Puppies : Kalahari's B-litter : Week Three (4/18/06 - 4/25/06)

The puppies continue to grow. All of their eyes are now open. We'll slow down on the photos for a bit, because the flash can be harsh on their eyes right now. They are still exclusively nursing, but we will start to introduce gruel to them later this week. It can be rather hard on mom to be the sole provider of nutrition for a large litter, so we'll help her out a bit!

They are starting to initiate play with one another too. Some try to mouth one another, or bite a passing tail - it's very cute to watch. They don't have any teeth yet, and their ears are slowly opening up. They have had their nails trimmed several times already, as they grow very quickly and can scratch mom and us.

They have also started to try to climb onto the pig rails surrounding the whelping box (which is about 6 inches off the ground). Pretty soon, they'll be able to climb out the doorway of the box - at which point, we will surround the entire whelping box with a 30" tall exercise pen to keep them in.

We started them on solids towards the end of this week, and they were definitely ready. After nursing with mom, we top them off with the additional food, so their tummies are nice and full. First meal was a mixture of goat's milk, yogurt, and eggs, which was a big hit!

The best food of all	We're supposed to eat that?
Ok, I'll go first...	Hey, this stuff is pretty good!