Posted by:
AbsoluteApril
at Mon Mar 16 14:49:18 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by AbsoluteApril ]
First off, congrats on the litter and proving your female out as a het. Second, sorry to hear about the ones passing away. I've been through the exact same thing.
Was this litter premature at all? How did the bellies look on the babies (did they have big fat bellies)?
As to the fact that the albinos are passing but not the hets, the albino gene is a genetic defect. There could be other problems internally that you just can't see that are linked to the albino gene (underdeveloped organs, etc). We all know that one-eyed babies are more likely to occur when the albino gene is present, it makes sense there may be other underlying issues as well. Some of them may still pass on over the next few days or weeks... 
I had an albino female give birth premature to 18 live babies (9 albinos, 9 hets) as well as 8 still born albinos (at various stages of under-development and most of the stills had bad kinks although none of the live babies did). The first day I lost 3. I thought things were going to be okay but some died weeks later, they just got weak and passed. I eventually lost all but 2 albino and 2 hets. I had many things going against me on that litter (premature, too moist paper towels, big yolk bellies) and who knows what other internal problems may have been going on that contributed to it.
It's never an easy thing to see the babies pass, sometimes there's nothing you did wrong. Please take heart and enjoy the babies you do have and the wonderful mother and father that are still doing good. Good luck, -April ----- 'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow
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