The Laughing Raccoon

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

From all the coonies...........

From all the squirrels......

And from all the dogs and cats...........

From my gang of fur butts to all of you and yours....

Happy Valentine's Day! Thanks for loving and supporting animals everywhere!

Two captures.....two very different outcomes!

2012-02-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

As I was taking care of the crew Friday afternoon I happened to notice a coonie sleeping on one of the tree platforms. OK....a little unusual but given the 50 degree temps. not outright wrong, although I would have expected it to be higher up cradled in the pine branches where I usually find them.

A closer inspection revealed a very sick coonie. While I was observing him trying to decide how sick, or if he was injured, he proceeded to go back to what he was doing before I interrupted him.....chewing off his foot. Shit!!

There was no doubt in my mind what I had to do....not with this one. He had also been gnawing on the platform he was on...shredding it! So I trudged up to the house and got the catch pole and net....it was not a difficult capture by any means. Once he was in the net he pretty much just rolled around on his back....

.....in between trying to continue to chew his foot off. *Sigh*

It was very sad and I immediately had him euthanized. Not one of my immediate gang thank god...but maybe a grand kid. He reminds me of one of the wild juveniles that used to hang around out there and, although wouldn't come near me, would tolerate my presence and let me watch him when I left a snack out there for him to eat. I am saddened to think it was him. I think it's time everyone out there gets a rabies booster!

On a happier note.....a local dog rescue had a problem. A new 4 month old puppy that had just been transported up here to go into foster care had slipped its collar and run off. Of course it was one of those petrified pups that ran in fear from people. Kristen gave me a ring to see if I had a trap. It just so happens I had gotten a fox trap.....just in case for my resident foxes! Although we really didn't think it was going to work, I am thrilled to report that the traps maiden voyage was a total success!!

One very scared, hungry puppy is now safe and sound!!!!!!! Whew! Lost a little sleep worrying about that one all alone out there....the night before the storm that never happened was due to hit!

Slow progress on some renovations!

2012-02-08T10:39:00.001-05:00

Lets just say it started in October and it's getting there slowly but surely! Mostly because it's just been me and my dad doing it all! Such measures are required when one is counting every penny!

The two rooms off the kitchen (the "dining" room and my "office") are being transformed into rooms more compatible to a multi animal household. The off white carpet (that at one point was wall to wall throughout the whole house....who in their right mind!?!...) is slowly getting eradicated! Yayyyyy!

Room one....originally a dining room,(although never used for such a purpose!), gets a new floor with dad's help after I happily ripped up the crappy carpet!

It looks awesome, it's easy to clean and it's Pit bull approved too I might add!

It is now my office/dog room. Not that the dogs don't have the run of the house when I'm there, but a couple trouble makers need to be crated when I'm gone! Like Bernard who decides to chew and eat his blankets....narrowly missing an obstruction surgery, and Boo the counter surfer, because no matter how hard I try, I never remember to push anything edible out of his reach before I leave! With a new puppy in the house....it's a busy room sometimes! LOL

On to the next room.....slated to be the cat room! Ripped up the gross rugs....and that was about as far as we got before I got sick that time in the beginning of November when I was in bed for a week! I had furniture, boxes, new flooring and just crap everywhere! On top of not being able to get out of bed for a week and do any general cleaning.....it looked like a hoarders paradise! I was totally horrified when Brian from the Animal Rescue League brought Boston over the night he caught him......and OMG! had to use my bathroom and witness the hideous nightmare! Forget about the fact that I looked something like a cross between Medusa and Sasquatch! That bothered ME far less than the condition of my home, however probably had him wondering why he wandered into the dark woods without backup! Anyway I'm pretty sure Boston is quite happy things worked out the way they did! See Brian....I'm not really a crazy lady in the woods, living in squalor, that doesn't interact with people......(or make the ones that visit mysteriously disappear! LOL)!

So feeling better, onward I go. Got the floor cleaned up....and we still have not managed to get the new flooring down (the same as in the dog room) but it's all neatened up in there.

Doors have been added......

.....and the fun things cats love are in there...as well as 3 of the 5 cats who, despite something like a hundred litter boxes all over the house, insisted in peeing all over. Yesssss.....instead of getting rid of some of my kids, I built a cat room for them instead! So maybe I am the crazy cat lady after all......but I don't care, once you adopt them they are not just disposable if things don't work out perfectly!!! Problem solved anyway.....not a single mess outside the boxes since they've been in there!

Thanks to a wonderful co-worker of mine, there is also an outdoor section for them as well! Thank you Ted!!!! He built it off one of the windows (you can see the frame of it outside the window behind Lucy, the grey and white kitty) so all I have to do is open the window and they can go in and out all they want. I'll get pics of that on here eventually! For now it is closed. It's winter and they have been indoor cats all their lives. Come spring the window can open and they can get used to it! I still have to decorate it out there too. Gotta find stuff to put out there that can handle the elements......any suggestions welcome!!

So, it's far from finished but it's getting there!

The girls show themselves.....sort of!

2012-02-05T10:52:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since we've seen or heard anything from the gang out here! Some of it has to do with a little nervousness and mistrust after watching the boys get hauled away. Chicken and Laurie's girl were very nervous to begin with, but now just avoid me all together.

A lot more has to do with the fact that they are acting like raccoons should act in the winter....lazy couch potatoes, unmotivated by nice weather, a visit from Mom, or even food! I know, I know.... you're all shocked to think these voracious little chow hounds won't even stir for food!

Unless of course I bring in some tasty sweets they haven't had in a while! Then I can't get them to leave me alone! So I tricked them into an impromptu photo session.

Pebbles (top) and Porcelain (off to right) generally ending up coming out to say hi to me regardless...but add the sweets and Isles has no problem darting out of the den box to get her share!

Once Isles' fat ass is out of the way, Rizzoli decides to see what is up, with a little coaxing from Pebbles from above! Chicken, Springer and Laurie's girl are still tucked way back in there somewhere....

....and they are not planning on coming out anytime soon apparently! LOL Yup...there are 4 squished back in there!

But Rizzoli is in there and reassures all that I'm not coming in to haul anyone off. That's good enough for Springer who makes here way to the front of the box with her to get some treats.

My beautiful girl Porcelain! She was not shy at all and once she made it to the floor, I had her hanging out of my jacket pockets while I tried to move around in there....she knows where Momma keeps the good stuff and goes right to the source!

Isles and Rizzoli waiting for more!

Pebbles finally ended up planting herself in the den box entrance. Although Chicken and Laurie's girl wouldn't come out with the rest, they felt secure enough with Pebbles "guarding" the entrance to poke noses and hands around her....where treats "magically" managed to end up in their mouths and hands!...... and they were able to bring them back into the depths of the box to enjoy......pleased that yes, they were the ultimate Ninja coons!!!....and they were sooooo sneaky they were able to grab them without ever being seen! LOL-silly girls!

Alas....the treats finally ran out....and one parting shot of Rizzoli's opinion on that circumstance and I was outta there!

The boys are being equally as evasive. But they are such good boys and are taking great care of Boston, having accepted him as one of their own! Despite having 3 den boxes down there I usually find all 6 of them smooshed into 1. Boy is it toasty in there when I put my hand in to feel it! Makes me want to crawl right in there with them.

Save that date...... for all our local supporters!

2012-01-30T16:57:00.002-05:00

Sunday, March 11- 4pm my place!

OK folks, here is a fundraiser that is a win-win for everyone! You don’t have to spend a dime! In fact you can go home with money in your own pockets!! Come and hang out with good friends, drinks and munchies! All you have to do is bring any old gold and silver jewelry you no longer wear and want to get rid of. Then cash it in and get money for it on the spot! It’s that simple!

So spread the word and save that date!!

I will update you soon with more info., but if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me!

We look forward to seeing you all then!

In other exciting news, a group of us, including Rascal Rescue &

Wilmington Wild Things, are in the process of becoming one consolidated 501(c)3 non-profit! So do not be surprised if in the future, you start to notice name and email address changes.

Together we will be forming NEW ARC, the North

East Wildlife Animal Rescue Coalition.

Move over Noah! There’s a “new Ark” in town!

Hope to see you all in March!

Deanna

After the storm...

2012-01-26T12:33:00.001-05:00

OK...being from New England and all, anything under a foot is more like a dusting than a storm to me! So, after our last "dusting" of about 3 inches.....the clouds cleared out and it was a beautiful sunny day. Throw in a little wind and all that light, fluffy snow blew around in the sunbeams making for some lovely scenery outside my kitchen window!

Kind of like those "Jesus Clouds", you know, when the rays of sun come out through the clouds like in the pictures from the bible...??

I have my own "Jesus clouds" here with a little help from Mother Nature!

Some of my favorite birds.

2012-01-24T10:44:00.000-05:00

I love the red bellied woodpeckers! I have a lot of them around here but I don't often get close. They are pretty skittish like the mourning doves and quick to fly off at the first hint of movement through the window. It's great in the summer when there is a group of them (Mom and Dad and the kids), swooping around in the woods making quite a racket! The kids learning life's lessons, following the adults around while instructions are squawked to them.

Always very cute...the black-capped chickadee. They may be little but they are quite brave! Many of them will come right over to the feeders as I fill them and sit right next to me, watching, as if to say "hurry up already, we've been waiting!" Quite the characters!

An interesting tidbit about these guys....these tiny little birds are able to survive very cold temperatures by practicing nocturnal hypothermia. At night, they puff up their feathers to increase their insulation and lower their body temperature by as much as 15 degrees! This allows their stores of fat to last longer so they can survive long winter nights. Their body temperature begins to rise before sunrise to be ready for the next days activities.

And one bird that can always brighten a gray day! I have tons of these guys around! Had they decided to perch closer together in the bushes here, you would have seen 4 splashes of bright red!

And the mourning doves! I have a huge flock here and have always loved these pretty birds. Although they sound sad (thus the name!), my flock seems to be pretty happy! They should be...they have a crazy lady keeping bird feeders full for the squirrels and birds! LOL

The boys are keeping warm.

2012-01-21T05:31:00.001-05:00

I wouldn't want to get out of my nice cozy bed in the frigid weather we have been having either! Chester does his best to scoop up breakfast in bed........

...but eventually he had to emerge to reach more! They are crazy if they think I'm going to make it easy for them and put the food right in there with them so they can stay all cozy and warm while I freeze my ass off delivering it to them! LOL

One if Laurie's boys came right out when he realized food was involved....while you can see the rest of them waiting inside for a special delivery they are not going to receive.

