What Should Her Weight Be Doing Now?

[Janey]

Hi all
So Fifi had her litter just under 3 weeks ago and her weight the day after she gave birth was 644g. It has risen to 680g since, but has now dropped to 648g. Is this ok, or should I be giving her extra food? She has unlimited hay, pellets and veggies twice daily.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all
So Fifi had her litter just under 3 weeks ago and her weight the day after she gave birth was 644g. It has risen to 680g since, but has now dropped to 648g. Is this ok, or should I be giving her extra food? She has unlimited hay, pellets and veggies twice daily.

It is normal for nursing mums to lose up to 50g compared to the birthing weight towards the end of lactating period when the babies can take on a lot more milk in one go.
She will make up for it afterwards. That is why we recommed to keep the special diet going for 2-3 weeks after the end of the weaning process so mummy's body has time to recover.

 

[Janey]

Thanks Wiebke. So she's still within normal limits, phew. If she goes below 594 - should I add anything to her diet?

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks Wiebke. So she's still within normal limits, phew. If she goes below 594 - should I add anything to her diet?

Make sure that Fifi is on unlimited hay, unlimited pellets and more veg than normal, but she can only eat so much. Your babies are now coming up to the time where the weaning process is starting so I wouldn't expect Fifi to lose a lot more weight.

It can take a few weeks afterward before the weight is suddenly going to pile on once the body has made up the deficit and can go into the extra...

 

[Janey]

Thank you so much!