I have some concerns in this regard. The first whelpling I managed to hatch died in 90 minutes from starvation, even though the baby whelpling said that it did not need care for 3 hours. It was full of food, but obviously not enough. This time, I have force-fed it prime meat and it's still alive, and it's gorgeous, however it wants care again in 3 more hours. The natural spawn rate is so high that I have to wonder what the point is of even making these breedable aside from the vanity aspect of the outcome from different color combinations. That even said, I have a job and a real life. I have been breeding critters in this game for months. They normally require care for about 5 hours with attention every 7-12 minutes.
The maturation time is too long for a vanity pet. I've tamed 3 wild since this one hatched.