Boston is as handsome as ever...

...and his foot is almost totally healed. Just some scabbing left on the top. He is definitely thrilled to have company to cuddle with in some of the frigid temps we've had lately!

The reds are settled in.

2012-01-18T05:09:00.000-05:00

The reds have totally made themselves at home. Now when I go in there they are all running around scolding me instead of hiding in the nest box. They are loving the nice big outdoor cage....which is MUCH bigger than the cage they were going to be spending the winter in. Characters they are....all 7 of them! Adorable little buggers!

Like I said......

2012-01-17T05:57:00.000-05:00

....I love the unexpected beauty I find right outside my front door!

I was heading out to bait the fox when I saw a lump that just didn't belong down by my driveway. Once I realized it was my ever elusive cooper's hawk, I ran and grabbed the camera of course! I was a little concerned it migh tbe injured....the ones that live in my woods are more skittish than the mourning doves and it was quite surprising to see it just sitting there so calmly. I usually only get a glimpse of a blurr once I realize they are around. Had it been ripping apart a meal it would have been a different story....but it wasn't.

So after admiring it for a few minutes, I started to approach it to see how it would react and if a net was needed. Happily it was fine....

....and I managed a couple of cool pictures of it flying away, since I kept the camera on it the whole time I approached in case of just such a thing!

Of course I was not quick enough to get the awesome pictures of it as it took off again flying towards me, then over me back into the woods behind the house. Damn! I finally caught a good look at you though...awesome!

Soaring high.

2012-01-15T05:02:00.002-05:00

As much as windy days can be a pain in the ass around here when out in the cold taking care of the animals, it can also be beautiful! The red tails around here love to soar over my house in the wind. You can tell they are having fun....not hunting, truly just up there to enjoy themselves! On this particular day there were 4! One pair soaring right over head, one pair a little further away.

One in particular spent a lot of time right over me, just drifting in the breeze. It gave me ample opportunity to take advantage of it's proximity and snap away with the camera. I think once he knew I was taking pictures he decided to show off a little! LOL

They really are amazing to watch....as long as they are staying away from my squirrels! :) Absolutely beautiful and so peaceful...wish I could soar up there with them!

I love that I never know what unexpected beauty I may run into when I walk out my front door, courtesy of Mother Nature!

A pleasant fox update.

2012-01-10T05:56:00.000-05:00

Well I am very happy to report that the fox I had feared dead with a terrible case of mange appears to be doing well! This one had a totally hairless tail and it's face was quite affected the last time I had seen it on the motion camera. It was not as predictable as my other one and I was never actually sure if it got any of the medicated meals left out there...where the other was kind enough to ingest all its mice for me to witness!

What makes me think it is that particular fox is the tail fur. Now, mind you, these pics actually make this one look better than it is! But there is new hair growth....the longer red fur around the neck, shoulder and sides is growing in long and nice. The areas that look like shorter fur is in fact starting to grow back in, but it is still pretty mangy looking in person. And the tail....still partially hairless but not totally anymore. Lots of new, lovely fur growing in there!

The eyes are bright and alert....not as mange encrusted as they used to be.

A lovely spring to it's gait and not plagued by itching. Able to see enough and active enough to hunt, I am finally quite hopeful for my fox population out here!

This one prefers looking by the feeding area across the front yard for morsels as opposed to the landscaped island on the opposite side of the front lawn. So I will redouble my efforts to make sure this one continues to improve by baiting that area as well as the island with the hopes both continue to get their doses! Since they both generally like to visit between 10am and 3pm, and since I have a clear view from inside the house to those areas, I should be able to keep a pretty good eye on who got what and when!

Calling all these foxes Foxy is getting too confusing. So I guess, at least while I can tell them apart, I'll call this one Lucky. The healthy one I saw on Christmas....lets say Holly? and Foxy can be the one that started it all!

New guests.

2012-01-08T17:07:00.003-05:00

A fellow rehabber got into a little pickle when she fell and broke her shoulder. Ouch! She had some gray and red squirrels overwintering and it was going to be a little difficult to handle with the injury. So the 7 little red's have been welcomed here. They are quite happily settled into a nice big outdoor pen!

It didn't take them long to redecorate and make this nest box their own!

Most of them are pretty shy, but there is one that will come out and chatter away while I'm in there feeding and cleaning. She likes to keep an eye on me.

It's pretty funny to sneak over there during the day when they are all out and listen to all the chattering and whistling they do.....not a quiet bunch!

Boston is just one of the gang now. All 6 boys can be found packed into the same den box together down there. He is one happy camper!

Boston gets some friends!

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

We have been so lucky with such mild temps up until now! Unfortunately that is coming to an end, and with single digit temps predicted (accurately I might add!) to start today, I was under the gun to shuffle some of the gang around while it could still be done. I didn't want to risk frostbite and more importantly, quite frankly, I just didn't want to freeze my ass off!

So....... thanks to a LOT of help from Laurie, coonies have been successfully shuffled just in time to beat the freezing temps out there today! It's not like we had anything better to do with our time off than run around in the woods fixing pens and moving coons around, right? LOL

The boys have been totally separated from the girls. Not going to have a repeat of the Vin Adventure's this year! Totally different pens so there can be no B&E's and larcenies of raccoon maidenhood! LOL

And the best part of all....Boston has friends! We moved him into the big pen downtown first and I'm happy to report he's walking and climbing with no problem! The inside of his leg has totally healed and the top of his foot is better every day.

Once the rest of the boys started arriving he was a little nervous at first and slunk around hiding from them. Then he ended up in this den box....followed by the 5 boys. Now he had no choice but to say hello....like it or not! LOL

I'm happy to say the boys were on their best behavior with him. Eventually he chanced a little look-see outside......

....then he got braver, and actually got a little excited about it I think! The worst he got was a little huff from Bama, but Chester here and the rest were nothing but encouraging to him. Good ole' Chester even gave his ears a little lick. Although he wouldn't come out of there while I was in the pen, for the first time he actually chanced a little sniff of my hand when I approached the den box instead of retreating to hide inside. He was definitely cognizant of my interaction with the boys and seemed to realize that I might just be OK if other coonies are not afraid to be near the big scary monster! Regardless, he is a gentle soul, and we had no problem vaccinating and transferring him to the big pen! (unlike some of the brats we raised from babies!)

Speaking of brats.....hehe. Cooper down below and Chester on the left were very good boys for the process. The other 3 (Bama and Laurie's 2- on the right and the next pic)......ugghh! But once they got settled in they were a little forgiving of us.

Bama here was the worst and as you can see, remained quite peeved even after settling in.

Chester is loving it!

Cooper .....

...not quite sure what to make of the fire hose bridge!

So.... the hammock that was here.....you're, ummm, planning on replacing that right?

We are gonna have a blast!

New friends, new pen....what could be better!

Ouchie!!!!

2011-12-31T05:47:00.001-05:00

A fellow rehabbher had a very gimpy coon, thought to be one of their releases, come into the feeding station. Luckily they were able to trap the poor fella so we could take a look. The leg was thought to be broken, and then some!

Turns out it was not a past release, but a very fat and healthy male (with the exception of the injury!) that was just friends with their releases. One reason for the limp was immediately obvious! Someone had chewed on his back leg and took some of his toes with them. Yes, that little piece of white is a bone. Although it looks bad, nothing a little amputation won't fix and he can do just fine without it.

Of more concern was a break in the leg but luckily xrays did not show any major breaks. Possibly a little something by the knee, but nothing cage rest wouldn't take care of since the knee was stable.

OK, so I may have taken advantage of the poor guys situation! He was just so big and fat and silly snoozing there, how could I resist? What do ya think, next playmate of the month? LOL

Not a juvenile based on his size, teeth and his "ahem" family jewels (which get more prominent around breeding season which is now)! We figure he's reached breeding age this year....so about 2. Doesn't look like he'll be participating this year though, poor fella! It may even be the reason he's all chewed up....trying to move in on another boars chick!

This is one overwinter that won't be staying here. He's in good hands back with the rehabber that rescued him!

A Christmas visitor.

2011-12-30T07:55:00.000-05:00

I am happy to see not all the fox in my area appear to be affected by mange! This beauty was around Christmas morning. I was pretty sure this was not my usual guest that I have been treating. This one has a much nicer coat and a black band around the tail that my foxy doesn't have. (Not to mention Dad saw my foxy hanging around yesterday with her less than perfect coat.)

Beautiful fox in great condition. Stopped by for a little Christmas gift! (or I should say stole one from the birds! LOL)

The suspect then absconded with a small loaf into the woods!

I had a lot of cute pics of the larceny, however there is a very annoying problem going on with uploading my pics to the blog. It takes FOREVER for pics to upload now for some reason. I have been trying since taking these pics and finally I let the computer run all day yesterday trying to "upload" four pics! I ended up having to just cancel it and keep trying again doing one at a time. I gave up at 3, hours later! Sorry...but my patience had worn out by that time...grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. This is going to be a problem if it is an ongoing issue.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and happy every other holiday to all our wonderful friends out there in coonie-land!!

The annual Christmas brunch.

2011-12-22T10:41:00.014-05:00

The six of us had our annual Christmas brunch this past Sunday and as usual, a wonderful time for us all! Relaxing, opening gifts, and pigging out on Mary's wonderful home cooking and creative dessert! Of course par for the course, an injured squirrel was delivered in the middle of it all! It wouldn't be a party for us if something wasn't being rescued at the same time!

Mary opens her new owl...it looks real, doesn't it! Sue also made her the most incredible hand made lamp! I'll have to get pics the next time I'm at Mary's, the ones I took did not come out well, you just can't make out how amazing it is!

Of course the little man had to come with me to meet everyone! My little clepto proceeded to steal the first gift opened by Laurie! Caught in the act!

After explaining to him stealing is wrong, he decided to hang out with Sue and pout a little while the rest of us opened our gifts! LOL

Seeing as the rest of the gang has had to look at some pretty goofy pics of themselves on here, it was only fair JoAnn and I take our turn! Me and my new waders! A true hick now, LOL...but I'll be dry and warm crossing the swamp! Ah yup!

Mrs. MaGoo here takes the cake though! LOL If JoAnn can't see her tiny little charges with those things on then there is no hope! What a great idea from Laurie though.......she'll be able to see things magnified while having her hands free to hold and take care of the tiny babies! I hate to admit it, but I think we're all going to need those soon!

