Puggle

[den]

I spoke to the zoovets today, and was rather shocked to discover that whatever I do to raise the puggle will be pretty much cutting edge. There is not as yet an approved method or any "best practise" for raising puggles so small. The zoo has a 50% success rate but they have started with larger puggles. The woman who is considered the country's top echidna rasing expert tube feeds her babies, and has a <40% success rate.

This all lead me to think: "Well... shit. Who do I talk to for advice?" The zoovets and my fellow rescuers have been helpful but have all ended their advice with "Let us know what you did if you're successful."

This is a bit worrying. So here is what I'm doing, and you're reading it here first: Den Invents Very Young Puggle Rearing

Or

Making It Up As I Go.

Tube feeding is out. I don't have the confidence to do that, plus it's totally unnatural. I tried feeding puggle the way I fed Fipps and Rexie, but the puggle kept trying the roll onto its back and ended up covered in milk. And so did I. I had a long think about how it's done in the wild: the puggle clings to the hairy pseudopouch and licks up the milk from the mammery patches. Pseudopouch and oozy mammeries were body mods I was not going to try. I had to fake it.

Puggle needssomething to cling to so I wear loose latex gloves. He clings to the latex while I hold him upside down. Then I use a syringe to put drops of milk on his mouth, a target about 5mm long on the end of a wildly thrashing head. When he tastes it, he stops thrashing. If I'm lucky I can get him to take about 2mls. So far he's staying hydrated (mostly) but he is losing weight: 100g when I got him, 89g today. This isnormal until the puggles get used to the new milk, then they start drinking. New puggle is so tiny that any weight loss is a worry.


And the puggle's name is Snorkle. Photos to come.

Comments

[tropism.livejournal.com]

Hrm. How about putting a bit of sponge on the end of a syringe, so that it can lap it up like that? I dunno how mammary patches work, per se, but...

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

You're writing the book. Soon everyone is going to be using I Can't Believe It's Not Termites.

You're one of the coolest people I know. :) I feel like I get cool points just from being AROUND you. :)

[kreggan.livejournal.com]

It's true, you do. Roughly 0.1 cool points per day just by being on batty's friends list. :>

[philrancid.livejournal.com]

Aw, man--good luck, I hope you and Snorkle sort it out.

Batty Den and the Anti-Gravity Milk Brush

[frith]

Why not try a paint brush? The bristles come in a variety of hair types, lengths and widths and will hold milk until sucked out without the guesswork and skill required of feeding with an eyedropper. Success can be gaged by weighing the monotreme after each meal (which I think is how you're doing it anyway).

[weyrdbird.livejournal.com]

From what I have managed to find the zoo vets are telling the truth. Most puggles that survive are at least 6 weeks old when aquired in terms of hand rearing. However, if mum supposedly only feeds them every few days (I'm reading it up to 5 later on), barring something internally wrong it can be seen Snorkle has at least a chance. Once you succeed you''ll be entitled to write a pamphlet (if not a book) entitled "How I Did It" *and* have bragging rights :D.

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

Wow...be sure to take lots of notes, they might become official procedure in the future!

As for feeding, I have an idea?

Although you don't want to do any body-modding, perhaps you can compromise? Wrap your arm in a warm towel. Place Snorkle against your arm-which will be nice and warm-and then slowly dribble milk onto your skin for him to lick up.

Any excess will drip into the towel, he'll stay clean and it will feel normal to them. Well...mostly normal, anyway?

Good luck!

[iamjw.livejournal.com]

If it's normal for the puggle to lick up milk oozing from the mammary patches, I'm wondering if cheesecloth or something similar would help. Something porous that you could put the milk in, and which he could cling to. It seems likely that there might be a fair amount of waste, at least until you worked out the technique, but that it might simulate reality enough to work well.

Good luck to you and Snorkle - this is fascinating (if scary) territory you'r entering.

[ursuscal.livejournal.com]

I know it can be intimidating, but it must be exciting to be on the cutting edge like that! And if your puggle survives you'll have a 100% success rate, heehee. I like the sponge on a hypodermic idea -- you might want to try that out for sure. Otherwise, how about some aquarium tubing, blocked at one end, and covered in pinholes? Each time you squeeze the hypo little droplets would appear at each hole...

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

I'm going to order a copy for autographing when you've published your "How to Care for Baby Puggles" book.

Have the best

-=Kiyoshi

[copperwolf.livejournal.com]

Idea: clean sponge soaked with milk, wrapped inside of a towel for puggle to cling upside-down to?
Not that it sounds any better than your idea.

[beki.livejournal.com]

Are the mom's undersides spikey? Have you thought about getting one of those baby bottle brush cleaners? Those are spiky kinda sorta. I would think that whatever formula that you are using would be thick enough to stick to one on a good dip. Hrmmm.. you might even shave half of one of those bottle brushes and poke the bristles through a towel or something to make it more "lifelike"

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

you guys...

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

The undersides are covered in coarse hairs but no spines. I have to ponder this some more.

[scottrell001.livejournal.com]

Snorkle has a good foster father.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I know the odds are stacked against you, but I'm holding out hope that you get to write the book about raising itty bitty puggles.

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

Good luck to Snorkle. You are being amazing with this, with creativity and thought...