1.5 colony finally poppin' babies out, few questions.

[SquamishSerpents]

so my breeding colony, which consists of 1 male, 5 females, has finally started popping out babies. these may be silly questions, but i'd like to know nonetheless.

cleaning the cages now that there are millions of babies. if i take all the parents out, and then move the babies so i don't get my fingers hamburgered by angry moms, do i have to keep the babies in their little piles? as for right now i think 1 or 2 moms have given birth in the same nest. if i just put all the babies in one big pile will they all chip in and nurse each other's babies? or do i have to worry about whose babies are whose, LOL!

also, can a pregnant ASF that hasn't given birth still nurse? because last night one of the females, who is absolutely HUGE appeared to be nursing, but i couldn't tell and wasn't about to go digging. but she is still monstrously pregnant. just wondering if they start producing milk before the birth or not.

i think that's it, if i think of anything else i'll post in this thread.

[matt71915]

you don't need to worry about mixing up the babies. They will usually make one big pile and take turns nursing all the babies.

I dont know if they start producing milk before they drop a litter but from what i read in your post they do.

[pavlovk1025]

ASFs use an auntie system where other females will assist, so you dont have to worry about mixing litters. Their natural instinct for this auntie system is so strong that, yes, virgin females can lactate just to assist a female that already dropped a litter.

[Haydenphoto]

so my breeding colony, which consists of 1 male, 5 females, has finally started popping out babies. these may be silly questions, but i'd like to know nonetheless.

cleaning the cages now that there are millions of babies. if i take all the parents out, and then move the babies so i don't get my fingers hamburgered by angry moms, do i have to keep the babies in their little piles? as for right now i think 1 or 2 moms have given birth in the same nest. if i just put all the babies in one big pile will they all chip in and nurse each other's babies? or do i have to worry about whose babies are whose, LOL!

also, can a pregnant ASF that hasn't given birth still nurse? because last night one of the females, who is absolutely HUGE appeared to be nursing, but i couldn't tell and wasn't about to go digging. but she is still monstrously pregnant. just wondering if they start producing milk before the birth or not.

i think that's it, if i think of anything else i'll post in this thread.

Sounds like your doing ok to me i have 8 sets of 1.3 and one set of 1.8 and this set of 1.8 is a little harder to deal with you just have to make sure you wean your baby's so the new baby's can still nurse .

[SquamishSerpents]

thanks guys, yeah my original pair that i got had 2 litters 30 days apart, so as soon as the new litter dropped i took out the weaners and put them in their bigger grow-up tub.

oh there was another question, how old should the babies be before it's safe to take them away?

[pavlovk1025]

3 weeks. I just wean tehm after they open their eyes and see them feeding more than nursing.

[SquamishSerpents]

alright, thanks guys! i have some pictures i'll be posting tomorrow, some of the preggers females, and some of the litter the 1st female just had.