Rudy was such a good boy (with the exception of the petty larceny earlier!) and is very social with everyone he meets...both furry and human. His good behavior continued when we headed to my parents house right from Mary's for their annual Christmas party.

Whew....what a crazy week it has been with a new puppy, the holidays and the parties! Looking forward to after the holidays and some quiet time!

The new boy.

2011-12-16T17:29:00.001-05:00

So, I needed another dog like I needed a hole in my head! But it was not a natter of need. As is too often the case these days, it was a matter of life and death for the poor little guy! He was (one of many :( )scheduled to be euthanized this past Monday morning and, come Sunday evening, he had not been pulled by a rescue or otherwise adopted. Honestly....how could I let that go!!

Being a puppy, he was an instant hit with Boo and Bernard. Marley not so much, but he's already warming up to the idea.

These two are just running maniacs! It's great...Bernard tires him out, and he quietly goes to sleep in his crate.

He is amazingly well behaved for his age! He will sit and stay like a pro. He sat right in front of me while I was on the couch for at least half an hour! I timed it....and when my show was over that's when I gave up and got up...a puppy mind you! He's more obedient than the boys! LOL He comes when called and "leaves it" when I tell him to....I'm amazed. He must have had some training? So how does a pup like him end up on death row?!

And so as you can see he has been s welcome addition to the usual suspects.... Boo, Bernard and Marley......

...and Lucy, who has already made it clear she's the boss....and he's listening! (Although he pretty much ignores the cats.)

Cruiser, Rookie, Smokey and Cuffs are all just rolling their eyes...."For the love of God, she picked up another one!" They're pretty much taking it all in stride...after all they still outnumber the dogs by 1!

We're gearing up for our annual Christmas brunch at Mary's this Sunday. It'll be a good chance for the ladies to meet him!

Lisa's Birthday party.

2011-12-13T17:48:00.001-05:00

Thanks to a night off for everyone and a very yummy cake made by Mary....

....we were able to get together to officially celebrate Lisa's (29th!) birthday!

Once again another wonderful night of food, friends and fun!! And a bunch of dogs crawling into every ones laps...LOL. But the girls are used to that by now when we get together at my house. And this time we have pictures of Lisa AWAKE on the couch by the end of the night! (although I do look forward to getting those wonderful pics and surprising her with them!)

All else is well in the animal kingdom. Boston is doing great, all the overwinters are fine and the little porcupine brought to Tuft's is improving! Enough so that it is ready to go to a rehabber for long term convalescence. So Dee and Tom will be arranging to get the little fella where it will be in good hands! Another happy ending....love it!

I found some hidden gems!

2011-12-10T05:31:00.001-05:00

Thanks to updated computers and software and technology in general....I got these hidden gems off my old cell phone that broke ages ago! Thanks to blue tooth technology I was able to get some of the videos that were stored in it! So lucky you guys....you get to see what it's like when I happen to run into an old friend......and her adorable new family!

It ain't professional by any means, just crappy cell phone quality.....but enjoyable all the same! This is Red with her darling family last June 2010 when I ran into them checking the main feeding station.

Then of course there was Little Monkey, one of the reds released here that year that decided to make me his little play gym. I would show up and and he would immediately start demanding some kind of treat, then proceed to strip search me if there were none produced forthwith!

Sometimes he brought one of his siblings and god forbid I put the raccoon formula and food down for a minute......they would just start helping themselves! After all, I was there to cater to them, was I not?!

Never a dull moment when heading out to take care of the rehabs!!

The gang.

2011-12-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

The gang is doing great and fattened right up! Of course now they are big enough to go, but it's too late in the season of course. Although we lucked out with lovely fall weather until December, that luck has changed. Colder temps have descended and in MA where winters are cold and snowy, they just wouldn't have enough time to establish safe den sites to keep themselves warm and safe.

No complaints from this crew though....they are quite happy where they are as you can see!

Having the time of their lives :)

Boston before and after.

2011-12-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to report great progress with Boston's recovery! The pictures are worth a thousand words! Just look at how well the wounds are healing.

He is also walking on it pretty well. The top of the foot is taking a little longer, but is improving as well. He was not quite as cooperative about showing that to the camera! Soon I'll be separating the boys from the girls and chances are he will join the boys in a new pen. I think he'll be happy to have some company and make new friends!

Helping the local coyotes.

2011-12-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

John, the Belmont ACO, is on a mission! This coyote family is obviously in desperate need of help! They have mange and it's so bad at this point the wounds they are inflicting on themselves is horrible as you can see in the pictures John got. Not to mention the fur loss. We have been pleasantly blessed with a very mild fall....it's December 6 and we have been in the 60's more often than not! If not for that these guys may have suffered even more.

First sightings were of this male, a welcome visitor to the golf course due to his rodent control skills. (Imagine that...someone who appreciates and is willing to coexist with this totally misunderstood animal! You guys rock!) Tuft's was contacted and willing to take him if captured. Game on! These guys are NOT easy to catch!

Thanks to John's patience and traps from the ARL.....success! But wait a minute.....this is a female! John was pretty sure he had identified the "proper equipment" on a MALE while tracking the original coyote. (And I'm pretty sure that, his coyote expertise aside, he knew what he was looking at! LOL)

So as it turns out, this female is safely tucked away at Tuft's. She's doing well, eating fine and being treated for heartworm, mange and her wounds. Further sightings have been of a pair traveling together, one being the original male spotted. Uncanny that his large wounds are almost identical to this girls in size and location, tricking us into thinking it was one and the same! He's thinking that this female is possibly one of the kids to the pair still on the loose...

And so the wait continues as John regularly checks the traps hoping to get the male before it's too late! The traps have remained frustratingly empty, although the report from last night was that one of the traps had been sprung and the bait was gone. But I know John and he's determined to help them....if anyone can catch them he can!!

Look familiar?

2011-12-05T05:12:00.001-05:00

Does this squirrel remind you of anything????

LOL....Just sayin'............

Apparently the great acorn shortage is not affecting this crew!

Happy BDay Lisa and Nancy & David's friends!

2011-12-03T10:15:00.008-05:00

First of all a GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lisa! I think she's 29.....again! LOL We'll be celebrating that big time at my place this coming week....can't wait!

Here are some adorable pictures sent to me by a wonderful fan, Nancy. Her husband, David Altman, is a professional photographer and got these pics of the lovely backyard family they have become friends with! They are Maxine Maxwell, Chloe Ruxpin, Cinnafur Ruxpin (Grandma, Mom and daughter) and Baby.

Grandma Maxine is the adorable one here enjoying an ice cream cone! How cute. She was a regular visitor and friend for 5 years!

Looks like Baby doesn't want to be left out....where's my cone! LOL

And another cute one of Chloe and Zoe napping in a tree.

It's great to know others enjoy sharing their space with our wildlife, like myself and Phillip and Michelle....and like to sit back and enjoy their company as opposed to driving them off or killing them!

Don't stop sharing your stories with me people....I love knowing there are others like us out there and it's great to tell happy stories of you enjoying our lovely furbutts!

Oh happy fox sighting!

2011-11-29T21:02:00.001-05:00

I am sooooo happy to report a very happy, foxy update! I haven't seen my fox that I've been baiting with ivermectin for mange in a while....and I feared the worst. Thanks to one of my very attentive boys, Marley, I was alerted to a visitor this past Friday morning. And there it was....hanging out right under the window, as if to say look at me now...I'm lookin' good!

The face and legs are still a little sparse and scruffy looking, and you can see the bare spots on the legs where the mange had originally set in....

But look at that beautiful back side! Lots of new, beautiful fur growth on the butt above the tail where it had been bare, and a nice fluffy tail!

And the fur on the face and under the chin and chest.....growing in! That's a fur coat that will get it through a cold winter now and I'm thrilled.

On the down side, there had been a second one hanging around as well...in much worse shape and I have not seen that one in a while either. It was a little more skittish and I generally only got a look at that one on the game camera at night. However that has been broken for a while and I have not been able to monitor as well. I can only hope maybe it is doing as well, but since it was not as common a visitor during the day I'm just not aware of it's condition. In the meantime I will continue to treat them as best I can and hope to enjoy their visits for a long time to come!

Special thanks for special gifts.

2011-11-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has been to my house has seen first hand that, yes, I am pretty much as crazy about raccoon decor as I am the actual beast! I have to give a great big shout out and thank you to a couple of people who have made my favorite things!

A friend of my Mom's, Carol Warren, made this beautiful quilt for Mom & Dad to give me for my birthday! FINALLY I found the right hangers to get it up on the wall in my great room. The picture does not do it justice...its amazing! Dad has to cut some birch trees down that keep blocking my driveway when it snows so when he does I will be selecting a lovely branch from that to replace the dowel in use here. (As you can see it's not just coonies I decorate with! Notice the squirrel hangers.)

It is amazing and even has a lovely message on the back. Have I mentioned before that my parents are the best!? Rascal was my very first baby, and the rehab that started me on my path to wildlife rehabilitation. He's the reason for my love of raccoons and the reason behind the name Rascal Rescue for my rehab. (at least until we combine and become a 501c3!) Basically he's the one that started it all.

Thanks Carol for such a lovely quilt!

Now on to my absolute most favorite curtains!! Thanks so much to Mamie, Laurie and Lisa's mom, for what could only be the most perfect curtains for the home of a raccoon obsessed wildlife rehabilitator! LOL They are amazing and again, the picture just does not do them justice!

They absolutely make the room! I love them so much....thanks Mamie!!!

Update on Boston the ARL rescue.

2011-11-27T04:20:00.002-05:00

Here is the lucky boy. Is he handsome or what! He's pretty relaxed and tolerant of me...as long as I'm not poking, prodding or trying to spray smelly granulex on his leg!

Here is the result of having you leg stuck and hanging from it with all of your body weight for a long period of time! Aside from the nerve damage, the major swelling after having the limb unstuck leads to wounds like this. I know it looks pretty bad, but in all actuality they look good for this type of wound! The tissue is nice and pink and alive and there is a healthy blood supply to the area.

And...if you look closely in this picture you can see his other rear leg as he proceeds to step out of the den box. Why is that so exciting you may ask? Well because while he's lifting that leg to step out, he's using his injured one to stand on, and it's in the proper position with no toes knuckling under! He's using the foot and leg! Wooohooooo!

The full extent of it's use will not be known for sure until a lot of healing has occurred and nerve damage takes time and patience.....so for now I am optimistic that Boston will continue to recover after a long layover here in the safety of his pen. Lucky for him also, Brian from the ARL realized he needed more than just getting unstuck and sent on his way. Nice job Brian and thanks for getting him here!

