Meet the Silver Cuddle Puddle!

We’ve discovered that they aren’t at all sure what to do with food or litter, although they’re certainly nursing from a bottle with excellent appetite! They’re stronger and more active and inquisitive almost by the hour.

Every time I feel guilty leaving them alone, I remind myself, they have a whole room, not a cage.

They now have names, and to make it simpler to tell who is who, I made them coloured collars. Don’t panic — they can’t tighten, and they’ll slide over heads or simply come loose under much pressure, but they’re heavy enough to be hard to swallow.

So, you’ll see:
dark girl Kate (actually, Hekate, an old night goddess), in red
dark boy Ryu (“dragon spirit”, in yellow
silver girl Aurora (the dawn goddess, or the borealis/australis), in green
silver girl Zephyr (the smallest, the gentle west wind), in blue

We’re keeping them strictly separated from our own quartet. The newbies LOOK healthy, but that doesn’t mean they are. At the very least, they’re guaranteed to have worms. But ours are aware of them, and Cory may be a little jealous, so we’re making extra time for him.

There’s a fairly detailed health check aftetr the videos, for anyone who’s interested in the details — as best I can with no equipment!

Health Check:
Weight: ranges from 10.6 ounces to 11.3 ounces
Bowels, urination, appetite: all positive
Bright, Alert Responsive: yes
Eyes: blue, cornea has no visible damage, no visible cloudiness, all appear able to track to varying degrees, pupils appear to be reactive, no significant discharge
Nose: no significant discharge, no visible abnormalities
Mouth: teething; incisors are in, canines and molars are erupting, mucous membranes pale pink, cap refill time almost instantaneous, no visible ulceration or other abnormality
Ears: no indication of ear mites, clean, intact pinna
Lymph nodes: not readily palpable
Heart: no stethoscope, and they’re a tad squirmy to get a femoral pulse
Respiration: regular, not fast or shallow, not forced, occasional brief open-mouthed breathing possibly due to heat/humidity and/or stress
Abdomen: rounded, squishy-feeling, no palpable masses, no apparent discomfort
Hips and legs: strength improving rapidly, no visible abnormality
Temperature: not assessed, no thermometer
Coat: dense, soft, shiny, no dry skin/flakiness, no indication of any external parasites
Body condition: 3/5 – excellent
Other notes: high appetite, not weaned, not litter trained; stressed at first, relaxing now