This is an older video, the babies at about 3 weeks old. How fast they grow!! You see them with their uncles Orlok and Stubby Tail.
30/08/2008
Fear the bite of the baby meerkat!
The babies at almost 7 weeks old love chewing tails! The first meerkat that gets chewed on is their mother, the second little Swingkat (a subordinate male), the super nanny.
29/08/2008
26/08/2008
Playtime with Uncle!!!
The babies are now about 6 weeks old and exploring the enclosure on their own or under the surveillance of the group.The two healthy pups often engage in all kinds of boisterous play, jumping, wrestling, bitting...
Their little sister will often play by herself, but sometimes she is also included in all kinds of play.
The babies enjoy biting into ALL body parts of the adults... and they still have to learn that not each and every pink nipple will give milk, which is particularly painful for the males ;-)
The little handicaped meerkat (I named her Sayuri - little lily - after the book "Memoires of a Geisha") is making progress, too. Yesterday she tried to stand up on her hind legs and fell over almost instantly, but she tried!
Most of the time I watched her, she was either digging furiously or eating. It looks like she enjoys doing things on her own. When she was digging, one of her littermates jumped onto her, trying to engage her into play, but she simply kept on digging.
Here she was given her vitamin-shot, she looks, like she didn`t enjoy it too much, though.
I think she might develop a similar character like her stub-tailed Uncle Stummelschwänzchen - stubby tail. He also likes to be on his own, to sit by himself etc.He can often be seen outside, when everybody else is already inside under the heat lamps, or he is inside, alone under the heat lamps, while everybody else is outside...
Who also loves to play with the babies are their Uncles Orlok and Plattohr (flat ear). Usually these two could be seen to engage in all kinds of wrestling matches etc. Now with the babies, both can be seen to play with them. The babies enjoy lunging at them or biting into their tails or legs.
Sometimes one of the parents will overlook these plays. If things are geting too rough, they will intervene.
25/08/2008
Meerkat Mom Möfzi
At the beginning of June we thought that Möfzi, the dominant female of the group, might be pregnant. As we are regular visitors (usually once a week) we soon realized that she really was pregnant...
Clear signs of pregnancy in meerkats are usually visible after approx. 1 month, the duration of pregnancy is around 70 days, so we expected the babies to be born in Mid-July.
When we visited on July 12, she was really well-rounded, so we decided to visit again in the next days. On our visit on July 15 Möfzi had disappeared...
We spent some time circling the enclosure, when suddenly we heard baby noises from one of the burrow entrances.: Möfzi was carrying one of her tiny pups from one side of the burrow to the next. She was very nervous and the rest of the group was on edge and barked at the smallest things which they would usually ignore, like planes flying over the enclosure etc.
Baby meerkats are born blind, naked and with ears and eyes closed. They usually spend the first 3-4 weeks underground. Their ears and eyes open approx. 10-14 days after birth.
At this time it was not clear, whether there was only one pup, or several pups being carried around by their mother. Here is the first video we made of Möfzi's babies:
After 2,5 weeks the pups very already trying to make their first steps, always under the surveillance of the group.
This was when we discovered that the pup with the missing tail tip might have a handicap. The mother ofter carried her (it`s a girl) around by her tiny leg and she was often covered in dirt. She appeared weaker and did not cry as loud as the other pups.
When the pups emerged by themselves at around 3 weeks this handicap became apparent. She was not able to climb out of the burrow and had difficulties finding her way, as she would often lose her direction falling over etc.
This is a picture of her at about 3 weeks old.
When we took our holiday at the beginning of August, we were afraid that she might not survive...
Clear signs of pregnancy in meerkats are usually visible after approx. 1 month, the duration of pregnancy is around 70 days, so we expected the babies to be born in Mid-July.
When we visited on July 12, she was really well-rounded, so we decided to visit again in the next days. On our visit on July 15 Möfzi had disappeared...
We spent some time circling the enclosure, when suddenly we heard baby noises from one of the burrow entrances.: Möfzi was carrying one of her tiny pups from one side of the burrow to the next. She was very nervous and the rest of the group was on edge and barked at the smallest things which they would usually ignore, like planes flying over the enclosure etc.
Baby meerkats are born blind, naked and with ears and eyes closed. They usually spend the first 3-4 weeks underground. Their ears and eyes open approx. 10-14 days after birth.
At this time it was not clear, whether there was only one pup, or several pups being carried around by their mother. Here is the first video we made of Möfzi's babies:
It was not clear, whether there was only one pup, or several pups, as they were too tiny to distinguish. We were quite concerned about the pups, as they are usually kept below ground for the first weeks.
Several days later, we discovered this:
Three baby meerkats! What a wonderful surprise!
Their eyes had just opened and their fur was still very sparse. Even though it was still too early for the pups to be above ground, they seemed fit and healthy enough.
Their mother was still very nervous and dragged the pups around a lot, unfortunately she did not always carry them in the best way (by the scruff of their neck), but sometimes by one of their tiny legs or even the tail, OUCH!!
We also discovered that one of the pups is missing part of its tail... There is also an adult male with the tip of his tail missing, so now he`s got company.
After 2,5 weeks the pups very already trying to make their first steps, always under the surveillance of the group.
This was when we discovered that the pup with the missing tail tip might have a handicap. The mother ofter carried her (it`s a girl) around by her tiny leg and she was often covered in dirt. She appeared weaker and did not cry as loud as the other pups.
When the pups emerged by themselves at around 3 weeks this handicap became apparent. She was not able to climb out of the burrow and had difficulties finding her way, as she would often lose her direction falling over etc.
This is a picture of her at about 3 weeks old.
When we took our holiday at the beginning of August, we were afraid that she might not survive...... so it was a wonderful surprise to come back after two weeks and see her having made rapid progress!
She is still prone to stagger or fall, but manages to climb out of ANY hole and over ANY obstacle by herself. She still cannot stand on her hindlegs, like her littermates, but she is trying!
She is taken special care of by the Mundenhof keepers and get twice daily Vitamin-B-shots, for which she has to be caught... but she likes to hide ;-)
Mundenhof Mob, a short introduction
The meerkat enclosure at the Mundenhof was opened in 1999.
The group as we know it and present it here, has been around since 2002, when 5 baby males were introduced. Before this the group consisted of 4 animals, of which only the dominant female of the current group is present still.
We have been regular visitors for over 6 years now and know each of the kats, their habits, their characters and preferrences.
Each of the meerkats has distinctive marks by which it can be distinguished from the other members, for example tail length, size, colour of fur etc.
The group has recently expanded to 9 members, as three baby-meerkats were born in mid-July.
The Mundenhof group consists of 6 adults (5 males, one female) and their babies.
The dominant female is about 8-9 years old, the males were born in 2002.
Mundenhof animal park is located in Freiburg, close to the Black forest and to the borders of France and Switzerland. Admission is free, there is only a parking fee.
The group as we know it and present it here, has been around since 2002, when 5 baby males were introduced. Before this the group consisted of 4 animals, of which only the dominant female of the current group is present still.
We have been regular visitors for over 6 years now and know each of the kats, their habits, their characters and preferrences.
Each of the meerkats has distinctive marks by which it can be distinguished from the other members, for example tail length, size, colour of fur etc.
The group has recently expanded to 9 members, as three baby-meerkats were born in mid-July.
The Mundenhof group consists of 6 adults (5 males, one female) and their babies.
The dominant female is about 8-9 years old, the males were born in 2002.
Mundenhof animal park is located in Freiburg, close to the Black forest and to the borders of France and Switzerland. Admission is free, there is only a parking fee.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
