My Am Chin doe was due to have her first litter day before yesterday. Placed a nest box in with her a few days prior which she promptly jumped into and right out again. No signs of labor, no haystache, no hair pulling, just happily whopped out enjoying the breeze. Yesterday morning lo and behold, it looked like a grey and white furstorm had hit the cage! Unfortunately, it had turned pretty chilly and she had the kits on the wire. Nice, big, beautiful..stiff,dead..kits. She'd lined the nestbox beautifully but didn't quite make it there. I removed the kits and the nest box only to find that she'd pulled hair again and tried to make a nest on the wire this morning. I put the nest box back in ...she was hunched and appeared uncomfortable. Thought perhaps she may have another in the wings. When I checked on her tonight, she'd pulled even more hair and was sitting in the box. No kits and she didn't appear to be in discomfort. She resisted when I tried to ease her out of the box to check her and hopped right back in.
My question to you all is...now what? Do I leave the nest box a few more days and then take it out, or just do the deed tomorrow? When can she comfortably be rebred? Do I need to be alert for mastitis? Pyometra? I'd thought about putting two of my new SF kits in with her but they're doing so well (there's only 4 to start with) I hesitate to lose more kits to a new mama if she ends up not being up to the task.
My question to you all is...now what? Do I leave the nest box a few more days and then take it out, or just do the deed tomorrow? When can she comfortably be rebred? Do I need to be alert for mastitis? Pyometra? I'd thought about putting two of my new SF kits in with her but they're doing so well (there's only 4 to start with) I hesitate to lose more kits to a new mama if she ends up not being up to the task.
