Spherical offspring in the marmoset house
The marmosets in the marmoset house at Chemnitz Zoo have had another offspring. At the moment, the young are still often hiding in their birthing box and are rarely seen. However, the best chance to catch a glimpse of it is at the weekly weighing on Thursdays at 2 pm, even if the little one is still shy. When it is weighed, it rolls up into a ball for protection - hence the name ball armadillo. As it is difficult for the keepers to visually assess the nutritional status through the armour, weighing is a good alternative to check whether the mother and cub are in good health.
The cub was born to the armadillos on 19 February. The responsible keepers found it in mum "Piepe's" sleeping box. It weighed around 90 grams at birth. It now weighs 560 grams. This is perfectly normal and suggests that it is healthy and lively.
Father "Pacho" is currently housed separately from mother and baby, as the males can certainly be dangerous to the offspring, especially if they are also male. However, the sex has not yet been determined. This will only be determined in the coming weeks.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de
Opening hours in April
Zoo: 9 am to 7 pm, last admission 6 pm
Game enclosure: 9 am to 6 pm, last admission 5 pm