Wombaroo Echidna Milk Replacer Early Lactation is a milk substitute for puggles under 30 days of age — the period an echidna young would normally spend inside the mother's skin fold — and Wombaroo also lists it as suitable for young platypus. A puggle at this age has pinkish-grey skin and eyes closed or only just opening. Echidnas feed at long intervals, so the powder is high in fat to carry the animal between feeds, high in protein with elevated cysteine and methionine for the onset of hair and spine growth, and low in carbohydrate to avoid digestive upset and fermentation of milk in the gut. The typical analysis is 34% protein, 38% fat and 24 MJ/kg. Wombaroo states puggles this young are prone to disease and mortality and should only be cared for by experienced carers. This listing has no orderable pack at PeekAPaw at the moment.
Reading this stage
Puggles at this stage are normally contained within the mother's skin fold. They have pinkish-grey skin, with eyes closed to just open. Faeces are of liquid to custard consistency.
Key Features
- Specifically formulated to match the composition of early lactation echidna milk.
- High energy (fat) content to cater for infrequent feeding intervals.
- High protein content with elevated levels of sulphur-containing amino acids (cysteine & methionine) for the onset of hair and spine growth.
- 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 | 34% |
| Fat | 38% |
| Ash | 4% |
| Moisture | 3% |
| Energy (ME) | 24 MJ/kg |
Feeding Guidelines
Use Echidna Milk Replacer Early Lactation for unfurred puggles, when they would normally be carried in the mother's skin fold (less than 30 days of age). Juveniles at this age are prone to disease and mortality and should only be cared for by experienced carers.
Making Up Milk
To make 100 mL of milk: Mix 21 g of powder (3 scoops) with 85 mL of warm water.
To make 1 litre of milk: Mix 210 g of powder with 850 mL 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 it is sterilised. If the water is too hot, it can cause the milk to curdle. If it is too cold, 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 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, discard any unused milk and wash feeding utensils thoroughly.
