My doe (large, healthy, experienced mother) kindled five kits yesterday. I was happy to find them fat with colostrum and content in their fur nest. This morning I found the nest scattered and the two largest (a black and tort) injured beyond help and where put to sleep on the spot to keep them from suffering any further.
I rushed the remaining three inside and put them under a stream of warm water. I thought one was a total gonner, he was so cold and limp. I set him aside and finished getting the others to a stable temp, then started setting up a waterbed nestbox to keep the heat. Lo and behold! The tiny limp baby twitched a little...I quickly warmed him some more and although weak, he did wiggle.
Once warmed adequately, I nursed the kits off the mother (she's lactating fine), not fully, but enough to sustain them. I didn't want to let them totally fill up after being so cold before.
Put new warm water into the dish below the nest and left for the day. Came home to find three warm, sleeping kits. I stimulated then and was rewarded with a hearty stream of pee. They are doing excellent so far.
My question lies in stimulating them to poop. How often do they generally do it? I figure it will be another few hours (they still have nice milk bellies) before the urge to do number 2 comes along, it might even be tomorrow before I see anything of the sort.
Like I said, they did let loose those bladders. I'm not super concerned about pooping, but it's better to ask if you don't know! :biggrin:
The remaining three are all torts, two possibly blue torts, although I doubt it. Pictures of the youngin' soon!
I rushed the remaining three inside and put them under a stream of warm water. I thought one was a total gonner, he was so cold and limp. I set him aside and finished getting the others to a stable temp, then started setting up a waterbed nestbox to keep the heat. Lo and behold! The tiny limp baby twitched a little...I quickly warmed him some more and although weak, he did wiggle.
Once warmed adequately, I nursed the kits off the mother (she's lactating fine), not fully, but enough to sustain them. I didn't want to let them totally fill up after being so cold before.
Put new warm water into the dish below the nest and left for the day. Came home to find three warm, sleeping kits. I stimulated then and was rewarded with a hearty stream of pee. They are doing excellent so far.
My question lies in stimulating them to poop. How often do they generally do it? I figure it will be another few hours (they still have nice milk bellies) before the urge to do number 2 comes along, it might even be tomorrow before I see anything of the sort.
Like I said, they did let loose those bladders. I'm not super concerned about pooping, but it's better to ask if you don't know! :biggrin:
The remaining three are all torts, two possibly blue torts, although I doubt it. Pictures of the youngin' soon!
