A problem I have never encountered...

[CritterMom]

I am chin-sitting for a friend who is having to go out of town. Her chin just gave birth two days ago. This was an unexpected event, considering she thought she only had females. We did discover she was pregnant about a week and a half to two weeks prior to delivery, and I brought the male home with me so this problem would not arise again.

I went over there the day she delivered and checked the kits to help her determine sex and color. The weights were 39g and 42g. The kits haven't been gaining much, but nothing I have been too concerned about. One has gained one gram and the other has gained two.

They had to be kept in a carrier since being born until I could get a baby-safe cage ready for them. I went over there tonight to get them and did notice the mother laying on her side. I was not too concerned, but was unable to veiw much due to them being in the carrier. I brought them back to my house and put them in a baby-safe cage and this is where I noticed a problem. The mother can walk around normally, but appears to be stretching out almost flat. When she went to go up on a small ramp in the cage, she stretched up it. She keeps stretching out in the cage and mostly stays on her side. It almost appears that her stomach caves in. This behavior is really worrying me. I almost don't know how to describe it. I have been very fortunate to never have any pregnancy, delivery, or nursing problems arise.

I have not had her here long enough to gage food and water intake. I have a water bottle and a diluted juice bottle in there, along with food and supplement. I have yet to see a mother not go right to the juice bottle. I know she has been drinking water, because her water bottle was full the other day when I went over there, and it is half-way empty today.

If anyone has any advice, it would be much appreciated. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this?

 

[starleomach]

She needs veterinary care. more often than not streching like that implies GI tract issues. or something stuck in her. I would get her to a vet

 

[tunes]

I agree with Kristy. Lying on her side and stretching are signs of GI issues. Get her to a vet.

 

[CritterMom]

When she stretche out her shoulders look normal, but her back seems to cave inward.

 

[starleomach]

still sounds like GI issues, she needs a vet

 

[CritterMom]

I just checked her and she appears to have diareah (sp?). The owner is contacting some emergency vets. Is it okay for the babies to remain in there with her?

 

[CritterMom]

Also, I do know that about two weeks ago, they had to switch the food for a day while waiting for their normal food to arrive. The chin has showed no odd behavior up until now. If that was the cause, would it just show up now?

 

[tunes]

If she has anything contagious, which I doubt, her kits are already exposed to it. As far as removing the kits, that means hand feeding. Wait until you hear what the vet says, then decide.

They switched the food for a DAY? For future reference, she would have been perfectly fine with just hay, especially instead of playing around with a nearly delivered mom's pellets.

I'd guess it's not because of that happening a week later, but again, she's a pregnant mom (I'm assuming first time as well) and anything could set her off.

 

[CritterMom]

She is a few years old. When they got her, they were told that she had had kits before, but they had all died. They weren't too worried about that because they had never intended on breeding. She had come from a breeder, and they thought she might be pregnant when they got her. I had checked her over then, and she was not pregnant. The person they got her from had told her that they had bred her with another white mosaic, so that says a lot about that "breeder".

The exotic vet at the emergency hospital is not in tonight, so we are unable to do anything tonight.

I am going to go ahead and have everything ready to hand feed if necessary. The kits seem to be okay and active except for the weight gain, but that can happen the first few days if the milk doesn't come.

 

[Rickman]

If it was me, I'd start the hand feeding now! If the mother will be fine, it certainly won't hurt, but if the mother is septic, her milk could also be too, which wouldn't be helping the kits!
Better safe than sorry!!

 

[Chinniechantel]

I would also start supplementing, unfortunetly it does not sound good if she has not been to the vet yet. They usually don't last a few days or even a day...you are lucky you even notice anything is wrong normally. She needs a vet now.

 

[starleomach]

I am leary to pull kits from a mom who is feeding and handfeed instead. I would leave them with mom. But she needs to stop the diarrhea. A chinchilla should not have runny diarrehea ever. she is going to need fluids is she has had it for a few days......

 

[CritterMom]

The mom seems to be doing better tonight. I am thinking that her milk might not have been in as of last night because I did begin to supplement some hand feeding and after they figured it out they were gobbling it right up. The mother has not been stretching out today in the same manner she was last night. I gave her some shredded wheat last night. The owner was up until about 2 calling emergency vets in MS and Arkansas and there were no exotic vets that were in (of course). She is also acting a lot more motherly. I am having high hopes

 

[lauralynne]

YAY! I hope everyone turns out ok!

 

[moon]

If she is not COMPLETELY back to normal, I would still take her to the vet for good measure. That is NOT normal behavior for a normal delivery. I suppose it's possible that the change in food affected her, but probably not if it was a week later. I am concerned that there may be a portion of another kit still stuck inside her that she has not been able to deliver.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I agree, there could still be a kit or placenta in there that needs to come out. She needs the help of a vet to do this.

 

[Rickman]

I would've been at the vets when they opened the door this morning, as time's not your friend in this instance!

 

[ABBY W.]

I agree. It sounds as if she was trying to expel placenta or possibly another or part of a dead kit. After a while of not being able to do so, her body would stop having contractions. But whatever's left in her can start to decompose and will poison her body. She needs to see a vet to make sure she is ok.

 

[CritterMom]

When I checked her over last night, I massaged her belly to see if I felt any sort of mass. When doing so, there was loose stool that came out. Her vaginal area was closed. I cleaned her behind, removed the diluted apple juice and gave her some shredded wheat. I stayed up pretty late to moniter her. I was worried about her and the fact that she didn't seem that attentive to the kits. Completely understandable if she wasn't feeling well. I supplemented the kits with formula twice last night. When I woke up this morning, Samone (the mother) was back to sitting up normally with the kits underneath her. She has had normal poo today. She has been eating and drinking. One kit has gained two grams, while the other has lost two. I am wondering if she is having a lack of milk or working nipples. I am about to go and hand feed the kit that is loosing weight.

As for the vet, my friend, like I said, was calling e-vets in neighboring states, but we couldn't find anyone to see her. I am sure she willl want to take her in when she gets back into town to make sure that everything is on the up and up.

 

[Rickman]

Might try taking the "gainer" out for a while, and let the "looser" have a chance, alone, as nothing beats mothers milk!
Was there a big difference in size at birth?