# Help please with Nursing Doe



## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

I'm getting worried about my new doe, Poppy who had her first litter 13 days ago.
She has been successfully raising 12 babies and they all look healthy and well fed(pics in post-New boggit and Peepers), However I am getting a little worried about mum. I am struggling to keep weight on her, since 1 week before the babies were born, she has been having an evening feed of scrambled egg with toast soaked in Lactol along with her normal seed feed to which I have added kitten kibble.She also has another seed feed with kibble and Hay in the morning, she is also getting rice crispies as treats when she comes out and yet although she has a tum on her she is loosing condition and looking thin over her back. She seems fine in herself.
Is this normal considering the size of her litter?
I am worried that if I increase the scrambled egg or kibble even more she may have other problems- would it be too high in fats or protein?
Is there anything better that I should be feeding her?
Please, would love some advice


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## The secret garden (May 13, 2010)

Is this the Cream doe you got from Phil? When i was in Seawatch stud with Phil we never did anything different for the does they had the same diet as everyone else and all the other things you are giving her are things she is not used to. I'd cull down the litter a it, if she is stressed and looking worse for were a few less babys will help. Make sure she has plenty of fresh water, dont add any of those vitamin drops. Keep her in a warm room and just keep a eye on her


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## Wight Isle Stud (May 19, 2010)

That advice cant be bettered, I would like to stress the benefits of as Secret Garden Says, "warm Room " . Mice need food going through their system at all times to maintain a very high metabolic rate and high temperature.Your doe is using lots of her food energy to feed her babies,keep herself alive, etc, a warm room means she will be able to use a bit more of her diet for herself, to maintain her condition rather than use her food to make heat.


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## moustress (Sep 25, 2009)

I'd cut back on the protein. At least the babies can take solid food now. Is there any chance she has worms?


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## The secret garden (May 13, 2010)

No she doesn't have worms she can from Phils Stud, we have never seen worms in either of our studs. It doesnt seem to affect our mice like it does the USA mice we never see it


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## Wight Isle Stud (May 19, 2010)

I would up the protein, the doe has to rebuild herself and the young have to do serious building- the doe or her young are not ready for a maintenance diet yet. My opinion only 
Gary.


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

Thanks for the advice guys.  
Secret Garden;Thank you. Yes, she is the cream I got from Phil. I understand that she would find it easier if I culled the litter down a bit but she seems to have done so well so far and I'll be honest and own up to the fact that I just couldn't do it  I didn't realise that I didn't need to change her diet, I just thought that it was the right thing to up her nutritional intake as I wouldn't be able to reduce her litter size.

Moustress; I've had a look at her fresh droppings and there are no signs of worms 

Interestingly, the advice about keeping her warm may have been the cause for her starting to loose a bit of condition; On Monday AM our Gas meter started leaking and so our Gas was switched off until Wednesday evening, hence no heating in the house, the mice are in the living room and although It's not the dark depths of winter yet it did get quite chilly.It has only been this week that I have noticed her starting to loose condition a bit- Anyhow, the heating's back on and it's nice and warm and I'll make sure it stays that way!!

I'll slowly reduce her rich food intake-maybe she can't absorb the nutrients if it's too rich and just make sure she has some kibble in her seed mix?
Luckily she's still fine I just felt that she was a little leaner than she was and I was trying to nip things in the bud. She just seems so hungry, I've really never seen a mouse so hungry, she's taking the food from the bowl before I've had chance to put it down and eats so fast and all the time! :shock:


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## Wight Isle Stud (May 19, 2010)

can I just ask you for clarification, I take it she has food available at all times? or just when you put some in her dish ?- and can you see what she is picking from the dish-if you can up the proportion of that- her body is calling for it .Gary.


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## Wight Isle Stud (May 19, 2010)

They should be able to maintain a litter on their normal diet, up the pro a bit when the litter is growing and while she recovers for a week or two after going dry .


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## The Boggit keeper (Mar 5, 2010)

I'll be back. said:


> can I just ask you for clarification, I take it she has food available at all times? or just when you put some in her dish ?- and can you see what she is picking from the dish-if you can up the proportion of that- her body is calling for it .Gary.


Hi, Yes, she absolutely has food available at all times- she has seed mix and hay at all times, I give her fresh and fill up her bowl morning and night.She always has fresh water. The only food that she does not have all the time is the little bit of scrambled egg and a bit of toast soaked in lactol- I give her that as an evening extra when I refresh her seed mix.


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