# Tired Looking Mommy



## Marlimoo55 (Sep 6, 2013)

One of my does had her first litter yesterday.
Looking at her, she just seems so exhausted. Her eyes are just so sickly looking and her fur is a little unmaintained.
Is there anything I can give her to help "pep" her up?
She only has 6 babies, so I don't think she's too overwhelmed.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

She sounds run down, it could be she is worn out from the birth or she may not be cut out to be a mother.
First I'd check her water bottle is working and up her food making sure there is something for protien there and give her a bit of calcium (I use egg food) if no better in a day or two I'd remover the litter from her so she can concentrate on recovering.

How are the babies looking? Do they all have full bellys?

Also check for parasites


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## Marlimoo55 (Sep 6, 2013)

All but oone of the babies had a full belly, but that one wasn't any smaller than the rest. She doesn't seem to mind me helping her, so I think I will just be helping her raise these. My other doe has a litter, but it's older and a lot stronger. The little ones just dont have the strength to fight for food.
I soaked some stale bread in Goats milk Esbilac (diluted the esbilac of course) Would that help?
Would diluted gatorade work? Im not going to try anything until I'm sure it will be ok.


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## pro-petz (Nov 14, 2012)

Agree with PPVallhunds added protein and calcium, also treat for parasites if not treated prior to pairing.

It may just be me but over the many years of breeding animals have found that nursing mums are more prone to worms and other parasites than none nursing and as such treat prior to pairing up with a follow up as soon as possible giving birth.


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## YuukikoOgawa (Jul 26, 2013)

I know this thread was from a while ago, but have you ever tried giving your pregnant or nursing mice mealworms?

They tend to be very high in protein and can be a little on the fatty side, so they're only good as a rare treat, but I usually get several small containers of live ones every few months to hand out to any cages containing pregnant/nursing females or young mice who might be experiencing growth spurts. The extra protein and fat seems to help a bit, and they can also provide some extra moisture.

And judging by all the sparking when I hand them out, I'm going to assume that it's just plain FUN for the mice to go digging around for them!

For calcium, I found a fairly affordable option is to find a pet store that sells cuttlebone and egg biscuits for birds, especially if they are available in bulk. They're usually fairly cheap if you get a large pack and then just break them up into smaller pieces to hand out to any mice that need them. The cuttlebone also provides a good chewing opportunity to keep their teeth healthy.

In the future, you might also want to see how this particular mouse does with a nanny. The nanny can't help with feeding the babies, but they do help with cleaning them, keeping them in the nest, and keeping them warm so the mother can go get some rest elsewhere. It can be hit and miss though, and sometimes takes some trial-and-error to see which mother gets along best with which nanny. But it's certainly worth a try.


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## PPVallhunds (Jul 26, 2010)

ive hurd mealworms can carry cocidiosis. mosrt of mine didnt like them when i use to try them on them.


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