Have you ever wondered how much Pip and Jo the rescued moose calves get fed? When these little gals first arrived in late spring 2020, we started them out with six bottle feedings a day (every four hours). This meant many late nights and early mornings for our Animal Care staff!
The amount they received per bottle depended on their weight and changed as they grew. An example of the amount they received when they were receiving a bottle six times daily was an amount of formula equaling 10% of their body weight.
As they grew older, Pip and Jo were slowly weaned off the bottle and the frequency of feedings decreased. During this time, they were transitioned to solids such as grain ration, willow, and fire weed. A huge shout out to our Animal Care staff for working around the clock to keep Pip, Jo, and the rest of our animals happy and healthy!
On September 30th, Pip & Jo were officially weaned off the bottle. These gals are big kids now and are each eating 500 grams of grain every day. This amount will increase as they grow. They also enjoy browse such as alder and willow, as well as hay.
Fun Fact: In the wild, moose calves are born in the spring and twins are most common, although triplets can occur. At birth, calves weigh 35 lbs on average and grow up fast! They can grow to more than 10 times their size at birth within their first 5 months of life. This can often be over 500 lbs. Calves begin nursing shortly after they’re born but will begin eating solid food such as leaves, bark, twigs, and shrubs. In the fall, calves are weaned completely and move to only eating solids.
Learn more about Pip & Jo the rescued moose calves at www.alaskawildlife.org/animals/moose