Babies born on wire.

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allranger

allranger

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On top of all my other problems with city code inspectors my wife called me today to say one of my does had given birth and she did not use the nest box. I came home to five kits. One was very small and underdeveloped. I doubt he was alive when he was born. The other four were on the wire and very cold. One is very small and a runt. She is not a first time doe and she has had three litters before. How ever I had to move her a week ago into the garage.
I filled a two liter pop bottle with hot water and put them in a towel on top of it. Then I got a light bulb and put it above them. They are now warm and moving but they have not been fed. I plucked some hair from the doe and made a nest in the box for them. I cut up some rags and wiped up some blood from the tray and put the shreds in and around the nest and put the placenta near the front of the nest box to try and get her motherly instincts started. I tried turning her over and getting to to nurse them but no luck. I put the next box back in the cage with her and she mostly tried to look 'around' and 'behind' it. Any thoughts?
 
Can you palpate her and see if there are any other kits still inside? If she had some on the wire and you were able to sort them out but she is still "looking for something," then I wonder if she is done kindling. I'd leave her be for a little bit- as long as the kits can warm each other, they don't need to nurse immediately. Maybe she is just stressed out (and/or had a difficult time kindling), but I am sorry you are having to go through this. :(

Best of luck,

Lauren
 
Hope her instincts kick in and she nurses them tonight. :clover: I agree they do not have to feed immediately. Their first need is warmth. It might be a good idea to show your wife what to do when kits are born on the wire. The time lag until you get home to deal with them can mean the difference between life and death for the kits.
 
Eating the placenta gives a boost of hormones like oxytocin which help milk come in and increase uterine contractions to help push anything remaining out. Pregnant herd animals kept together can be triggered in to giving birth if they help clean up the afterbirth of another female. If she continues to not settle, not eat the placenta, and does not have milk I would consider a vet trip and possibly a shot of oxytocin. We keep it on hand when we have pregnant horses and also used it in a cat before. Not the best source but it does sum up my point http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placentophagy .

My chocolate doe was also not settling, not eating, and not interested in her kits. We found she had excessive swelling from giving birth. Some metacam from the vet and pellets plus alfalfa hay leaves soaked in banana puree and she was acting more normal within hours and fed her kits before morning. Sometimes it's something fairly small that makes the difference. Just getting rid of a little pain or boosting hormones a bit can make everything start happening the way it's suppose to.
 
Just an update. I checked on the kits this morning before I left for work. The fur and hay had been moved around and things were rearranged so the mother has been in the box. It looked like she pulled some more fur also. I did not check to see if she had nursed them as she is very protective of her kits. She had started eating again and had drank all her water so I suspect when I check after work the kits will have been fed.
 
Sometimes I think they just get confused. We have had this happen a couple of times too.

Sounds like she is taking care of them now.
 

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