So my two new little ones turned up today, and they are lovely!!! Fur is perfect, they're nice weights, happy being handled, and they have not crabbed once yet
The couriers I used were fantastic, a good price, and even heated the van to what I wanted for the suggies to stay in. I would definitely recommend them, if anyone is looking for a courier in future!
The girl is rather pregnant (to the point where her stomach looks like a pair of bollocks) so I'm treating her with extra care. I won't be introducing my other girl until quarantine time is over, and I have had her bone density checked by our vet, to make sure it's safe to introduce them.
Question for all you seasoned suggie owners:
In regard to the new girl, at what point is it safe to introduce her to Maddie if Maddie's bone density is OK, considering she has joeys in pouch? I'm presuming it would be best to wait until joeys are o.o.p and pretty independent from mum before any introductions, to make sure I don't cause mum any stress, which might trigger cannibalisation, and also to make sure she hasn't got any more joeys cooking!
Right now I would estimate the joeys are about 5-6weeks, as they are about the size of the pad of my thumb and moving about in pouch (I've got my hand in the pouch and she's sleeping on it, so every now and then I'm feeling a little wiggle
). However the opening isn't stretched yet; but she is waddling, which is quite hilarious
I have checked out her previous history with joeys, and so far she has had four sets of twins, and raised all of them to be fully independent. So no issues with destroying joeys, rejections or deformed babies.
Finally, what cage should I put them in to start with? They came in a small travel cage (which is not suitable for living quarters) and I have my spare travel cage which is 2'x2'x3' which they could happily go in, or alternatively there is my girls cage which is about 2.5'x2.5'x5.5', and I would then put Maddie in the spare cage (which she has lived happily in for a couple of weeks before). What do you think, would it be better for them to live in the larger cage (I will wash it to remove Maddie's smell if that would cause more stress) or would the smaller cage be less stressful? I was planning on putting them in the big cage but having second thoughts in case it smells strange to them!
I am so happy and excited about my new arrivals, been feeding mum and dad lots of nice fruit mix and papaya this afternoon so the joeys grow up big and strong!
I'll put up some pictures later when they're up and about
