|
 |
|
| Name: |
Snickers, Rolo
|
Age: |
Eight weeks old
|
| Gender: |
Male
|
Kind: |
Nigerian Dwarf Goat
|
| Home: |
California, USA
|
This is Rolo and Snickers. They are named after candy bars. They are called Nigerian Dwarf Goats. Nigerian Dwarf Goats came from Africa. They weigh about 45 lbs full grown. They were bred for their meat. The way the first Nigerian Dwarf Goats originally came to other countries is an interesting story. They were used to provide fresh food for wild animals who were traveling by seas. The wild animals were traveling by seas because they were going to be zoo and circus animals. For the goats that didn't get eaten on the long voyage they were made into zoo and circus animals as well. The tiny goats were found to be very easy to keep in captivity and friendly. Soon wealthy people started buying goats from zoos and circuses. The wealthy started to breed the tiny goats for their milk. That's where the original Nigerian Dwarf Goats came to be.
Nowadays dwarf goats are used in a variety of ways. They are used to produce milk, pull carts, do shows and pack on small hikes (they can't pack much because of their size but people have found them to fit better on the smaller mountain trails). Lots of people have also found they make great all around pets too.
Rolo and Snickers came from a large farm that uses goat milk to make soaps, cheese, ice cream and more. I chose them because I wanted goats that had no horns. There are two ways to get a goat with no horns. The first way is a very select few are born polled. Polled means born without horns. The second way is to disbud them when they are babies. I chose to get polled goats so they will never have horns. There are so many colors and variations that it was very hard for me to choose. In the end it came down to these two. A week later the lady who was selling them came and dropped them off at my house.
I chose to wether them which is a type of castration. Once a male goat is castrated he is called a wether instead of a buck. Female goats are called a doe. I wanted wethers because bucks will actually pee on themselves to make them smell attractive to does. Though the goats think this smell is attractive, it is not a smell you would want as a perfume.
I didn't meet Rolo or Snickers before I bought them because for health reasons the breeder doesn't allow people on her property. She doesn't want to get germs into the goats milk. I picked them out from about fifty other baby goats. Now they are our family pets. They live down in my barn with a miniature donkey as a friend (the miniature donkey's name is Dash).
The whole family likes to play with them. Actually anyone who meets them likes to play with them. They are only eight weeks old now and love to jump around and climb on things. Which older goats like to do as well. Since all goats came from Mountain Goats they are very good at climbing things. We take the goats on walks with leashes to new and exciting places. I carry a dog treat pouch stuffed with their favorite treats (Teddy Grams) so the people who see them can feed them too. It's not very often you see a goat and so on walks Snickers and Rolo attract a lot of attention. Though I believe most people who drive by us or see us from afar think we are actually walking dogs.
Snickers is the darker and shyer one. Rolo is lighter and more outgoing. We all love them the same and enjoy their unique personalities.
Talk about Snickers and Rolo in Pet Talk!
|
|
|
|
