An update on Nixie

 Nixie at an hour or so old. Born back in November 2011. 

Nixie at 8hrs old. All dry and beautiful. 

Nixie at 4 weeks old

Nixie at 4 months old

And Nixie today - 10 months old. 

Baby updates - Curly Girls!

I thought it might be nice to do some updates on some of the curly babies. This is Chloe's hair at 2 months old. She's getting wild and wooly! And I can see more of Liam in her little face as she grows up too.







This is Nixie at almost 4 weeks old. She's really puffed out too. She's not quite as long-coated as Liam was at this age (they're both purebred texels), but she's doing pretty well!







And Bethanie and Bella-Donna are 2 weeks old now. They're really starting to puff out too... a good sign for some nice dense/long coats.

Bethanie at 2 weeks old:
(it's like looking at a replica of little Rollo at 2 weeks as well! How crazy is the resemblance - same dad, different mum!)


Bella-Donna at 2 weeks old:

Weigh in with 45 piggies!

[Our very adoptable 'Sadie', now 4 weeks old. Check the Available Page for all current adoptable pigs]




The weigh in for Saturday the 26th November 2011:

*** Liam's Love Shack ***
Liam is 955g (gain 5g) - 33wks (7.5m)
Crumble is 1055g (loss 45g) - 1 year old (Happy Birthday Crumble!)
Elodie is 725g (same) - 17wks (4m)


*** Romeo's Roost ***
Romeo is 425g (gain 50g) - 8wks (1.5m)
Lavender Mist is 650g (loss 30g) - 15wks (3.5m)


*** Malakai's Quarters ***
Malakai is 745g (gain 25g) - 17wks (4m)
Millicent is 680g (gain 30g) - 17wks (4m)
Molly is 610g (gain 20g) - 15wks (3.5m)
Sparrow is 980g (loss 20g) - 34wks (8m)


*** Violet's Arrangement ***
Violet is 640g (gained 10g) - 19wks (4.5m)
Pooh Bear is 1035g (gained 5g) - on loan


*** Girl's Mansion ***
Alba is 920g (loss 10g) - 39wks (8.5m)
Alice is 870g (loss 5g) - 42wks (10m)
Chloe is 390g (gain 50g) - 8wks (1.5m)
Custard is 960g (loss 50g) - 4.5yrs
Demi is 480g (gained 60g) - 9wks (2m)
Galaxy was 965g (loss 15g)- 46wks (10.5m)
Ginger is 1445g (gained 70g) - 36wks (8.5m) - (Heavily pregnant, due approx 2/12)
Ivy is 500g (gained 35g) - 9wks (2m)
Jasmine is 425g (gain 50g) - 10wks (2m)
Leilani is 950g (gained 60g) - 23wks (5.5m) - (Pregnant, Due approx 30/12)
Lotus is 500g (gained 40g) - 9wks (2m)
Peppa is 1095g (gained 75g) - 1yr
Ruby is 980g (gained 5g) - 36wks (8.5m)
Sheba is 1035g (gain 5g) - 44wks (10.5m)
Subi is 1160g (loss 20g) - 2.5yrs
Tigerlily is 460g (loss 10g) - 9wks (2m)
Twizzle is 510g (gain 20g) - 9wks (2m)
Yeti is 860g (loss 20g) - 25wks (5.5m)
Zinnia is 490g (gain 20g) - 9wks (2m)


***Re-homing/Foster Pigs***
Rafia is 740g (gained 20g) - 12wks (2.5m) - (pregnant, due approx 8/12)
Tabitha is 250g (gain 15g) - 4wks - (treating for mites)
Xeraphina is 390g (same) 7wks - (treating for mites)


***New Mums***
Lulu is 585g (gave birth) - 13wks (3m) - (nursing)
Anthea is 110g (newborn)
Amity is 120g (newborn

Bonnie is 950g (gave birth) - 26wks (6m) - (nursing)
Bella-Donna is 140g (gain 15g since birth) - newborn
Bethanie is 140g (loss 10g since birth) - newborn

Phoebe is now 710g (loss 15g) - 32wks (7.5m) - (nursing)
Noah is 205g (gained 55g) - 2wks
Nixie is 185g (gained 35g) - 2wks

Delilah is 665g (lost 40g) - approx 1yr - (nursing)
Sadie is 260g (gained 25g) - 4wks
Suri is 270g (gained 20g) - 4wks



Everyone seems to be doing really well. A few losses, and a few gains, but we're pretty much on the right track. Noah and Nixie are little fire-crackers! They're a bit like the 'spoilt brats' of the girls group, getting away with outrageous things like sitting smack-bang in the middle of the grain bowl! All the other babies hang back at the outskirts, taking their turn once the girls have lost interest.

