Here is what I found in my research prior to Sunshines's babies being born
85 degrees for 1-2 weeks, 80 degrees the 3rd week, 75 degrees after that, then temperature the same as is comfortable for you. BIGGER puppies can handle less heat. Newborns need to stay a lot warmer than we do. A chilled puppy can die very quickly and will not eat. I kept a thermometer right inside the x pen where I had the whelping box set up. I also kept the whelping box covered with a blanket at all times and wrapped blankets all around the xpen and over the top at night. Putting the blanket over the entire x-pen at night really helped to keep the warmth in for the babies. I kept a heating pad on low under 1/2 of the whelping box to help maintain the heat. Mom could move to the side where the heating pad was NOT if she got too warm. Also, since the whelping box and x-pen were set up in one corner of my bedroom, by covering it at night, I was able to use a fan in the room aimed away from the pen and towards the bed so we were also comfortable without comprimizing the babies.
Good luck |