05/16/2026
Update on Smalls:
She is doing really well! I checked yesterday and she is indeed a doe. My daughter said can we change her name to Wendy Peppercorn instead🤣
After investigating, I do not believe this had anything to do with the feed. The first two from the litter passed the day I finished an “old” bag, meaning the one I dumped two weeks ago. All other kits from the other litter are okay. Then I opened the new bag and poured it in. Again, all other older kits are okay (older by 2.5/3 weeks).
Calista (mom) lost another kit that evening. When I pulled the kits, they were fine. The four I pulled out were playing and doing great. I gave them back the next day to feed. Momma seemed fine. I watched her until after the feeding was over. I watched her for about another 30 minutes, just in case. My instinct told me to keep an eye on her. I left for two hours, and when I got home, another one was dead, and two were unresponsive. I pulled the nesting box and decided I would just formula-feed. The other two passed later that day.
I did not have time to go get a new bag of feed because we live 45 minutes from the TSC that carries it. I examined the feed from the bag and it all looked normal, and smelled normal. I talked with others who use it and have new kits. No one is having any kind of problem. One did say upon opening a new bag she immediately saw mold. However it was noticeable when she looked into it. Nothing like that here. So, since everyone else was okay, I didn’t stop feeding everyone except Calista. She got a huge helping of Timothy hay. I formula-fed Smalls, but she was in protest. She wouldn’t eat formula yesterday morning either. I was worried she would die from starving. I tried having her nurse from one of my other does who has bigger kits. Smalls still said absolutely not! So, out of desperation, I put her in the nesting box and slid it back in with her mom. She nursed, and mom let her. I pulled her out the second she was done to shelf her. I watched her all day, and she was fine. I gave Calista some pellets because she was over the hay. I put Smalls back in the box for dinner last night. She ate, and again I pulled her out immediately to shelf her for the night. She just finished a late breakfast because I overslept. My body was so exhausted from all the loss this week. I pulled her right after she finished eating. She is putting on weight. I’ve been weighing her to make sure she isn’t losing anything. She only lost in the time I was trying to formula feed.
As much as I hate saying this, I believe Calista may have stomped on the other babies, or somehow hurt them. I do not know this 100%. The babies had just recently opened their eyes and were moving around in the box a lot more. Going from straight potato mode to binkies, and exploring. I think it freaked mom out. This is her second litter. Her first, I don’t fault her for not knowing what to do. She was a day early on delivery. I was not home. I know a lot of first-time moms can accidentally over-clean. This litter she had an amazing delivery. Everything had been wonderful until this week. My husband and I talked, and I will let her try one more litter. I will have a camera on her at all times. If anything happens, then we decided she will no longer be in our breeding program. It’s okay because, I love her. She is still my sweet doe who loves to be pet and runs to the cage door for love. Sometimes it isn’t meant to be. Sometimes it takes a couple times of learning. I’m not giving up on either of these girls.
