1/20/12

And then there was light

1/20/12. Day 10.


Kit 5 and Kit 7 have opened their eyes! Super exciting.


The Kits have learned to climb the side of the nest, and fall over the side – landing in the main cage area with Coffee. The problem with this is…they can’t get back IN to the nest. And they miss meals. I actually saw Coffee go into the nest to nurse, and Kit 5 was not in the nest and missed the meal.


So we spent much of the day plucking wayward kits from various corners of the cage and replacing them into the nest. I considered just removing the nest, but then (with their eyes closed and all) how will they possibly be available (and in the correct location) to nurse or stay warm?


So I decided to make a new nest. A deeper nest. And line it with just 2 towels. I placed it on a heat pad. And covered the two towels with one large towel that was extended thru the cage spokes so there were no “lost corners” or cracks/ditches available to fall in to. Then I took the wood shavings out of the main area and put another large towel down (because the plastic bottom needs some covering for traction, warmth, and absorption). I put the food dish on the outside of the cage, and we purchased proper dish for Coffee’s Timothy hay.

I think the set up was quite good. The kits seemed happy climbing up the towel to the ledge, and then resting there. They didn’t climb out the nest after the change (just up to the ledge). And all was well.


Until….


…at 1am I thought to myself: “what if the kits are climbing up the side of the cage to avoid being cooked by the heat pad? What if it’s too hot on the heat pad? OMG!”


So I get up from bed…and go check the kits for burns. No burns…kits all well.

I turn down the heat pad a level or two…then head back to bed.


Then I think to myself: “What if it’s too cold in the house…now that I’ve turned down the heat pad level?”



*yawn*

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