ok.... strange question for everybody. I was watching some videos of chins having babies and i noticed that the moms almost seem to be "biting" the kits right after they are born..... does anybody know why? are they just cleaning them and biting their fur? when do you know if it is going to far? i know with some animals the mothers can get "obsessed" with cleaning them and actually hurt the baby. just curious
why?
- Thread starter Narcissus
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VolunteerChin22
I <3 dustbunnies
Cleaning - also to clean up the umbilical cord area. Most mothers are protective but you can handle the kits right after birth to check them for injuries. I check in on my newborns a little while after birth too. Most babies will make noises when mom's doing her thing but they don't sound like pain noises so if you were to hear really loud squealing I would check in on it.
starleomach
Dawnna's Keeper
All animals kinda pull the babies out....
~SG~
Orchestrating Chaos
no they dont
GorillaJTA
That guy.
a lot of rodents and more flexible mammals will assist themselves in giving birth.
ABBY W.
Well-known member
I think most animals push babies out, rather than pulling them. I'm not sure it really matters either way, as long as you know what to expect when breeding, so you can tell if something is wrong and when an animals is in distress or needs assistance.
I agree with Volunteerchin though, most moms know what to do with their babies without our intervention, but some can get a little overzealous. This is usually only with first time moms. Unless you hear loud squealing from the baby I wouldn't interfere.
The more common problem with biting happens during delivery. Sometimes if a kit is breech (born tail first instead of nose first) mom will end up damaging, or even chewing off the tail, or other parts while trying to get the baby out. I have had two babies who ended up missing the tips of their tails from this.
I agree with Volunteerchin though, most moms know what to do with their babies without our intervention, but some can get a little overzealous. This is usually only with first time moms. Unless you hear loud squealing from the baby I wouldn't interfere.
The more common problem with biting happens during delivery. Sometimes if a kit is breech (born tail first instead of nose first) mom will end up damaging, or even chewing off the tail, or other parts while trying to get the baby out. I have had two babies who ended up missing the tips of their tails from this.
As far as other animals pulling their own babies, I have lived on a farm and even worked in two veterinary hospitals, I have never seen an animal physical pull out their own babies. That's why it was so shocking to me. My brother has breed ferrets and they do not pull their babies they push them out. I do understand that the instincts of an animal is usually the best way to do things. But it did shock me and I can see where a baby could get injured if not moving fast enough. Has any body ever had to assist a birth? (other than c-section by vet)
starleomach
Dawnna's Keeper
I also grew up on farms and everyone pretty much gives birth the same way, pushing and some pulling if and when necessary if they can reach. I guess I should have said "Most animals" have essentially the same process when giving birth.
aznmexaggie
Chinchilla Chateau
I've witnessed a few of my females give birth and they are very vigorous in cleaning the kit and removing all the membranes stuck on him/her. They will also gently bite the kits to get them to react... it hurts the kits enough so that the kits will squeak and in turn, take a breath and use their lungs now that they are out of the womb. The rough cleaning also gets the blood circulating in the newborn kit.
Christina Noraas
Christina
I've heard that chin moms nip them a little to stimulate the baby to get it to squeak to get any and all fluids out of the lungs and such.
We've had some pretty nasty over exagerated cleaning with our cows, I think the absolute worst was when the mom was cleaning the belly and the umbilical cord came loose and brought everything out with it, to say the least we shot the poor cafe before it went through any mor suffering. Breeding with any animal can get seriously gross.
We've had some pretty nasty over exagerated cleaning with our cows, I think the absolute worst was when the mom was cleaning the belly and the umbilical cord came loose and brought everything out with it, to say the least we shot the poor cafe before it went through any mor suffering. Breeding with any animal can get seriously gross.
Yes it is true that the breeding process with any animal can be joy and sad.... Mostly messy. I have seen cats, dogs, and hamsters "obsess" about cleaning babies and injure the little ones. I'm a stay at home mom, so IF I decide to breed my chins I will be able to watch them very closely. Thank you ever one for your advice
Yes there are times when I've had to step in and help. This could be simply pulling as mom is pushing to help move a stuck kit, or actually needing to go up into mom and turn a baby into the right position if the baby was laying across the birthing canal. It's harder to work though as unlike a cow/horse you cannot fit your entire hand/arm --you only have a finger or two to work with to reposition the kits.
Cuddlebug
Well-known member
I have had to help a mother with a stuck kit. I also have a little one here with an injury to her shoulder and upper arm. She was skinned in that area (about the size of a dime) and needed to be stitched shut. She's a little over a week old right now.
