Echidna Milk Replacer Late Lactation

Milk substitute for echidna young (puggles) greater than 50 days of age. Also suitable for platypus.

Puggles at this stage are finely-furred with spines just emerging to fully-spined. Faeces toothpaste consistency to soft then firm pellets.

Key Features

  • Specifically formulated to match the composition of later lactation echidna milk.
  • Very high energy (fat) content milk to cater for infrequent feeding intervals.
  • High in protein to coincide with peak growth rate.
  • Low in carbohydrate to avoid digestive upset and fermentation of milk in the gut.

Ingredients

Whole milk solids (low lactose), whey protein, casein, glucose, vegetable oils, omega-3 & 6 fatty acids, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, C, D3, E, K, biotin, choline, inositol, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium.

 Typical Analysis

 Protein 32%
 Fat 42%
 Ash 4%
Moisture 3%
Energy (ME) 25 MJ/kg

Complete nutritional profile is available on request.

Pack Sizes

 250g & 1.25kg

Use Echidna Milk Replacer Late Lactation for older puggles, when they would normally be deposited in the burrow (greater than 50 days of age). At this stage they are finely furred with spines emerging.

Impact Colostrum Supplement may be fed to enhance the immune system.

Making up Milk

To make 100mL of milk: Mix 36g of powder (5 scoops) with 70ml of warm water.

To make 700mL of milk: Mix 250g of powder with 500ml of warm water.

Add about half the water to the powder first and mix to a paste. Then add the remaining water and mix thoroughly. Pre-boil the water to ensure that it is sterilised. If the water is too hot it can cause the milk to curdle. If it is too cold then it will be difficult to disperse the powder.  An electric whisk can be used for mixing larger quantities. Milk can be stored in the fridge for a day or can be frozen for up to two weeks. It is useful to make up milk in larger quantities and store it frozen in small portions (e.g. ice cube trays), so that the required daily feed volumes can be easily thawed out. Once thawed out, discard any unused milk, and wash feeding utensils thoroughly.

Feeding Guide

Warm milk to about 30°C and feed from the palm of the hand or a shallow rubber bowl. Thorough washing of hands and wearing of powder-free disposable rubber gloves may reduce the risk of contamination with micro-organisms. Echidna young can suckle vigorously and the high nutrient content of the milk means that young are fed infrequently. In the wild, burrow young (>50 days of age) are only suckled by their mother about once every 5 days. Digestion of milk is slow, so the contents of the stomach need to be fully emptied before the next feed. For hand-reared animals we recommend to feed at least 2 days apart. This time frame may be further extended as the animal gets older and well-established. Note that the Wombaroo Feeding guidelines give average daily feed volumes, so multiply this by the number of days between each feed.

If the young is showing signs of dehydration (e.g. during hot weather), give extra drinks of water between feeds. Echidnas dehydrate rapidly if not maintained under optimum husbandry conditions. In particular, carers often keep echidnas at too high a temperature, which can cause dehydration. It is important to provide housing where temperatures do not exceed 30ºC. Fresh drinking water should always be available once animals become mobile. Consult your veterinarian or specialist wildlife carer for further information about husbandry and feeding of young echidnas.

Growth

Refer to the Echidna Growth Chart. Body weight for age is highly variable between individuals so the growth chart includes typical ranges for both 'small' and 'large' animals. Weigh young regularly (before feeding) to verify weight gains and determine the volume of milk to feed. Overfeeding milk can cause diarrhoea so feed the suggested volumes in our tables.

Weaning

At around 3-4 months of age start mixing small amounts of Wombaroo Echidna Food into the milk. Slowly increase the amount of solids, while decreasing the amount of milk. During this time the mix should change in consistency from a thin porridge to a thick paste. Gut health of young may benefit from the addition of about 10% crushed termite mound or similar soil material in to the mix. Echidnas may be fully weaned at around 5-7 months onto a slurry of Wombaroo Echidna Food, supplemented with termites and ants. The body weight at this time may range anywhere from 700g to over 2kg.