NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk Zoo announced the birth of a two-toed sloth Tuesday afternoon.
The unnamed baby, born on March 8, is the first offspring for its mother, Honey, and father, Mervin.
Dr. Colleen Clabbers said both mom and baby sloth are looking healthy.
“The infant is doing really well, nursing from mom and eating small bites of cooked veggies from its mom and the Keepers,” Clabbers wrote.
Right now, the sloth family is all together in the World of Reptiles exhibit of the zoo, and zoo officials said they mostly sleep the days away.
The zoo is auctioning off the right to name this tiny tree-climber to the public. You can bid for a name until April 23, zoo officials said said.
Proceeds from the auction will go to support the zoo's Emergency Operating Fund.
Right now, The Virginia Zoo is closed to the public to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but the little fuzzball will still act like a baby well into next year.
The zoo wrote that baby sloths stay closely attached to their mothers for 11-12 months, but may start climbing off of her around one month of age.
In captivity, it's even possible for baby sloths to hang off of their fathers; fathers don't usually play a part in raising sloth offspring in the wild, the zoo said.
