Last November, Phoenix had her first pregnancy. She gave birth to one oversized, maldeveloped and stillborn baby.
She and Sage were together for literally 30 seconds, if that before I shoo'd him from her on January 16th. After observing her, I had come to the conclusion she was expecting again. Gaining weight, mood changes/more affectionate, bulging sides that were too firm for body fat and teats on the belly.
February 16th, no babies showed up. Phantom pregnancy. She spent all of the 16th and 17th looking for babies that weren't there. My heart broke for her. Body underwent hormonal and physical changes, but no babies.
February 18th, I went to bed at 02:00. I kept waking up and finally gave up. Getting out of bed at 09:30. Went to get a hoodie so I could go out and sign some papers for my case manager and noticed somewhere in those seven hours, she pulled fur to make a nest and in that nest were two moving, healthy, kits. She'd had a bit of a delay, but she wasn't looking for babies. She was looking for a place to have them. I came back in and took a picture of the two pinkies to show my friend and when the flash illuminated the hutch, I could see two more under the wads of fur.
Phoenix Rose and Sage Alexander are the proud parents of four kits!
Phoenix keeps pushing them into a pile in the fur so they stay warm. Big ol pile of pink wrinkles.
I can't wait until they're old enough to get fur and open their eyes. I wonder if they'll be floofy like her, or sleek satin like him. If any will have her grey eyes. If they'll have his broken black spot pattern.
She's overwhelmingly happy, it seems, and every time she sees me-- she tries to show me her babies. She looks at them, then looks at me, then nudges them. If I don't pay attention, she thumps once and when I look at her, she turns and looks towards them or nudges them again lol.
Quite a pleasant surprise for my morning!
Sage will meet them later. When they're old enough for me to be able to touch them without her killing them. I have to be able to get them out of harms way should Sage decide he doesn't like them. I'm sure he will know when he smells them. Those are his.
I'll be sure to post photos as they grow. Opening their eyes and getting fur. One has dark dark ears like Sage already. The skin is dark. They have big ol feet like Sage too lol.
