Momma chin just passed away

[crushinator]

Momma had 3 kits born on June 16th. She just passed away at the vets office after I noticed she was lethargic 3 hrs ago. Not only am I heartbroken, I am now worried about the babies. They are about 2 weeks old and all weigh approximately 100 grams. How often should I handfeed them? They have been eating hay and pellets on their own, but I want to make sure they are getting sufficient nutrients. Should I also use a cotton swab to try to make them go to the bathroom? If so how long/how often should I do that for? Any help you could give me would be much appreciated.

 

[addictedtochins]

check out the FAQ in the breeding section. You will find out everything you need to know. Canned goat milk can be found in the baking section of Walmart. They will need handfeeding every 2 hours and yes you will need to stimulate the babies bowels.

 

[Laurie]

As Susan said please read over the FAQ section in the breeding and babies area. You will need to feed them every 2 hours. Never forced the syringe or liquid into their mouth, place a drop on their lips and let them lick it off. If you force the milk into them it could get into their lungs and they will aspirate and die. Make sure to keep them warm as well--not heating pad warm, but remember babies are mostly under their momma chin so don't let them get cold or chilled as they are still young. Provide them with a house to sleep in and perhaps a piece of fleece to sleep on.

 

[aznmexaggie]

When I handfeed babies, I keep them in a carrier with a heating pad under one end to keep them warm. I have also used a sock with rice, microwaved for about 15 seconds, for the babies to snuggle up to.

Definitely read through the FAQs for the kit formula and care of kits. You will have to feed these babies every 2 hours around the clock. I normally just set my phone alarm to go off every 2 hours so it wakes me up when the kits need to be fed.

Also, a helpful storage tip: When you make the batch of formula, if you keep it in the fridge it will go bad after a few days and you definitely won't be able to go through the whole batch in that short of a time. I pour the formula into ice cube trays and freeze. Then, when it's time to feed the kits, I just thaw out a cube, warm it up, add a drop of liquid acidophilus and handfeed them. I keep the frozen formula cubes for a few months and toss/make a new batch after that. After the kits have their fill, I stimulate their bowels with a warm moistened washcloth and put them back in the carrier to snuggle up and sleep.

 

[crushinator]

Thank you all for your responses. I have been rotating them every 2 hours since they were about a day old anyway because they would fight over nursing space but I never hand fed them because they were all gaining steadily and I figured they were getting more nutrients from momma than from the goat's milk. I would put them in a fleece-lined carrier with a heating pad under half of it. Just so I know, do I keep hand feeding them until they are 200? 250g? Should I keep up the 2 hr routine the whole time? Or can I make the window of time between feedings longer as they gain more weight?

 

[Laurie]

I believe yes you can go longer between feedings when they get older but wouldn't plan on that for at least a month as they are only 2 weeks old.

 

[aznmexaggie]

I would handfeed until they're about 250 g, although once they are older and nearing weaning age/size, they will be eating mostly solid food and will probably not need/or want to be handfed quite as often.

 

[Megan]

For at least the next week -2 weeks I would continue to handfeed every 2 hours. Week 5, you can go every 4. As they get older, you can bump it up to every 6, or let them grow through the night and feed during the day when you wake, at some point during the day, and before you go to to sleep.

 

[Riven]

I would also use mom and kit supplement of 1 part lambs replacer milk, 1 part ground pellets, and 1 part baby oatmeal flakes. Free feed this in a dish.

 

[lauralynne]

Thank you all for your responses. I have been rotating them every 2 hours since they were about a day old anyway because they would fight over nursing space but I never hand fed them because they were all gaining steadily and I figured they were getting more nutrients from momma than from the goat's milk. I would put them in a fleece-lined carrier with a heating pad under half of it. Just so I know, do I keep hand feeding them until they are 200? 250g? Should I keep up the 2 hr routine the whole time? Or can I make the window of time between feedings longer as they gain more weight?

Here is the link to the FAQ for your reference. http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21

 

[tunes]

I have found that fresh goats milk does a much better job than the canned, so if you can find that, it works great. You don't need to freeze it either, because it stays fresh a lot longer than the canned will. I just pour out what I need, nuke it, and get fresh the next time. Super Wal-Mart's now carry Meyenberg's next to the soy milk. Health food stores carry the goat's milk as do some other grocery stores. The chins like it a ton better as well. Since the quart is good for a month, you would be good to go without messing with freezing and thawing. I find my kits really don't like the canned milk as well once it has been thawed. It's been just great using the fresh.

Also, you don't have to use lamb's milk replacer. I cannot find that here. I use goat's milk replacer and it works great for the powdered formula. Just be sure whichever kind you get, that it does not contain antibiotics. A LOT of them do because the lambs/goats need their immunities built up. That would not be good for a chinchilla kit.

 

[Nickv0195]

Sorry for your loss =/