# Help! Pandora not happy.



## Neverstrayed (Jun 16, 2008)

I've just moved Pandora and her babies to a more suitable cage, i put plenty of paper in for her to create another nest. She's panicking a bit and has been carrying the pups around. Will she calm down and make another nest?


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

Please just leave her be because too much involvement will inevitably cause negative results. If she is too stressed or feels threatened or fears for the safety of her litter she could reject or possibly even kill off the babies.

What you have now is an anxious mother who has been disturbed, displaced & has all sense of security removed... not good. 

Too often the humans think they can "do something to help" or "make things better" but what is best is to leave them be & observe from a distance. 

I have no advice other than to leave her be & hopefully she will settle into a routine. Do you have any of the previous bedding left? If so, maybe you can add a handful of that in for a sense of familiarity. 

Procedure would have been to place her in a suitable nursery prior to delivery or as soon as possible afterward. Do not change bedding but only spot clean if soiled from delivery or from Mother's waste. Leave her be for the first few days & only spot check the babies for milk bands. Other than that.. not much except to also be prepared with a proper formula in case a nursing issue arises.

Do you have that prepared? (just in case?)


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## Neverstrayed (Jun 16, 2008)

I'vr checked her this morning. She seems to have settled and seems to have all her babies under her in what seems like another nest does that mean we're out of danger?

Ifeel awful, i didn't think. i put a handful of the old nest back in with her in the birthing cage last night. i've learnt my lesson i just hope i haven't caused permanent damage. I work during the day so nursing would be difficult if it does arise but i have a family friend that could help (o:


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

just let her do her thing for the next 24 hours or so

the next visit, open the cage & see if she comes to you on her own accord

offer a treat, make sweet sounds to her.. whatever you would typically do, but don't force the issue. If she comes to you then take that as your cue to check babies, give them a little snuggle... give Pandora lots of snuggles but let her return to the babies as soon as she desires. 

If she responds in a favorable way, do this first thing in the morning (early morning hours) & then again at night. Leave her to do her thing during the day. Once the babies have their eyes open you will have plenty of time to interact with them & Mom may even seek you out so that she can catch a break.


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## Neverstrayed (Jun 16, 2008)

She seemed back to normal this morning but i'll definately take it slow, My routine has been to let her have an hours play each night (or however long she wants to leave the cage for) with her sis Merrick i was thinking i'll keep her to this routine, see if she wants to leave the nest, if not i'll leave her.

Thanks Julia you've been a great help in my hour of need. I've scoured the net for advice but feel yours has settled my mind and questions more than anthing else.


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## Neverstrayed (Jun 16, 2008)

Also considering there'll be no more stress for her and the babes, if she was going to kill or abandon the babies is it more likely she'd have done that already?


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

no way to know or predict


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Neverstrayed said:


> She seemed back to normal this morning but i'll definately take it slow, My routine has been to let her have an hours play each night (or however long she wants to leave the cage for) with her sis Merrick i was thinking i'll keep her to this routine, see if she wants to leave the nest, if not i'll leave her.
> 
> Thanks Julia you've been a great help in my hour of need. I've scoured the net for advice but feel yours has settled my mind and questions more than anthing else.


An hour is too long to be away from newborn eepers...they nurse often. Maybe 15 mins at time a few times. My momma didn't want to leave her babies for the first week.


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## Brizzle (Mar 26, 2008)

An hour is way too long IMO. My girl wouldn't leave her babies for the first 2 and a half weeks, and then she started finally coming around. If I separated her to look at the babies, I'd do it for only about 5 minutes, if that.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

when you do this out time does she have the ability to come & go as she pleases or are you removing her completely & then returning her later?

hopefully you are not taking her somewhere where she is unable to return to them... somehow I believe that you aren't but maybe you could clarify because your post does leave it wide open for interpretation 

I hope I didn't confuse you when I mentioned the one gal I had that continued to have visits with her cagemate while she was nursing. All I did was open her nursery & she would come out on her own accord, hop to the bed & then return all on her own. All of this took place late in the second week because she would only pop her head out for that first week or so & it was at that moment we would hold her long enough to check babies. The only reason we even started this procedure of allowing her some visits with her cagemate was because it was the only way to check them because she definitely did not want us anywhere near her babies... so letting her "sissy" assist us by creating a diversion saved us from being bitten because she charged us a few times when we tried to check babies for milk bellies.


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## Neverstrayed (Jun 16, 2008)

I open the nursery cage and let her come out and stay out as long as she feels comfortable, i've never taken away from the babies so she can't get back to them. By an hour i mean leaving the nursery open for her to come and go.

I only ever inspected the babies when she let me and i'd always wait till she was off the nest and always saw to her first, i never went straight to the babies.

She's back to normal and i've learnt my lesson, she's fine and the babies are thriving (o:


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