This is interesting

[den]

According to Dr Peggy Rismiller's book, the mother echidna weans the young one by opening the burrow, giving the puggle one last feed, then abandoning it. The young echidna has to feed, protect, and establish a home range with no parental guidance at all. So when it is time for Fips to go, in about 2 months, I take him to a patch of bush, put him down, and that's it. Absolutely no parental care. 7 months and that's it, regardless of size.

In the past we would spend months training the echidnas in cages, getting them "used to outside" and getting the taste of termites. If the wild echidnas don't do this, then there is no point me doing it.

Hmm. Something to ponder.

Comments

[i-harobed.livejournal.com]

Some thoughts: Maybe the abandonment causes chemical changes in the brain (due to hunger/discomfort?) that trigger instinctual behaviors, such as termite hunting. Also, the mother is undoubtedly responding to triggers indicating that the young echidna is ready to be on its own.

If you do decide to simply take Fips to "to a patch of bush," perhaps it would be best to make sure it's one that's been inhabited by other echidna. Since the puggle is abandoned at the burrow, I imagine that the surrounding area would have evidence of the mother’s activities in the area (scent marks, digging marks, etc.). It might be that the young echidna uses this information in its initial forays, locating termites, etc.

As you say, something to ponder.