I almost forgot...

2011-11-25T11:31:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know my gang did thanks to Woburn Animal Hospital and the cases of canned dog food they donated!! Even the wild gang out there ate like Kings and Queens...a rare treat for sure. Thanks so much guys!!

A prickly situation!

2011-11-25T11:27:00.000-05:00

This past Monday, Laurie got a call for something we don't see to often around here....a porcupine! Lucky for me she was busy and I was off....so I got take the cutie pie in! Poor little thing...it's a young one and it is pretty ataxic. (Ataxia: Wobbliness. Uncoordination and unsteadiness due to the brain's failure to regulate the body's posture and regulate the strength and direction of limb movements. Ataxia is usually a consequence of disease in the brain, specifically in the cerebellum which lies beneath the back part of the cerebrum.)

Poor thing has a few tics and you can also see some trichodectes louse mixed in there, a normal load of which is normal for these guys. It is beleived they play a role in maintaining thier skin health.

I only had the little guy for the night though. Laurie and Lisa brought it to Tuft's the next morning to get checked out.

It got a full workup. X-Rays showed no problems and there are no signs of trauma. We initially thought it was possibly hit by a car. They are still awaiting some tests results, but one possibility they are leaning towards is roundworm. Unfortunately if that is the case there is no chance of recovery and it will only get worse. So for now, it's getting supportive care and all we can do is wait and see. If it's roundworms it will continue to get worse, if not it should improve with time....so that's what we're giving it! Luckily if the little fella has a chance, he's also got a great place to go and recover...Dee and Tom at Urban Wildlife in Springfield have experience with these prickly critters and will give it the best possible care! Lets all hope for the best for this little quill pig!

Cold weather gear & River's gang.

2011-11-21T23:13:00.001-05:00

As the weather gets colder I end up bundling up in warmer clothes to go out and take care of the kids. My favorite is my coon skin cap....it keeps my head so warm! I love it! Sometimes it gets too warm though and I have to take it off....

.....or it just gets hungry and crawls off into the food bucket! LOL!!! Silly River!

Up until this past month I could always rely on River and the kids showing up when I went out to feed the gang. Sometimes they were a little impatient I think too! I would come out and find them already waiting....snoozing away waiting for the sound of the shed door opening and food getting scooped into a bucket. LOL...how sweet.

Now they are acting like normal coonies.....no sign of them until after dark. Howell the boy hasn't been with them in a while either. Probably hanging with the bachelors by now. A few days ago when I went out looking for them with some treats River and the girls came in with Ringer. It appears they may be hanging out together quite a bit now. They couldn't have a better guide to show them the ropes out there....she's the queen of the woods!

The squirrels & the new boy gets a name.

2011-11-20T13:11:00.000-05:00

How could I forget to update you on the squirrels! *Sigh*....my aging mind is not as sharp as it used to be! My gang of 12.....including little Acorn and a slew of JoAnn's babies, are romping the woods and loving it! It's going to be a bad year food-wise for rodents, and these guys were a little later getting released than I would like due to so many babies and waiting their turn in a release pen. But fear not! The release pens are remaining open for them to utilize as needed through the winter and unlike the releases before them that eventually ventured off to make their own nests in the woods, these guys do not seem to be in a big hurry to do so! Many are still returning at night to sleep. And as you can see below, they have also figured out where they can find a good meal every day too!

Some of the gang will still grab a nut or two from my hands also. Walnut especially still loves his Momma!

The funny thing is when I'm out by the release pen they won't come up to me to get their nuts....they go run into the release pen and wait for me inside by the door. Why you may ask? Well, when they were being formula fed, I would feed each one then put them into a different cage to wait until everyone was done. With such a large group it was the only way to know who was fed already and who wasn't. Plus as they get older they are a little more jumpy and harder to catch. So when they were all fed in the other cage I needed to make it easier to get them back into the main pen without them all getting loose in the room and impossible to catch! I would then get one nut, and one at a time hand them a nut which they would take then scoot back into the main pen. Now they are sort of trained! They think to get their nut they have to go to the door! So instead of just coming up to me outside....they run inside to the door! LOL! Don't let anyone ever tell you they are not smart and can not be trained!

Pretty soon my gang will start filling out and look like the wild gang out there....big, fat, porkers! Look how round he is! The picture does not do the portliness of this guy justice. Putting it bluntly....I have some fat ass squirrels out there! As you can see the acorn shortage will not be a problem for the squirrels of my acquaintance.

A check this morning of the island release site revealed no coonies....and no food! They're coming back for regular visits to eat but they have apparently found new homes elsewhere. Our babies are all growed' up!

The rest of the overwinters are fine. The new boy the ARL had rescued that was stuck in the notch of a tree is doing well. It is still unsure how well he will recover or if he'll get the use of his leg back. The swelling and nerve damage have caused some sores and sloughing of skin on the top of his foot and on the inside of his knee. He's on antibiotics and although the wounds look pretty bad, they are actually doing well. The tissue is pink and healthy and bleeds occasionally which means it is not necrotic ( or dead), meaning it the tissue is alive and healthy and there is good circulation to it. It is just going to take some time to heal. Then the issue will be the extent of the nerve damage....will he be able to use the leg again. It's going to be a long haul for this guy, but he's eating well, his spirits are good, and he's got a safe place to take as long as he needs to recover! I am hoping for the best...something only time will tell.

I had put off naming him, not knowing his fate. However as it seems he may be around for a while...a friend has taken to calling him Boston for lack of a better name from me....so Boston it is V! :)

Get 'em while their hot!

2011-11-17T11:45:00.000-05:00

The new cafe press 2011 babies calendar is here! I gotta tell ya it's tough narrowing it down to 13 pictures....we need about 20 more months in the year! LOL

I'm thinking next year, if I get my act together early enough, maybe I'll have all you wonderful supporters out there pick your favorite pictures from the season and we can all vote for the top 13 to go into the calendar. What do ya think? After all, it's your favorite furrbutts that should be in there! I'm also going to look into other printing options like vistaprint or something where I can add a little more flair and descriptions to them so they are not so plain....

NO cruelty in Billerica!!

2011-11-16T20:44:00.000-05:00

Over the past few day I have been totally inundated with calls and emails regarding a post on craigslist!! Here is the original post (posted along with 2 pics of about 3 big, fat, healthy looking raccoons in the back corner of the dumpster) followed by 2 responses.

Cruelty in Billerica (Billerica)

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Date: 2011-11-09, 8:08PM EST
Reply to: comm-rckk4-2694373588@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
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There is a new daycare center on Treble Cove Drive in Billerica that has been trapping raccoons in their rubbish bins....whilst leaving their rotting garbage outside.

We have saved the poor creatures on a daily basis for the past six months.... placing boards and blankets into the bins to allow them to escape. This evening, the (out of state) staff would not allow the poor creatures to be released, and instead, called the local police to establish their "right" to trap and kill the racoons.

We would appreciate any ideas or assistance you could offer. This is entirely NOT acceptable! These are innocent animals, lured into bins by piles of open garbage. The animals in Billerica have lived side by side with our community for over 400 years, and now that a turnkey daycare centre has interloped into our midst...... all wildlife must die??

The Daycare Centre is located on Treble Cove Road & Biagiotti Wy in Billerica!

We need some ideas and some kind thoughtful people!

God Bless you All!

Location: Billerica

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

RE:Cruelty Billerica Daycare Raccoons (Billerica)

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Date: 2011-11-15, 7:56PM EST
Reply to: comm-zqkxg-2695882422@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
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I emailed them with some suggestions.

Maybe if enough people contact them, they will see how serious this is and do something about it.

I am a dog lover and have a petsitting business in Chelmsford, so it's disturbing to see a local company being cruel to animals.

The kids' safety is also a huge concern.

Thanks

Location: Billerica

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 2695882422

Re:RE:Cruelty in Billerica (child care takers ???)

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Date: 2011-11-16, 7:47AM EST
Reply to: comm-4ksxy-2705093406@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
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are you kidding me and these people are taking care of peoples children , you know what they say about animal abusers they move on to abuse the people , I would try and shut them down, rotten jerks , maybe they should be shut in a garbage dumpster for awhile to freeze n die

Location: child care takers ???

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 2705093406

Let me set the record straight!

I have obviously looked into this, being my hometown and all! I can assure you all there is no cruelty whatsoever going on here! They are not trapping and killing these raccoons and they are not intentionally letting them get stuck in there and leaving them there to die. It is a simple and EVER SO COMMON problem.....the raccoons get into the dumpster for the tasty scraps in the garbage and when the pile in there is low, they get stuck and cannot get out. This happens all the time in dumpsters everywhere!

I am on very good terms with Billerica Animal Control. They are VERY proactive when it comes to wildlife, having gone above and beyond many times to help local wildlife. Many a fox, bunny, squirrel or raccoon has been brought to me after being rescued by them. They are aware of the location and have assisted the employees, having them call when raccoons are discovered in there. And every time they have responded that day and simply done what everyone does when finding raccoons stuck in the dumpster.....put a board in to allow them to climb out and escape!!

I am all for protecting the rights and humane treatment of animals obviously! But this has gotten a little out of control with people jumping to conclusions before digging deeper into the issue to find out what the whole story is. Investigate before you lash out, or contact the proper animal welfare authorities to look into it before going on the attack.

For those concerned about coonies that get stuck in dumpsters for a day or so, a little about how they work. This time of year they have packed on tons of extra body fat. Their bodies are designed to do this so during winter, when food is scarce and the weather it to bad to venture out in, they can hole up somewhere where they will go into a state of torpor. Their systems will slow down and they can live off their body fat for a month or more, on top of being living furnaces and staying quite warm! So with the exception of being stuck in there when the dumpster is being dumped, or hot summer days that lead to obvious dehydration or overheating problems, a raccoon is more likely to be happy as a pig in shit, if you will, being stuck in a big box with daily take out delivery for a day or so than suffering! ;)

Chicken Little fits right in.

2011-11-11T08:20:00.001-05:00

Happy Veterans Day to all the brave men and woman who have served and sacrificed for our country!

Well, Chicken Little is just the cutest thing! She reminds me quite a bit of Pip. She's very petite, gets along with everyone, but don't mess with her food! Seeing as she spends a lot of time standing upright, it's safe to say her leg has healed just fine. No sign of a limp anymore and for real.....she spends a lot more time on 2 legs than 4 when I go in there.

