Teacup Care   Click to Enlarge

Teacup Poodles puppies require extra care. They are the same as any other poodle puppy, just smaller . They can't eat as much per feeding so they must be fed more often in smaller portions. The tiny stomach is less than 1/2 the size of a golf ball so that gives you an idea of the feeding portion size. I like to make sure they have fresh food offered 4 times per day. Often a teacup will need the powdered puppy milk (Just Born) added to the softened puppy food for up to 10 weeks of age. I use Science Diet here at poodleville for all of my poodles adults as well as puppies. Sometimes we must entice them to eat, I have found Gerber Chicken Sticks (toddler section of you local grocery store) to be a must have. Softened puppy food/ with water and 1/2 chicken stick mashed with a fork and warmed is a meal no puppy can resist.They must EAT!!! Only one missed meal and too much play can burn up the excess calories and set a sugar low into motion. After the age of 12 to 14 weeks teacup poodles should be past the time for stress related sugar lows. Most breeders of teacup poodles keep them to 12 weeks of age before shipping. Anyone who has a teacup poodle needs Nutra-Cal. This product contains a lot of sugar, it tastes great and the puppies look forward to it as a treat. I like to give them a dose the size of a large pea morning and night. This keeps the sugar level up. Pedolyte as drinking water helps reduce the likely hood of diarrhea and keeps you puppy well hydrated. This covers feeding so now lets go on to housing and body temperature. I refer to teacups as "play pen puppies". A children's playpen works great for a long time. Because they are so small they need to be kept warm, a bed warmer that only goes to a maximum of 85* is best placed under a snoozy bed. Teacup poodles don't carry allot of body fat so they can get chilled easily and please don't clipper cut the hair, a scissor trim will keep them in a nice cut until around 6 months old. Exercise your puppy for short periods of time. Make sure they have eaten, gone potty, and then play for 30 to 45 minutes at one session is best. Then back to the play pen for water and rest. Teacup poodles are not well suited for homes with small children and should not be left alone for long periods of time. You have a sweet tiny animal now and they need your love and supervision JUST LIKE HUMAN Babies. I also want to add that I have kept my teacup adults on puppy food for life. They need that little extra. I mix it half and half with adult food from one year of age. Thank you for taking the time to read my teacup info, I hope it has helped answer some questions or helped a little teacup out there!! Elaine Hixon Home NEXT TIP