The babies are now one week old. They are growing nicely and starting to venture away from mom a little. They still spend most of their time underneath her nursing and following her around. My daughter and I handle them frequently to get them comfortable with people. They like to be held as a group and will make "calling" noises to each other when separated. Also, we have noticed the babies are eating fruits, veggies, pellets and hay since just a few days old. The picture to the left is one of the babies eating green leaf lettuce.
The babies are resting with mom. She has cleaned them and they are under her belly feeding. I checked them over and they are so adorable and calm in my hand. This first baby, to the left, has the most white. It just has a little black over one eye and a spot on it's bum. The fact that all of the babies are Tortoiseshell and White tells me that Turtle dove must be homozygous EpEp and not carrying red Epe.
Here is a picture of the same baby as above but, this is a top view.
Front view. Looks so cute. The baby was falling over so they are crooked in this pic. lol They are quite mobile now so they have more strength.
This is the second baby. You can see the smudges of red in there. :D
Second baby again and this time you get a good look at the flame blaze running up the nose onto the forehead.
Baby three! Black face with more red. Love this baby's color. Weird how both parents have a nice white blaze and this didnt get inherited. ??? lol genetics... gotta love those modifiers.
I am excited to share a birth announcement for Turtle dove and the red and white boar, Max or (Chewy). The babies were born this morning around 9:00am. Turtle dove is a super mom. She tolerated me filming the event and watching her clean, nurse and eat after making a huge nest out of hay. The babies are all Tortoiseshell and white. I did not really check genders closely but, I think there are two boars and one sow. They are all very healthy and nursing. They are curious and calm when I cuddled with them. I can't get over how cute they are. :D I could watch them all dayyyy. <3
Turtle Dove is a new addition to our caviary. She is an adorable tri-colored female that is currently very pregnant. She was paired with Chewey, a red and white boar. She is due very soon and we are so very excited for the arrival of her babies! I can't wait to meet them and see what they will look like. I have high hopes that the babies are healthy, beautiful and the best qualities from both parents. Each day, my daughter and I offer her a mixture of Timothy and Alfalfa hay. I am hoping that this will provide Turtle Dove with enough calcium for the growing babies. I also offer celery, wheat grass, Kale, green peppers, carrots and apples as well as the regular guinea pig pellet diet. We try to keep her in a quiet place but, still visit with her each day. When we feel underneath her belly (very carefully) we can feel the babies kicking!
Pick up weekend. After a long weekend of driving to Michigan and out to visit a friend who picked up three texels from a show... we will soon be home and all settled. I am so excited to get things started. I really appreciate all the help I have gotten from breeders, friends and family to get started breeding these adorable guinea pigs.
This is Rosie. She is a very unusually colored sow. I can't quite figure out what her color is. She has this "red roaning" appearance but, she is not a roan. Some breeders have thought that she might have "grizzle" markings. I am looking for more information about it. If you know of this type or its inheritance pattern please let me know?
Gave the piggies their veggies then went off to work. I was feeling too sick to stay the whole day so I came home at 1:00pm. :( I cleaned their cages this afternoon and gave them more hay and fresh food. I groomed them and put everyone back. So far everyone seems happy. I hear them all making happy sounds. They are so cute. I <3 them so! My boyfriend will be here soon with grids so we can set up bigger living areas for them. :D Can't wait! I will post pics when we are done. I have a piggie garden growing in my fam room. :) I have been growing celery and wheat grass. lol I bought wheat bury seeds at the grocery store and planted them in regular potting soil. They grew 6in in 10 days! I just cut them half way and toss them in the piggies cages. They LOVE them!
This is Eva, she is a lovely girl with nice big eyes and a beautiful curly coat. She has Red and white and TSW in her lines. She is, however; a Silver Agouti and white. She has been paired with a Pink eyed white (PEW) boar named, Dallas. After looking at his pedigree I believe his genotype may be aabbcacaeeP*. This means that he is a red plus has the himalayan. The "ca" gene dilutes this to a pink eyed white. Eva is a Silver agouti so her genotype is possibly Aa Bb crcr Ee Pp. It is possible that the offspring will light in color like dad (or barely visible himalayan points) but, have either pink eyes or dark ruby eyes because the genotypes might be (Aa Bb cacr Ee ss), (aa Bb cacr Ee ss), (Aa bb cacr Ee ss), or (aa bb cacr ee ss) - to name a few.
Meet Dallas. He has an amazing coat. It is thick and super curly. He is also a sweetie. I just love cuddling with him! lol I have him paired up with Eva right now, Happily Ever after. You can see her to the lower part of the photo.
I am a Science teacher that loves small animals. I even bring them into the classroom to teach students about the proper care of animals. I was formally trained in Science at Cornell University and love the study of genetics. My guinea pigs are pets and are given the best care possible.