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the first was soon after being weaned and was smaller than the rest so i figured it may have benefited from staying with the mom another week or so( all were weaned a few days before their 4th week). Then i found another had died (last night) and this was one of my favorites and had been separated from parents for close to 3 weeks and seemed to be thriving. I wonder if im keeping them to cool since the room their in stays at around 70f, is that somewhat too cool/cold for pups? Any help would be greatly appreciated, dont know what im doing wrong or if these pups may have just been weak or what.

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James Grigsby - " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)

>>the first was soon after being weaned and was smaller than the rest so i figured it may have benefited from staying with the mom another week or so( all were weaned a few days before their 4th week). Then i found another had died (last night) and this was one of my favorites and had been separated from parents for close to 3 weeks and seemed to be thriving. I wonder if im keeping them to cool since the room their in stays at around 70f, is that somewhat too cool/cold for pups? Any help would be greatly appreciated, dont know what im doing wrong or if these pups may have just been weak or what.

I personally don't wean til 4 weeks, 5 if I am sending them to a pet home. I keep track of how much water they are drinking as food isn't as much the issue as whether or not they are drinking well. How big was the litter? How big were the pups? I tend to weed a litter down to 5-8 and when they wean they are 70-100 grams each. Someone brought rats in to where I work (back into the pet trade part time) and they were small as mine at 3 weeks old and they were 8 weeks. She hadn't weaned them earlier because of their size. Also, when mine are pregnant and weaning babies (starting when pups are 2-3 weeks) I start dumping in stale cereal and leftovers and seed mix and the pups seem to wean fatter. Not practical for some feeder raisers but works for my 6-8 tubs at a time.
I don't know if that is your trouble or not. But all I can think of right now...other than the obvious of a myco flare up. You would think they would 'whither away' more if it was a feeding issue. But if they just weren't drinking water they can do them in.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

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>>I personally don't wean til 4 weeks, 5 if I am sending them to a pet home. I keep track of how much water they are drinking as food isn't as much the issue as whether or not they are drinking well. How big was the litter? How big were the pups? I tend to weed a litter down to 5-8 and when they wean they are 70-100 grams each. Someone brought rats in to where I work (back into the pet trade part time) and they were small as mine at 3 weeks old and they were 8 weeks. She hadn't weaned them earlier because of their size. Also, when mine are pregnant and weaning babies (starting when pups are 2-3 weeks) I start dumping in stale cereal and leftovers and seed mix and the pups seem to wean fatter. Not practical for some feeder raisers but works for my 6-8 tubs at a time.
>>I don't know if that is your trouble or not. But all I can think of right now...other than the obvious of a myco flare up. You would think they would 'whither away' more if it was a feeding issue. But if they just weren't drinking water they can do them in.
Thats the thing though, they were all eating as well as drinking well. I weaned them all together even though they were 2 separate litters from different moms and 2 days apart in age. One litter of 13 and the other was 11. The litter of 13 were all at least 100 grams each except for 2 or 3 that were in the 85 to 90 gram range. The litter of 11 all weighed in between 72 and 84 grams. Their diets consisted of one part toasted oats/dog food/nut mix w/sunflower seeds and a leaf of spinach each per day. I also add a fourth of a tablet of centrum crushed to their water once a week for additional vitamins.

I have noticed a few including the ones that passed had serious sneezing issues but i figured it was due to stress since i handle them daily for a few minutes so they dont wind up as anti social as their parents. I've never noticed any red mucus or watery eyes, they all seemed alert an active then one morning i walk in to check their food container and find on laying there dead with open eyes. Who knows maybe it was a myco flare up but i doubt its anything i can do about that. Thanks!
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James Grigsby - " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)

>>I have noticed a few including the ones that passed had serious sneezing issues but i figured it was due to stress since i handle them daily for a few minutes so they dont wind up as anti social as their parents. I've never noticed any red mucus or watery eyes, they all seemed alert an active then one morning i walk in to check their food container and find on laying there dead with open eyes. Who knows maybe it was a myco flare up but i doubt its anything i can do about that. Thanks!

Did you hold them up to your ear and listen to their breathing? I would suspect myco gone to a pneumonia maybe. That or some virus that has hopefully run it's course and won't take more of them.
It does sound like they were eating well, but I still don't wean before 4 weeks.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron