Thank you everyone. They are still not nursing. But mom does lick their little bottoms as soon as I'm finished feeding them and put them back with her. Today, they are nuzzling up to mom, rooting and acting like they might open up and nurse. They just haven't yet.
I've been pulling the 3 bigger, nursing pups off mom for an hour or so at a time, keeping them in a separate box with a heat lamp. They just puppy-pile and sleep soundly! That way, the smaller 2 get full attention from mom for a bit. That's when they will nestle with mom.
I've pried their little mouths open and put them on her, but they scream at me like I'm hurting them. I'm afraid I might, even though I feel like I'm being so incredibly careful. |