Popples fading slowly

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ButtonsPalace

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So I started with 9 kits all frozen to death. 4 didn't make it from the beginning, we had 5 survivors, yesterday we lost the little chocolate exclamation Mark baby and today we lost the other two chocolates. I have two left and I'm determined to keep them alive.
The symptoms my kits are showing are failure to thrive yellow diarrhea that runs out of their bumSo I started with 9 kits all frozen to death. 4 didn't make it from the beginning, we had 5 survivors, yesterday we lost the little chocolate exclamation Mark baby and today we lost the other two chocolates. I have two left and I'm determined to keep them alive.
The symptoms my kits are showing are failure to thrive yellow diarrhea that runs out of their bum until they die, but before that they get lethargic, it's a very slow process of them fading and acting more and more sleepy and then they shit themselves to death. Could this be happening because they were froze? Is this a lost cause trying to save these guys? I have a doe due in 2 days and was kinda wondering if once she has them if I can pop the week old kits in with her? (They'll be a week in 2 days) until they die, but before that they get lethargic, it's a very slow process of them fading and acting more and more sleepy and then they shit themselves to death. Could this be happening because they were froze? Is this a lost cause trying to save these guys? I have a doe due in 2 days and was kinda wondering if once she has them if I can pop the week old kits in with her? (They'll be a week in 2 days)
 
Yes, their problems probably started because they were so badly chilled. You are also doing supplemental feeding, are you not? New
born kits in this kind of situation have a very small chance of survival. I'm sorry I can't suggest anything to help . . . perhaps someone else will have some ideas, but really, it sounds to me as though you have done all you can for them. Even if the last two manage to pull through, I doubt they would ever be completely healthy.

Sorry you are going through this. Perhaps the doe will do better next time around.
 
Well after the one passed yesterday I stopped giving the supplement and just started bringing in mom a third time. I honestly don't feel like the last two are going to make it because they are very wrinkly even after they've ate, I feel so bad for them, part of me wants to put them down but then I have part of me thinking, maybe they'll live and if they start going downhill we'll put them down. I figured it was because of them being frozen, they were frozen enough that I lost 4 in the beginning. I'm hoping these two may be the last ones to have been birthed so maybe they weren't out as long, although it probably won't make any difference.

Would it be ok to put the week old kits in with a different mom though? Would that even possibly improve their chances of living? I'm willing to do whatever I just want to have as many of them live as possible.
 
Quite honestly, if the second doe kindles a healthy, viable litter, I would not put the last two from the first litter in with them, just in case there is more going on than you can see. It's not worth risking the second litter in a (probably) vain attempt to save kits that have such a poor chance of surviving.
 
I didn't think it would be a good idea but also figured it was worth asking. They are already showing signs of failure to thrive, I don't think there's anything I could've done even if I gave them colostrum, I think they chilled just long enough, which makes me feel terrible, I laid around in my warm bed assuming she wasn't pregnant because she was due the day before.. *Sigh* I've had an awful week, thank you guys for trying to help me with my failure of a life (Maybe the kits aren't the only ones failing to thrive) Oh by the way my pet fish died today, so, yep, it's been a day.
 
The only time I ever fostered different age litters on one doe (taking her to the older litter), the older litter was too rough on her and she stopped nursing all the kits. She bagged up before I could blink, got a severe case of mastitis that I couldn't get cleared up, and was put down a week later. All from one feeding. I haven't fostered since, as I haven't had a need to, but I won't ever combine two different age litters again. Most of my first timers are bred at the same time as a proven doe, although I almost don't have enough cage space to do so, but I refuse to loose another doe like that. It was a stupid mistake on my part that I won't repeat.
 
In my experience it depends if the doe will accept the kits or not. If not, chances of survival at that early age are practically nil.

However, I have had kits that were frozen pretty much solid and I was about to put them in the compost when I saw just the slightest movement. I brought them in a put them under a heating pad and they thawed out until they were soft and wiggly. I brought the nest box in, dug a nest out of the straw and fur, put them in and returned them to the colony. The doe hopped in and started fussing over them and in the end I processed them like normal when they reached butcher age. That has happened a few times.

If a doe rejects newborn kits, whether on a whim or if they're frozen, I have had no luck with survival. I've stayed up many nights hand feeding newborn kits and had none survive. I've had luck supplementing runts when they are a few days old and falling behind the rest of the litter but newborns really need their mothers milk.

Sorry you lost your litter. It's a sad day around here when kits die. All you can do is focus on the next litter. Good luck!
 
Buttons

You have to remember that not everything is ment to live.

YOU HAVE NOT FAILED in this.
Life does not always give us what we want... life gives us lessons and those lessons give us strength to face things we did not have the strength to face before .... life shapes us..... with out the experiences we have we would not be the people we are....

Consider this a test and growing experience for you....
Keep your head up
(you only fail if you give up)
 
I mixed up some fresh formula as I may have said before with the local honey in it. They seem to be doing much better since I've fed it to them, the runt is very wrinkly but I've noticed it likes so sleep on the tit, so gotta work on waking it up so it'll actually eat when I bring mom in, the bigger one is doing great though, very active and loves food. I really appreciate all of your help, I had a rough afternoon yesterday with everything NRR going on and then I had 3 deaths within about 3 hrs. it doesn't help any knowing I have another litter due tomorrow, not first time mom, but I guess I'm still in shell shock from all this insanity, I'll just be glad once it settles down.. Here is the babies from last night, I'll try to get more soon, they are currently napping in their box under the heat lamp.
 

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