Just thought I'd share a story, even though it seems like just another depressing thread. This one, though, is about how nasty kits can be to each other.
I have been caring for a friend's chins while she has some rental issues and I had quads born here about a week ago to a girl that I had sold her. (That makes me what? Great great grandma?) They were small -- really small -- none above 31. First time mom, seemed not so much overwhelmed, as not quite ready, so I wasn't sure if they were premies or not. They definitely weren't the fluffy, poofy babies you usually see.
There were three boys and a girl, and the little girl had lost all the toes on her back feet, apparently through a bad delivery. They weren't fighting, but they didn't seem to know how to nurse, so I started rotating and hand feeding, hoping for mom's milk to come in.
After a few days, I lost the little girl, despite both of us trying very hard. I can't help but think she had some sort of neurological damage, or possibly infection had set in because of the toes, because by the end she couldn't sit up at all. She would still eat from a syringe, bless her little heart, but she just never seemed normal after the first couple days. She was only 31 gm when she died. The ladies in chat were kind enough to listen to me while I cried over my failure to save her.
I also have two other mom's here in the house that are nursing younger kits, so I thought I would try a foster situation. Tanna is a wondrous foster mom that I have here, and her "baby" is 200 gm, so I knew she had to come out while the little one went in. Everything there went well (except they STILL wouldn't nurse, again confirming the premie thought). Tanna cared for them though, and as long as she would do that, it cut my work in half with not having to mess with the nether regions.
After a few days, I wasn't sure that Tanna had enough milk to support a couple newborns, since her baby was so much older and larger, so I decided to try to place them with their actual real grandma, the mom to their mom. She's a fantastic foster mom as well, and only had one kit a few days older than them, and she's easily raised triplets before. I knew she had a ready milk supply, so I put one little violet boy in with her. Everything was going well, both nursing, mom and dad are both fabulous with any and all babies, so I thought thank you God, I can sleep for a couple hours without getting up. Kyle stayed up to monitor until around 4 a.m., then he went to bed, with me planning on getting up at 6 to hand feed again.
In the space of 2 hours, after seeming to get along for 24 hours fine, the few day older kit turned on the little guy. Kits are positively vicious when they fight, which many breeders have tried to point out over and over again regarding the importance of keeping an eye on quads because of fights, but I'm not sure people realize quite to what degree they can do damage. My little guy, I'm almost positive, lost his eye. The entire side of his head was just solid blood, and I was able to get some cleaned off, but I was not wanting to keep messing with the eye, because if it is gone, I didn't want to keep opening it.
At first, I kept him with me, wrapped in a wash cloth so I could hand feed him every 15 minutes or so, rub him, and stimulate him. He was really shocky. After it seemed like he could at least sit up on his own, I put him back in with his real mom, put the other two in with Tanna, who is loving them to death, and prayed. So far, he's doing well. Mom got him all cleaned up, where I couldn't, and I do believe the eye is gone. He's gained 5 gm in a day with just him and mom all the time, and me hand feeding four times a day. I think he's going to be okay, but he now will be blind in one eye.
On the up side, all the kits are now gaining well, even the teeniest, who started out at 33, dropped to 28, and is now up to 34. We'll keep hammering away at it, rotating, hand feeding, etc. I'm grateful these three survived, but that little girl is sorely missed.
I have been caring for a friend's chins while she has some rental issues and I had quads born here about a week ago to a girl that I had sold her. (That makes me what? Great great grandma?) They were small -- really small -- none above 31. First time mom, seemed not so much overwhelmed, as not quite ready, so I wasn't sure if they were premies or not. They definitely weren't the fluffy, poofy babies you usually see.
There were three boys and a girl, and the little girl had lost all the toes on her back feet, apparently through a bad delivery. They weren't fighting, but they didn't seem to know how to nurse, so I started rotating and hand feeding, hoping for mom's milk to come in.
After a few days, I lost the little girl, despite both of us trying very hard. I can't help but think she had some sort of neurological damage, or possibly infection had set in because of the toes, because by the end she couldn't sit up at all. She would still eat from a syringe, bless her little heart, but she just never seemed normal after the first couple days. She was only 31 gm when she died. The ladies in chat were kind enough to listen to me while I cried over my failure to save her.
I also have two other mom's here in the house that are nursing younger kits, so I thought I would try a foster situation. Tanna is a wondrous foster mom that I have here, and her "baby" is 200 gm, so I knew she had to come out while the little one went in. Everything there went well (except they STILL wouldn't nurse, again confirming the premie thought). Tanna cared for them though, and as long as she would do that, it cut my work in half with not having to mess with the nether regions.
After a few days, I wasn't sure that Tanna had enough milk to support a couple newborns, since her baby was so much older and larger, so I decided to try to place them with their actual real grandma, the mom to their mom. She's a fantastic foster mom as well, and only had one kit a few days older than them, and she's easily raised triplets before. I knew she had a ready milk supply, so I put one little violet boy in with her. Everything was going well, both nursing, mom and dad are both fabulous with any and all babies, so I thought thank you God, I can sleep for a couple hours without getting up. Kyle stayed up to monitor until around 4 a.m., then he went to bed, with me planning on getting up at 6 to hand feed again.
In the space of 2 hours, after seeming to get along for 24 hours fine, the few day older kit turned on the little guy. Kits are positively vicious when they fight, which many breeders have tried to point out over and over again regarding the importance of keeping an eye on quads because of fights, but I'm not sure people realize quite to what degree they can do damage. My little guy, I'm almost positive, lost his eye. The entire side of his head was just solid blood, and I was able to get some cleaned off, but I was not wanting to keep messing with the eye, because if it is gone, I didn't want to keep opening it.
At first, I kept him with me, wrapped in a wash cloth so I could hand feed him every 15 minutes or so, rub him, and stimulate him. He was really shocky. After it seemed like he could at least sit up on his own, I put him back in with his real mom, put the other two in with Tanna, who is loving them to death, and prayed. So far, he's doing well. Mom got him all cleaned up, where I couldn't, and I do believe the eye is gone. He's gained 5 gm in a day with just him and mom all the time, and me hand feeding four times a day. I think he's going to be okay, but he now will be blind in one eye.
On the up side, all the kits are now gaining well, even the teeniest, who started out at 33, dropped to 28, and is now up to 34. We'll keep hammering away at it, rotating, hand feeding, etc. I'm grateful these three survived, but that little girl is sorely missed.
She got the best care anyone could give, and that's what matters :hug4: I never realized kits could be that rough... although we'll never breed, it's good to know. Best of luck with the remaining three little ones.
