Uhoh some babies are here

[AlexEarl]

oky doky i will do that, but we have tried to feed the 2 largest ones and they dont even pay attention to it and try to scatter away, even after 15 minutes of attempts where as Runty charges head first at it because she knows what it is. Would you advise warming up the formula and putting it in a water bottle on the side of the cage so they can drink freely from it because sometimes i will need to go out so wont be able to feed them every 2 hours.

Also is this the right formula (half goats milk, half water, tablespoon of baby rice?)

thanks for all the help so far

 

[VolunteerChin22]

You should be warming it up anyhow - kind of luke warm - test it on your wrist. Mine won't touch it cold.

You can hang a bottle - some people do not have success with this - you can also not leave it more than a few hours as it spoils. Better option is to have a sitter that can feed them.

 

[AlexEarl]

weve been feeding her every 2 hours for the past day and she hasnt really gained any weight, shes normally 38/39g before feeding and 40-42g after. how do i know when she has had enough to eat or how much should i be giving her per feeding

 

[AlexEarl]

I really dont understand this hand feeding business, after shes eaten she weighs 41/42g but 2 hours later she is back to 38g and has been doing this for the past 2 days. should i change the milk formula?

the other two are fine and are gaining 2g+ per day and i havent hand fed them once.

thanks

 

[RDZCRanch]

What kind of goat's milk are you using? Condensed (canned), from a carton (fresh) or powdered? The dilution in the formula is only for condensed or powdered, though I will not dilute condensed if the babies are not gaining as much weight as I'd like. You can also offer a dry formula in the cage that can be eaten 24/7 by the babies. I do this with litters of two or more if they don't appear to be gaining enough weight or if I see any fighting. It give the kits something to munch on and they typically stop fighting.

 

[AlexEarl]

It is fresh goats milk but less then 4% fat, im going to the supermarket tonight to buy some more so ill look for some with higher fat (if it even comes with more fat because i have no idea about goats milk ) should i also put less water in (say a quarter?). she seems fine running about and climbing the cage but looks really skinny, although i think that is from her fur getting wet and sticking to her when she dribbles some milk on her as her fur is also stuck together in some places.

 

[tunes]

Don't dilute fresh. It's ready to go so it doesn't need mixed. If you're diluting it then she's getting half the fat and calories she should get.

Try upping the amount of baby cereal you add. I use a small baby food jar each time I hand feed and I just add some cereal to each little jar as I go. You don't want it thick like glue, but adding more cereal can help them gain weight when they have stalled out. Don't worry too much about the fur right now. I've had babies completely lose the fur under their chin when hand feeding, but it grows right back when they stop. If you want to, keep an unscented baby wipe handy and you can wipe her off quick before you put her back in with mom. It won't get rid of all of it, but it helps.

 

[AlexEarl]

ahh ok, atleast that gives me hope that she will gain weight now because i was getting a bit frustrated that she wasnt gaining any weight except after she had eaten and she eats quite alot. I will say tomorrow if shes gained any weight after she has had the proper stuff

thankyou

 

[tunes]

Don't give up on her until she gives up on you. It can take a week or more before she holds even 1 gm if she is struggling. As long as I have a kit willing to eat, who is active and behaving fine, then I keep on feeding (and hoping) until they indicate to me that they have given up.

 

[AlexEarl]

before i fed her the undiluted goats milk with god knows how much baby rice in she weighed 38g's, 3 feeds later she weighs 45g's so it is looking good, might have to put her on a diet soon

thanks for all the help so far i really appreciate it and so does little runty

 

[addictedtochins]

Great news! You go Baby!

 

[tunes]

Awesome news - both of you keep up the good work.

 

[AlexEarl]

After a few days of feeding Runty the full fat formula she has gained quite a bit of weight, what i want to know is are the other 2 gaining enough weight per day to be healthy (these are the ones i do not hand feed)


Day 5 - Night

Chin 1 - 53.7g
Chin 2 - 49.1g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 38g

Day 6 - Morning

Chin 1 - 54.7g
Chin 2 - 49.7g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 37.4g

Day 6 - Night

Chin 1 - 55.4g
Chin 2 - 50.7g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 38.5g

Day 7 - Morning

Chin 1 - 57.3g
Chin 2 - 52.6g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 40.2g

Day 7 - Night

Chin 1 - 58.7g
Chin 2 - 52.2g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 41.5g

Day 8 - Morning

Chin 1 - 60g
Chin 2 - 53.8g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 41.9g

Day 8 - Night

Chin 1 - 62.2g
Chin 2 - 54.4g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 44.8g

Runty now gobbles up a whole pipette of the formula within 10 seconds and is very aggressive when i present it to her as she knows it is feeding time

 

[VolunteerChin22]

1 seems to be gaining a little better than 2 obviously - but they both seem to be gaining steadily - I don't think you are at the point of relaxing about it or stopping what you are doing but I think if you keep doing what you are doing, they will be fine. They are probably going to all take off shortly now that you aren't diluting the formula.

 

[AlexEarl]

well i only feed Runty as she is the one that needs it the most compared to the other 2, should i try hand feed the other 2 as well (they wouldnt touch the forumla before but i guess i could spend quite a while until they start drinking it as well'

 

[AlexEarl]

at what age/weight can baby chinchillas take their 1st sand bath?

 

[kerri101]

great job monitoring the baby chins that is great they are doing better ! Im not sure about dust bath as I have not had newborns but I know someone will know this answer!

 

[Cuddlebug]

I put them in with mom as early as day one. They may not roll around but they will get to see mom doing it and learn from her. It may take a few weeks for them to actually bathe themselves.

 

[AlexEarl]

After a week and a bit of feeding the runt the full fat formula she has put on a lot of weight especially over the past day or two now she can eat a lot more, she gains more weight per day then the other two babies which is why i am wondering whether i should try get the other two onto hand feeding as they only gain 2.5g/3g per day.

Day 14 - Morning

Chin 1 - 74.6g
Chin 2 - 68.1g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 56g

Day 15 - Morning

Chin 1 - 76.3g
Chin 2 - 69.7g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 57.4g

Day 16 - Morning

Chin 1 - 78.7g
Chin 2 - 72g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 60.2g

Day 17 - Morning

Chin 1 - 81g
Chin 2 - 74.5g
Chin 3 (RUNTY) - 69.1g

I have tried hand feeding them but they turn their noses up at it, any suggestions on what i should do or is mum producing enough milk for them?

thanks

 

[Essentia]

What are you using to hand feed? If you are using canned goat milk I would switch to fresh. Kits seem to like it muuuuuch better.