I use goat's milk ... I've tried puppy and kitten formulas, but have had the best results with goat's milk. You can get it in a can at WallMart, in the grocery department. Once you open it, store the left over milk in a glass jar with a tight lid on it. It's a little expensive, but well worth it. You can freeze the goat's milk and scrape out what ever you need each feeding time. Do NOT heat it in the microwave ... place it in a small container (shot glass or baby jar) in a cup of hot water and allow the hot water to heat the milk. Use a glass eyedroper and give it one drop at a time. (check out the videos at:
http://www.geocities.com/jobernstein1949/ Be sure to read the complete article entitled
The First Signs Of Trouble, watch the videos. In the article, you can also see signs of when a mom is rejecting a kit.
If a momma chin knows she does not have enough milk for all kits, she will sometimes abandon the weakest one ... be prepaired for this ... you may have to work hard to keep from loosing this little one.
Keep a bottle hung on the size of the cage with a couple of ounces of goat's milk in it ... mom can drink it, too.
As crazy as it may sound, make sure you keep the one that weighs the most full first. If the largest one is full, that will leave more of mom's natural milk for the smaller needy kits.
My first set of quads was also from a first time mom ... I spent the first 5 days and 4 nights in a chair beside the cage ... feedings were every hour. They all made it! The URL above is to my second website ... one for the medical care part of chinchillas. The set of quads I am speaking of and their momma are pictured at the top of the opening page.
Good luck! Contact me if you need any help ... or have questions.
Jo Ann
Author
Topic: First time chin mom gave birth to 4 babies. (Read 4608 times)