Baby ham

Question
Hi Sheila, thanks for your last advice on baby hams. It seems that there is just one. I think it is about 9 days old??? It has fur but eyes are not open yet; it has been slightly outside the nest a few times before mom knocks him back in! Not exactly gentle! He was actually eating a bit of toilet tissue that the nest is made from so I dropped a bit of kale in there hoping he would find it. Mom seems a little crazy sometimes, running around but then back to the nest. She has moved him from the one end of the tank to the other, but other than removing a bit of a pee corner I have not disturbed anything else. What food if anything should I offer the baby?? I'm not sure why he was eating tissue?! unless a bit of apple I had just given mom had touched it. I added a cuddle bone to the bin on advice of my vet (for calcium)and she chewed it a bit. Any more suggestions for a smooth transition for baby ham? Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi

Glad to hear that baby is doing well.

In terms of food, I usually give: small pieces of bread, raw porridge oats, nuts/seeds, scrambled egg, small pieces of cheese, sweetcorn, peas, broccoli, and baby food - either the powdered type mixed with water, or sometimes I buy the small tins/jars, but you do tend to get a lot of waste with these unless you have others that you can give this to.

Once the baby is leaving the nest more mum should start to calm down a bit and not be quite so possessive so you should be able to really start handling the baby then if you haven't already done so.  

Good luck!

Regards
Sheila