Help! Six kits, possible bad mother!

[ColdBrook]

My silver fox was given her last chance and just delivered 6 live kits (2 dead) today. She pulled tons of fur but one was out on the wire. I pulled out the two not fully formed dead kits and put dry shavings and hay in the nest box, then tucked all 6 beautiful babies back into the back of it in a huge pile of fur..they were scattered around the box. Summer, the doe, jumped right in as if she didn't care a bit about what was in there. She's a BIG doe. I hope she didn't crush anyone.... Now, she's not successfully raised a litter, her first litter (one kit) she had on the wire and ignored, her second litter, 3 kits, on the wire and all were dead when the owner found them. I bought her anyway taking a chance and here she is with six live beautiful kits...but how do I know if they're going to be okay? The other doe bred the same day didn't deliver yet. The only doe in milk yet is Ella who has 3 5 week old kits on her (I took the other three to start weaning and drying her off a little). What should I do? It's 50 degrees here today. Do I bring the kits, nesting box and all, inside and take them to Summer to feed twice a day? Do I try and foster the whole litter to Ella if Summer doesn't seem to be taking care of them? Do I just leave them as is and check them regularly to make sure they look fed and give Summer the chance to get it right?

I'm so excited but so nervous! I don't want to lose any of these SF kits!!!

 

[Frecs]

Congrats on the popples!

It may take 24 hrs or more for her milk to drop and be able to feed them. They will be fine for at least 48 hrs waiting for her to drop her milk. (Been there, worried through it.) You will whether they are feeding or not by their stomachs -- wrinkly means no, smooth and fat means yes.

I check the nestboxes twice a day to see how the kits are doing.

Oh, and one of my Silver Fox does refuses to build her nest in a box. I have to move them into the nestbox after delivery every time. The other one has started using one -- but only the wooden one, not the metal one.

 

[ColdBrook]

Thanks Frecs! I feel a bit better now about it. I just peeked in on them again and Summer is still pulling fur. I'm not sure if there are more kits yet and I interrupted her labor or if she's making sure they have enough blanket for this colder weather (supposed to be in the lower 30s tonight), but I'm hoping the fur pulling is a good sign that her mothering instincts are now in place as she didn't do that with the first two litters she delivered and lost! I'll leave her alone to do her thing and will check the babies, though not obsessively (If I can help it!) to be sure their little bellies stay fat.

 

[Frecs]

Oh, and...we'll need pictures!

 

[Marinea]

First of all, congrats!

I second what Frecs said. Check on the popples a couple times a day. If they have nice full bellies, I would consider leaving them alone, unless the weather is going to get really bad.

Oh... I also second the pictures

 

[ladysown]

does pulling fur after delivery is a good sign. She may do the trick this time through.

 

[Asinaway]

Congrats on the kits. Watch them closely for now, from the way it sounds though I think her mothering instincts have finally kicked in. Fur pulling def a plus!

Yes pics and keep us updated.

 

[Secuono]

I would keep the nest in the house and only bring it out for 2x feeding until you see that she is understanding what the nest is for. Otherwise, she could easily kill many or all of them over night.

 

[ColdBrook]

Oh dear...my babies all survived the night but barely. I don't think they've been fed. Mama made a mess of the nest and they were damp, chilly and hardly moving when I found them this morning. I have them inside, warmed and am rebuilding the nest and will see if I can just return it to her for a feeding 2 x a day because I think she'll kill them if I leave them with her. She's a bit nutty, jumping in and out of the nest, scattering the babies... she is STILL pulling fur but she's stuffing it everywhere, not over the kits..tons of it piled outside the nest box.
I sure hope Poppy delivers soon. Would it be worth a try putting them in with Ella who's kits are 5 weeks to see if they can get fed or should we try flipping Summer and feeding them?


Here are the popples. They do not look like they were fed yet. They're pretty scrawny and wrinkly

 

[amandainohio24]

I would keep them in overnight and bring them back in the morning to feed now. I would also be keeping the extra fur she has pulled to use as needed when cleaning out the nest.

 

[AnnClaire]

Sounds like she is going through "new mother syndrome" and still doesn't quite know what to do. I agree, bring the nestbox in overnight and see how she does during the day with the nestbox in with her. IMHO, helping her get through this first successful litter will go a long way towards developing a good mother. I would also suggest that a quick breed-back will also help her develop good mothering skills ... it will reinforce what she did right.