猎豹幼崽体内种植微芯片

本周早些时候，我们暂时牵手的 2 周大猎豹幼崽收到了兽医团队的健康证明！这是一次非常短的检查，为了与他保持最少的接触，只有兽医和我在场。兽医做了一个快速的身体检查，看着他的眼睛，听着他的心脏和肺部。一切看起来都很棒！

此外，在这次考试中，幼崽收到了他的微芯片。接收微芯片是一个快速的过程。如果你曾经给你的宠物狗或猫植入微芯片，那也是一样的。兽医使用注射器将芯片插入动物肩胛骨之间的皮肤下。和任何一枪一样，起初似乎有点痛，但猎豹幼崽很快就恢复了。考试结束后，他又回到了平时睡觉、吃饭和探索的日常生活中，似乎对芯片一无所知。

物种生存计划中的所有猎豹——以及大多数动物园动物——最终都会收到一个微芯片来帮助识别它们。通常情况下，猎豹幼崽在 6 周大时会收到它们的微芯片，但对于寄养幼崽来说，在被引入一窝之前切掉芯片尤为重要。当他和他未来的寄养兄弟姐妹变得更大并且看起来都相似时，他的新饲养员只需轻弹一下手持的魔杖形状的扫描仪，就能确定他的身份。

我们现在每天喂幼崽七次，大约每三个小时一次。他大部分时间仍然在保温箱里睡觉。然而，自从上周他睁开眼睛后，他就更频繁地四处走动，偶尔会玩我们给他的毛绒玩具。敬请期待更多的更新！

First Vet Exam

Oct. 01, 2021

This cheetah cubdate was written by Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute biologist Adrienne Crosier.

Earlier this week, the 2-week-old cheetah cub we are temporarily hand-raising received a clean bill of health from the veterinary team! It was a very short exam, and to maintain minimum contact with him, only the vet and I were present. The vet did a quick physical check, looked in his eyes, and listened to his heart and lungs. Everything looked great!

Also, during this exam, the cub received his microchip. Receiving a microchip is a quick process. If you’ve ever had your pet dog or cat microchipped, it’s the same thing. Using a syringe, the veterinarian inserts the chip right under the skin between the animal’s shoulder blades. Like with any shot, there seemed to be a little pain at first, but the cheetah cub quickly recovered. After the exam, he was back to his usual routine of sleeping, eating and exploring, seemingly unaware of the chip.

All cheetahs in the Species Survival Plan — and most zoo animals — eventually receive a microchip to help identify them. Normally, cheetah cubs receive their microchips around 6 weeks old, but it is particularly important for a foster cub to be chipped before he is introduced to a litter. When he and his future foster siblings are bigger and all look similar, his new keepers have a sure way to identify him with just a flick of a handheld, wand-shaped scanner.  

We are now feeding the cub seven times a day, which is roughly every three hours. He still spends most of his time sleeping in an incubator. However, since his eyes opened last week, he moves around more and occasionally plays with the stuffed animals we gave him. Stay tuned for more updates!