New chin babies - one doesn't look so good

[Encyclia]

Hello, folks.
We are new to this forum and to chins in general, and we could use some help.

We bought three chins of Craig's List a couple of weeks ago. They were all housed together. There was a pair and a "baby" male of about 5 months. Anyway, recently, the female gave birth to three kits, one of which was apparently still born. We had separated the female out because she was looking lethargic and the males were harassing her. This was, of course, a complete to surprise to us novice chin owners.

Well, the two surviving kits are not acting the same as each other. As you can see in the attached picture, the one in the front has eyes open and is walking around. The other one (the larger of the two) at the top has not opened its eyes, does not seem to have much control over its limbs and just doesn't look very good.

The mother seems to be ok at caring for them. She sits over them both, so she hasn't shunned the little fella (yet).

I guess my question is about the health and longer-term prognosis for the guy with the apparent problems (top in the photograph). Is he likely to get any better than I am seeing right now? Is it possible that he can catch up to the other kit developmentally? What are my options if he does not?

Thanks so much for helping!

Encyclia

 

[mercynursie]

Most breeders on here I think would encourage to "get those eyes open first".Warm wash cloths,gentle swabbing,etc.That will help as long as he actually doesn't have an eye deformity.Then you need to get gram scales and weigh each kit same time every day watching for weight gain to see if you need to supplement.I'm sure some of the other folks with more kit experience will chime in but work on getting that kit's eyes open in the meantime.

 

[tunes]

You will need to gently pry the eyelids apart once you have gotten them just a little bit warm/damp. Make sure it is lukewarm and do not soak the kit. Then gently start prying the eyes open. He will feed much better once he can see where he's going.

No way to know on long-term prognosis. Either he will make it or he won't. Be prepared to get a crash course in hand feeding in case he can't or won't nurse. If you look under the breeding forum FAQ's you will find it. It will walk you through all the steps.

Be sure you keep the males separate from the female from here on out. If you put them back together, she will continue to produce babies.