We wrapped up 99% of the whelping box the other day and Aura has been testing it out.
All of our supplies are on standby.
Typically there is a 1 degree temperature drop about 12 – 24hrs before she gives birth. We are monitoring her for this and have yet to see it.
The pups will be here soon! We were betting on Monday but since we had some gestation dates not completely accurate, maybe it will be Tuesday.
She has not done any “nesting”. On her last 2 litters she would walk around and scratch at an area of carpet as if she were looking for a good place to give birth. Why is this? Well, she’s been spending some time in her whelping box, so we’re guessing that she knows that is where she’ll go. Then again, we no longer have carpets (and I hope we never have carpets again).
Here she is testing out the whelping box. She went here by herself just after she ate.
This time we are not putting the front door on for a few weeks. It serves no purpose the first few weeks and just gets in the way.
We tried to use PVC instead of 2x4s for the “bully bars” but they just didn’t work out. Back to the 2x4s. Some people call these pig rails. I’m not sure what the technical name is for them, or if one exists; the important thing is that they prevent pups from getting smothered by mom if she happens to get one stuck between her and the wall. That said, Aura is very aware of where the pups are at all times.
