Loading

Charlotte the Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine profile

Jen Zoon, Smithsonian National Zoo, and Smithsonian National Zoological Park2015-10-05

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Washington, DC, United States

Charlotte, the Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine
Photo Credit: Jen Zoon, Smithsonian's National Zoo

On Oct. 5, the Small Mammal House welcomed its newest (and prickliest) baby: Charlotte, the prehensile-tailed porcupine! When keepers observed that she was not nursing properly and losing weight, they banded together with Zoo nutritionists and vets to ensure Charlotte was getting the nutrition she needed to thrive. Today, at just over 2 pounds, she’s healthy and doing great!

Whenever the Zoo welcomes a baby animal, keepers work closely with vets and nutrition staff to ensure newborns are healthy. Part of this care entailed weighing Charlotte to ensure that she was nursing and gaining weight. Unfortunately, she was losing weight. Vets gave her a clean bill of health during her first wellness exam, but her weight loss prompted them to reevaluate her condition. The animal care team determined that Charlotte was not latching onto Bess correctly for proper nursing.

The Zoo’s Nutrition staff created a formula using a mixture of esbilac (puppy replacer), Milk Matrix 30/53 (exotic milk replacer) and egg whites, which resembled the composition of North American porcupine milk. Once they were able to express milk from Bess, Nutrition staff compared it to the formula to ensure Charlotte was getting the nutrition she needed.

To manage her dietary and medical needs, Zoo vets surgically inserted an esophagostomy tube and fed her formula every three hours, around the clock, for 5 days. Her feeding tube was removed on Nov. 11 because she was consistently eating all of her diet by mouth.

Charlotte is usually on exhibit around 11:30 a.m. for 15-20 minutes as she acclimates to the exhibit. Under keeper supervision, she is slowly being reintroduced to her parents. As long as introductions continue to go well, we will slowly increase the amount of time Charlotte is on exhibit.

Details

  • Title: Charlotte the Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine profile
  • Creator: Jen Zoon, Smithsonian National Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoological Park
  • Date Created: 2015-10-05

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Flash this QR Code to get the app
Google apps