den | 3 January 2007

This afternoon I took the swift and Fips out to the zoovets for a checkup. I intended to go this morning but the vet nurse told me they were "knocking out alpacas." I had to assume they were rendering the animals unconscious and not making cheap-and-nasty copies in bulk.

Bad news: The swift did have a fractured wing and had to be euthanased.

The good news: Fips is in very good health, being well muscled and not too fat. (Yay me! Pats on the back.) Tim The Vet said I should start introducing ICBINTermites into the milk mix. Then he took a photo

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The vet staff fell in love with Fips, taking it turns to hold him and say "Awww, he's licking my hand!"

I asked about Matilda and was taken out to the Veterinary Quarrentine Centre. Chris the vet nurse opened a locked door, took me through the magnetically sealed air lock, across the squishy fllor that oozed disinfectent, through three gates that would stop a charging buffalo, and probably had, then through a sliding plate steel door and into an outdoor cage. I felt like I was in the openening sequence to "Get Smart." I asked about the need for this much security with a baby wombat, and Chris said it was the only good wombat-proof cage they had. It just happened to be in the VQC. Matilda came out of her hutch (a well-chewed cat box) and ran up to us. I took a bunch of photos of her being cute, then gave her a really good scratch on the bum. Matilda bit my jeans but didn't take out a chunk; instead she shivered happily. Then suddenly she'd Had Enough and went back into her hutch.

Chris lead me back through the VQC, I prised Fips from the vet staff who wanted to hug hum and keep him, and headed home. I still don't know if Fips is male or female. Tim says the gonades haven't developed enough to be able to tell.

Echidnas are weird, I tells ya.