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BRINGING HOME A NEW ANIMAL
- First week – give 3 raisins daily
- Second week – give 2 raisins daily
- 1 per day after that as a treat if you wish
- Feed the feed from the previous ranch for about a week and then mix ½ and ½ with your feed to make a gradual change
- Do not use automatic watering system at first if they are used to water bottles. Put a bottle on until they learn to use the water system.
DAILY
- Check Feed and Water
- Give a small piece of hay daily as needed
- Watch droppings for any changes
- Give Dust Bath a couple times a week
WEEKLY
- Change shavings every week – 10 days (depending on your air flow and humidity). You may also wish to spot clean the dirty areas in lieu of changing the whole cage at times.
- Wash and replace bottles. It is handy to have extra water bottles on hand so that you can replace empties with a clean filled bottle. Then wash the extras and refill to have ready when needed.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Store feed and hay in plastic garbage containers to keep fresh (leaving in original bag). Put some in a smaller container to use from on a daily basis.
- Store extra feed, hay, etc. on a pallet off the floor and away from the wall to prevent mold.
- Keep a radio playing on a quiet radio station.
- Every month or so – wipe out shaving pans with a disinfectant. On our ranch we wash and repaint all our shavings pans once a year during the summer months. All metal parts may then be painted with Rustoleum type paint – spray aluminum to make them last longer.
NEW MATINGS
- Leave the male closed in his own cage for the first week
- Let the male run in the runway for 10 days – 2 weeks to get acquainted
- Open jumphole of the most calm or friendly female first – observe to see they get along – you may put a dust bath in for the first few hours
- Open the other females a day or two apart until all are open
- Open jump holes EARLY IN THE DAY when they are most quiet
NEW BABIES
- After babies are born put an extra water bottle in the cage for refuge (one 16oz bottle is fine for up to 4 babies)
- Check babies daily to see if their tummy is full (hold upside down by tail and feel tummy)
- After 3rd day close the male out and remove the bottle.
- Dusting mother and babies is usually not a problem. You might refrain the day of littering or until jumphole is closed if you wish.
- Wean babies at 6 weeks and re open jumphole
- Leave litter mates together for companionship for several weeks up to a month or so unless they fight over the feed. Single litters may be weaned together for a few weeks…if same sex, mark in one ear to identify from each other and put that mark on their pen card.
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