Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[kneesaa]

Morning,
Well it happened. I woke up hearing a strange peeping noise and thought I better close my window. My room gets very warm, it was cool in my room and I got up to use the bathroom and checked the cage as I was going past it. Peeka(dad) was in the hut sound a sleep and I looked for Pooka and she was on the bottom of the cage and I could see a little tail sticking out from under her body. Then I saw the nest spot she had made. So I was excited and proceeded to divide the cage in half. Peeka has the upper part of the cage and Pooka has the lower part. I took out the wheel and her shelves, she is a good mom. She had the kit already washed and it was feeding and she didn't mind when I checked it real quick. I put one of those tub things in there for her and the kit. I think it was born in the last few hours. Is there anything else I can do for her. I didn't even know she was pregnant. I saw that she had been laying on her side a bit more but didn't think anything about it. Also she had a dust bath this Wednesday. Will that cause any problems? I will have read the forum to see what else I can give her to help with her milk flow and weight gain. Anyway I'm just so excited. This is my first chin giving birth and I will have pics later, also I will need help with sexing the little one.   

[ABC Chinchillas]

Just watch mom and make sure she is nuring. The dust bath this week will not hurt anything. I have given dust baths the morning some of mine have given birth. it will be fine. it is more after the birth people wait a few days. Just watch the weight and make sure the kit is eating. otherwise just let mom do her job.

[Jo Ann]

   Congratulations Peeka & Pooka!!

I put one of those tub things in there for her and the kit.

What tub thing are you talking about?

1)  It's best not to let them take a dust bath within 36 to 48 hours before delivery, but hopefully, there is not enough dust bath dust left in her fur to cause a problem.  Do make sure they  (mom and kit)  do NOT get a dust bath until day 10.
2)  I have heard,  but not tried, raspberry leaves to get the milk flowing.
3)  Keep plenty of fresh water up for her ... she'll need it for producing the milk.
4)  How tall is the bottom half of the cage?
5)  Are there any shelves on the bottom half of the cage?
6)  With Peeka in the top, you do realize he will be peeing and dropping poop on mom and kit, don't you?  I would do something to put a solid divider between the two of them and him.
7)  When one is pregnant and/or nursing, I usually feed Alfalfa hay instead of Timothy or half and half ... the Alfalfa hay is higher in nutrients.
 What is the size of the wire the cage is made of?  (distance between the wires in both directions)

     Jo Ann

[kneesaa]

Hi,
Thanks, I meant tube. One of those cardboard tube things. No I took out the shelves. The cage is a big ferret cage and the bottom is a plastic bottom. It is about 5 inch's from the bottom to the wire. It is a solid divider. Peeka has the most of the cage . Pooka has 3 feet by 2 feet of room and the wire is 1/4 inch. The kit weighs about 50 grams. And I saw Pooka eating something red and fleshy. I knew to let her eat it. I put a hand full of alfalfa in for her to eat. But like I said Pooka is a good mom she is taking good care of her kit.
Thanks, Shannon

[kneesaa]

Hi, I put 2 pictures of Pookie in the photo gallery. They are not very good.   Shannon

[Debbie.nl.ca]

OMG congrats, 
Pookie look perfect, what a cutie. I love the tiny noses, enjoy they grow up fast. OR at least time flies with babies around.

[Jo Ann]

   It is adorable!   

As Debbie said ... enjoy while you can ... they seem to grow before your very eyes at this age. 

If you want to keep a pictorial history ... take pictures of it beside a dollar bill standing on edge ... when you go back and view them after six weeks, you can see just how fast  they get big!   

I didn't think ferret cages had wire that small on the sides, but that is a great size for kits!

   Jo Ann

[kneesaa]

I put the wire on the cage after the kit was born. How offten do I weight it? It is already starting to run around. I will need help sexing the baby. I will try to get a picture later.

[Jo Ann]

    For sexing it, check out the pictures of the male and female kits about 3/4 the way down this page:  http://www.luvnchins.com/GigetKitsDay1.html

You will need a scale that weighs in 1 gram increments.  I always weigh the kits twice a day the first week or two and daily for weeks 3 & 4, then weekly for the first two months after that.  Chinchillas are so tiny, that a drop in weight is not noticeable by the eye soon enough.  A kit can drop 5 grams and be in trouble.

Weigh at the same time every day ... if there is a drop in the weight, weigh it again in a couple of hours.  A kit can loose or add 5 grams by just eating and/or just urinating ... this is why you want to check it again after a couple of hours, if the weight has dropped.  If a chin drops weight 2 days in a row, something is not good and needs to be checked out.  I find a large calendar near the cage to keep track of the weighins is best.

Is the wire covering the whole cage? All sides and top?

   Jo Ann

[kneesaa]

Thanks for the link. That really helped. I think Pookie is a female. So thats cool. The wire is covering the whole cage.
 Thanks Shannon