Thursday, February 21, 2008

Waiting for Josie

Today Josie is demonstrating signs that she is entering estrus. She is eager for interaction, assuming the lordosis breeding position when we approach. In the photo you can see how we simulate the motion of breeding to gauge her reaction. We're looking for arching back, tail curving away, treading of back feet, and vocalizing. Afterwards, we watch for rolling and continued crouching or "slinky" walking. Josie isn't quite in strong estrus yet; it is usually a gradual progression with the signs building in intensity over the course of a few days. We are very lucky that Josie is so tractable, enabling us to evaluate her cycle in such a hands on manner. Otherwise, the signs can be quite a bit more subtle. We'll check her again tomorrow....

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