little more help as i have never fostered or had babies lol

 

[tunes]

Feed the kits the same way you feed yours. Alfalfa is not necessary, and in fact, could cause problems because it's too high in protein, especially if they aren't used to it.

If the lady you are getting them from still has some pellets left, ask her to send them. The kits will already be eating solid foods (and have been since probably a few days old) and you will need transition them. Give them lots of timmy hay and fresh water and they should be good to go.

You and the new owner can also give them the dry formula. That helps a lot when weaning. You don't have to give it forever, but it I like to give it for a couple weeks after.

1 part crushed pellets
1 part powdered goat milk or calf milk replacer
1 part 1/2 baby rice cereal and 1/2 baby oatmeal cereal

Mix a batch up and keep a bowl in the cage with them.

Gestation for a female is 111 days and sometimes can go up to 120.

The new owner of the kits will need to be sure to have a cage they can't escape from, and remember that they are babies. Run tims of an hour or more is going to take away from growing bodies. Short periods of run time are good, extra long not so good until they are a bit older.

 

[3CsMommy]

When we brought our guys home as wee ones, I made sure to keep the shelves pretty close together, and I kept him in a shorter cage (the QC condo) until he was a better jumper. Also, make sure they don't go nuts on a wheel if you give them one before 6 mo. old. They can over exercise. (Our guys didn't get one at all until they were 6 months old, so their first treat was used to teach them how to run on their wheel.)

 

[JennyBug]

Thanks for the help!
I'm going to give my coworker the address for this site so she can use it as she pleases, and I'm going to type up a sheet for her with some of your advice on it in case she doesn't want to use the site.

Keep the advice comin'!!

 

[chins1222]

oops sorry about the alphalpha maybe i was thinking on some other animal?

anyway i will be sure to remember that next time

 

[JennyBug]

Cancel on the fostering. The woman who "desperately needed to get rid of these chins" due to back surgery has decided to keep them, which probably means that mom will end up pregnant again (this time maybe by one of her two male kits).

How do these people keep finding me? I think what really might have gotten her is that I told the guy at the pet store that if we were fostering, we would not pay money for them. Maybe she really wanted the $100 she was asking for...

I'm still sad, though, I think I would have been a good foster mommy...