I think it's because she's so little and surrounded by a mob of bigger coons, she had to resort to ways to make me notice her more when treats are being doled out.

But seriously....how could I not notice such a cutie pie!

Cooper has lost his place as the smallest one in there, but he's a close runner up.

Once the tub o' grub arrives, everyone grabs their morsel of choice, runs to their own little space (so as not to have to share said morsel) and settles in for dinner.

Some of these guys had quite a growth spurt over this past month and are big enough to go now, but it's too late in the season. So lucky them, they get pampered for a few months more until I boot them out in the spring. Although Pebbles and Porcelain here were actually big enough to go earlier, they have been held over due to their mycoplasma issues. No re-occurrences since the last one, they are fine, but just a precaution. I fully anticipate them to be released in the spring with everyone else.

An example of how little Chicken is compared to Porcelain.

Two of the boys have an epic battle over a chicken leg...of course there were plenty more in there, but they each had to have THAT one!

Meanwhile the girls were smart enough to realize....there's a whole bucket of chicken here! No need to fight over it!

*Sigh*...those silly boys!

Please come back and visit soon!
Preferably with treats! :)

Update on the new kid.

2011-11-09T18:24:00.001-05:00

The new kid brought in by the ARL Boston has settled in pretty well. A big, fat juvenile, in great shape and pretty calm and laid back considering the changes that have occurred in his life these past couple days! No problem getting around the cage and eating well (always a good sign). Right now the lower leg is too swollen to ascertain the damage, so at this time he's just getting meloxicam for the pain and inflammation. Once the swelling has gone down enough it will allow for a better exam of the leg and foot so we can proceed accordingly with treatment. For now, he's living the high life while he has me waiting on him hand and foot!

What a week!

2011-11-06T18:00:00.002-05:00

Well it's been a long, horrible week! We had a pretty destructive nor'easter snowstorm last Saturday. My power (thus my heat etc.) was out from Saturday night until Tuesday afternoon, at which time I ended up in bed sick as a dog. After a trip to the ER Friday morning, (thanks sooooo much to my wonderful brother who wasted his morning taking me there!), I finally only feel like shit as opposed to wishing someone would put me out of my misery! Thanks to Mom and Dad for special deliveries of chicken soup and medicine and I can't thank JoAnn enough for coming over to take care of the hoard (and me!)when I was definitely in no shape to.....it was no small undertaking for sure!!

Being sick this weekend meant I had to miss our annual trip to the New York wildlife conference! I am so bummed I missed a fun weekend with the gang! I hope you had some extra fun for me while you were there.

Before all hell broke loose last weekend, Laurie and I took a trip over to the island Saturday morning to check on the gang. To our surprise there were a few there! Trooper, Doc and Sis were very happy to have a visit from mom! I think Doc and Sis have decided to make this their hangout, seems like we always run into them and an occasional sleepover with some of the others.

One of the boat babies and Sammy were a little less thrilled to see us, but it was good to see them! They all look great.

And finally, last night I got out of bed long enough to settle this poor coonie in. It's leg was stuck in the crook of the tree in Worcester and it was hanging there all day, poor thing! ARL to the rescue again! Nice job getting him out Brian! Once we get that leg checked out we'll see whats in store for this one.

This years overwinters are settled in.

2011-10-28T17:03:00.001-04:00

The new Chicken little has had no problem mixing in with the group. Just one of the hoard now, rushing me for food at feeding time! She's got a little rear leg issue. Limping on it a little, but using it to climb around no problem. She wasn't brought to me until about 2 and a half weeks after she was found so any injuries are old and already healing. As long as she continues to improve and has no problem getting around it shouldn't be a problem.

Chicken little helps herself to some chicken liver!

As does Porcelain...before I can even dole it out to everyone!

Yummy marrow bones were also on the menu.

Chester gives a big smile of approval.

Isles takes a drink of water in her usual strange way. She dips her arm in, lifts it up and laps up the water as it drips down to her elbow! Freak! LOL

Vin reincarnated! Pebbles and Porcelain (Pebbles especially!) are their fathers daughters. No doubt he was responsible for Stoney's "predicament" the night he broke back in there after being separated. Pebbles looks almost just like him now...same markings and same longer pointed face. Sometimes I look at her and all I see is Vin! Luckily for me the trouble maker gene does not appear to have been passed on!

I have my wonderful mechanic, Victor, to thank for the many tire swings the gang enjoys. He saves me the good ones and the gang appreciate it greatly!

Little Cooper, the cutest little boy with the biggest attitude! But he's always sweet to momma!

And so we have our little family of 12 overwinters for the year....Bama, Chester, Springer, Pebbles, Porcelain, Rizzoli, Isles, Cooper, Laurie's 3 that I can never remember their names....maybe I should call them Enie, Meanie, Miny? (the littlest one is a little meanie! ) and Chicken Little.

The new kid.

2011-10-22T19:45:00.000-04:00

Give a big welcome to Chicken Little here. She was brought to me Wednesday. (At least I think it is a she! She's not very handle-able right now so I haven't gotten a good look yet.) She was found with a dead raccoon that had been hit by a car in the road. Lucky for her she was found by a kind benefactor that took her in and cared for her for a couple weeks before tracking us down. She is understandably a little freaked out right now, having lost her real mom then the human family she grew to know. Now she's here with a total stranger and nothing is familiar! But not to worry. I kept her bed in with her and she is now adjacent to the overwinters so she can get to know them a little better before getting put right in there with them. She will have lots of fun friends in no time and this will all be a memory for her.

She's eating great and exploring her pen and I think this adorable little one will fit in just fine here.

Miscelaneous meanderings.

2011-10-17T20:00:00.002-04:00

Been busy getting animals squared away everywhere these days. I moved the 12 squirrels out to the release pen.

A couple checks to the island release site and on one day we found Sis and Doc in a den box. The next night we were met by Doc out in a nearby tree and there were 2 up in a giant pine that were less than thrilled to see me. I'm guessing 2 of Laurie's shy gang.

We've been getting updates on the crew at the second release site. Various sightings of 6 or so there. I'm hoping we'll get a chance soon to pop down there and check it out.

On one of our trips to the island we came across a dead coonie in the road not to far from my house. The first thing Laurie and I both thought was Gibby! It was too hard to tell for sure as the head was a little crushed. I took him home and buried him....miserable! I spent the night looking for him out in the woods praying for a visit with no luck.....more miserable!! After a day long conference the following day on fluid therapy in NH, I headed back into the woods. As usual River and her little piggies were anxiously awaiting my arrival!

Nile was the lookout above....

....while River then Amazon came in from below.

Amazon is River's #1...she's the dominant one of the kids. She's sporting a new slash on her poor nose now. Nothing major though and it's already improving. I am also amazed at how much nicer they are with me now that they've been released! River wanted to kill me and the 4 kids avoided me at all costs. Since being released, not only have they stuck around, but they have begun trusting me enough to take food right from my hand! Amazon is the most trusting and doesn't hesitate.

Nile is getting braver every day and barely hesitates now. Tigris and Howell are much shyer...Howell will not approach me or let me approach him. He just tolerates my presence. Tigris will start to approach but not take anything from my hand. She prefers to hang back with Howell.

Regardless, all of them are big, fat, healthy, beautiful raccoons that have me wrapped around their little fingers!

Then the amazing happened!! Gibby appeared among Rivers gang! I can not even begin to describe the relief!!!! And the next thing I knew there was quite a crowd around me! Ringer and Belle were there with their kits, and suddenly Quinny showed up, actually grabbed a nut out of my hand, and scurried off! Haven't seen him in person in ages!There was also a little male that definitely knew me enough to take a nut from my hand.... not shy like one of the usual wild kits. Laurie and I are thinking it may have been Andy. He's changed a lot, but the face was somewhat similar....
Further out in the woods, other familiar kits from the wild gang were hanging around waiting to see if I might be leaving dinner out for them this particular evening.....they were not disappointed. :)

On the nights I don't leave dinner out for every raccoon in the woods, my squirrel/bird feeders are regularly raided. It's not uncommon for me to pull up after a night shift and see some big round furry butts hightailing it across my back lawn in the headlights! When I get in the house I head to the back door to let the dogs out and have to do the coonie check. It never fails...there is usually one, who while trying to figure out why the heck everyone else ran off, gets that deer in headlights "oh shit!" look when the back light goes on and I poke my head out the door. Bagged! Then it freezes and does the whole "if I don't move while hiding behind this tiny branch no one can see me" routine. LOL I had to make this little fella understand that Yes, I do see you and you have to move along now so I can let the dogs out.

Last night I saw 3 of the biggest butts ever running across the lawn! My coonie check revealed River still in the tree. I should have known! She didn't freeze though. She just acted like she owned the place and wanted to know why I was disturbing her dinner out with the kids. I had to bribe her with a little snack out in the woods to get her out of there so I could let the dogs out. Like I said....wrapped around their little fingers!

Wouldn't have it any other way! :)

The excavator under my front steps.

2011-10-12T11:40:00.000-04:00

One of my resident ground hogs is making himself at home. He's a regular on my front lawn and has now renovated a lovely den under my front steps.

He's quite fond of hanging out on the steps enjoying the view of the pond.......

....and I think he is beginning to entertain the idea of possibly becoming the next roommate! He's getting closer and closer to the front door....and appears to be contemplating a knock on the door possibly?

Sorry dude! You've grown nice and fat off the dandelions on my front lawn and will do just fine in your lovely new home....no need to come in here for the winter!

Whack a mole for raptors.

2011-10-11T09:32:00.000-04:00

This beauty has caused quite a stir at the feeders outside my kitchen window. It occasionally decides to make a pass over the lawn and land in the tree across from me, watching chippy's running to and fro across the grass.

Occasionally it makes the effort to glide down and check them out......

......standing over the hole it sees one scurry down, hoping for a little head to pop up so he can pluck it outta there!

Hehehe....meanwhile the chippy has already popped it's head out of one of the MANY other holes in the lawn, watching and warning others from safety.

A gorgeous bird...I think it's a juvenile, the tail is not red yet...however I'm not the best at identifying different stages in birds. My skill is limited to identifying the species at best!

The second release

2011-10-10T16:20:00.000-04:00

Another busy weekend with the second and last release for this year!

Last week Laurie and I scoped out a release site in Norton that was perfect...with the exception that it is an hour away! Lots of woods and a pond and plenty of room to avoid people. Nikki who owns the property will keep an eye on the site for us though, so even though we will not be able to visit as often as we would like (sniff, sniff), someone will at least be keeping an eye on them. Thank's so much Nikki!!

