Winter Litters

[Bilbo Baggins]

BB I can loan you my heated whelping box if you like.

[WreckitWhippet]

Heat lamp and black bedding

[BJean]

I must admit to not believing much heat at all heat on little babies + mum ... ensure a draught proof , roofed /insulated box/bed to reflect/contain bodyheat ..and ..large enough for mum to fully stretch and move ... rough uneven bedding , and let babies use :) mum as their main heating , encouraging bonding, and more feeding /comfort .

When mum moves, or goes toilet , the rough bedding to get purchase on as the pups wriggle to find mum /huddle up ,gives them exercise and gets circulation going from the inside out .

I'm mean ;)

I'm mean too :)

I dont think outdoor breeds require an (over)heated room to have puppies in winter; Australian winters are relatively mild. Draught proof is the key

Edited May 27, 2013 by lilli

[Kirislin]

another thing I did is to put a card table over the whelping box and a blanket over that so it kept the heat in. If it looked like everyone was getting too warm, I would just lift one side of the blanket to allow some heat to escape.

[piper]

make a nice soft bed but are useless re the heating. I bought 3 & couldn't feel any heat so I removed the heating element pad things & laid them on the table & plugged them all in. They weren't even lukewarm to the touch 4 hours later. The wattage is too low to be of any use & they look like they were assembled by 8 years olds doing a class project.

I wonder with the suspended heat lamps if the constant light from them affects the pups eyes ? Also does it bother the mother as they are used to sleeping in the dark & it would be needed more in the night ?

My heat lamp is a ceramic one so does not give out any light at all.

[Ptolomy]

I use a reptile heat cord under the vet bed and on top of the newspaper and I can configure it to go where ever I want and the puppies are never far from a warm spot.