Summer and Zavier Welcome Two New Babies

Pets really are full of surprises. If I had to guess what these babies were going to look like before they arrived, I would have not guessed anything like what I actually got! 

So, this is the Mum, Summer... 

 

And this, is the Dad, Zavier....

And this, is baby number one...

 And this, is baby number two...

 Now unless I am mistaken, both have ruby eyes and both are boars. Though I am hoping a breeder will help me properly identify their coat colours. I am assuming the first is a chocolate, white and gold tri-colour and the second is a white, slate and cream tri-colour but I am still learning when it comes to identifying coat colours. I also suspect that the second baby has roaning through the back half of his coat but will endeavour to confirm this suspicion as well. 

As I say, quite surprising (at least to me) as the second baby in particular has thrown colours that I never would have predicted. The other strange aspect is that Zaviers other pups have all had very wavy coats from birth but this pair have quite smooth coats by comparison.

As always, I look forward to watching my new babies grow and the best part is that everyone is happy and healthy. There is nothing nicer than seeing strong, active little pups running around the hutch and knowing that the sow got through the birth just fine. Both babies weighed in at the 90gram mark and are already nursing. This will be Summer's one and only litter. She will now retire as a Mother and beloved pet.

UPDATE: Thanks to the expertise and kindness of Matt Gardiner, I now know the colours of my boys. The first is choc/white/gold tricolour, having two shades of chocolate (you can see the patch around the eye is lighter than the rump.)

The second little guy is choc/cream/white tricolour. According to Matt "They need to come from slate heritage (on both sides) to be slate, and we dont really have any slate longhairs in Australia. Not enough anyway for it to be common place like other colours."

With regard to the intermixed hairs that I thought may have been roan, it would seem they are brindle. I was curious as to whether brindle would have be present in one of the parents but Matt tells me, "brindle is just what happens when you have patched cavies born. The lines aren't usually clear cut all the time, and when they are not, they are "brindled". It's an undesirable trait in patched show cavies like Tortoise & Whites, Bicolours etc. But obviously doesn't matter in pets. And brindle is not related to roaning at all. Its just a term we use to describe two colours of hair intermixed, that isn't roan."