We got it set up while we were there and planned our return trip with the rest of the gang.

This past Saturday our schedules and the weather all cooperated. After a quick trip to the island to check on that gang (no one to be seen), we packed up the SUV full of raccoons, food and anything else we might need and started the long trip.

Once there it seemed like an even longer trip as we lugged all the coons and crap quite a ways into the woods to our selected site. I think this was the halfway point.

Then the fun began! We let them all out and enjoyed the show! There were just so many cute pics this time that I just couldn't put a limit on them....so enjoy the show as 8 of Laurie's kids and Pinner, Spencer, Houdini, Legend, Tumbler, Petey, Mahem, Lucky and Ducky discover their freedom!
Pinner

Pinner

Spencer

Houdini

Legend

Tumbler

Pinner (left) & Legend

Ducky

Tumbler

Houdini

Laurie and I hung around till dark then sadly snuck out of there while we could without being followed. We returned last night to check on them. Four were in the den box but it didn't take long for the rest to come running in once they heard our voices. We had another wonderful visit with the whole gang. It will probably be the last time we see them all again. It's going to be a while before we can make another trip out there unfortunately, so it was good to be able to hang out and say our final good bye's.

I love having less to clean up after!!! but I miss them too!

Another fox rescue.

2011-10-07T07:45:00.000-04:00

I got a call from Dee Dee at Billerica Animal Control yesterday about yet another fox in a predicament! This time the poor thing managed to get it's head stuck in the hole of a sewer grate. Don't ask me how it managed that...the holes in the grate were no more than 3x3 in one of those big square grates in the road that are about 40lbs. or so! Lucky for the fox, a man walking his dog noticed the little head sticking out of the ground. So, foxy here probably chased something into the drainage system somewhere where there was an opening, then managed to get a little lost and was trying to get out.

The poor thing was freaked out and there was no way an extrication was going to happen unless it was sedated. So they loaded the fox (grate and all) into the ACO van and I met them at McGrath Animal Hospital where they were ready to assist!

Once it was finally sedated enough, I have to say I figured there was NO WAY we were going to be able to get that head outta there without some major extrication equipment from the fire department or somewhere. But we started manipulating the head a little from one side and the body from the other and it just popped out of there! Holy crap I couldn't believe it! Just that suddenly it was over. Never even had to try soaping it up.

Andrea popped it the butt with a reversal for the sedative and into a crate it went to wake up. Wish they could all be that easy!

I brought it home to give it a little time to relax and recover in peace and quiet for about an hour. Then I met Maureen from animal control back at the site the fox had been found for the big release!

Our VERY beautiful, healthy little fox was more than ready to be done with us.....

....and wasted no time high tailing it into the woods from whence it came! Insert warm fuzzy feeling here! :)

No pictures of the actual entrapment and extrication.....the poor thing was way too stressed to even consider it, but I'm sure you get the idea without them!

WARNING!! Graphic photos to yesterdays story!

2011-10-06T07:42:00.001-04:00

OK....for those who dared to stomach it, here are the photos of the poor little baby I told you about yesterday.

So very sad and horrible. :(

I must leave you with something a little more upbeat! Just a cute little image to try to get the others out of your head a little....my foxy friend having a quiet moment next to one of her new friends. I think they are having a fling! LOL :)

Our work is not all fuzzy and cute.

2011-10-05T17:11:00.000-04:00

Once you see something, you can not un-see it. That is why I am going to tell you about a horrible case that came in Sunday now, and post the pictures tomorrow....so you will not accidentally see a nightmare you will never un-see again! You have been forewarned so don't open the graphic photos if you do not want to see it please.

Rehabilitating wildlife is not all cute little orphans to play with and feed and set free again. Once you get into this you are going to learn how terribly cruel people can be to animals and you are going to learn some of the horrific things that animals endure. It opens a whole new door of knowledge that can never be closed again. Ignorance is bliss....if you don't know all about these awful things then you can truly enjoy all the happy, warm, fuzzy stories and pictures and all is good!

Unfortunately we are not ignorant. Unfortunately sometimes all we can do is end suffering as quickly as possible. Unfortunately sometimes you become sick to your stomach because you were not able to end somethings suffering soon enough and you are haunted by what that poor animal went through before it reached you!

While Laurie and I were visiting our gang on the island, she got a call from a woman that found an injured raccoon wandering in the middle of traffic. She stopped traffic, scooped it up and headed our way. She said it's face was torn up and didn't think it had any eyes. That was an understatement! It was an older baby...maybe 3 months old tops. Laurie was the brave one. She looked at it first and immediately euthanized it. Based on her reaction....I really didn't want to look, but in the interest of learning I had to. The poor thing had no face left whatsoever! We still cannot believe it was even alive and walking around! There were maggots coming out of EVERYWHERE....every part of it's body. It was literally being eaten alive by them. There is no way to tell what happened to the poor thing....was it attacked by something that chewed it's face off or did it just get a wound that got infested with maggots and they destroyed it's face? We will never know. As you will see (if you dare to look) the damage was just too extensive.

All I know is I will never stop thinking about that poor soul...about what it must have gone through and how it suffered!

Visiting the island.

2011-09-30T13:30:00.001-04:00

Well, still no luck hooking up with Lisa to get the rest of the release pics, but it would be cruel to keep you waiting any longer for an update! Our trip over there on Saturday was a great one! (at least for me since we saw most of mine, but unfortunately none of Laurie's)

On our arrival Doc had been napping on top of the den box and there were obviously others inside.

Little did we know there would be so many inside! LOL It turns out most of my crew were in there....all but the boat babies....Doc, Sis, Soldier, Sammy, Brim, Spit and Rocco. They were very happy to come out and visit and were none the worse for wear.

Trooper

Sammy

Soldier

Sis

Soldier (aka fat ass! LOL, he's huge!) again.

Trooper helps himself to some treats.

Sis chillin

Soldier in the hammock.

Soldier (top), Brim (left) and Rocco hanging out.

While we were out there 2 of the boat babies came in. No sign of any of Laurie's gang.....but they were a little on the shyer side anyway.

Then once again it was time to leave and we had to deal with the heart wrenching scene of them trying to hop on the boat to go with us.....

....then following along the shore and standing there watching us until we were finally out of sight.

Ugghhhh! I just want to set up a tent out there and camp out with them.....it's so hard to leave!

Laurie and I actually popped over there earlier this morning as well. Had a short visit with Trooper, Doc, Sis and Sammy who were all in the den box. We didn't really have time to hang out long or go searching either. Chances are that early in the morning they would be sleeping like the dead anyway and not even hear us! We're planning another trip over Sunday and hoping to check out another release site and even get it set up Monday if it checks out so we can get the second and final group out there!

A very foxy update.

2011-09-29T21:15:00.003-04:00

Been working on my poor fox population here at home. I may have to resort to trapping. This one is not looking great, but not a bad as another that has been hanging out. The poor thing is very skinny and it's eyes are being affected by the mange now, but I don't see it regularly enough to get the proper meds into it.

My regular visitor is definitely reaping the benefits though. If nothing else, the mange is not getting worse and she's not starving! She checks the area I bait regularly so she gets occasional treats....

....and I usually get all the proof I need that she's eating the mouse with the ivermectin in it too!

Yummy!

Remember that awful looking fox we captured and brought up to Tufts? Well here it is now looking absolutely beautiful! Hard to believe it's the same fox. Pretty soon it will be heading up to Dawn's (where we brought the 11 kits earlier in the season) for final rehab and a soft release. The fox is doing great but the fur is a little sparse for going into the colder months so it needs a little extra support. It's much better off up there anyway! Good luck little fella.....love the happy ending!

The squirrels are growing fast!

2011-09-27T11:14:00.000-04:00

The squirrels are in one big group of 12 now and in a bigger cage. They have all kinds of hammocks and boxes in their cage but they all have to sleep in one! The hammock on the left....

....I can't believe all 12 fit in there....along with all the shredded newspaper they drag up in there!

Then they hear mom coming with food! Yayyyyyy...and everyone is up and about.

Cute little Spot is usually the first to come running.

Walnut isn't far behind.

After their formula everyone gets a treat....yummy nuts to exercise their growing teeth on! Some are not patient enough to wait for their own and try to steal someone elses.

Most have learned to grab it and run to a private corner to avoid illegal seizures, LOL!

Hey....where's mine!

Once everyone has a nut, they settle in somewhere to hide and eat the treasured treats.

They all range from 150 to 300 grams now and are growing like weeds. Even little Acorn has finally overcome the issues he had and is gaining ground on the rest. Now it's just a matter of time before they are weaned and moving to a large outdoor release pen.

The first release - Part 1

2011-09-24T09:45:00.004-04:00

Wow! Been a crazy couple of weeks! A lot has happened. 12 baby squirrels are doing great and growing like weeds. 16 squirrels are out in the release pens awaiting their freedom. The chipmunk had a visit to Tufts to evaluate it's teeth after suffering severe trauma about 3 weeks ago. (Shame on me, I still haven't gotten pics of the chippy on here!) He's probably going to overwinter while I give it some time to see if the teeth are going to grow in normally so he can be released.

And........some of the gang has been released! (sniff, sniff).

It was a first for us. No release pen! Sort of a "soft" hard release. The location is awesome, an island in the middle of a swamp full of privacy. It requires a boat to get out there! So a first visit over there included bringing den boxes to put in the trees and setting up feeding buckets for them . The next trip was the big move. This past Wednesday, myself, Laurie, Lisa and a friend Bella spent the day bringing the releases over there.

The mode of transportation.....a canoe and a row boat. Laurie and Bella headed out with the first load of crates. Midway across there was an escape! Soldier and Spit managed to pull the door off their crate and there was just no fixing it. Luckily they were actually quite calm about it. Both calmly spent the rest of the trip sitting in a lap, enjoying the ride and apparently understanding jumping off the boat would not be a good idea. Whew! Once the boat landed they were the first to hit the ground running as they explored their new home.

Laurie heads back after dropping off Bella and the first load while Lisa heads out with another group.

Lisa heads in for a second load.

Laurie heads in to pick up me and the last of the babies. I had stayed behind to keep an eye on the gang while the rest were being shuttled across.

The second wave and I patiently await our turn in the boats.

Most of the gang were pretty calm.....

....hanging out trying to get my attention....

.....or just plain old chilling.

