I just had a litter of two white chins from a first-time mommy. I don't know what's going on, but today is day 3 and she has been playing keep away from her babies all morning. She doesn't want them by her, and when they try to go to her she will bark and nip at them. But then she will run them down and pin them down before running to the opposite side of the cage. She hasn't drawn blood, but I find it weird how aggressively she's trying to keep them away from her. I put a small jar for the babies in the cage, and now one of the babies (the one she seemed a little more aggressive to) hasn't really left it. Should I give her some more time or start hand feeding or something else?
Problem mommy
- Thread starter Strevale
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Have you been weighing the kits?
jbcstratton
Well-known member
It is possible that she has no milk and is trying to keep them away from trying to nurse. I would deffinetly weigh them and keep watch. If they maintain or gain everything is fine. Loosing, after the first day is when you have make the choose of handfeeding.
You are going to get dozen of responses with lots of ideas. Just a couple of things. Check Mommy to see if she has milk and if her nipples have bites or scratches on them. I would give her some supplement in case she hasnt got enough milk put one kit under her while she is eating that. (the babies need to get that "first" milk if possible) We hand feed each kit after they have nursed. For the first few days we use a flavored (strawberry) yogurt (fruit in the bottom) and don't give any of the fruit. Thin this a little with the milk product you are using. Fill an eye dropper with a curved tip and run it under hot water until it is warm. Drop the milk yogurt mixture on the kits lips holding it upside down. When it feels the warmth it will "lick" the yogurt off and we continue giving a drop at a time until they stop. Be sure to massage the tummy after a few drops. We sometimes give a drop or two before putting the baby with Mommy if they are famished so they don't bite or scratch her. Check the teeth and nails in case they are extra sharp or long. Congratulation on your white babies and good luck to you.
Chincerely
Chincerely
Essentia
Jax Chinchilla Rescue
Strawberry yogurt? That's new...
I use warmed fresh goat's milk and the chins seem to love it. You can get it in the milk section of Publix and Whole Foods for sure. Most smaller health food and organic food stores carry it as well. You can try canned or powdered, but I have never had good luck with either. The kits much prefer the taste of the fresh. I poor the container of milk into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Once frozen I take the cubes out and put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. This way I can take an individual cube, defrost it, and have enough to feed the kits without a horrible amount of waste. It also keeps the milk from going sour as it can take awhile to get through the container since they don't drink all that much.
I use warmed fresh goat's milk and the chins seem to love it. You can get it in the milk section of Publix and Whole Foods for sure. Most smaller health food and organic food stores carry it as well. You can try canned or powdered, but I have never had good luck with either. The kits much prefer the taste of the fresh. I poor the container of milk into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Once frozen I take the cubes out and put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. This way I can take an individual cube, defrost it, and have enough to feed the kits without a horrible amount of waste. It also keeps the milk from going sour as it can take awhile to get through the container since they don't drink all that much.
I just had a first time mom have a kit 2 days ago and same issue- but checked her, and her milk hadn't come in yet so I switched the baby to another mom and weaned her baby. I noticed a little milk coming in yesterday, and thought I'd give her one more day and today she is full of milk so I switched the baby boy back, as I'd rather him be with his actual mom. It is important for the kits to have that "first milk" as JoAnne said because it is high in colostrum and they really need that because of the antibodies it contains and more
In your case, I would start supplementing the kits with goats milk (diluted 1:1 ratio with water). You should really check mom for milk though to rule that out. Even if she's "crazy", just catch her by the base of the tail and check.
Good luck!
In your case, I would start supplementing the kits with goats milk (diluted 1:1 ratio with water). You should really check mom for milk though to rule that out. Even if she's "crazy", just catch her by the base of the tail and check.
Good luck!
MAY I ask why you would recommend strawberry yogurt for kits? I've heard of rehabbers recommending plain yogurt, but never fruit flavored.
I use fresh goat's milk with a little bit of either baby rice or baby oatmeal cereal mixed in. Goat's milk is recommended by rehabbers because it is palatable to almost every species. It's used for people with milk allergies as well.
I use fresh goat's milk with a little bit of either baby rice or baby oatmeal cereal mixed in. Goat's milk is recommended by rehabbers because it is palatable to almost every species. It's used for people with milk allergies as well.
AZChins
Pro Cage Cleaner Champion
I've heard of the fruit on the bottom yogurt before. Basically the trick is to not stir it up and the chins like it a little better. I've heard blueberry and strawberry from different ranchers or breeders...the story is to never stir it up! Nothing new, at least to me it isn't.
Goat's milk works very well. Although, I haven't had to use it in months and months. Colostrum is the most important thing that babies get to consume directly from their mothers.
Goat's milk works very well. Although, I haven't had to use it in months and months. Colostrum is the most important thing that babies get to consume directly from their mothers.
As one of the other members mentioned the kits like it much better than plain. The trick seems to be that they get some in them and if they like it that is much easier. And yes, we never stir the fruit. We do not use a large amount of it but primarily use it at first until the tummy starts working. There seems to be just enough acidolpholus (lactobacillus) in it to work well. Using other (live) bacteria products has usually proven to be too strong for the newborns. A second advantage is that the yogurt thickens the mixture (the same as your oats or rice cereal would and especially for new comers, to hand feeding, it is so easy to get the milk into their little lungs, the thicker product is more easily fed.
chincerely,
The babies are either gaining or maintaining and aren't interested in goat's milk. Also, I went and checked on them, and everything was fine. She does feed them sometimes, so I think they will be ok with that. I went and checked on them again about an hour later and the back corner of the cage was soaked and so were the babies. There was no water bottles or anything else nearby.There was a weird sweet smell, so I have no idea what happened. It didn't smell like urine, and there was so much wetness I don't have any idea what it could be. I have never been sprayed so I don't know what that smells like, or how much liquid that would produce. Any ideas?
If it's not urine, and there was no other liquid near by, I'm not sure what it could be. I have some moms who pee in one corner and then for some reason nurse the babies right there too,, so their backs get dirty with urine.
Is there any way to clean them up?
I find it best to just leave them and keep dusting mom regularly, and it goes away. Otherwise, you can use baby powder to get pee stains out. Add enough water to the powder to make it a paste, and I use an old toothbrush to "brush through" the affected area/s.
Thanks, I have some brown white babies right now, lol.
