Zena's Baby!!!! First time I've seen one!!!

[roxyandboys]

Last night Zena was doing her plodding around, poor girl her belly is massive, and then I saw it!  The little curled up tail first, then the little ones bum and back legs appeared......  then it scrambled to try and get back into the pouch.

How adorable is that!  This is my first time, so i am a very excited grandma!!!

Didn't think it would be as cute as all this!!!!

Question - When do you class them as being Oop (for there Oop date purposes) - is it when they first completely come out?  Is it 10 days after this that there little eyes will open?

So excited.

On a confusing/uncertain note - Shyler, i am certain that when i bought Zena and Shyler home their bumps were of similar sizes, may Shylers being a little smaller, but having looked at Shyler playing and eating last night i found it difficult to make out a bump at all.  I am uncertain if this is just because Zena is so big and half of hers is poking out, but i am worried in case Shyler is no longer with a baby.

Shyler is the little lady who lost her Joey last time as well.

I've not had them very long so i am not really sure if I want to poke my hand in and check her out properly yet, especially as Zena's little one is so close to coming out, i dont want to increase their stress levels any further than needed.

To try and see clearly when she is running around the cage while she is still getting used to me sittinfg watching her is.... tricky, i just cannot seem to tell anymore, but i dont want to upset things further by picking her up and having a good look.

I will let you all know further after they come out tonight.

[Marie]

OOP is when they don't go back in, she'll start leaving it in the nest so that she can go out to eat.  Despite popular belief, joeys dettach from the nipple during their time in pouch, so they will start to emerge for a short while then disappear back in.  Then when they come OOP is around 7-10 days the eyes will open.

It's possible that shyler has lost her joey, when they're all out have a sneaky look in their sleeping quarters, have you noticed any 'unusual' noises from hher (shyler), like as shshshssh noise and a vibrating sleeping pouch?  IF she has lost the joey don't be hard on yourself, the stress from moving to a new home could have triggered that.  Keep her on a good and high protein diet so that if there's a next time she should hopefully fare better.

[roxyandboys]

I'll check the nest box tonight - Is it possible that the little body may be in there?

Funny noices - Nothing that has really stuck in my mind, although now that there is females plus the new male in the room i am hearing lots of sounds that i never heard when i just had my brothers.

Until i bought this group home i had never experianced "crabbing" before - very strange!

I realise that the stress of a hosue move may trigger something like this - the previous owners were keen to have them move on.  If she has lost her joey i feel bad for her more than anything, poor little girl - it'll be her second pregnancy that she has lost if this is the case.

They enjoyed their leadbeater free dinner last night, with cheese!

[Marie]

There probably won't be a body, they're often disposed of which is natural behavior so as not to attract predators.  I just meant to have a look in case it had snuck out ot pouch without you realising.

Suggies are tougher than we think, she'll  bounce back.

[roxyandboys]

Yes - I understand that it is natural behaviour to eat their own rather than leave the body, many many rodents do this also - sometimes gerbils bury their young if they die.

I will say that Shyler did spend a lot of time in the nest last night, more so than the others, which is another reason it was so difficult to get a good look at her belly!

[roxyandboys]

Well things seem very strange to me.

Ok - one female def. has a bump, the other, i really dont think she does anymore, but the joey i saw poking out is no longer poking out andnow i'm not so sure if it was zena who had a joey poking out or shyler or if it is shyler who has a bump now or zena!  I can only tell them apart when they are next to each other at the moment!!  All very confusing!!  I will keep updated on progress of joeys...