Message Number: YG12508 | New FHL Archives Search
From: nzweezul
Date: 2002-04-15 15:29:00 UTC
Subject: baby nursing formula

While working in various third-world countries, I have found myself
far away from skilled veterinary advice but, being the softy that I
am, raising orphan baby allsorts has proved irresistable.
Remember this is just for newborns - once you are past the first week
or so of life, and they have just lost mum, things are much easier.
Also remember that if you can just keep at them CONSTANTLY for the
first couple of days you have them, things rapidly get easier. I have
found even the tiniest babies - as long as otherwise healthy - only
need two hourly feeds for a couple of days. You can soon move to a
more civilised schedule. The tinier and more vulnerable they are, the
faster they grow, in general, once you have got them accepting the
right sort of food.
Rules of thumb - firstly, start weaning early - you are more likely
to be able to provide a satisfactory adult or junior diet than
satisfactory mother's milk. Get them onto what you KNOW mum and dad
thrive on, as soon as possible. Just make it clean, soft and warm.
Second - if its not clearly a dog, cat or primate, you need to find
out the approximate composition of mama's milk and alter whatever is
available to nearer nature's provision. Bear in mind cows milk
unprocessed forms large curds in the stomach, and goats milk
generally forms small curds ( that's why cow's milk makes such good
cheese!). Of course, depending where you are, you may need to find
out the composition of something like water buffalo milk so you can
add water and oil and whatever else is needed ...
If you don't know what the animal is (as has happened to me with
catty or ratty or weaselly or hedgehoggy looking creatures) then you
have to look for what looks like a close relative's milk composition
and work onwards from there. There are lots of books out there which
give milk compositions for everything from apes to zebras (they're
both easy - human formula for one and foal milk replacement for the
other are very close to mama's milk), via dolphins (VERY high
calories) and donkeys (amazingly similar to human milk LOL).You also
need to be a close observer of poohs! Thirdly, until baby is marching
around independently - not just crawling - keep it in a warm "nest",
clean its face and body at least daily with a warm damp washcloth and
massage its bottom after every feed. Real mum would lick it but no-
one expects you to do that! I've successfully brought up nests full
of all sorts of little mammals, both wild and domesticated. Of course
I have had failures, but I hope that they weren't in vain as they
helped me to learn better for the next ones, and at least they died
warm and secure, or were euthanised comfortably. SOme I can remember
from twenty years ago, even though I only had them for a couple of
days ..
Hope that helps.