Breeding & Puppies

Breeding on Canis

Breeding season is year round within Canis. So long as your character is of age, they can participate in breeding season at their own volition.

Breeding Age and Cycle

Wolves must be two years old to participate in breeding season. There is no age cap to when your character can no longer breed. Once your character reaches seven years of age the process will naturally become more arduous and because of that, the number of puppies born to them could be limited. Wolf characters can conceive up to eight children per litter. Mothers may only breed once per calendar year with a 4 month cool down period after they give birth or have a terminated pregnancy.

Process and Procedures

There is no requirement to conceive, other than that the mother and father must both be active characters. Puppies can be NPC'd for up to four months from their birth. If the puppies do not have players by that time, they must be removed from game (wander off, death, etc.). Puppies may be brought back in game at anytime if a player is found. Keep in mind that most wolf packs have in character restrictions on who is allowed to breed. If your character ignores these and does not tell their leader, they are putting themselves and their babies at a high risk of harm.

Mom's Breeding Page

Only biologically female or intersex characters can submit a breeding application. You can find it on your Character Status page.

There is no requirement for a conception thread, but you will need to prove that your character and their partner(s) are in the same area of the map. You'll need one or many links to threads, showing the parents in the same territory on or near the conception date.

Once your application is approved, you'll see a new pregnancy status for your character to help you and others reference just how pregnant the new mom is. You'll also have a new button on your breeding page that will allow you to terminate the pregnancy at any point.

Then, when Mom is at term, the terminate button will become the Birth Young button. Hitting this button will birth your new puppies. Although there is no need to post an actual birthing thread, it's a good idea to let your character's pack leaders know that the babies have arrived!

Creatures & Breeding

There is no requirement for a father player character for creatures, since creature player characters are far less common.

For creatures with gestation periods that are normally longer than four months, such as horses and deer, you are free to use a four month (120 days) gestation.


Wolf Pregnancy Timeline

One to Twenty-nine Days

Dams may experience vertigo, nausea, or vomiting, and can also experience food aversion or cravings around days 10-15 after conception. This is the first sign they have conceived. Pregnant females may also experience fatigue and an increased need to urinate. It is not yet obvious that an expecting mother is pregnant.

Thirty to Fifty Days

30/75

The female begins to show visible signs that they are pregnant. Between days 30-35 teats start to swell and belly fur thins. From that day on until the end of pregnancy, their belly starts to grow, enlarging quickly. As the pregnancy approaches 50 days, the mother will begin to feel the puppies move and begin to produce milk. During this time period, pregnant females may also experience early aches and an increased appetite.

Fifty-one to Seventy-five Days

51/75

During the last stages of pregnancy, females will be severely bloated and look very swollen along the stomach. Urination becomes very frequent along with cramping, and if one has not been made yet, a whelping den will be made for delivery. Closer to the end of this period mothers will grow restless and stay close to home. Expecting mothers may also have fluid run from their teats close to their due date.

Delivery

75/75

Labour lasts 24 hours. The female becomes very restless. She will pant, whine, and dig at her nest site with a slight drop in temperature. Whelping can take up to another 24 hours for all puppies to be born, depending on the size of the litter.

Birthing mothers are often reclusive. They will sometimes even snap at their mate or close family for being too close during or shortly after birth. As each pup is birthed, the mother will sever the umbilical cord, lick each child clean of their placenta until they are moving or show signs of life, then nudge them towards the belly for milk. Mothers may eat or bury the remaining placenta and any stillborn. Though they will be exhausted, they should be overall healthy.


Wolf Pup Development Timeline

Please note that puppies vary in their development rate depending on genetics, parenting, and play style.

Week 1

Equivalent to a newborn humanAbout 1 lb at birth

In the first days of a pup's life, their ears and eyes are completely closed, they rely solely on their limited sense of smell to find their mother and her milk. All pups are born with pale blue eyes that will not change until later. Movement is constrained to squirming or slow crawls though pups generally will stay very close to the Dam for warmth as they can’t regulate their own body temperature yet. They tend to squeak a lot to alert their mother where they are or if they’re distressed/hungry as they can not yet speak and will feed 4-5 times a day.

Week 2

Equivalent to a 1-year-old humanAbout 3-5 lbs

At around the 11th-14th day, their eyes/ears begin to open bit by bit each day, but they still cannot see, their world is completely blurry and dark. Their mobility is a little better as they crawl and start to attempt balancing on their legs, but only in very short spells. Thinking is pure instinctual at this stage with pups barely aware of their body. No permanent memories are able to be formed yet as days are spent mostly sleeping still and feeding several times a day. Pups may also roll their heads to sounds around them

Week 3

Equivalent to a 2-year-old humanAbout 3-7 lbs

Puppy eyes have adjusted by the end of the third week and ears are now open. Pups can’t concentrate on long distances but they can focus on any movements close by such as their siblings, the arrival of a parent at the den, or sudden movements in front of them. Pups can also now defecate and urinate without assistance from their caretakers. This week more interaction with each other begins including lots of mouthing and babbling as pups attempt to replicate sounds from their parents, and small growls to warn each other during play. Milk teeth will begin to sprout and children may have fuzzy memories of this time though nothing vivid will stick yet. They’ve also now managed to balance on all four legs and move about but will continue to consistently fall over as they test their little legs.

