The Kakapo Nest in NZ

Kiwi and Summer....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvscA0L_LU

Pups need something other than their ma to chew on. Little sharp teeth are coming though now.
So we throw in a chicken carcass to drag around.

Or a lamb brisket. Any thing Vaglie eats that is whole the pups can try first. They love the smell and do amazingly well trying to tug bits off.

I even have a short video of them with the lamb briskets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTZQOXp5rlc

The pups are out and about. Saki, typical male, does his best to avoid them. "where are they?"
Rusty thinks its great and searches for the.

I prolong feeding litters of pups until their mothers no longer want to feed them completely. Normally that's at around 5 week which is pretty good.
At 4 weeks Vaglie thinks its time we share the feeding 50/50 so she provides half the meals and I do the other with at the moment organic chicken mince. Pups love it!

First chicky meal video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyBMWPAjVMI

And suddenly the pups are Saki's best friends and he'll help them clean up LOL.

Summer killing a squid.

Surprise having a pooh. Their poohs are already wonderful solid raw feed poohs. Anyone raw feeding will have a smile of recognition now ;-)

Sorry but for some strange reason the cute playing video kept on failing to load so you will have to do with some photos :-(

Yesterday I put some of Vaglies possum in with the pups and sure enough they took their first licks of food that is yet to come. Vaglie will feed totaly till they are 4-5 week (see how Vaglie does) and in the mean time they get used to the smells and in a few days they should be trying to mouth it. Non to soon as sharp little teeth are coming through and it will be good for them to chew on something other than their poor mama.

Pups now have time out in the lounge for as long as they can stay awake while I clean the whelping box. All the dogs wisly sit on chairs while their peace is interupted.
Mint looks like "WHAT THE...????"

And the look of "huh did good eh. Survived that one too!"

25 days old and they dont fit so nicly in a row anymore

Couple more videos of the growing babes.

Vaglie goes into feed her kids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWn3_uTUdjQ

Mama Vaglie getting her kids exercised
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMbYkNy558w

And I had one more of the pups having a play, in ther own 3 week way... but after hours of uploading to youtube the last one didnt make it so I'll try again while I sleep ;-). Its kind of cute so I think worth the extra effort.

And now a few photos taken a few days ago.
Cute close up puppy pics and a couple of them having their first walk way out in the big wide world while I clean their whelping box.
Rowi can not believe her luck when a pup comes between her paws. She looks at me glowing with glee :-)

Lucky 1 showing his new fur tufts that will grow into curls

It was fun to make some videos of the dogs yesterday.

Our day always starts with going upstairs (where Rusty lives) and going out into the garden. When I open the door to go up Rusty always rushes around yelling to the world how wonderful it is her friends have come up again. But since the pups arrived she kind of ignores us and goes straight to the whelping box to check all is ok with her new pack members.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mJgzYJPTcI

Another feeding video and a mini crazy couch show from Tree. Rusty can’t get enough of the pups and sometimes has to be told its enough. She is a good girl and leaves them in peace.
Vaglie will not lay down straight away to feed now. The pups first have to do a little exercise before they get their well earned dinner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G25WP6whFSU

Well sorry they don’t do much but eat and sleep at the moment… and eating is more exciting so yet another feeding video.. Its so funny watching pups crawling over there ma’s back to get to the feeding side :0)
You can see Rowi, Rusty and Kiwi nice and close too. Tieka is kind of far off but to be seen and Tree is being her usual nosey self looking to see if Vaglie left any food in the bowl… in her dreams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8fxHHPyTr4

Today almost all eyes are open so photos and film to follow showing this. Loading a video takes some time so patience please :0)

Now for something different.
Yesterday the Lagotto was featured in the Belgium news. A man had planted plants infected with the truffle spoors and now finally it was time to "hunt them".
A Belguim Lagotto breeder, Mark Wouters, was called in with his trained dogs. They didnt find many this year but its a good start of what is to come.
http://www.deredactie.be/cm/de.redactie/mediatheek/1.487089?mode=popupplayer

All are growing to plan! They are truly a healthy sturdy lot that I am thoroughly enjoying again.
From left to right here is the row again just a little bigger:
Why, Surprise, Stony, Sukie, Autum, Lucky 1, Summer and Saskia.

Vaglie is eating VERY WELL to keep a steady milk supply. She is certainly not putting on weight from eating all day. Gosh wouldn’t that be great to eat all day and stay slim….

After one of their feeds blobbing out.

Another intermit moment this time with Autum.

Weights at birth and day 10 (order of pups is also order of birth)

Lucky 350g --- 803g

Saskia 368g --- 781g

Sukie 346g --- 763g

Summer 345g --- 738g

Why 346g --- 754g

Autum 282g --- 634g

Stony 355g --- 799g

Surprise 341g --- 801g

Pups are a week old now.
Vaglie was not very strikt to the other dogs but all knew not to come in the whelping box. Now the ban seems to have been lifted and Saki is having his first visit with the pups. The pups being blind as bats have no idea how big their visitor was ;-)

Isnt this a nice smily face to wake up too :-). (This is Surprise)

Those little tongues wraped around mums "feeding devices" always make me smile

One of the boys... so cute...

Sweet little Sukie showing her paws turning brown.

Vaglie looking as if to say "stop interfering in our intermit moment". Vaglie and Saskia.

Day 4 and the daily cleaning of the whelping box. Vaglie sure looks proud of her badies as she waits for me to finnish

All prim and propper. Looking such a prity picture.
And this gives me the chance to introduce you to each puppy. I nick name them so I can identify each one easily. This means the names are rather strange :-)
From left to right
Sukie = Thought this just a lovely name for this little girl and it means Lilly

Stoney = He has round "stepping stones" on his back.

Lucky 1 = if you remember the 4 leaf clover story you will remember I wanted to call them all Lucky 1, 2, 3 etc... well we kept it to only the first born pup who is a grand little boy.

Surprise = We thought Vaglie had had all her pups but more than 2 hours after the 7th puppy she gave birth to this little girl

Summer = She was born on the 28th Feb. and it was still summer then.

Why = on his right side his brown marking somewhat resembles the letter Y

Autum = She was born after 1200 at night that made her date of birth 1st March which was the first day of autum!

Saskia = I didnt have a name for her for a while. You have to wait for insperation when thinking of names. Then one time when I picked her up my best doggy friends name popped into my head! And so be it. The litter is an "S" nest so it was a good one :-)

But Vaglie dosnt care much for looking tidy. It too warm for her so she kick the mat away and the poor pups have to put up with plastic on their bellies. In turn I go and put them all back on the nice warm mat... and so on