# Possible stupid question about handling



## Reikiru (Apr 9, 2013)

Okay so they are now 11 days old, mums still doing everything but sometimes when im sometimes taking out her food dish to replenish it or when im putting it back in and she goes a little loopy and "escapes" as if to say "I need a break so you - the babysitter - are going to take over!" So I let her go run around my room for a little while, and ive been obviously handling the babies a little (making sure her scent is on my hands by first catching her and stroking her - that probably sounds a little loopy) and shes been fine with that. However lately she seems to freak out if she comes back and despite the fact she cannot SEE the cage from floor level, if ive just finished taking picture(which shes okay with me doing) if she sees me putting them BACK in the cage - pretty much in the location I FOUND them - that's when shes freaking out, albeit not aggressively. She will just pick up a baby then run off with it if im not fast enough to stop her,(Thankfully) she just drops it near by me, (like under my giant sea turtle soft toy hes 3ft so soft she loves hiding under his flippers) I don't want to push it with her in case i break her trust in me, if that makes any sense.

My question is am I over handling them or should i not be touching them at all?


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

You are absolutely fine--mom loves and trusts you and wouldn't reject babies just because you were handling them. Honestly it sounds like she thinks you aren't handling them enough and wants more of a break. Take them out on the bed for a little while when she's out and see what happens. I bet she'll keep bringing them back to you if they try to wiggle away.


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## Reikiru (Apr 9, 2013)

I'm glad of that, I will try and spend more time handling them, i just panic when Mina springs from no where, performs a grab and dash or has that look like shes ABOUT to. Though I must admit, there's a couple who like to play hide and seek with me at inopportune times, for example when i put everyone back (except Mina), do a head count and get the wrong number, I have a mini heart attack cause im one or 2 short and they are all making a pile, but each and every time, they are all there but one or two of them have crawled away from the group and are hiding either under a different bit of the fleece or have somehow "wrapped" a tissue around themselves and dont move so avoid detection if i just look through at a different angle! I tell you some are climbers, taking after they mum, but others oooh boy do they take after their daddy Chen!


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## Reikiru (Apr 9, 2013)

Rumy you were right! She _did_ want me to handle them a bit more, though i couldnt get her to go back in with them, she managed to evade "capture" for about an hour and a half! (the babies were fine though as i checked to make sure they were warm enough and clean plus i did notice Mina would go and check them every so often herself but by the time i move into position with the lid in a way as not to startle her, she'd quickly checked them all and jumped out) I'm starting to think the maternity cage i made should have been a taller one but i'm pretty sure she would find a way to jump that too!


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