Jills are typically pregnant for about 42 days. When your jill gives birth, give her time alone with her babies (‘kits’) for at least a week. Jills may eat their kits when feeling scared or threatened—you definitely don’t want your jill to do this!  You will need to feed her during this private time. Being as stealthy as you can, slip food and water in her cage when she is distracted.  Jills can develop mastitis (mammary gland inflammation) and some of the kits may die after birth, so you should take a quick look at the mom and her babies when you put the food and water in the cage.  Call your veterinarian if the jill doesn’t look well, or if you see dead kits that should be removed. Now that your jill is nursing, she will need just as much energy as when she was about to give birth. Continue to feed her two to three times her normal intake. Be mindful that if she has a large litter (more than 10 kits), she will lose weight no matter how much you feed her. With such a large litter, the caloric and energy demands will always outweigh how much she can eat. Undoubtedly, your jill’s cage will become smelly after she gives birth. However, you should change the bedding  only  to check for neglected or abandoned kits. Just like when you put food and water in the cage, be stealthy when you change the bedding. If you have the cage in an enclosed room, the smell could become unbearable. Increase the air circulation in the room by keeping a door open.
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One-sentence summary -- Give the jill her privacy. Feed your jill as you did when she was pregnant. Minimize bedding changes.


Commodity stocks are those stocks that have prices that move with underlying commodity prices. This correlation is stronger for some stocks than for others. The important thing is that the company be related to the production or use of the underlying commodity. For example, rather than investing in aluminum futures, you could buy stock in companies that mine it. This way you lower your risk but are still participating in the commodities markets.  Commodity stock prices will not move directly with commodity prices and may be influenced by other factors like company performance or underlying reserve values. Stocks are far less volatile than futures and they are easy to buy and sell. You could also consider buying mutual funds that invest in a variety of commodity-related stocks.  Stocks and bonds are long term and have no expiration date like those of commodities or options. Start looking for commodity stocks to invest in by first locating a commodity that you want to invest in. You can identity this commodity either by simply choosing one that interests you or by following market news for information on potential price volatility. Locate related companies by searching for them on market websites. You can start by looking for companies that produce, refine, or ship your chosen commodity. Alternately, you can look for companies that use your chosen commodity as a primary input to production.  Commodity-related stocks can be analyzed fundamentally or technically. Use fundamental analysis to determine if the company is a good value and likely to prosper in the future. Once you've chosen a stock, identify buying opportunities by watching the price movements of the stock to determine the optimum purchase and sale opportunities. Any type of online brokerage account will give you access to buying and selling stocks. Simply place an order for the amount of shares of the commodity stock you want to buy or sell. After you've bought it, track the stock's price and the price of the underlying security to determine when to sell.  Cash and margin accounts are available. The latter provides an ability to sell stocks short as well as the ability to borrow money from the brokerage firm. Be aware that leverage increases the profit potential of a trade as well as its risk. When buying stocks of any kind, diversification reduces the risk of loss present in a single company. Consider buying multiple companies in the same industry to reduce the risk of owning a single company; buy companies in different industries to reduce the risk of owning a single industry.
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One-sentence summary -- Understand commodity-related stocks. Identify a commodity-related stock. Open an account with a broker.


If you make the lifestyle changes suggested above but see no change in symptoms, it's time to see a doctor. Long-term GERD can cause esophageal injury and is associated with other severe health problems. Prolonged inflammation and repeated injury can also increase the risk of developing esophageal cancer. Don't hesitate to seek medical treatment if lifestyle changes don't fix your stomach acid issues. Medical treatment for GERD is broken down according to severity of symptoms. Many of medications are available over-the-counter (OTC). You should still consult your doctor to ensure a proper treatment regimen. If he or she can write you a prescription for an OTC medication, you might even be able to get it covered by insurance. Follow the dosage and timing instructions carefully for each different drug to prevent potentially severe side effects.  For mild to moderate GERD: Take antacids as needed (Tums, Maalox) to neutralize acid if your symptoms occur once weekly or less. They provide relief within minutes, but only last for about one hour. Take surface agents (sucralfate/Carafate) to protect esophageal and stomach lining and promote healing. Take histamine 2 receptor antagonists (Zantac, Pepcid) to decrease acid secretion. For severe or frequent (2 or more episodes per week) GERD: take proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, pantoprazole, dexlansoprazole, rabeprazole) to prevent acid secretion in the stomach. Some of these are available OTC, and the standard dose is one pill daily for 8 weeks. Side effects include: bacterial infections and diarrhea, anemia and osteoporosis, and interactions with other medications. In a screening upper endoscopy, doctors use a camera on a flexible tube to look at the throat, esophagus, and stomach. During the procedure, they might take biopsies to assess inflammation, check for H. pylori (a type of bacteria), and rule out cancer. Discuss whether your symptoms call for an endoscopy with your doctor. Rarely, GERD symptoms don't respond to any medications, in which case you may need surgery.   One surgical approach (fundoplication) wraps the upper part of the stomach around the esophagus, then sews it in place to reinforce the esophageal opening. A second approach wraps a string of magnetized beads around the point where the esophagus meets the stomach. This closes the lower esophagus, but lets it expand when swallowing so food can get through. Young people who will suffer from life-long GERD symptoms can also consider surgery.
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One-sentence summary --
See a doctor if necessary. Ask your doctor for medication recommendations. Discuss the option of an endoscopy. Be open to surgery if your doctor recommends it.