Week 4

Equivalent to a 3-year-old humanAround 13 lbs

The Dam begins to bring small pieces of meat back for the pups or regurgitates what food she’s been eating, to begin introducing solid foods and begin weaning off her milk. Pups are now quite active, playing for intervals of 30 minutes and sleeping for 1-2 hours, repeating throughout the day. Play-fighting for dominance has begun as well as the solidification of first memories. Pups are more curious about their surroundings, trying to find interesting things to play with, but also starting to run and chase one another. They don’t venture far but may begin playing just outside the den mouth. They're still clumsy with their balance, but the pups are now beginning to look more like adults. Fur has started to grow as ears stand straight and there is an obvious disproportion of the pup’s body compared to their large head and paws.

Week 5

Around 15 lbs

Pups are now nearly weaned off of their mother's milk, diet mainly consisting of raw meat with a ratio of 90/10. The pups are now beginning to show their personalities, as well as recognize and respond to their names. They will also be venturing out more often, remaining close to the den as they seek interaction with other wolves of their pack, but warily. The mother is still very protective of her pups at this stage. Pups may also start speaking their first words, though mostly incomprehensible, and recognize tone in others' voices.

Week 6

Around 17 lbs

The pups sense of vision and hearing are now quite clear. They are able to understand simple instructions and respond in limited and simple single-word replies. Their muscles are now fully adjusted to them running around, and their balance is super. They are now playing a lot more than the previous week but still sleeping for hours during the day as they continue to grow at a rapid pace. All of the pups are now completely weaned off of their mother's milk by mid-week and may accompany adults on short trips away from the den.

Week 7

Around 19 lbs

The mother and pack will be bringing the pups meals round the clock, especially if she’s had a larger litter where there are more mouths to feed. They are now playing with other wolves of the pack, and generally being curious, testing boundaries and limits with objects they come across or other creatures. Pups may repeat phrases they hear often and have grown their vocabulary to mostly nouns. They are also now able to express tone when speaking and can speak in short broken sentences.

Week 8

Equivalent to a 4-year-old human

Pups are moved to the rendezvous site with the rest of the pack. They may now join in with the pack for some activities, but stay back when they go off on hunts until they’re old enough to join them. Pups can now eat larger meat chunks and speak in mostly comprehensible short sentences. Their eyes will begin to visibly change colors up until 4 months of age when their adult eye color will then be known. Pups are also extremely curious by now and may ask many questions to understand the world around them better.

2 - 3 Months

Equivalent to a 5-year-old humanAbout 20-30 lbs

  • begin following adults on short small hunting trips but can not hunt
  • can return to the rendezvous by themselves
  • can speak well by the end of this time period grammar subject to mistakes still
  • become aware of differences between boys and girls (physically not sexually)

4 Months

Equivalent to a 7-year-old humanAbout 28-70 lbs

  • eyes finish color transition or remain blue for life
  • begin rapid growth period gaining around a lb+ per week but still disproportionate in paws and head
  • milk teeth are replaced by adult teeth
  • winter coat (if born in spring) / adult fur / guard hairs start to grow in
  • begin to question the world

6 Months

Equivalent to an 11-year-old humanAbout 40-80 lbs

  • begin slow growth period up to their first birthday
  • can begin accompanying the pack on hunts but not participating quite yet
  • grown into heads and feet but still not quite proportional
  • adult fur has fully grown in
  • personality actively develops along with new awareness of ideas of love, right, and wrong (morality development)
  • adult vocabulary but may still be awkward as they reach “teenager” status

9 Months

Equivalent to a 14-year-old humanAbout 45-90 lbs

  • nearly indistinguishable from adults beyond size
  • puberty begins (body changes for sexuality but not capable of reproduction) / attraction to others may start to form this process finishes halfway into the yearling stage with reproduction capable at 2 years of age
  • actively hunting with the pack
  • self morality is formed
  • often integrated into adult hierarchy but are still maturing around 9 months

Yearlings

Equivalent to a 15-17 year-old humanAbout 60-120 lbs

  • bone growth slows many may be done growing at this stage
  • may be awkward or weird around those they are attracted to as they navigate relationships
  • fully developed bodies and completed puberty halfway through the yearling phase though they are unable to reproduce yet

2 Years

Equivalent to a 18-20 year-old human

  • sexually mature / able to reproduce
  • prime time to leave home and find/make their own place in the world if they do not stay home

8+ Years

Equivalent to a 70+ year-old human

  • start to slow down at 7 years as they progress into elder status
  • temperament changes
  • fur greying especially in the face
  • body no longer able to do what it once was able to do
  • gradual decline and loss of control of body functions
  • may ache or have pain from too much movement / may have difficulty standing after laying for long time
  • may begin or permanently lose their ability to howl
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