hi tell me if i am just being to over cautious here but any suggestions as to why my puppys keep crying all the time. last night was the worst and obviusly as they get bigger there crys get louder. my bitch has stopped sitting on them now and they seem to get enough food, they seem to be always eating. if they are not crying they are wimpering in there sleep. is this normal??????????????

Sounds like a hunger issue to be honest, if they're constantly feeding it maybe she's not producing enough milk for them to fill up on.  A puppy should feed and fill up then sleep for a couple of hrs and you can see their tummies getting thinner as they get closer to feeding again.

> is this normal??????????????

Are they warm enough?
Are they straying too far from Mum...box too big.
They may all need anti biotics if it's an infection.Their tail ends may be hurting although I've never seen this personally.
Problem is..when pups go down they go fast so if in doubt get help.

Of course the guinea pig noises are normal, but they should be  feeding most of the time when not asleep.

I find once the milk is really flowing well while they suckle they hum like zebra finches.

How much have they gained in weight.  Mine had gained 7 - 9 ounces in the first week and today at two weeks had gained in total between a pound and 1lb 6oz since birth.  I would expect the pups to have gained by a week old 7 ounces approximately, and in the second week to be gaining an ounce and a half a day (say 10 ounces that second week).

It could be as the bitch was rather stressed (sitting on the pups) that her milk is slow in letting down, so she needs to be able to relax.

How are they in the box, spreading out or all on top of each other, this will tell you if their too cold or too hot.  If warm enough they will snuggle up in two's or threes but not lie in a heap, if too warm they will scatter away from each other.

the pups have gone from about 10oz to a lb( that was yesterdays weight) bar the runt she has only put on 2 oz. the mother easily walks away from them e.g as soon as i open the back door she is straight out and sometimes she just wants to cuddle me on the settee. sometimes the pups all lie together not heaped but just all together and othertimes they are all spread out.
maybe it could be the box is to big and they are looking for the mum, they dont always lie right beside her.
i am thinking about changing my vets as a took them and the mother the following day and he checked the mother but never really bothered the pups much, he only picked the runt up. also when i asked him if i needed to bring them back for any future checks he said no.. i thought all the pups should have been checked individually. also there stools have changed colour now is this normal i cant find anything about there stools in any of my books. its now getting to a point were i dont want to ring the vets as i think he thinks i am over reacting even when i took my pup with the bad leg he just said leave it and it will be fine.

hi i have been monitoring the puppys extremely closely today to try to get a better picture of this. i have found most of the puppys just lie around the mother and some lie in corners. they are whining every now and again which i guess is normal. it seems to be on a night they are more unsettled this is when they do the more high pitched noises. i am guessing it could be like someone said they are maybe looking for the mom if they are not close. i was just so worried that maybe they were in apin and that is why they are crying. it tends to be the same ones that make the louder crys.

The weight gain sounds respectable.  Personally I would not encourage her to be away from the pups.  Do not let her come for cuddles on the sofa but rather pet and praise her when she is with her pups.

Are you keeping the heating on at night in addition to the heat pas, if not it could be that they cry when they feel cold until they find Mum, the heat pad or each other. 

Also they will make sharp cries if they get behind Mum.  mine are a thick coated breed that don't like too much heat even as babies,a nd I have had the heating on until the last two nights, but the heat mat is still in use and the box 3 foot square is den-like.

Last night was my first full nights sleep and mine are two weeks old now, the rest of the time I was jumping off the sofa to check the reason for squawks or rescue pups.

lol thanks for your help guys as i was really panicking that somethiong was up. yous are probably right and they are maybe just a little cold when mum is lieing far away from them. i am trying to encourage her to stay with them as when i am sitting on the settee she does keep wanting up. we also really encourage her and praise her lots when she is with them. on a night we have been encouraging her to stay in her whelping box as sometimes she gets out and wants to go lie with my other dog

i no what you mean about the lack of sleep me and my partner have been up all night with them since they were born.

mags is definitly becoming more motherly every day and i feel is learning something new every day. she still has not got the grasp ofpicking them up as soon as she trys to they cry so she puts them back down.

2 weeks old and you got a full nights sleep i envy you lol.i never had a full nights sleep for about 4 weeks.i was shattered.and even when it was ok to not wake with every feed i worried myself silly! lol.
i would also agree with not letting her be away for too long if she is a first time mum then some bitches tend to need showing what to do all the way through.my bitch first time i remember dragging her to feed them as she was a mummies girl and loves cuddles with me too.your doing the right thing in my opinion keeping a close watch and weighing them is all you can do really.also try and make sure every pup has his fill.make sure the lighter pups get milk from the two back teets.alternate them.that way you can rest your mind they are feeding well.i use a different coloured ribbon for each pup (mine are rotts need to be able to tell the difference lol).your doing fine.as for your vet id stay pup for now he knows your bitch and vise versa i wouldnt risk any stress whilst shes feeding i read somewhere stress can cause the milk to dry up!i could be wrong.
keep us posted ok.xxx

My breed are normally quite natural mothers and this girl has been absolutely lovely, and I know that I don't need to worry about clumsiness once their eyes are open.