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thawk87

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Messages
8
I just got a new rescue chin in and she is obviously expecting. For some reason she will not eat hay. I have tried 2 different brands and nothing. Could this just be a thing for her? I have never not had a chin like hay. Also is there any way for me to know how far along she is without an xray?
 
Some chins just don't like hay. I would keep offering it; she might change her mind. I have had some who did.

The only way that you can be sure about the pregnancy is to wait. count 111 days for the day that she was last with a male (if you don't know, count from the day you got her). If she does not have kits in that time, she was not pregnant. I would not take her to a vet to find out. It would be too stressful for her, especially if she is pregnant.

There are some classic signs you can look for; large, hard belly, weight gain, elongated nipples and hinging out at the bottom of the cage. You might also feel or see the kits moving. Most of these signs won't be evident until the last month of the pregnancy, if at all. I had two girls fake me out recently. They both gained weight as if they were pregnant for about a month to a month and a half, then leveled off. Neither one was pregnant. I have also had 2 girls who showed no signs at all and were pregnant. The presence of kits proved it.
 
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My female chin barely eats her hay but LOVES her pellets. If she is pregnant, you can offer her alfala hay to make sure she's getting enough calcium for breast milk production.

As for pregnancy signs, you could weigh her. The only signs that my female presented was noticeable weight gain, firm belly and elongated nipples.
 
I bought some timmothy/alfalfa mix pelets that are 110 times the size of a food pelet and she seems to like those. I have had her only a couple of days and I am counting the 111 allready and have her in a baby safe cage. She has 2 water bottles, her food and hay pelets, but her house wont fit in the only baby safe house I have without taking up to much room. Wondering if I should put in a Mason Jar for the babies. This will be my first litter if she is. I started rescuing in May and it has proven to be a labor of love. Some of the poor little things I get in are so sick the best thing I can do for themis put them down. I have had other come to me with no fur, she was one of the best taken care of. She is the one my son asked to keep out of the ones we have right now to replace the one we just lost.
 
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