MoonSpiritMom
Well-known member
Ok so one doe had 9 kits last week, one was born dead, another i lost yesterday. I'm not sure what happened but i found it cold out of the nest, tried to revive it but later found a small mark on the back of its head so I'm assuming mom killed it? it was healthy looking, recently fed.. so I'm not sure what would have caused her to kill it, if she did in fact do that.
Anyways.. the reason i found the cold kit was because this doe has been splitting her kits up into 2 different nests. The cold kit was left in the middle of the two nests. one nest is the original one she kindled in, inside the nest box.. the new one is outside of the nest box. She's moving only the largest kits to the new nest, and leaving her smaller ones (although not to much smaller) in the original nest.
I did take her two runts and fostered them to my other doe, who only had 1 kit. She was super excited to have more babies to care for! lol So now the doe who had 9 originally, now has 5 in her nest. I fostered over yesterday. This morning i find that the doe with now 5 has again split her kits up into 2 nests... the 3 largest in the new nest and the remaining 2 smaller kits in the original nest. I've since put them all back into the original nest. My worry is that she'll ignore the original nest and the 2 smaller kits in it, in favor of her 3 largest kits.
What the heck is going on here? Should i just continue to move the kits back into the original nest? should i foster the 2 smaller kits? all of the kits born to my 2 does were born with in 2 days of each other.. and my fostering doe took on her new babies quite eagerly.. so i have that option.
this is kinda driving me crazy. why is she doing this? how do i make her stop? I don't want to loose any more babies.
Anyways.. the reason i found the cold kit was because this doe has been splitting her kits up into 2 different nests. The cold kit was left in the middle of the two nests. one nest is the original one she kindled in, inside the nest box.. the new one is outside of the nest box. She's moving only the largest kits to the new nest, and leaving her smaller ones (although not to much smaller) in the original nest.
I did take her two runts and fostered them to my other doe, who only had 1 kit. She was super excited to have more babies to care for! lol So now the doe who had 9 originally, now has 5 in her nest. I fostered over yesterday. This morning i find that the doe with now 5 has again split her kits up into 2 nests... the 3 largest in the new nest and the remaining 2 smaller kits in the original nest. I've since put them all back into the original nest. My worry is that she'll ignore the original nest and the 2 smaller kits in it, in favor of her 3 largest kits.
What the heck is going on here? Should i just continue to move the kits back into the original nest? should i foster the 2 smaller kits? all of the kits born to my 2 does were born with in 2 days of each other.. and my fostering doe took on her new babies quite eagerly.. so i have that option.
this is kinda driving me crazy. why is she doing this? how do i make her stop? I don't want to loose any more babies.