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[sbutts]

So.... I was aware that my female was pregnant and as I was cleaning the cage I found 2 young kits. I just thought my female happened to be eating all the food.  So- she's got 2 kits now and I have read that giving them Goats milk is probably good for them to suplement her milk... Im jsut making sure that it is ok to give them this certain kind... It's a white package and its powder that you mix with warm water its called Goats Milk Esbilac.... its got instructions on it for hamsters gerbils guinea pigs and bunnies but not chinc. Does anyone know? Thanks!

[jmdebb]

do you have a scale to weigh the kits on... you should weigh them to make sure they are gaining.

they shoudln't need a supplement as long as mom is feeding them..  and i don't know if this is true or not, but supposely using a bit a apple juice in her water, is suppose to help bring mild along, and i'm not saying she doesn't have milk.. i have no clue.. i'm just saying.. and that could be an ole wives tale so to speak... 

but good luck and pictures if you can.... congrats.
oh important.. the kits will get out of the bar spacing is 1" or more.. and if you have shelves and what not, i would suggest taking them out, reason being.. mom goes on a shelf.. jumps down... lands on a kit.... i will end it here..

jean

[sbutts]

The kits are actually in a separate cage with mom- one with no ledges and it was two layers of chicken wire around the outside... ANd screening lol...
I jsut remembered my dad jsut got a food scale for fathers day so Im gonna use that lol
Thanks!

[Courtney]

You need a scale. You should weigh them daily. They should gain 1 gram or 2 daily if they are getting enough milk from mom. If they are not gaining any weight you need to start supplimenting. When I suppliments I get kittens formula from my vet. You can put a bit of cranberry juice in the moms water. But also have plain water as well because she may not like the cranberry juice and she needs to keep hydrated.

[ABC Chinchillas]

I do not suppliment unless they are losing weight or fighting and as for the juice you do not want cranberry juice that is to help with UTI's it is a little bit of applejuice to flavor the water and really it isn't considered necessary. The only thing the apple juice does is flavor the water and hopefully make them drink more therefor producing more milk.

[Jo Ann]

   A double layer of chicken wire may or may not keep the kits in ... if any of the holes are 1" square or larger, they can get out ... chill, get sick & die ... get stepped on ... or killed by a family pet.

A scale that weighs in 1 or 2 graham increments is best.  If it weighs in 5 gram increments or in ounces, it will not do for kits.  They are so tiny, by the time they loose 5 grahams or 1 ounce, they are already to far gone.

Weigh them daily the first couple of weeks.  Twice a day, about the same time of the day each time. 
The weight may vary if the kit has just nursed or just urinated.
 
BE AWARE:
1.  If a kit looses a gram or two from one weigh-in to the next, then evens out or gains it back the next weigh-in, it's OK.  If it drops weight two days in a row, it's in trouble and needs supplementing.  I use goat's milk ... liquid, not powder.  DO NOT heat in microwave, use a glass eye dropper, unused portions may be frozen, then scraped out and warmed to room temperature as needed.
2.  If a mom seems to be rejecting a little one ... trouble is lurking.  Get in touch with someone who know what they are doing.    Chinchilla Moms tend to know if a kit will make it or not and, as mother nature will have it, she may reject that kit, knowing that if she keeps feeding it, it may also put the other kit in danger, due to lack of milk.
3.  I keep a calendar by the chin cage to keep track of the daily readings ... this helps when you need help ... the record will help the other person know what has been going on and for how long.
4.  Should you have to supplement, supplement the larger kit ... keep it's tummy full.  The smaller, weaker kit is the one that needs mom's chinchilla milk the most.  Remove the larger kit several times a day to allow the smaller one to have one-on-one time with mom, if needed.

Hope this helps!
   Jo Ann