But Noah and Nixie aren't like the other babies! lol. They are definitely their mother's children!




We have some exciting news too, Leilani has been confirmed pregnant, approx 5 weeks. I've been keeping an eye on her for the last few weeks, but wasn't sure until today. She's always been a little chubby! She spent a fortnight with Malakai before I got information from her original breeder that her background is actually pedigree texel x pedigree coronet. That changed my plans quick smart - and she was taken from her stay-over with Malakai, and moved in with Liam. The problem with this is that the 'change over' happened exactly 5 weeks ago! So I won't know who the daddy is until the babies are born. Both boys have very different genetics to offer, so I'm thinking it should be pretty obvious. I'm secretly hoping they're Liam's, but if they're Malakai's it will be his first litter which will be nice too.


And lastly, our mite infected pigs are doing really well. Xeraphina (shown below) and Tabitha have no bald spots/scabbing/scaling anymore, and their coats are already growing back in. One more week or improvement and they'll be able to join the rest of the ladies in the mansion! (I'll do a more detailed post on their progress later in the week.)

Noah and Nixie - 6 days old

Noah and Nixie will be one week old tomorrow. This also means that Noah's new family gets drawn tomorrow. If you would like to be included in the random drawing to adopt little Noah, let me know asap (eleb2000@hotmail.com).


It never ceases to amaze me how much baby piggies change in the first week, especially the long hairs. You can already see on these photos how much fuller, and fatter their little faces look just from the tiny bit of hair growth that has already occurred.



What their eventual coats will end up doing is not certain. They will be long, and they will be curly - but the adult density is not something I'm able to pick at this stage. Their mum Phoebe has really good density, good fat cheeks, and incredible curl on her rump - but lacks a little density/curl in the shoulders (dropped shoulders). It will be interesting to see if the pairing with the cream texel male has improved this slight flaw.



Nevertheless, these two are going to be so gorgeous as adults, and beyond cuteness as they grow up too!

Nixie and Noah - 8 hours old

It took me a little while, but I'm not feeling as raw about the loss of Phoebe's two little girls now as I did first thing this morning. I still feel incredibly guilty for not being there for her, but as a friend put it - my own kids come before guinea pig midwifery duty, so I can't beat myself up for being a mum to them first. It doesn't stop the 'what if' thoughts though... what if I'd checked her before I started breakfast... - but I'll never know the answer to that!


This was Phoebe and her babies on the grass this afternoon. They're all dry and fluffy now, and looking so good. You can see the colour contrast from Nixie's black to Noah's chocolate-tone. I'm still unsure what to call him exactly, but it does look a lot more 'Dark Chocolate' than 'Slate grey'. And I'd say as he grows, and the hair shaft lightens - he may end up looking more 'Milk Chocolate!'



Nixie, 8 hours old:






Noah, 8 hours old:

Phoebe's Babies - Noah and Nixie

I bought Phoebe inside last night. Mostly as a precaution. I didn't really think she'd deliver yet.

But she did! And it wasn't in the middle of the night either, it was approx 6:30am this morning. And I could have been there to help her out if I hadn't been making breakfasts and breastfeeding and mediating the morning squabbles between the kids!

By the time I'd gotten a chance to pop my head in, the birth was over and two gorgeous little babies had already passed. It just about broke my heart. The two stillborns were both female, and both cream and white. The smaller one had a big white stripe up her nose and weighed 60g (runt) and the larger one weighed 80g. Both good sizes, and otherwise perfect.

Once I snapped out of my distress, I thought I'd better check what else was bobbing around underneath Phoebe's curls - and found two very strong looking babies, both in black and cream. A little girl I've called 'Nixie' - who will be staying here. And a little boy I've called 'Noah' - who will be looking for a new home.


Noah:

Noah weighed in at 75g, and is a dark slate/grey (not quite black) and cream boar. He has just the tiniest hint of cream up his nose, a dot on his back and a dot on his toe.

He is a purebred Texel, but will not be papered. His adoption fee will be $40, and he will be available from the weekend of the 3rd Dec. I am anticipating that a lot of families will want to take him home, so for the next week I will be taking expressions of interest in him, then on the 17th I will randomly draw a new family. This seems like it will be the only fair way to go. Email me at eleb2000@hotmail.com if you'd like to be considered for his new family.




________________________


And this is our surviving girl - Nixie. She was the biggest in the litter, weighing in at 90g. She is a black and cream sow with little white socks! She will be staying here at the caviary, especially after I lost two of her sisters! She will be an important addition to diversifying our genetic pool in the texels.



And she's just too cute!!!