Feeding Issues, marking a baby?

[firerunner]

Hey everyone! Long time since I have posted on here :) We are so busy with raccoons and squirrels and turtles and chickens and of course grandbabies!! (you should see my little 4 yr old granddaughter helping me care for babies.. too cute)

Anyways..I currently have 3 babies, pinkies when I got them about 12 days old now. And of course there is always a problem child, but I am at my wits end with Pipsqueak!

He is 43 grams, and has been gaining weight BUT

OMG, it takes me an hour to feed him, seriously, my husband feeds the other two, potties them, tidies their sleeping quarters and cleans all the bottles..and I am still feeding.

They are on esbilac every 2 hours.

I have used the mini miracle nipple with pipsqueak, I have used regular miracle nipple with him, I tried adding a lil ensure, to see if he ate better...nope..nothing. Literally one drop at a time.

The first bottles goes down GREAT, no issues, but after that..forget it. Not eating. He wants to curl up and nap. I have tried pottying him between bottles, rubbing his ears, playing with his toes...nope he wants to sleep.

So here is my question.

1) Is there a way to sorta mark him so that I KNOW it is him I am dealing with? I thought maybe a lil dab of red nail polish on his lil toe nails maybe?

2) The reason why I want to do this, is I want to try feeding him one bottle, every hour. Since he takes that first initial bottle GREAT, maybe If I do it every hour, then that second bottle will go down.

I really do not want to separate him from his siblings so marking him is my only way to ensure I have HIM when I try this.

Anyone have a suggestion on how to get the second bottles down him? He is barely eating 2 cc's , and I worry about him aspirating since He fights and struggles so much after eating the first.

I really want to try one bottle every hour and see if he eats better.

argh

HELP

[Nancy in New York]

It's SO nice to see you again! I've missed you.
Sounds like you're pretty busy.
I've seen people on the board use nail polish
on the toenail to mark them. I don't see a problem.
I used to mark mine with a dot of white out on the tip of their ear
or the tip of their tail. That too worked well.
Good luck with all of the little ones in your care,
and your precious grand babies as well. :hug

[SammysMom]

It is so nice to see you!!! :bliss
You can get a marker at Tractor Supply that is used for cattle etc. The only issue I have had with nail polish is that sometimes it creates a bald spot.

[Milo's Mom]

I use nail polish on the toe nails. 2 light coats works best, for me. Hardest part is deciding who gets which color!

[firerunner]

Aww thanks everyone! Like I said we have been so busy, and now we are doing..cats..strays. We have 10 acres that backs up to a state park so lots and lots of forest and strays. We made an arrangement with a local vet clinic, 10 bucks to spray , neuter them and clip their ears. I catch them, bring them in, they do their work and then I pick up and release. It all keeps me busy :)

So the noon feeding (look is only 12:32 here!) I marked pipsqueak and peanut left paulie with no mark. I offered pipsqueak his second bottle and of course he refused.

So at 1:30 I am going to go back with a bottle and offer it to him, this needs to work..for I weighed them all and pipsqueak is the smallest. (Peanut at 52 and Paulie at 48 grams)

Anyone other suggestions to help this guy eat more??

[HRT4SQRLS]

If he is taking the first syringe well, I would go to a 3cc syringe and not break his concentration by changing syringes. :) Isn’t he taking between 2 and 3cc? I know a 3cc is large for a 43g baby but you have a LOT of experience so I’m sure you can control the flow.

I’m so happy to see you here. It has been a long time. :w00t

[firerunner]

We he took that bottle just fine! Sucked it back and went back to sleep! I would love to get him eating more but for now I will take this. I will just feed him more often :)

[firerunner]

If he is taking the first syringe well, I would go to a 3cc syringe and not break his concentration by changing syringes. :) Isn’t he taking between 2 and 3cc? I know a 3cc is large for a 43g baby but you have a LOT of experience so I’m sure you can control the flow.

I’m so happy to see you here. It has been a long time. :w00t aww thank you :)


I thought about putting him up to a 3 cc syringe but he is so little. If I can get him to eat every hour or so I am fine with that. Right now he is barely taking 2 CC's ( the other two are both taking 3 cc)

Hubby said to try feeding him first, putting him back in his pouch and then after feeding the other two getting him out again. So I will try that at 3.

[firerunner]

Well this is working he is taking more doing it this way, then he has with me trying to feed it all to him at once. Is a lil bit of a PIA cause i am making one bottle like every hour, but if he eats without a struggle and fight and eats it all..then it is worth it. Hopefully in a few more days as he gets older we can try feeding him with the other two.


thanks for reassuring me about painting his nails lol they are a pretty red :)