Hello with our 1st litter I bought one of the big totes @ Wal-Mart, and it worked out great I cut a big square hole in the side of it, (I put an old hand towel around the bottom of it, (a few days later after she was done whelping) with duct tape so Tiffanie and our babies wouldn't scratch their bellies on it), I took the top off for her to do her whelping in so I could help her if need be, the tote I bought was big enough for Tiffanie to lay down in and have them easy (Even tho when she got in after whelping, she always laid to the side of it!) and room for me to put our heating pad in (Which I wrapped in it's cover, pinned a big beach towel around it and then put receiving blankets on top of it to keep the puppies from getting cold) Then once she was done whelping I hung my Temp. gauge (Have to make sure puppies bed stays 85 degrees and that they DON'T get chilled, Tiffanie had her 1st litter last May 4th and I still did all this to keep our babies warm and we never lost a one!!) down in the tote, put the lid on which helped keep the temp gauges wires away from Tiffanie and puppies and also helped keep the heating pad cords away from them too. Then it made the cleaning easier too once they get bigger, I put their whelping box/bed back in the very back of our biggest metal crate and put wooden boards with old sheets stapled to it (Kinda fixed it like a playpen in front so they wouldn't get their heads stuck through the metal bars) the boards around the front of the crate. That way they could come out of their beds when they needed to potty, once they got big enough to learn that! (Kept newspapers in the bottom of the crate, cleaned all the crate and bed twice a day, sometimes 3 times a day for months, did a lot of washing bed clothes lol !!!!) and when Tiffanie was done feeding she came to the door and whined and I'd let her out to have a break from babies, the weaning was so easy this way also...NONE of my babies ever cried for her @ all once they was weaned!!! Also, when I let them out in the living room it was easy that way too, and when I wanted to let them go outside I bought a smaller tote to bring them outside to play and learn to potty outside. Tiffanie is on day 44 of her 2nd litter and I just put her whelping box inside for her to start sleeping in now, she loves it. I thinks she knows it won't be long and I can't wait. Here is photos of ours hope it will help U. Good luck with U're 1st litter! Hugs, Lee, Teddy, Tiffanie and Sir. Galahad |