Chapter 21: Don't Cry, I'll Feed You Right Away!
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Fang Ye gently set aside the lid of the box, not daring to breathe too heavily, fearful of disturbing the little White Tiger that was still sound asleep.
The White Tiger's fur was marked with ink-brush-like stripes, exuding a fascinating charm that made it hard to look away. Leaning over, one could even see its body slightly rising and falling with each breath.
Fang Ye fell in love with the little White Tiger at first sight!
He instinctively reached out to touch it but then suddenly remembered something and stopped in motion.
He went to the washroom, lathered up with soap, and carefully washed his hands before drying them with a towel.
Only then did he extend his fingers into the wooden box, caressing the back of the little White Tiger with tenderness, feeling the warmth of its life.
The little White Tiger kept its eyes closed, deeply asleep, which was just so adorable.
[Bengal Tiger: Unnamed
Age: 8 days (cub)
Mood: Soundly asleep/calm]
Fang Ye slid one hand under its belly and supported its hips with the other, lifting it up securely: "By the looks of it, it's about 40cm long? Weighs 1 kilogram?"
This needed to be measured accurately.
Measuring tapes and digital scales were commonly used in the zoo, and he had them in his office.
The term 'body length' refers to the length of an animal's body. From the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, from the nose to the base of the tail, from the neck to the base of the tail - there's no right or wrong, it all depends on the context.
Fang Ye measured from tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, straightened out the little White Tiger's tail, and measured it to be 47cm!
That was longer than his estimate, the tail alone was 15cm, a full third of its body length.
An adult tiger's tail is thick and muscular, serving as a balance during movement and a powerful weapon in attack.
But the little White Tiger's tail was still thin and weak, delicately tapered like a chopstick at the end.
He then placed a towel on the digital scale and put the little White Tiger on it.
The weight was 1330 grams.
For an 8-day-old Bengal tiger cub, that was a normal and healthy weight range!
Fang Ye kissed the little White Tiger on the forehead and a smile appeared on his face: "You're such a cute little fellow, what shall I name you?"
As he pondered, his gaze inadvertently drifted toward the base of its tail.
Hmm, it's got balls, it's a male tiger!
"For a male tiger, perhaps a name that suggests masculinity, like Zhuangzhuang? Thunder? Majestic? Hmm, it's hard to decide... or maybe I should let the netizens brainstorm? But if I let the netizens pick, they will definitely come up with some silly names..."
Fang Ye momentarily fell into deep thought.
Naming is indeed a difficult task!
While he was thinking,
"Waaa."
Accompanying the faint cry, Fang Ye suddenly felt the little White Tiger in his hands begin to squirm restlessly.
The cry of a baby tiger is actually quite similar to that of a human infant's wail - both go "waaa waaa waaa."
Looking down, the little White Tiger had already half-opened its eyes, turning its head and looking around in confusion, as if searching for something.
Its eyes were a blue-gray, as if veiled by mist, appearing somewhat hazy and not very clear.
Bengal tiger cubs can open their eyes between 8-10 days after birth, but at this stage, they still lack sight and can't see anything.
"What's the matter, little guy? Are you hungry?"
"Waaa," the little White Tiger called out weakly again.
Fang Ye did not dare to be careless and used the Eye of Observation to check for more detailed information.
[Bengal Tiger: Unnamed
Mood: Urgent! Urgent!]
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Health status: Hungry, craving milk. Suggestions:
1. Find a gentle-tempered, recently lactating medium to large breed dog, such as a sheepdog, to serve as a wet nurse for the tiger cub.
2. Use milk powder, at a ratio of 1 scoop of milk powder to 30ml of water to prepare the formula, and bottle-feed the tiger cub. It is recommended to use lamb's milk powder for puppies, as its protein, fat, taurine, and vitamin E content are all superior to those of human infant formula, and can meet the nutritional needs of the growing tiger cub. If infant formula is used continuously, the cub may experience widespread hair loss.
3. Select a well-ventilated room with good sunlight for the nursery, keeping the room temperature at about 28 degrees Celsius, clean and disinfect it daily...]
The suggestions are very detailed!
Including how to feed, how to care for, and what type of environment to provide.
"Thank goodness for the Eye of Observation..." Fang Ye felt relieved. Raising a tiger cub came with so many rules and methods. If he really fed the cub until it had widespread hair loss, not only would the cub suffer, he would also feel heartbroken and guilty.
The little White Tiger's panel flickered, and a new message appeared: "Ding! Detected that the host possesses the item 'Protective Potion', which can be mixed with 3ml per feeding to help the tiger cub grow up healthy!"
"Right!"
Fang Ye realized that the newly born tiger cub needed immunity, and this was also the time when it was smallest, hence the Protective Potion could be most effective.
Actually, for the young of mammals, including human infants, the best way to boost immunity is through the consumption of the mother's milk.
Especially the colostrum produced in the first few days after birth, which contains a very high number of antibodies!
However, in the meantime, it was not possible to find a suitable wet nurse for the little cub.
Speaking of which, if mother's milk is the best, why do many animals still need to be hand-reared?
Because some animals, especially first-time mothers, are not very adept at caring for their young.
For instance, they might suffocate the cub by rolling over it while sleeping – an unfortunate accident.
Others might not feel secure and, wanting to move to a different place, carry their young by the nape, but do so with too much force and break the cub's neck.
Or they simply find suckling uncomfortable and refuse to nurse their offspring altogether.
In the wild, every young animal that grows up is incredibly lucky.
Hand-rearing is all about reducing such accidents and increasing the survival rate of the young animals.
"Wah, wah."
The little White Tiger, eager for milk, started crying out, one call after another, its voice growing hoarse.
Fang Ye hurriedly called Lan Li, speaking rapidly, "Hey Lan Li? Can you quickly grab a bag of milk powder from the storage for me? Lamb's milk powder! Bring it to my office! And don't forget a baby bottle!"
"Okay!"
On the other end of the phone, Lan Li, listening to the hoarse cries of "wah wah" coming through, felt somewhat puzzled, "Is there a new cub that's been born?"
But then he thought, there haven't been any pregnant animals in the zoo recently, right?
Despite his confusion, he moved quickly, immediately springing into action.
Meanwhile, Fang Ye did not idle, starting to boil water.
Because the water in the kettle had already been boiled before, it only needed to be heated slightly this time.
Fully boiling it again wouldn't be good, he'd have to wait for the water to cool down.
He directly stuck his finger in the kettle, silently gauging the water temperature.
Feeling that it was about hot enough, he turned off the switch.
"Little guy, no more crying, all right? You'll have your milk in a moment!"
Fang Ye gently stroked and soothed the little White Tiger.
But unexpectedly, the little White Tiger, looking somewhat bewildered, bit down on his finger!
Chomp, chomp.
The 'king' character on its forehead stood out as its little face looked serious; it sucked earnestly.
However, despite its vigorous efforts, it couldn't draw any milk.
It was only because it had been born just a few days ago and its range of emotions was not very developed. Otherwise, its current mood would surely be one of deep suspicion towards its tiger life!