Raising Chins without mom

[Tugaudzius]

Hi, we have three baby chins. Their mom died after giving birth. They are 6 days old, we feed them every 2 hours. They seem to be doing fine. Is there any way to teach them to take milk from a water bottle? It would be easier if they would drink it from there since we have to work from Tuesday. Can we put hay and regular food to munch on at this time so they would get used to it? I know that they have to have milk every two hours for the first two weeks but the vet said that after that they should be okay with regular food. Is there website that would give detailed info about raising chins without a mother? Thanks.

 

[tunes]

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21

That link gives instructions on hand feeding kits, when to wean, the formula to use, as well as a dry milk formula that can help in conjunction with hand feeding.

I personally have not had success with hanging a bottle for the chins, others have. But, regardless of whether they drink from it or not, it would have to be changed every couple of hours. You could not leave a milk bottle hanging for 6 or 8 hours - the milk would spoil. So while it might be easier for you than hand feeding 3, it's not going to be a solution to you going back to work on Tuesday.

Kits can have pellets and feed from the day they are born. I've seen 2 day old kits munching on hay when I throw it in for mom. Obviously it can't sustain them, but they do start showing interest in grown up feed pretty quickly.

 

[Tugaudzius]

We are using Royal Canin Babycat milk that was given to us by our vet. It states on the container that a bottle can last 24 hrs and it's not written that it should be refrigerated. Does it? We do at the moment, but we thought that it can be left at the room temperature.

 

[tunes]

Cat milk is for omnivores, not herbivores. Cats require an entirely different diet than chins do. I also would not leave ANY milk out for 24 hours, no matter what the package said.

 

[Tugaudzius]

Tunes, we live in Ireland what should we give our chinchilla babies? They are gaining weight but only around a gram a day.

 

[tunes]

They should be gaining at least 2 gm a day, and by day 6, possibly 3 gm a day.

Can you get goat's milk there? The canned is good, the powdered works in a pinch. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Nf4Xuc65L.jpg That's what I use. You can get it in the canned, powder, or fresh in the milk section of the grocer's. My babies went crazy for the fresh goats milk. Do you have anywhere nearby that you can get that?

 

[Claire D]

You could also use evaporated milk formula if you can't easily get goats' milk.

This page might provide some info http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/hand_rearing___alternative_approach.php- it has advice on using bottled feeds as well as the evaporated milk formula.
I have used the bottle technique with success but, as Peggy has already said, there's no way you can leave the milk all day while you are at work.
Is there anyone near you who could help you at all?

 

[Tugaudzius]

Thanks guys, I'll look for that tomorrow. Do I have to handfeed them for 6-8 weeks?

 

[tunes]

You have to do every 2 hours for the first 3 weeks or so, then you can start spreading them out a bit further, 3 hours the fourth week, 4 hours the fifth and sixth week, etc., especially if you have the dry formula. I do hand feed mine until they wean, but I might only feed them 4 or 5 times a day at the beginning of the 7th week through the 8th, because they will take 10 or 12 mL per feeding, plus eating the dry supplement, and their regular foods.

 

[Tugaudzius]

Is it normal for chins to fight you when you feed them? Most of the time they try to run away and you have to force to stay still while you feed. Rarely they would be still and would eat 0.7-0.8 ml (last few days), but there are times that if it would be their will they would run away only with 0.1-0.2 ml in their tummy. Is this normal? Maybe they don't like what they eat?

 

[6Dusters]

When I hand feed kits I hold each one seperate out of the cage. Are you feeding them at the cage door?

When you give kits an additional suppliment in a bowl they will sometimes fight for a "pecking order". So I have learned to offer it in feeding bowl large and flat and spread it out so they don't push each other around. Or give a smaller kit his own bowl away from the cage.

I'm not sure if this helps. Good luck with the little ones.

 

[Tugaudzius]

Our chins are 7 days old so we take them out of the cage and hold them while we feed. They do not seem to like that but if you just let them be on their own they just run around and don't eat. So far we've been feeding them with a syringe and I'd like to teach them to drink from water bottle. So far have been unsuccessful. Even though we attached a water bottle with milk they just sniff and go by. Most of the time when feeding time comes they a fast asleep and wake only when picked up.

