Orphan Lamb

New Zealand is a land of sheep.  There were 20 sheep for every person in the 1980s but now we make do with only 10 sheep each.

When living in a land of sheep, you often encounter orphaned lambs. Sometimes ewes just don't like their babies and reject them, sometimes they have too many babies to care for them all and sometimes, the ewe dies in childbirth.  Out of these tragedies, we get an opportunity to hand raise a pet sheep.

Little Rugsby was born on 9 September but sadly, his mother died while trying to give birth to his sibling (who also died).  He is cute as a button, hungry and more than happy to be sleeping in the house. He has bonded with me and wants to go everywhere I go. I am officially his "Mary."

Rugsby is hungry like any newborn and I am making him bottles of milk every 3-4 hours. His "formula" is a powdered sheep milk and he drinks it from an old soda bottle with a lamb nipple. Drinking lots of milk means making lots of pee. And, oh goodness gracious, can this little lamb pee. And pee. And pee some more.  He just seems to constantly drizzle pee.  During his first several days inside, he managed to generate about 8 loads of laundry --urine soaked blankets and towels.  He is now on the patio. Poor dear. I would love to keep him in the house but with his pee problem, outside is clearly where he belongs.

Rugsby got his name from my children because he was born on the first day of the Rugby World Cup.  Then the children decided that the name "Rugby" was "already taken" and changed it to "Rugsby."

Once Rugsby is a bit older, he will be castrated. He will be a wether.  And he will live out in the paddock with the other sheep. But for right now, he is happy to sleep in the kitchen and spend his days on the patio. In another week, he will begin sleeping in a barn.  I am trying not to "personify" him as I know he is livestock but it seems I have bonded with him as well. Baaaa!