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Animals: Biographies
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an animal!
Spenser
Rambouillet/Romanov wether
Born approximately February, 2001
Weight approx. 220 pounds
Spenser is a HUGE and very outgoing horned sheep. And yet when he came as a tiny baby to be a companion to WC, he was so shy that unless I was feeding him, he would run away. At that time the elderly ewe Princess was living here and he loved her terribly. He would also hide behind her if anything alarmed him. The day Princess died, she could not get up -- he went behind her and lay down, propping up her body so that she did not fall back down on the ground.
After Princess' death Spenser's character changed. He became more outgoing,
and challenged Newman regularly. The sound of their horns clashing was
so loud it sounded like plates breaking. When Spenser began exhibiting
ram-like behavior (mounting the females, acting aggressively towards people,
sometimes ramming them very hard in the legs and back) we took him to
the vet - and sure enough, found that he had a small testicle still up
in his groin. Everyone feels much better since that has been removed.
Spenser is named after Robert Parker's detective. His nicknames are "Mystery Man" (of all the sheep, he is the most difficult to understand) and "Mr. Studly". He is extremely affectionate and loves having his head scratched, but has gradually migrated towards the company of Parsnip and Jasmine (the "wild girls") and so has become shyer over time.
Care:
FOOD
Being a wether it is bad for him to have much grain. He and the other
wethers get sunflower seeds as treats; they contain ammonium chloride
which helps prevent the common (and deadly) ailment urinary calculi. He
gets a mix of timothy, orchard grass, and alfalfa hay, and all the grass
he can eat.
MEDICAL
Spenser receives a yearly shot of CD/T and rabies. He is wormed every
6 weeks alternating Safeguard and Ivermectin. His hooves are trimmed every
six weeks, at the same time.
OTHER
Spenser is sheared with the other sheep once a year, usually in late May
or early June. His wool is extremely soft.
HOUSING
Sheep are incredibly resilient animals, but they do need shelter from
the more severe weather. The barn door stays open all the time, so Spenser
can go in and out as he pleases.
