Puff

Question
Kat, It is with great sadness that my girl Puff did not make it out of her second bout of pregnancy toxemia.  She died in my arms Wednesday night.  She had lost a lot of weight, even though I was feeding her the critical care and I saw her eating fine.  I would like to thank you for all your help with questions I had regarding her care and the care of her babies.  It is a great service that you provide.
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Puff tonight does not want to eat.  I am worried because she was drooling a little bit.  This is what she did 12/5 when she got sick.  The only change in her routine was the (what I thought was such a great idea, with Chloe in his new room) And I moved the entire family in to a larger cage, with one of those wooden dens.  Could this have stressed her out?  My vet is closed, and I tried to give her some water with the syringe, but was only able to get a little in her.  She keeps moving her head away.  A moment ago, she took a bite of carrot and a small bite of lettuce.  I put her back in her old cage with the old set up.  Babies are in the larger new cage.  I don't know if I should put the babies back in the cage with her?  I wish I could hear from you tonight.  It is 9:25 PM (EST) now.  Hope to hear from you soon.
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I think I figured out how to keep Chloe safe and somewhat happy during his time away from his mom and sisters.  I had an old hermit crab cage.  (About 1 1/2 foot square) I put it right in a corner of the girl's cage.  I set up "his room" with everything: water, food dish, hay and den.  This way he can see everybody, and they can see him.  The sisters keep trying to spring him loose, they walk around the sides seeing if they can find a way to visit him.  It is really quite dear.  Per your suggestion, I bought him a little soft stuffed dog. (cousin Eddie) I put it in the cage when they were all still together, this way it could smell like mom and sisters.  I just checked in on them and he was laying on (cousin Eddie) half asleep. I would love to keep the girls longer, I'll see what my friend thinks.  She wants to do what is best for them, but also wants to have them under the tree, Christmas morning.  I took her to the pet store today and set her up with everything they need.  Oh, I tried the Care Fresh litter, and I don't like it too much, plus it is so much more than the Aspen litter.  Is Aspen ok for GPs?  
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Puff had her babies 11/25.  A friend would like to give two girls as a Christmas present.  They will be only 4 weeks at that time.  Is this too early?  or will they be ok to leave together at that time.  Puff stopped nursing the babies due to sickness 12/3.  I hand fed the babies evp milk/water 3x day plus critical care 3 x day.  For about one week till they started eating on their own.  They are eating well now and gaining weight.  What do you think?  
PS. Chole (our only male) is leaving the nest today, (moving to his own cage).  We will keep it close to Puff and sister's cage.  But he cries out to them and they cry to him.  So sad....
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Hello Puff,

4 weeks isn't too early (though I recommend them not leaving home until 7 weeks so they have a bit more time to grow up before leaving). However, Christmas really is a bad time for new pets to be entering the home. I'm going to send you to a post listing the many reasons it's better to wait. Ultimately it's up to you, but if they were my babies, I'd ask my friend to wait. I'm sorry about Chole. I know how hard it is when you have a lone little boy that has to be separated from his mommy. I've been there a few times myself. He will be ok though. Giving him a pet safe stuffed animal may help so he'll have something to cuddle with. You are doing a really great job with them all. Good luck.

http://cutiecavies.proboards61.com/index.cgi?board=piggytalk&action=display&thre

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs
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Hello Puff,

Yes, Aspen is fine.  Your set up sounds very good for helping him not be too lonely and I'm glad he likes cousin Eddie. I you decide to keep them and have your friend wait a bit, maybe a nicely wrapped framed picture of them will do under the tree? Then there would still be a gift, or something representing the gift rather, at least. I'm sure you will figure out what is best for all involved in any case.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs
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Hello Puff,

If she did eat a bit and you got a bit of water down her, she should be ok with that until morning. Call your vet right away though in the morning and try to get her in to see them. The babies don't need to be back with her and it's unlikely their removal is the cause. It could have stressed her a bit, but that doesn't cause drooling. Have you had her teeth checked recently? Drooling is often a sign of malocclusion. If you haven't had it done recently, I advise having her molars checked. Do get her to the vet though, to be safe. Good luck. I hope the news from the vet is good.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs

Answer
Hello Puff,

I am sooooo sorry for your loss. It's always hard to lose a pet, especially around the holidays. My heart goes out to you. I recommend this site for making memorials for beloved lost pets. It may help you through this tough time.

http://www.in-memory-of-pets.com/

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs