Weaning questions

[chandraalto]

As many of you know my husband and I have been hand feeding our kits since they were about a day old because they were rejected by their mother. Well we are at 3 weeks tomorrow and they seem very healthy. I have questions on the next steps though...
We are currently feeding them every 3 hours. How long do we keep this up?
When do we start weaning and how do we do this?
Also how much should they weigh each week so we know we're on the right path? They're at 82g today and very plump!

 

[RDZCRanch]

Offer them unlimited hay and pellets...when they start losing interest in the milk and eating more hay and pellets they are about ready to wean. The normal weaning age is 8 weeks, so you won't get free of hand feeding anytime soon.

The average weight gain for kits is around 100g per month, though it varies from kit to kit.

 

[Claire D]

You could try getting the kits to take milk from a bottle hung from the cage (after hand feeding them with it first so they get used to it) which gives them the opportunity to feed when they want between "meals".
There is info & tips on bottle feeding here - http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/hand_rearing_chinchilla_kits___alternative_approach.php

 

[chandraalto]

My husband read the bottle feeding page and told me that we would have to sterilize the bottle every 4 hours. This is impossible since the kitchen is torn out due to remodel. We don't have a stove at the moment and what's the difference between getting up every 3 hours to every 4 hours. I guess my question is does it need to be sterilized every 4 hours or can we get away with sterilizing it once a day, can I sterilize it with a light bleach hot water solution, and does it need to be changed out every 4 hours?

 

[tunes]

First, don't count on the hanging bottle working. I've tried it over and over and not had one single kit drink from it.

Second, if you can't sterilize it between each feeding, maybe you could have several bottles available that you can rotate. Then find a way to sterilize several bottles at once at the end of the day. I personally would not use bleach on a bottle for kits. It's not always easy to get the residue off that is left from the bleach. I would boil it in hot water with white vinegar and soap, then rinse it repeatedly.

Third, at 3 weeks, depending on their weight, you might be able to jump up to every 4 hours instead of every 3. It would depend on what their weight is now, how much they are eating at each feeding, and if they continue to gain well after you switch to every 4 hours.

 

[Claire D]

I've used bottle feeding with really good results - oddly enough, unlike Peggy, I've yet to have a failure with the technique. For some people it works & for others it doesn't. It's always worth a try though. *shrugs*

Do you guys have Milton sterilising fluid in the US? It's for cold sterilising babies' bottles - you could use that with a 3-4 bottles to last throughout the day.

You don't have to use the bottle method as a complete replacement for hand feeding but it does come in handy for getting a couple of extra hours sleep over night & it also means the kits can help themselves if they want to.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

unfortunately I too have NEVER had the bottle method work. I have had to hand feed until they were 8 wks old, At 3 weeks I usually can make it every 4 hours

 

[chandraalto]

We decided to feed every four hours for now. Thank you all for your help!