need some advice on babies

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
chinchillalover0927

chinchillalover0927

to many chin chips??
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
1,079
Location
picayune, Ms
ok so as i stated before i have been rotating molly's babies with one of malibus babies because he was attacking everyone... everyone is gaining weight but mollys to... at the moment they both currently lost weight.. not alot but it concerns me that they arent GAINING WEIGHT. i have been hand feeding along with rotations.

im doing 3/4 goat milk
1/4 water
and a tiny bit of plain yogurt in with the bottle

i rotate out every 4 hours and hand feed every 2 so i dont know what i might be doing wrong :(

does anyone have any advice?
 
Why the yogurt? I know some hand feeding recipes suggest it, but most people say no to it. How long have they been losing weight? Is it just today you noticed a dip or has it been over a few days? Are you only weighing once a day, and at the same time?

What about adding in a little bit of baby rice cereal to the mixture?

Also, if the babies are losing weight being rotated, what about sticking to handfeeding just the one of Malibu's and see if leaving Molly's babies in with her with no interruption helps?
 
Last edited:
You should get some acidophilus and use that instead of the yogurt. The highest count possible is best and you can find it at health food stores. Yogurt is used for the "probiotics" it contains, but it is not actually beneficial to animals because of the dairy and sugar content.

What kind of goat's milk are you using? Some goat milk needs to be diluted, but some of it does not. Can you list the brand and type (i.e. fresh, canned, powder)?
 
it is i believe gmc goat milk..canned, i bought it from petsmart... also sorry i saw on tunes page that you can add yogurt to it, so i tried it but i wont put anymore yogurt in there milk.. no i weigh them every 2 days and i dont way at the same time, just randomly. i only noticed today that they dropped weight and its only a tiny bit..

i can add some baby cereal but it clogs up the nipple and then when i push to hard it sprays out everywhere so i stopped putting it in the milk... it was nothing but a pain in the behind to get out :( if you all have any suggestions about that maybe?
 
It's 1 can of goat's milk, 1 can of water. If it's fresh goat's milk, then you don't dilute it at all.

And don't use yogurt. That's crap a rehabber suggested for chins and everybody argued with her about it. In nature, mother's milk does not have yogurt in it. You should read that again. I said you "can" use yogurt, but I believe I said it's unnecessary.

A tablespoon of plain active yogurt as well as two drops of Karo are also options, but many people feel they are unnecessary.
Click to expand...

ETA: Why are you using a nipple? A syringe does not have a nipple and I would NEVER recommend a complete newbie to hand feeding using one. I won't even consider using one myself.
 
i use a littly bottle and a nipple... i ordered it off one of the breeders web sites on here, i didnt know you werent suppose to use a nipple...i dont put it in there mouth i put a drop on there lips and let them eat it.. should i switch to just a regular syringe?? i trully didnt know you couldnt use a nipple im sorry
 
If you're only going to drop it onto their lips, then why use a nipple at all? The point to a nipple is for sucking. The point to the cereal is to help them gain weight. You are saying the cereal blocks the nipple and depriving them of the thing that will most likely help them gain weight.
 
tunes said:
It's 1 can of goat's milk, 1 can of water. If it's fresh goat's milk, then you don't dilute it at all.

And don't use yogurt. That's crap a rehabber suggested for chins and everybody argued with her about it. In nature, mother's milk does not have yogurt in it. You should read that again. I said you "can" use yogurt, but I believe I said it's unnecessary.



ETA: Why are you using a nipple? A syringe does not have a nipple and I would NEVER recommend a complete newbie to hand feeding using one. I won't even consider using one myself.
Click to expand...

i understand what i read and it said many people feel its unnecessary but personally if its NOT good for the chinchillas then it shouldnt have been added to that thread because when i read it i figured since it WAS posted on there that it would maybe help....its best it shouldnt even be posted on there if its not good to do..
 
I also don't think you want to make it like an oatmeal consistency, but you still want it to be more liquid-y. Peggy can correct me if I'm wrong though.

Also, you didn't answer, how long have they been losing weight and are you weighing at the same time every day?
 
Thank you for your wisdom chinchillalover. Most people would read the recipe I posted as what to use, and it's posted oh, about a billion times throughout the forum as well (there's that pesky search function again that nobody uses), and not once does it say in any of those threads to add the yogurt. I sort of would assume since you were going to be a breeder, then not a breeder, and now manage to rescue nothing but pregnant chins, that you would have been a bit better informed on this. <shrugs>
 
Ash said:
Also, you didn't answer, how long have they been losing weight and are you weighing at the same time every day?
Click to expand...

