Posted By: Anonymous
SCARE LAST NIGHT ! ! ! ! - 12/07/05 06:34 PM
A little history:
This incident was with my rescues, Itchy and Scratchy...they had joeys IP when I got them, back a couple of months ago. They had lost their first set of joeys, don't know the exact reason, however:
1) they were not on a proven diet
2) that was their first set of joeys
3) I was told the joeys were handled alot, but not supplemented.
Okay, at about 9:30 last night I heard Scratchy singing to the babies, (so sweet)!
Then about 10:00 I heard all kinds of commotion, and went to check on them. When I got to the cage door, Scratchy usually will stop whatever she's doing and pop her head out of her pouch and greet me or she'll come right over to me if she's already out of her pouch. None of this occurred...so I looked in the bag, and after inspecting, I saw quite clearly that one baby was out of her pouch but not attached to her nursing, I shooed off Itchy (dad) and gently grabbed the pouch, and brought it with me to my kitchen talking to Scratchy trying to calm her, I grabbed the mealworms and tweezered one to her which seemed to help calm her. I then tried to push the baby up from the outside of the bag with my hand gently to get he/she back up to Scratchy's pouch to make it easier for him/her to get back to the nursing...
I'm not sure, but I know Scratchy noticed that I was stressing over trying to help, even though I was calm, I was terrified inside thinking I was going to have to take care of this one little baby.....
I gave her a few more mealies and placed her back with Itchy, of course he was very upset that I had taken his Scratchy and joeys away from him...
I waited about 30 minutes before checking in on them again, I could still hear the chattering amongst them, when I checked, I could see that Itchy was attempting to help her get the baby to her pouch, the baby was still on the outside of the pouch.
30 more minutes go by and I check again, to find the joey has been succesfully placed back in Scratchy's pouch
Whew!
I have all my supplies ready to go if one or both of the joeys are rejected....
******
I don't know if I did the right thing?
******
Do any of you think that I may have stopped a failed attempt to reject?
******
After last night I would like to think that Scratchy is genuinely trying to keep her little ones, both of them, what do any of you think?
I am sooo nervous about this set of joeys, for Scratchy's sake...
Patiently awaiting experienced advice, and thanks WAY in advanced!!!
This incident was with my rescues, Itchy and Scratchy...they had joeys IP when I got them, back a couple of months ago. They had lost their first set of joeys, don't know the exact reason, however:
1) they were not on a proven diet
2) that was their first set of joeys
3) I was told the joeys were handled alot, but not supplemented.
Okay, at about 9:30 last night I heard Scratchy singing to the babies, (so sweet)!
Then about 10:00 I heard all kinds of commotion, and went to check on them. When I got to the cage door, Scratchy usually will stop whatever she's doing and pop her head out of her pouch and greet me or she'll come right over to me if she's already out of her pouch. None of this occurred...so I looked in the bag, and after inspecting, I saw quite clearly that one baby was out of her pouch but not attached to her nursing, I shooed off Itchy (dad) and gently grabbed the pouch, and brought it with me to my kitchen talking to Scratchy trying to calm her, I grabbed the mealworms and tweezered one to her which seemed to help calm her. I then tried to push the baby up from the outside of the bag with my hand gently to get he/she back up to Scratchy's pouch to make it easier for him/her to get back to the nursing...
I'm not sure, but I know Scratchy noticed that I was stressing over trying to help, even though I was calm, I was terrified inside thinking I was going to have to take care of this one little baby.....
I gave her a few more mealies and placed her back with Itchy, of course he was very upset that I had taken his Scratchy and joeys away from him...
I waited about 30 minutes before checking in on them again, I could still hear the chattering amongst them, when I checked, I could see that Itchy was attempting to help her get the baby to her pouch, the baby was still on the outside of the pouch.
30 more minutes go by and I check again, to find the joey has been succesfully placed back in Scratchy's pouch
Whew!
I have all my supplies ready to go if one or both of the joeys are rejected....
******
I don't know if I did the right thing?
******
Do any of you think that I may have stopped a failed attempt to reject?
******
After last night I would like to think that Scratchy is genuinely trying to keep her little ones, both of them, what do any of you think?
I am sooo nervous about this set of joeys, for Scratchy's sake...
Patiently awaiting experienced advice, and thanks WAY in advanced!!!