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Getting girthy! National Zoo’s panda cub growing fast

The Smithsonian National Zoo says its panda cub is really packing on the pounds — and that’s a good thing.

In the latest update from the zoo, the cub born to pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian has gone through a growth spurt and now weighs in at 4.5 pounds — nearly a pound more than last week.

The cub also added an inch to his midsection (from 12.5 inches to 13.7). He measured 15 inches long from nose to tail tip.

The zoo considered the cub’s growth positive and said he was “quiet and sleepy” while he was being measured.

“All in all, we are happy that our cub is making good gains, and his growth and development are right on track,” wrote Laurie Thompson, assistant curator of giant pandas, on the zoo’s panda blog.

Earlier this week, the zoo announced the cub is male.

Last week, the cub began to open his eyes and now they are fully open. The zoo said his ear canals should open soon and he’s already begun responding to noises around him.

Hundreds of guinea pigs fill Massachusetts sanctuary with squeals, purrs and lots of love

SALISBURY, Mass. (AP) — Kimie Smothermon begins each day greeted by the squeals, chirps and purrs of nearly 400 guinea pigs. Depending on who you ask, tending to the daily barrage of guinea pig needs can be either a fairy tale or a horror show. For Smothermon, it’s often a mix of both. “If I could figure out how to get out of this at this point, I probably would,” Smothermon joked. “But I do believe that to a certain extent, I probably wouldn’t get out of bed if I didn’t have this.” Smothermon is the owner of the Guinea Pig Sanctuary, in Salisbury, Massachusetts, roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Boston. On any given day, 350 to 400 guinea pigs are housed in a modest workspace, split into cages stacked from the floor to ceiling.
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