The thumb-sized "girl" left her mother on the fifth day after birth...

Is she the child her mother doesn't want?

Is this the end of her life?

This happened on the fifth day of her birth...

A very small probability appeared—— “Moms” accompanied her to grow up——

Today's protagonist: Xiaohuo, the golden-headed lion tamarin

In this picture, the little girl is being held on a soft cloth instead of on her mother's back. Yes, she has started artificial feeding.

Under normal circumstances, a golden-headed lion tamarin will give birth to 1-2 babies at a time, and the baby that is artificially raised is the "third one" with a small probability.

01

Small probability baby!

On June 26, 2024, the golden-headed lion tamarin mother Xiao Jin and her father Baishiyijia welcomed new life again - triplets: Xiaohuo, Xiaoyan and Xiaoyi.

However, behind the joy of new birth are unforeseen challenges. As a small primate, the marmoset mother only has two nipples, and it is undoubtedly a test to feed three hungry babies.

After discovering this, the breeder urgently took her out and carried out artificial feeding and keeping her warm. After a series of operations, the little one finally gradually recovered her vitality and began artificial feeding.

Only five days after birth, Xiaohuo was unable to get enough milk to supplement his nutrition due to his weak body and unfortunately slipped off his mother Xiaojin's back.

After discovering this, the breeder urgently took her out and carried out artificial feeding and keeping her warm. After a series of operations, the little one finally gradually recovered her vitality and began artificial feeding.

At this time, she weighed only 52 grams and was the size of a palm. In order to ensure her healthy growth, the keepers started a strict 24-hour shift system, taking turns to watch over and record her.

02Thumbelina 's Growth Journey

In order to ensure that this fragile little life can get enough nutrition, they carefully designed a unique feeding plan. Since there is no suitable pacifier for such a young marmoset baby on the market, the keepers cleverly combined medical needles and infusion hoses to make a perfect artificial pacifier - it not only fits Xiaohuo's little mouth perfectly, but also can control the speed of milk flow out so that it will not be too fast to cause choking, which is a great test of the keepers' carefulness and patience.

For a newborn like Xiaohuo, small meals are needed every day. The keepers arranged a feeding schedule every two hours, day and night.

In the early stages of her life, Xiao Huo could only take in about 0.5 ml of milk each time. As time went on and Xiao Huo gradually adapted to artificial feeding, the amount of milk was carefully increased step by step, from 1 ml to 2 ml, then to 2.5 ml, 3 ml, and finally to 5 ml. Xiao Huo occasionally had flatulence after drinking milk, and the breeder would gently pat her with his fingers to help expel the gas. At the same time, the breeder would also gently stimulate her anus regularly to assist defecation.

Cubs playing by themselves

As time went by, Xiaohuo gradually grew to one month old. At this stage, her diet structure began to change - in addition to continuing to provide the necessary milk, the breeders also cleverly introduced complementary foods, including chopped fresh fruits and short-cut mealworms.

Take her out to bask in the sun

When she was two months old, on August 22, the keepers began to wean Xiaohuo based on the time when her mother Xiaojin weaned her other two babies, Xiaoyan and Xiaoyi. The keepers gradually reduced the number of feedings and began to introduce more types of food, such as fresh fruits and vegetables such as grapes and apples, as well as mealworms, which not only enriched Xiaohuo's diet, but also helped her to grind her teeth and promote healthy tooth development.

Small fire in the sun

03

Her new playmate

During this period, in order to follow the original behavior of marmosets (marmosets usually live on the backs of their parents or older brothers and sisters after birth), the breeders were very careful. They went to many shopping malls and carefully selected, and finally found an ideal long-haired doll. The hair of this doll is soft and thick, simulating the long hair of the marmoset mother.

Simulating mother artifact

When Xiaohuo first came into contact with this doll, she showed great love for it, lying on it and unwilling to leave for a long time.

In addition to providing Xiaohuo with emotional support, the keepers also paid special attention to her physical development and skill training, strategically placing branches in the incubator to allow her to climb and jump naturally.

Slowly, Xiaohuo grew into a strong and agile golden lion tamarin, and her weight reached a similar weight to her brothers and sisters (about 350 grams), which marked the time for her to leave the nursery and return to the group.

August 29th is the day she returns home!

04Her journey back to the group

Considering that there are 12 members in the golden-headed lion tamarin family, the number is large and the social structure is complex, directly allowing Xiaohuo to return to the group may bring unforeseen risks.

A flexible little fire on the branches

Therefore, the keepers first arranged for her to move around in a larger space to ensure that she had enough freedom and opportunities to explore. After confirming that Xiaohuo could move flexibly and freely, they decided to let her spend some time alone with her parents so that she could gradually adapt to group life in a controlled environment. After a period of individual contact, her mother Xiaojin and her father Bashi were very friendly to Xiaohuo.

A small fire before returning to the group

However, when they tried to get her to join the big group, problems arose: Xiaohuo was isolated by the other monkeys, her brothers and sisters did not take her with them when they played, and she could not get food. She seemed very helpless and kept making noises to express her anxiety.

In order to ensure Xiaohuo's safety and healthy growth, the keepers decided to temporarily abandon the plan of returning her to the large group.

Gentle Laya is well-known in the family for her love of taking care of cubs and often showing tolerance. In addition, she once took care of Xiaohuo when he was a child. The breeder thought: why not give this combination a try - Xiaohuo and Laya.

In order to ensure the safety and smoothness of their integration process, the keepers adopted a step-by-step approach: initially, Xiaohuo and Laya were allowed to move around in their respective cages to observe whether they had any stress reactions; then the distance between the two cages was gradually shortened, and food was placed in the middle to test the interaction between the two and ensure that no food snatching or aggressive behavior occurred.

After a few days of observation and confirmation that everything was going well, the breeder opened the doors of the two cages and allowed them to initially socialize and visit each other. It was discovered that the gentle Laiya always gave in to Xiaohuo, and even though Xiaohuo often snatched food from her hands, she would give it to her directly.

Gentle Laya

In this way, Xiaohuo and Laya played and interacted together during the day, and rested separately at night. On the third day, on the evening of November 20, when the breeder was preparing to separate them to rest as usual, he was surprised to find that Xiaohuo had fallen asleep on top of Laya in Laya's nest box, and they had completely accepted each other.

Xiaohuo and Laiya: We have a good relationship as sisters~

Every step is a respect for life.

Every heartbeat symbolizes the continuation of hope.

Every moment of careful protection,

They are all the most beautiful hymns to life.

Xiaohuo's growth journey is still going on.

Let us look forward to and pay attention to her every step of growth.

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