She did answer this. She said she weighs them randomly and only noticed the weight loss today.

Courtney, there are hundreds of threads in this section alone on hand feeding. Everyone asks and everyone gets the same advice. Since you have been a member here for so long and "researched" breeding, I would think you have seen at least one of these threads. In ALL of those threads it says to use a syringe or eye dropper to feed the kits...not ONE mentions using a nipple for chinchilla kits. Chinchilla kits are very delicate and can aspirate quickly. The nipples don't give you enough control over how much is coming out at what time.

ETA: Here are a couple threads I've already found using the search function...

http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20765&highlight=hand+feeding

http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17630&highlight=hand+feeding
 
Last edited:
Oh, I missed in the jumble about the goat's milk. If you're going to weigh them, you need to do so on a consistent basis as weights can fluctuate throughout the day. And if you're going to be taking in only pregnant rescues, then you really need to do more in depth research.
 
RDZCRanch said:
She did answer this. She said she weighs them randomly and only noticed the weight loss today.
Click to expand...

Ash said:
Oh, I missed in the jumble about the goat's milk. If you're going to weigh them, you need to do so on a consistent basis as weights can fluctuate throughout the day. And if you're going to be taking in only pregnant rescues, then you really need to do more in depth research.
Click to expand...

Tab pointed it out already... :thumbsup:
 
I believe you've gotten quite a bit of good information already. I would recommend the fresh goat's milk. You will definitely go through it before it expires and it's what i've been using with my girls.

I want to ask you a question, but I don't want to hurt or offend you. I am not here to make anybody feel bad for trying to do something good, so please realize that. Do you think pregnant chins need more love than other "rejects"? Because I do take in rescues occasionally and in the 10 or 15 i've taken in, only 1 was pregnant. I know you're trying to help, but in all honesty, it's only help if you know what you're doing. I'm not trying to say I know everything because I sure as heck dont, nobody's perfect, but things like handfeeding and what to use seem pretty basic to me. I've been where you are and i'm not trying to put you down. Just know your limits. If you need to talk or anything feel free to pm me.
 
tunes said:
Thank you for your wisdom chinchillalover. Most people would read the recipe I posted as what to use, and it's posted oh, about a billion times throughout the forum as well (there's that pesky search function again that nobody uses), and not once does it say in any of those threads to add the yogurt. I sort of would assume since you were going to be a breeder, then not a breeder, and now manage to rescue nothing but pregnant chins, that you would have been a bit better informed on this. <shrugs>
Click to expand...

i like how i manage to rescue nothing but pregnant chins..as for my wisdom i do not need your smart remarks...i feel if it did NOT need to be in the formula YOU shouldnt have even put it on there at all.... thats my OPINION not my wisdom... i dont get why you are always so rude. im not a chinchilla god like you ok.. i try to keep peace on this forum because i have done bad, but i guess im still doing bad by "seeming to rescue pregnant chins" i clearly said that i bought them, not once did i RESCUE them...the only ones that were free were holly and grinch..

people make mistakes, your nasty attitude never helps, it only makes me mad that you are such a sour person at times..i asked for help and instead i get your normal nasty attitude. for everyone else that did help me thank you and ill keep in touch...
 
Well it took you long enough to think of a reply. Did I type such a complicated post that you couldn't figure it out?

I only stated what every other long time person on this forum already feels and you know it. You have been a thorn in the butt of chinchillas since you started buying your "breading" animals and were going to build your empire. You've had excuse after excuse as to why not to seek vet care. You jump all over people and tell THEM not to breed, when you were going to be the latest and greatest. Everybody reads your threads and just rolls their eyes at you because they know that miraculously your next chin will somehow end up being pregnant. It gets old Courtney.

As for being a chinchilla God? If that means I know more than you, then you should classify me as a complete noob. Because most new folks know more than you. And don't give me crap about being nasty to you. Most of the time I do my very best to ignore you completely because I get incredibly tired of the lies, excuses, and OMG, surprise, surprise ANOTHER ONE IS PREGNANT posts.

The FAQ has been altered. Since a scholar such as yourself couldn't figure out NOT to put it in the formula (even though other people managed to figure it out just fine) I wouldn't want it to be an issue for some other wanna be breader when they get in over their head because they are collecting and hoarding chinchillas.

By the way, Tab also addressed you and pretty much called you an idiot. Are you trying to think up a reply for her as well? Or was her post too complicated?
 
You are darn lucky people on this forum love chinchillas more than they hate idiots and hoarders and liars or you would end up with a bunch of dead chins since for you VET is a dirty word.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top