What An Awful Litter - Can I Foster?

[Bad Habit]

Alaska just had her 2nd litter. I didn't think she was pregnant, since she felt SO empty. Found out why after I investigated the nest box...

5 kits, 4 of which are peanuts.

One was DOA. One had a HUGE swelling at the neck, and was trying to scream, so I culled immediately. I hate to do it, but I'm leaving the other 2 peanuts in the nest, they are warm and fairly active, and will hopefully be able to survive until the one viable kit is furred out. I will cull either when they seem to be suffering, or once the viable kit is furred out and able to keep itself warm.

I wish I could foster a vlop kit, but I think they are too far apart in age. The Vlops were born midday, last Wednesday. Almost a week older.

 

[DogCatMom]

I'm so sorry.

 

[Dood]

If you pull the nest boxes you can foster a lop or two just for heat and put them back with their littermates for morning and/or evening feedings so you dont need worry about the older kits stealing Alaska's milk.

As a lone kit s/he might grow surprisingly fast and be big enough to have full time lop siblings in a week.

 

[Marinea]

So sorry to hear this. Poor Alaska. Poor babies.

*gently pets Alaska*

*looks around...think BH would notice if I tucked her in my jacket?*

 

[ladysown]

I'd pull one or two of the older kits (probably just one unless your temperatures are really cold) to keep the singleton warm. Cold kits (which could happen with your peanuts) pull heat away from warm kits so you don't want that happening with a singleton.<br /><br />__________ Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:23 am __________<br /><br />

 

[Bad Habit]

I looked on FB and contacted a few local breeders to see about borrowing or buying a young kit to foster. No bites. Guessing I'm going to have to pull the kits.

I don't think an older sibling would be able to drink all of Alaska's milk... she's a heavy milker. I'm a little worried that with just one viable kit, the baby will get to be too fat, she feeds 4 or 5 times a day for 10 or 15 minutes. Or that Alaska will get mastitis.

I might try sneaking the charlie up here, since it's the smallest. Then I could cull the peanuts and not worry about the poor things suffering.

I've never had a singleton before. There was once one singleton, but I was able to foster that one onto another litter born the same day.

Thinking about getting a non-dwarf buck.

 

[Peach]

Sorry about the litter

I've had singletons do quite well I just monitor their intake so they don't get too fat. I just take them out once in the morning and once at night. Otherwise, they sleep in the house.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I'd steal a Vlop for the singleton.

SO SORRY THOUGH!!! That really sucks! Rotten, rotten luck.

 

[squidpop]

What happens when a kit gets too fat? I'm surprised to hear getting to fat can be a problem for a kit.

 

[Dood]

If they eat really big meals and don't fully digest between them the milk can go rancid in the stomach and possibly cause death.

I've only had one singleton, his mom wasnt a great milk producer and normally couldn't feed more than 4, he turned into a real moose and was very skittish, he hated to be touched and I think it's because he never had physical contact from siblings as a kit.

If your not worried about the younger kit starving then I would definitely add a lop or two

 

[Bad Habit]

They can also develop incorrectly, if they weigh too much. Something to do with their legs. It can also be hard to trim them up when they get older, I've heard from a couple people that their singletons were hard to get bred because they retained so much fat.

The baby is doing well. There were still two living, wiggling peanuts last night before I went to sleep.

I think I will try putting a vlop kit in tonight, when I am home and able to monitor better... Although, what happens when the vlop escapes the nest, and the lionhead still has 4 or 5 days to go?

 

[Frecs]

I had a singleton from my FAngora's test breeding. Other than it almost strangling itself by getting the fur wrapped around it's throat, it did fine. He is now a nice, very friendly, buck that I plan to use in my effort to develop a wooly Silver Fox line.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

They can also develop incorrectly, if they weigh too much. Something to do with their legs. It can also be hard to trim them up when they get older, I've heard from a couple people that their singletons were hard to get bred because they retained so much fat.

The baby is doing well. There were still two living, wiggling peanuts last night before I went to sleep.

I think I will try putting a vlop kit in tonight, when I am home and able to monitor better... Although, what happens when the vlop escapes the nest, and the lionhead still has 4 or 5 days to go?

I worried about that with Sharif, my lonely only Mini Rex in Breezy's litter. Even though he was a full day older than the Champagnes, he was sooooo tiny and couldn't get out of the nest box as early as they could. He did fine. Babies seem to like lumping together, so the Vlop might stay in the box more while the little Lionkit grows.

 

[fuzzy9]

I'm so sorry BH!

 

[Bad Habit]

Pulled the nest last night, as Solo had a belly on him the size of a ping pong ball. Very tight and drum like.<br /><br />__________ Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:41 pm __________<br /><br />So the solo kit has been named Hippo, cuz she's HUGE. Overall big, and FAT.

Both of the peanuts passed away, so I ended up fostering the charlie over today. Charlie was pretty skinny, whereas the other 3 vlops were nice and plump. Left Charlie and Hippo in the nest together to get all same smelly, and then put the nest back into Alaska's cage.

She sniffed at it, and gave me a few looks which said "I could have sworn there was only one in here last night", then she almost shrugged and jumped in to feed them. She's now sitting protectively with her feet on the edge of the nest box, eating the extra hay out. Alaska didn't care much for me taking the nest box out, even though I was sure she was going to feed her baby to death.

Hoping that having 2 in there will keep her from overfeeding. Will be keeping my eye on them, to make sure that Alaska doesn't overfeed. Hoping that this will help Charlie catch up to her siblings as well.