Not making a proper nest + dead babies??

My asf just had thier first litter. Tt was a litter of 14 but now 8. They don't seem to know how to make a nest and scatter the babies between the three adults.It would be ok but they cleared the shavings so the babies are cold from the bottom of the cage and it seems that they are either squshing them or starving them ! Is it normal for the first litter to not all make it?

How often are you checking on them, and what have you provided for them to nest in?

I suspect if you know how many they started with, and know how many they have now, your bothering them too much.

They can be stressed by us hovering around, so my first advice to you is to leave them alone for the next few days. Make sure they have food, water, nesting material, and if you wanted, you can give them a clean plastic hut. They may or may not make use of it as a hide.

I'm giving them paper towels.I have checked on them daily as I feed them daily and check on thier water. The only reason I knew that the babies were dead is I noticed purple babies infront of the ASF.

first time moms aren't always the best moms. are you sure the male in the tank is the dad?

everything connie said too.

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

first time moms aren't always the best moms. are you sure the male in the tank is the dad?

everything connie said too.

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Well that's just great!!!!!! When I got mine on sat. they were all housed together! well this isn't good :taz:

We had them for over a month and the breeder had them seperated in a rack system. So I'm 100% that he's the dad. I was really hoping to grow up a few off this batch :(

every once in a while the first litter doesn't make it. I consider it a case where the mom just isn't ready to raise the kids yet... it happens in all species including humans.

The few times this has happened to me, the second litter from the same mom goes perfectly.

Mike

I've also had a few first litters go bad. Usually its just the first litter of the group and every litter after that goes fine.

ASF's tend to have a female dominated social structure from what I've observed. When a colony first starts breeding if the females having sorted out whose Boss Lady of the group there can be a lot of hauling pinks around and some losses with nobody sure whose in charge. Once all the females are bred and producing (therefore almost constantly lactating) they will all take turns and feed each other's babies which tend to be communally nested.

You might also want to offer them a large hide. Something as simple and disposable as a large kleenex box, shoe box, etc. I buy the big long boxes of Capri Sun juice boxes for my youngest son's school lunch and they are quite heavy cardboard, making them excellent ASF hides (do cut out most of the bottom so you can lift the "hide" without trapping a ton of babies and a VERY ticked off momma ASF in there).