本周早些時(shí)候，我們暫時(shí)牽手的 2 周大獵豹幼崽收到了獸醫(yī)團(tuán)隊(duì)的健康證明！這是一次非常短的檢查，為了與他保持最少的接觸，只有獸醫(yī)和我在場(chǎng)。獸醫(yī)做了一個(gè)快速的身體檢查，看著他的眼睛，聽著他的心臟和肺部。一切看起來都很棒！

此外，在這次考試中，幼崽收到了他的微芯片。接收微芯片是一個(gè)快速的過程。如果你曾經(jīng)給你的寵物狗或貓植入微芯片，那也是一樣的。獸醫(yī)使用注射器將芯片插入動(dòng)物肩胛骨之間的皮膚下。和任何一槍一樣，起初似乎有點(diǎn)痛，但獵豹幼崽很快就恢復(fù)了?？荚嚱Y(jié)束后，他又回到了平時(shí)睡覺、吃飯和探索的日常生活中，似乎對(duì)芯片一無所知。

物種生存計(jì)劃中的所有獵豹——以及大多數(shù)動(dòng)物園動(dòng)物——最終都會(huì)收到一個(gè)微芯片來幫助識(shí)別它們。通常情況下，獵豹幼崽在 6 周大時(shí)會(huì)收到它們的微芯片，但對(duì)于寄養(yǎng)幼崽來說，在被引入一窩之前切掉芯片尤為重要。當(dāng)他和他未來的寄養(yǎng)兄弟姐妹變得更大并且看起來都相似時(shí)，他的新飼養(yǎng)員只需輕彈一下手持的魔杖形狀的掃描儀，就能確定他的身份。

我們現(xiàn)在每天喂幼崽七次，大約每三個(gè)小時(shí)一次。他大部分時(shí)間仍然在保溫箱里睡覺。然而，自從上周他睜開眼睛后，他就更頻繁地四處走動(dòng)，偶爾會(huì)玩我們給他的毛絨玩具。敬請(qǐng)期待更多的更新！

First Vet Exam

Oct. 01, 2021

This cheetah cubdate was written by Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute biologist Adrienne Crosier.

Earlier this week, the 2-week-old cheetah cub we are temporarily hand-raising received a clean bill of health from the veterinary team! It was a very short exam, and to maintain minimum contact with him, only the vet and I were present. The vet did a quick physical check, looked in his eyes, and listened to his heart and lungs. Everything looked great!

Also, during this exam, the cub received his microchip. Receiving a microchip is a quick process. If you’ve ever had your pet dog or cat microchipped, it’s the same thing. Using a syringe, the veterinarian inserts the chip right under the skin between the animal’s shoulder blades. Like with any shot, there seemed to be a little pain at first, but the cheetah cub quickly recovered. After the exam, he was back to his usual routine of sleeping, eating and exploring, seemingly unaware of the chip.

All cheetahs in the Species Survival Plan — and most zoo animals — eventually receive a microchip to help identify them. Normally, cheetah cubs receive their microchips around 6 weeks old, but it is particularly important for a foster cub to be chipped before he is introduced to a litter. When he and his future foster siblings are bigger and all look similar, his new keepers have a sure way to identify him with just a flick of a handheld, wand-shaped scanner. ?

We are now feeding the cub seven times a day, which is roughly every three hours. He still spends most of his time sleeping in an incubator. However, since his eyes opened last week, he moves around more and occasionally plays with the stuffed animals we gave him. Stay tuned for more updates!