To coincide with the announcement that the armadillo is the zoo animal of the year 2025, Chemnitz Zoo has a new baby to announce. The young armadillo was born on 14 November last year. The responsible keepers found the young animal in the sleeping box of mum "Piepe". The cub weighed only around 90 grams at birth and has now grown to 610 grams. The cub is healthy and lively.
At the moment it is still often hiding in its whelping box and is rarely seen. The best chance to see it is at the weekly weighing on Saturdays at 2 pm, even if it is still very shy. When it is weighed, it curls up into a ball for protection - hence the name ball armadillo.
As the carers find it difficult to visually assess the nutritional status through the carapace, weighing is a good alternative to check whether the mother and cub are in good health.
Father "Pacho" is currently housed separately from mother and offspring, as the males can certainly be dangerous to the offspring, especially if it is also a male. However, the sex has not yet been determined. This will probably only be determined in the next few weeks.
Opening hours zoo and wildlife park in February:
Daily: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., last admission 3 p.m.