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it in the hot water, which should now be warm. Gently take the wet Q-tip and rub from the belly down. This stimulates the joey to use the bathroom. You want to do this before and after you feed the joey. Don't be discouraged if they joey doesn't "go" the first couple of times this is done.

When feeding the joey you want to be careful not to aspirate or over feed the joey. Aspirating the joey will kill it immediately. To keep from aspirating the joey make sure none of the formula gets in the joey's nose. When they breathe the formula in, it goes straight to their lungs, this is called aspirating. To be sure you are not over feeding the joey, turn them on their backs. You will see that their stomach area is transparent. You will be able to see the formula in their tummy. A joey will only eat about one to two CC's for the first week or two. Their stomachs are small and can only hold a little at a time. Take the feeding syringe and place it at their mouth. Let a small amount of formula out. The joey should start licking it. Be careful to only squeeze a small amount out at a time and be sure to keep the joey snuggle warm in the rag.

When you are finished feeding the joey, remember to use a Q-tip to make the joey "go" to the bathroom. When completely done feeding, place the joey back in the incubator. The joey will need to be feed once every two hours for the first three weeks. Keep records of each feeding, how much the joey eats, and whether or not the joey used the bathroom.

The joey will begin eating on his/her own at about six weeks OOP (out of pouch) and will be completely winged at eight weeks OOP. At six weeks OOP the joey will begin to contain his/her body heat and will begin climbing around. This is the best time to place them in a small cage. Make sure to keep blankets at the bottom of the cage for the joey to sleep in as well as to fall on.

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