Help!! having problems hand feeding

[Chinniesheena]

I really need some help;(
i have a kit thats is three and a half weeks old and her mommy died.....i am now bottle feeding and i hae tried almost every mixture that i can find online but she is so fighting me on eating.

Right now she wieghts in 154 g and i am so worried..her mom died on friday and at first she was real receptive to formula,but now i can only get a few ccs in before she fights me...like 1 to 2 ccs.. i am feeding every 2 to 3 hrs. she is pooping fine no problem there.....when mom died she weighted in at 147 g then as of last night she made it up to 159(after feeding though) but i am still super neurotic.

her mommy was a pet store chin that was preggers when i got her....but i have had babies before so not totally new to the experience. just always smooth sailing.

i have also been trying to find out roughly how many ccs is reasonable to expect to get into the kit....i also have mazuri pellets in the cage with her and timothy hay(i have seen her nibbling)

Any help would be appreciated...
Sheena

 

[eroomlorac]

All I know is to try to feed her from a syringe instead of asking her to suck a bottle. You don't want her to aspirate formulae into her lungs. Put a drop or two of formulae just at her lips in front and let her lap it down. But it sounds like she's gaining nicely. That's all I know, I do not breed. Someone will come along soon who will know much more than me. And will give you a good recipe for formulae.

 

[Chinniesheena]

i actually cut the tip of the nipple so that it drips and she doesnt have to suck on it.....

 

[Chinniesheena]

she seems to eat a little better when i let her play during eating instead of it all bein about eating.

 

[tunes]

Using a bottle for a kit is dangerous. Your local vet should have some 1 mL syringes you can buy for a quarter or so. You have much better control with that than you ever will with a bottle. If you can't get that, then an eye dropper works, but I don't think nearly as well.

The formula you should be using:
1 can goat's milk or carnation evaporated milk (goat's milk is better)
1 can water
1 teaspoon baby rice cereal

She's also old enough to be doing quite a bit of solid eating, so try this:
1 part crushed pellets
1 part goat milk or calf milk replacer POWDER
1 part 1/2 baby rice cereal and 1/2 baby oatmeal cereal

Mix that all together, store it in an airtight container, and free feed it. Keep a bowl in there all the time, and change it out if it gets cruddy.

At 3 weeks, she shouldn't need fed every 2 hours. She should be able to go 4 hours easily. Also, get the syringe and try feeding her through the bars of the cage you have her in instead of trying to confine her with your hand. At that age, if I am hand feeding, my kits don't get held. They run to the front of the cage door to eat. Another thing that some people have success with (I never have) is to hang a water bottle with the formula in it. Only use a small amount because it's going to need changed frequently, but she may take to that better since she's so active.

 

[ABBY W.]

Rite aid sells glass eye droppers with a curved tip. They are excellent for hand feeding, and can easily be washed in the dishwasher.

Adding baby rice cereal is a good idea, like Tunes said. I have also found for underweight kits, adding a pea sized drop of Nutri-cal helps. It makes the food more palatable and gives some extra calories. Just a very tiny bit though, since it has a fairly high sugar content. Also, make sure the food is warm enough. I have found kits who eat well usually will refuse to eat if the formula gets cold.

 

[tunes]

I have also found for underweight kits, adding a pea sized drop of Nutri-cal helps.

Nutri-Cal is for omnivores, not herbivores. I would not give it to a kit, any more than I would Dyne. If you want to add something for flavoring, add a drop or two of Karo syrup or some black strap molasses.

 

[Chinniesheena]

thanks for all the help....how many mls should she be drinking at this point

 

[tunes]

Quite a bit actually. I would guesstimate mine take between 5-8 mL at this age.

 

[Chinniesheena]

i did go get a dropper and she ate about 9 ml so im happy

Thanks for all the info

 

[Rickman]

If your kit's happy, and you're happy, then we're happy - good luck!! :wink2:

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

glass droppers are dangerous. Chins can and do chew them when using them. When they chew they break the glass into their mouths. I know, it happened to me and I was lucky that I could get the glass out of the mouth before it did any damage. Since then I NEVER use a glass dropper