On March 16, Galinda, one of our two the naked mole-rat "queens," gave birth to a litter of 18 pups. It is our policy to send out announcements of births until at least five days after the pups are born, as the first five days are a critical time period and many litters do not survive.
We are happy to announce that we still have pups.
As of March 23, 2010, there are 13 pups still alive in the colony, an indication that Galinda is producing milk and the babies are being allowed to drink it. Galinda has been observed nursing the pups every day, sometimes for extended periods. In a few cases we can see milk through the thin stomach walls of the babies. Some of the pups are gaining weight more rapidly than others, perhaps due to better competition for milk.
If the first week is challenging, so are the next 14 days. During that time the pups will learn to use their eyes and ears, and to eat solid food. We are cautious in our expectations.
On the other hand, with previous litters, our only success with rearing involved an extremely involved process of removing the queen and her litter from the rest of the colony and gradually reintroducing them. If the colony can rear the pups without this removal, it will allow them to function in a more cohesive manner and may help the two queens sort out which one should rule.
Stay tuned for more details!
Hi again, just out of curiosity. How does Elphaba react to Galindas pubs? :) You mentioned earlier that they seemed quite willing to accept eachothers pubs. Is that still the case?
ReplyDeleteYours sincerely
Jesper K. Boesen
PS. Congratulations on passing the inspection. :)
Hi Jesper. And I'm happy to say we still have pups today too. The two queens do seem to tolerate each other's pups and in some cases, the pups even try nurse on the wrong mom. I have never seen one of the females doing anything harmful to the other one's offspring.
ReplyDeleteSo how are the kids doing? ;) Hoping fine and for no more disperser morph escapes. :)
ReplyDeleteYours sincerely
Jesper K. Boesen
Jesper, still going strong. They are walking around, eating solid food and interacting with the rest of the colony. We are very happy for them.
ReplyDelete@antwatcher. Ah nice to hear that. Glad theyre doing fine. :D ... Will we get a few pictures soon? :D
ReplyDeleteYours sincerely
Jesper K. Boesen