A couple were not so thrilled about the whole ordeal! LOL

But once we all made it to the island, everyone was thrilled to be out and exploring! Hopefully those pictures will be part 2. Due to the logistics of ferrying everything over there, and the fear of dropping things in the water, the camera did not take the trip with us. So I got these pics with my cell phone and Lisa got some much better ones with hers! I just have to wait to get those pics from her phone to my computer to post them.

Once all the lugging and lifting and transporting was over, we spent a fun afternoon on the island with the gang. It was a riot watching them explore. At one point Laurie, Lisa and Bella headed out to get some chow for us while I opted to stay behind and enjoy my last day with the gang. Most were running around like crazy, but Sis maybe knew things were changing? She opted to stick close and enjoy one last cuddle with mom.

Finally it was time to depart, and the worst part was rowing away as a few of the gang came to the waters edge to watch....looking like they were almost going to try to swim after us. And OK, I'll admit, that's about when I started balling my eyes out!

And so..... Soldier, Trooper, Doc, Sis, Sammy, Rocco, Brim, Spit and the 4 boat babies (along with 8 of Laurie's babies) have begun their new lives as free raccoons.

If the weather clears up, Laurie and I are hoping to head over there this afternoon to check on them so I'll update you on them soon I hope!

The Squirrels

2011-09-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

The three youngest squirrels, Acorn, Almond and Walnut, are doing well. I was a little on the fence with Acorn for a bit. He was still having terrible gut issues and loosing weight as opposed to gaining and just down right sickly, but I think he's finally turned a corner. Last weigh-in he actually gained weight! I'm still keeping a close eye on him, but the weight gain was huge!

The original six maniacs are great! Eating like pigs and playing around like crazy now.
Three of the little ones, Atty, Stripe and Whistler, stop wrestling long enough to pose for a picture.

This is Foxer (one of the 2 big girls) with Spot, the smallest of the little ones.

They are having a blast climbing around and playing.

Little Spot, my sweetheart. She may be tiny, but she huge on energy! No problem keeping up with her siblings and her 2 larger step-sisters.....and she loves her momma too!

Playtime is not restricted to inside the cage either! Trying to keep them in order during feeding time is crazy! When I go to put one back in, the rest are waiting at the door to slip by when I open it...

....grabbing the empty syringes to try to suck down more formula.....

...or heading right for the source....the cup of warming formula....

...or just teasing the younger 3 in their cage.

It's almost time for a bigger cage. Once I see a little more improvement in Acorn, everyone will move up to a bigger cage together to make one big happy family.

Got a call from work on my day off about a squirrel found laying on someones porch. I picked him up and brought him home. He's doing fine! No idea what happened to him. No external injuries and in good shape. He's not a baby, maybe an older juvenile. Basically old enough to want to kill me though. My guess, he had a fall or got a good whack by a car, enough to daze him but not hurt him. Instead of releasing him back near the busy street where he was found, this lucky guy will go out into the release pen and get a soft release here where he has a better chance of avoiding deadly run-ins with cars and humans.

Dumpster diving & other raccoon tales.

2011-09-10T11:24:00.000-04:00

Laurie and I went out yesterday to check on what was possibly a sick raccoon that had been in a dumpster for 2 days. We stuck our heads in one very stinky dumpster to see a ball of fur curled up in one corner. A little poke with the net and a very beautiful head popped up to look at us. It's face was clear and alert. Whew! So seeing as Laurie was heading to work right after, I began to mentally prepare myself to jump in one nasty pile of garbage! Luckily though, we were able to manipulate the little fella with the net close enough to actually scoop him into it without climbing in. Once out of the dumpster it was very apparent he was very full of energy and uninjured. Laurie popped some sub q fluids in him and we opened the net and watched one very relieved raccoon bounce happily into the woods! Love the warm fuzzy feelings of a happy ending!

Later that day I headed out to take care of the gang and River and her kids were coming in for a visit. I put some food out there and ran back to the house to get my camera. I came back just in time to find one impatient girl raiding the shed! Bagged!! She made a less than graceful attempt to run out of there as I stood there laughing my ass off!

Once I figured out it was the animal crackers she was after, I offered up the coveted snack as an apology for laughing at her embarrassing predicament. Surprisingly she didn't even hesitate to come get it right from my hand! They are used to me, but not usually willing to take things right from my hand. Apology accepted I guess. :)

Amazon is River's #1....she's always with mom and is the first to follow her lead.

The rest were content to let me throw the treats to them instead. They have grown into big, gorgeous raccoons! Momma is doing a great job.

One of the rare shots of Howell on the left here. He's the shyest of them.

The three girls, Nile, Amazon and Tigris with mom River on the right. Howell is actually there, he's just hidden behind mom!

Nile (below) is a beauty as well. Similar looking to Amazon, but with more browns in her mask. Tigris is the shyest girl and reminds me of Stoney actually...a little bit of an attitude when they were still in the pen.

As far as the gang still here. The little kids are growing fast. Houdini looks great and his injuries and feet are all healed up.

Petey is a happy camper as well!

Spencer is a very handsome boy.

Pinner is big and beautiful and a brat at times!

Along with Laurie's 5, this gang of 9 are adorable as hell! Sorry but of all the pics I took in there, these are the only ones that came out!! The camera doesn't always focus these days. May have to bite the bullet soon.. I intend to hold out as long as possible, but can't really have a cute blog full of adorable raccoons without the pictures, can I?

Flyers, greys and a chippy!

2011-09-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

This little cutie came in Friday to kick off the holiday weekend. He was found on the kitchen floor of a home. He was either brought in by the cat or simply found in the house by it. Luckily he was scooped up before any damage was done! No injuries and in pretty good health, he was sucking down formula like a pro by the end of the weekend. Lisa took over for me on Monday. She's got 2 boys the same age....now she's got triplets.

The number of squirrel residents has increased as well. A brother and sister found by Mike on the ground while on a walk are doing well. The boy had facial trauma and a bloody nose and the female had no visible injuries but was hunched over a little. The flies had already moved in to take advantage of them. After getting warmed up, re hydrated, giving them capstar and antibiotics, and combing the fly eggs out of their fur, they have improved greatly and are eagerly eating formula.

Both are quite comfortable now! LOL

One more little boy came in last night. He and his litter mates had fallen out of a tree. Unfortunately for 2 of them they didn't get the proper care in time. Luckily a neighbor got the last little boy, Acorn, to me last night. They hadn't been on heat and I think the fact that the neighbor blasted the heat on him and rubbed him to warm him up on the way over may have brought him back from the brink! Nice job!!! He's not out of the woods yet....but now that he is warm and getting fluids he is perking up and I think he's on the way to recovery.

The beginning of the weekend also brought a chippy into my care. He was found by a huge uprooted tree and suffered some serious trauma, (most likely as his den was uprooted as well), to his face and head. Both eyes were swollen shut and his nose is still a swollen, blood clogged mess. After 5 days of critical care, I am optimistic! He looked terrible when he came in and just based on looks, my instinct was to euthanize. However he was actually pretty active and no other major injuries were apparent as he moved around quite well. I decided to give him the night so I gave him some pain meds and fluids and decided to re-evaluate in the morning.

Well lo and behold didn't he seem a little better! Despite his face looking like a train wreck, he eagerly sucked down pedialyte and anything else I would be willing to feed him with a syringe. Although he is an older juvenile or adult, he is eating formula and loving it. I think his mouth is too painful to eat solid food just yet, although he has attempted, so he just laps it off the end of the nipple. He's feisty, active, eating like a pig and grooming his face regularly. Both eyes have once again opened and look good. He's cleaned the dried blood, scabs and gunk off his face pretty well, also, and although his nose is still pretty clogged, he's breathing easier out of it. Once I get a better look at any damage to the inside of his mouth and teeth and see how well the eyes are working I'll be able to make a better decision on his prognosis. Now that he's wormed his way into my heart, I can only hope he continues to improve!

Operation mangy fox, the sequel.

2011-09-05T18:13:00.001-04:00

Some odd fox happenings here at home. At the beginning of the week I found a juvenile dead out by the feeding stating across my front yard. No apparent injuries or mange. Best I can figure the poor thing either got hit by a car and made his way back to where he felt safe and died, or a coyote encounter. My neighbor had seen one in my yard that day so it's possible the fox was on the loosing end of a territorial dispute. One quick grab and shake and the fox would be dead of a broken neck within seconds with very little wounds. The coyote, defending the territory and not hunting, would leave it there as opposed to hauling it off to eat.

Some better luck for one of my other resident foxes. A couple weeks ago I had seen her hanging around near some of my shrubs. She does that quite regularly and likes to lay in the sun by them. I happened to have my binoculars so I took a closer look and to my horror I noticed she obviously had the beginning of mange on her legs! So I put a plan in motion to help her out before it became bad enough to affect her health.

With the help of a supply of frozen mice, some ivermectin, and some patience, I decided to medicate her. I injected a mouse with the ivermectin and put it out near one of her "regular" spots.

Contrary to my usual luck, she showed up shortly after I put the first mouse out there! I was all excited until I watched her just sitting there next to the damn thing, scratching like crazy, ignoring it! (the little white thing on the mulch).

A couple minutes later though, and success! She saw it and gobbled it right down! What a relief!

Hooray!! Treatment number one down, she looked over as if to say thanks for the snack and ambled off down the driveway again. Hopefully the next few treatments will go as well. She needs to get some every 10 days or so for about 4 treatments, but luckily I caught it early enough that just that one dose should make a big difference.

This little guy was not so happy about the visit! He opted to rely on the protection atop St. Francis there outside my front door to keep him safe while he watched, in disgust I'm sure, as the fox devoured a distant cousin....LOL

Some of what we've been missing.

2011-09-03T12:09:00.000-04:00

Just a little of what we have not been able to see since the computer fried! Some pics of the big kids. Many thanks to James who managed to recover the lost pics! My hero!!

Isles takes a dip in the pool.

Tumbler the Roman nosed coonie. You can kind of see the bump in her nose from her trauma in this picture.

Chester enjoys some very casual dining, then decides to see if I just might have something better to offer.

Doc

Bama strikes a pose, got it just before the trouble maker to the left of him pounced! LOL

Sis is pretty much identical to her sister, Doc, with the exception of the missing ear!

Sis hangs with Legend(right) on the tire...that's Trooper looking on in the background.

Rocco takes a dip then lounges poolside.

Du.....I mean Brim with those big ears!

Soldier...that's Springer in the background.

Troublemaker Trooper....yes, he is this years Vin!

Sammy also enjoys very casual dining.

Spit enjoys a swing on the tire.