 

[6Dusters]

It is very difficult to handfeed. I know a few times where I had to walk away out of frustration and start again. Once animals learn the routine they will thrive. But in the mean time you want to do this :hair:
I've fed more baby kittens then chinchillas by hand. I just wake up the sleepy heads and talk softly to them before feedings. You'll find a routine. Best of luck!!
And of course everyone here on the forum is always here to help you through this difficult task. Hugs

 

[Tugaudzius]

Guys, I've found raw goat's milk in one of the stores and switch my chins from powder milk for cats to goat's milk. They seem to like this one much better and do not fight us when we try to feed them. The only thing is that they don't seem to poop. We've started them on goats milk yesterday at 6 p.m. and by now (8 am) I've seen only one tiny poop. That is not normal usually they mess their cage pretty well. Their bellies are soft as before. Please advise. Today they are 8 days old. Should I stick to raw goats milk since I couldn't find powder or evaporated milk in Ireland so far... How many ml can they drink? On the cat's powder milk they would take only about 0.7-0.8 (some feeds only 0.4) but when I gave them goat's milk they drink 1 ml and keep on holding on to the syringe ans sucking as wanting more. Thanks for your advises.

 

[Rickman]

I believe you must 'stimulate' them to go - use a warm, damp cloth over their privates!

 

[Tugaudzius]

I do that before and after the feed since the day they were born.

 

[Claire D]

I can't comment on your questions about the goats milk as I have never used it but hopefully one of the more experienced breeders here will come along & answer you. :thumbs:


TBH if I am completely hand rearing then I never restrict teeny kits with their milk - if they are hungry then I feed them until they have had enough.
The only reason to restrict them really is if you're just providing a top up & they are feeding from a mother in between - the idea there is that you don't want to make them so full that they stop suckling because that very action of suckling is what makes the female produce milk.

Are you weighing the kits at the same time each day? Are they gaining weight?
If you are not weighing them then I would recommend that you do - you will need scales which weigh in 1g increments - weight increase is the best way to monitor whether they are taking in enough formula.
Are their tails curled? A contented, well fed kit will have a curly tail & feel "podgy" in the belly.

When you say they "mess their cage pretty well" do you mean that they had soft droppings? By day 8 the kits should be producing little formed "pellets" like an adult chin.

You could not find evaporated milk? It's usually in the long-life milk section & it comes in tins.

 

[Tugaudzius]

Claire, I might have to go to other stores but so far I was not able to find evaporated goat's milk. I was surprised myself. I've read that cows milk is bad from chins. We weight them every day at the same time. There are days that they didn't gain any while other days they gain 1-2 grams. They gained around 8-10 grams so far. But they were not into the powder milk that vet provided us with (for baby cats) and would take only 0.5-0.8 ml of it; they seem to LOVE goat's milk (I have not been adding anything to it so far, just milk) and been drinking 1 ml of it and wanting more. I guess I will let them eat till they are full.
Their poop sometimes would be a bit soft but mostly normal, just since they started drinking goat's milk they don't seem to poop as often as before. We do massage their bellies everytime they eat and they are soft. Their tails are curly tails. )

 

[Claire D]

The evaporated milk is not goats' milk. It's normal Carnation (or other brand) evaporated cows' milk.

I am not sure where you have picked up that cows' milk was bad for chins but many breeders here in the UK use cow's milk with success. It is the formula that I use if I have to hand rear or top up kits.

I'd feed them until they have had enough - since they cannot suckle from their mother whenever they want they will take as much as they need between feeds.

Once you have a formula that the kits like I'd stick to it - chopping & changing can upset delicate tummies. You can add a little baby rice (just a pinch) to thicken it a little if you wish & if there are any signs of digestive upset (diarrhoea) then I'd add a tiny pinch of probiotics to the formula.

 

[Tugaudzius]

No wonder I couldn't find it... :wacko:
Cow's milk... right, there is a lot of conflicting info online. Good to know. Looks like I'll stick with goat's milk for now and see how they like it. At what point do you move you chins to a normal cage? At the moment they are in a small cat carrier with a soft towel inside. They have a bit of hay and grown food to munch on.