4 wk old litter
 

hello, i am new here and recently had a new [COLOR=green !important][COLOR=green !important]litter[/COLOR][/COLOR], they are first of this [COLOR=green !important][COLOR=green !important]breed[/COLOR][/COLOR] but not first for my breeding. anyways they are over 4 wks old now and absolutley refuse to slurp up muck. they will take from a syringe lapping and lapping but not from a shallow dish. i know they are yng however momma only wants to nurse part time, which worries me she does still clean bath and stimulate them thou they do walk out of the bed to potty on pee pads they arent poopn yet well not on there own lol any suggestion? they luv the taste for they do take it from syringe as stated weight gain has been steady and they all are within the high end of the weight charts, but they arent playing alot or doing what i had thought they would at this age? also i just did a [COLOR=green !important][COLOR=green !important]nursery[/COLOR][/COLOR] (sparebedroom) tranfer to the [COLOR=green !important][COLOR=green !important]kitchen[/COLOR][/COLOR] where they can see and here more commotion any thoughts and opinions would be great thnx:animal36

They are too young to be eating on their own. Try having them lick off your fingers. Once you wean them the mom is not going to continue to clean up after them. Puppy replacement formula can be used to supplement mom's feeding at this point.

They are just learning how to get intake without sucking! That is licking...they start lickinging from a syringe tip, or off the end of your finger, then they will lick from a shallow saucer, not anything with any depth...as they get older 6-8 weeks, they will be able to actually lap from a bowl....as far as momma not wanting to nurse them, how old is momma? As mommas get older, sometimes they start cutting off nursing times....if I have a momma that shows signs that she no longer wants to nurse or "mother" or fool with babies, I usually start thinking about retirement. Usually, they will coddle and teach and interact and wean babies and do the socializing within the litter domain, even up to the 12-14 week period....of course, they are cutting back on nursing, but they will even allow the babies to fall asleep for naps or a bedtime, just sucking....I just adore watching mommas with their babies.....all the teaching they do!....they know exactly what they are doing and act accordingly! When my ladies begin to loose that mothering instinct, when it looks like they are just over fooling with kids, they are retired....if you listen to them, they will tell you when it is time!