First feeding

A Neonate is fed for the first time

It is an indescribable feeling of happiness when after 50 days the first tip of the nose opens the eggshell.

10 days have passed since this event.

From this time on, the body color begins to appear milky.

Gradually, the dwarves molt for the first time in their lives.

The high humidity of > 90% ensures that the skin is peeled off smoothly.

The time has come to plan the first feeding.

How do I feed a Neonate who is to eat for the first time.

Baby mice weighing 1 – 2 g are given.

The time of day for the first feeding is late afternoon to early evening.

The carer should not plan for more than 2-3 neonates per evening.

I thaw the baby mice in warm water in a glass bowl. I place the glass bowl on a warming plate, which ensures that the mice are kept warm at around 40 °C.

I reckon with 2 - 3 mice per neonate to be fed. Depending on how the feeding progressed, the first feeding animals will soon be soggy, they will burst open or they will begin to bleed.

The mice are thawed after about 10 minutes.

The food animal is grasped behind the head with food tweezers.

The neonate is now woken up with the mouse. I like to use the tiny claws of a paw for this.

A suitable area for this is behind the pine trees under the neonate's eye.

If the head is under the slings, it is the belly that needs to be used.

Most neonates react with jerky movements and then assume the typical S-pose.

Others, however, pull their heads into a noose and dive down into their bodies. I will report on these in another post.

The hardy neonates snap and seem annoyed.

Now the puzzle begins to position the mouse so that it catches the head. The neonate usually drops the mouse after the first successful snap.

The procedure can be repeated several times before the neonate grabs the mouse and twists it into its body. There is a chance that the mouse will now also be devoured.

I avert my gaze.

Squint my eyes and make sure the mouse doesn't get dropped again.

It's perfect when the little neonate pushes the prey into the throat with continuous movements of the gullet.

The procedure described takes an average of 20 – 40 minutes for each Neonate.