In 1990, the “Twins swapping” method was successfully developed at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. This meant that when twins were born, both could survive! This method dramatically boosted the cub rearing rate to 88%, and it became a common management technique for twin panda births, used widely in zoos and breeding centers around the world.

• Twins swapping
  (the “alternating care” method) is?

• This method ensures that twin cubs get enough milk from their mom. One cub is taken from the mother and cared for in an incubator, while the other stays with the mom to nurse. After the cub with the mom has finished nursing, they swap places with the cub in the incubator.

• Number of cubs born (per birth)

  

• Trends in panda cub rearing rates

  

  Created from The 2019 International Studbook For Giant Panda

In 2003, twin pandas were born at our park, and their mom, Meimei, raised both of them at the same time! This was actually the first time twin pandas were successfully raised by their mother in captivity. Meimei gave birth to her second cub about two hours after the first, and she lovingly held and cared for both cubs, named Ryuuhin and Shuuhin. The next day, during their weight check, we saw that both cubs had yellow milk stools, which meant they were getting enough milk, so we decided to let their mom continue caring for them.
Generally, a baby's weight tends to drop a bit after birth before it starts to increase. For other twin pandas born at our park (in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2014), it took 3 to 6 days for them to regain their birth weight. But Ryuuhin and Shuuhin's weights steadily increased without any drop: at one day old, they weighed 160g and 106g respectively, and at two days old, they were 167g (up 7g from the previous day) and 106g (no change from the previous day). Both cubs doubled their birth weight by 10 days old and were exclusively breastfed for seven months! Meimei gave birth to twins two more times after that, but her second cub born in 2005, weighing only 66g, sadly passed away at one day old. When she had twins again in 2006, the first cub (named Aihin) weighed 196g, while the second (Meihin) was 84g, a big difference of 112g. To make sure Meihin could nurse properly, the only option was to use the Twins swapping (alternating care) method. The success of raising Ryuuhin and Shuuhin simultaneously in 2003 was likely due to Meimei's excellent mothering skills, her abundant milk supply, and the fact that there wasn't a huge weight difference between the two cubs at birth. During this time, Chinese experts collected data on the twin giant pandas' natural rearing behavior, gaining valuable experience to improve future panda cub survival rates. This 2003 case was reported at an international panda conference as the first successful simultaneous twin rearing in captivity.

Ryuuhin and Shuuhin Weight Trends