The dining common.

A final pose by Sammy....who is HUGE I might add!

The gang is doing great and now it's just a matter of finding appropriate release sites for them. It's getting harder and harder to find them and we may be looking at some hard releases this year as a result. :(

Anyone near the Boston area on land with lots of room willing to donate some space for a while get in touch with me please!

Hurricane refugees.

2011-09-01T08:57:00.000-04:00

OK...I'm fed up with Dell....never again! I won't bore you with that. I'm also fed up with Blogger since I just wrote a whole long post here and it didn't save it! So short version....

Here are the cute little babies I got almost 2 weeks ago when their tree was cut down...

....and here they are with 2 monster babies I took off Laurie's hands (she seemed to get the brunt of the calls for displaced babies from the hurricane) They are refugee's from hurricane related tree issues.

All are happily snuggled in safe and sound together...and how cute are they!?

I lost all my email contacts when my computer fried....so if I neglected to get in touch with anyone, you know why! Melinda & Maddy....I have squirrels...email me! :)

Fun with foraging!

2011-08-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

Bear with me! My computer is slowly but surely up and running again. It's been nothing but a nightmare since the hard drive they replaced mine with is not loaded with the same things. Having trouble working with pictures and files of course. Oh and when I right click a picture to "rotate clockwise" when they are upside down......they disappear never to be seen again! WTF!!!!!!! I am annoyed beyond words and to be honest, I shouldn't have to be calling Dell every freaking day and wasting hours of my time getting all these little glitches worked out. It's making us all miss out on the cuteness!

Thanks to my cell phone, we have these though. One of many ways to keep babies busy. This happens to be a suet feeder. I fill it with chunks of goodies like apples and sweet potato and hang it in the pen. They have to work at it to get the food out...keeping idle paws busy. And it's fun to boot!

Add in the fact that it's hanging over the pool and anything that falls out means it is bobbing for goodies time!

I've got 4 cute little baby squirrels. I'll get those pictures on here when I get my computer to start cooperating. The 5 possies were released a couple weeks ago and 5 new ones have replaced them! They'll be here until they are big enough to go on their merry way....soon I hope!

Gibby, Scrappy, River and the kids and the rest of the regulars continue to pop in for a visit here and there. I'm hoping they all have secure places to hunker down and ride out hurricane Irene scheduled to hit us Sunday sometime. I'm a little nervous about the high winds and falling trees out here. Lets hope the ones that fall are all empty and miss the pens!!

An update.

2011-08-19T10:31:00.000-04:00

The hard drive in my computer was just replaced so I hope to be up and running soon...woohoo! In the meantime, a brief little update!

A couple happy endings thanks to Maureen! An adult bunny had been pretty much knocked out by a group of guys playing horseshoes. Poor thing had head trauma and I'm sure a pretty good headache! A few days in a nice quiet hutch and he was eating like a pig and no more head tilt. When I brought him back to his home he bolted out of the carrier....straight as an arrow across the field and into the bushes. Then she rescued a young skunk about a week ago. Some lady found it floating in her pool one morning, scooped it out with a net, and left it there in her yard. It wasn't until later that afternoon that she decides to call animal control because it's still breathing! Ugghhh! I'm happy to report the little bugger made a full recovery though and is roaming happily in my woods now!

On to the raccoons.....

In the main pen. Trooper, Doc, Sis, Bama, Springer, Chester, Rizzoli, Isles, Tumbler, Legend, Sammy, Soldier, Rocco, Brim and Spit...all doing great. 5 of them are getting doxycycline for some skin lesions that developed on their foreheads just in case it's part of the whole mycoplasma problem that started with Pebbles and Porcelain earlier this spring.

In the small pen attached to the main pen we have Porcelain, Pebbles, Lucky and Ducky. They were separated out from the main pen after Pebbles developed a swollen foot and Ducky was limping, just in case it was a recurrence of the mycoplasma. They are also on doxy and may stay for the winter, as fellow rehabbers across the state have begun a study on the disease as it seems to have reared it's ugly head all over the place! They are doing fine though so don't worry! Pebbles foot is pretty much healed and Ducky is no longer limping. Her issue was most likely just a minor injury.

In the larger baby pen we have Houdini, Pinner, Spencer, Petey and 5 of Laurie's little ones. Cooper and Mayhem arrived first then the younger 3 that for the life of me I can never remember their names and all 3 look alike! I'll get it eventually, especially if they stay the winter which is most likely since they are very small.

And finally we have the 4 boat babies in the release pen we had to throw up to handle the overflow!

It's a full house around here right now.

Operation mangy fox is a success!

2011-08-12T20:05:00.001-04:00

Last week Laurie got a call about a little fox that had been seen in town not looking very well. When she responded she was able to locate the poor thing (it looked like it had mange) but unable to catch it as it led her on a merry chase through the woods! Luckily the people kept an eye out for it and when they discovered it under their front porch the next day, Laurie, Lisa and I headed over to try to catch it.

It just so happened we were armed with our newly acquired equipment, thanks to the Flatbread fundraiser...and our efforts were a success!!

The poor little thing is now at Tuft's getting treatment. It will probably be 6 weeks or more of treatment, but in the end we will be able to release it back in it's own home area.

I have to apologize for a lack of posts! My computer hard drive fried. I am totally lost and for the most part am only getting on the computer when at work. I am also praying I can recover all my pics. and info. that were on the damn thing that hadn't been transferred to an external hard drive yet. (Pretty much all the 2011 rehab pics!!!! Insert BIG scream here!)

It also means no quick way to get photos from camera to blog. I can't download them to the work computer to get them onto the blog, so hopefully some visits to my parents house will give me an opportunity got get some on here....or I may be borrowing Laurie's laptop for a bit....

So in advance....I'm sorry if some of the updates may be a little boring with no cute pics and just a lot of blah, blah, blah to look at! Right now you're looking at the last picture I managed to get on here.

River's crew.

2011-08-05T17:30:00.000-04:00

River and the kids are doing well and seem to have integrated perfectly into the native population out there. Many nights I go out there to find them hanging out with Ringer and Belle and all their kids! They are all very tolerant of each other and it is very surreal to go out and be tripping over moms and kits mingling around. Throw in Gibby and Scrappy and a couple other unidentified adults and I am just amazed at how tolerant they all are of each other (and me). Males, females, adults, babies....a total mix and a total contradiction to the solitary life described by experts in the past.

A daytime visit by half the gang allows for some nice family portraits.

Momma River and one of her girls.

All 4 of her kids, Howell, the only boy, is the black one.

Ringer and her kids were out there as well. She moved off with 3 of them but one decided to hang with her cousins! She's on the far right acting like she was one of River's own.

Howell left, River's 3 girls in the middle and Ringer's girl on the right.

Ringer's girl. She's adorable and looks exactly like a larger version of Springer with her markings. She is very distinguishable from the other babies.

It seems to me that "release" is a bit of a contradiction here......I'm tripping over more coonies outside the pens than inside some days! LOL

I wouldn't have it any other way!

Dandy & the extended family.

2011-08-03T11:41:00.000-04:00

Well it has been far too long since updating you on my extended family sharing the woods with me!

Lets begin with one of my favorite success stories...Dandy! If not for Dr. Bruce and Dr. McGrath, she would not be out there today bringing her adorable new family in for a visit! THIS is why we do what we do!

Then we have the bachelors. All the older males....you know those loners who don't socialize and kill kits whenever they get the chance. HA! These guys have been hanging out for a couple years together, and they made sure Dandy and her kits were long gone before chancing a meal!

Then we have Dandy, Quinny and Scrappy all eating peacefully together. All from different releases....none knew each other prior, Dandy a new protective mom, Quinny a seasoned adult male now and Scrappy the new kid on the block.

Having recently had conversations on the Raccoon Network regarding the so called "experts" who decided what the social lives of raccoons were like....I'm always curious as to how the hell they came up with their info. Because to be honest with you, it's all a load of crap! After years of observing them out there...in person and on video....it's obvious one of them probably saw one lone raccoon one evening and spun the tale of the elusive procyon lotor, with something less than an intelligent imagination! LOL

The possies are in town.

2011-08-02T07:42:00.000-04:00

Give a big welcome to some of the new residents! These little guys are spending some time in the outdoor pre-release cage until they are big enough to head out on their own. We've juggled so many animals around this year that I'm not positive, but I think they started with Laurie, then went to Nancy who got them to the point where it was time to go outside. There are 5 of these cuties in there. Two have decided to take up residence in a squirrel nest box while the other 3 have chosen the the more spacious den box.

In other news, Pebbles has developed a swollen foot. It looks like an abcess, however due to her past myclplasma history, and the fact that it's a very difficult bug to get rid of, it's very possible a re-occurance of it. We cultured it last night to check, but in the meantime she will be going back on doxycycline and has been separated out from the main group ...with a little company of course. Her sister Porcelain and Lucky and Ducky are with her also. Lucky is a little gimpy on a rear leg but there is no swelling or external injuries, so hopefully she just sprained it while climbing around the big pen. She'll be getting doxy anyway just in case, as the mycoplasma is contagious. And I'll be keeping a close eye on the rest of the gang that was in the big pen with them!

Trooper's gang reunited & other goings-on!

2011-07-31T17:25:00.000-04:00

Houdini has fit right in with Petey, Pinner and Spencer! All 4 get along very well and Houdini's wounds are healing very well.
Houdini smiles for the camera.

Pinner

Petey enjoys some apple.

Little Spencer says Hi!

All 4 of them have been moved outside finally, into the pen vacated by Trooper and the whole gang. They are loving it out there and have been joined by 2 of Laurie's kids, Cooper and Mayhem and all 6 are getting along perfectly.

In the meantime.....all the older maniacs are taking full advantage of the big pen! With a lot more room to run around in, more height and trees to climb and a pool, it is raccoon heaven as far as they are concerned.

Their biggest decision of the day....chicken necks or apples? Hmmmm...tough choice! LOL

Once a coveted chicken neck is chosen, it's time to run off and HIDE away from everyone else so they don't have to share it! Soldier wasted no time escaping with his!

Brim in his hiding spot of choice. Look at those ears! Remind you of another Dumbo-esk coonie from the past? I'll give you a hint.....Seeker! We can contact life on planets far, far away with those ears...hehe.

The lovely Miss Porcelain.

With one ear, Doc is always easy to spot.

It doesn't take long for 19 baby coons to trash a nice clean pool...but Rocco is enjoying a swim anyway.

Sammy looking a little guilty if ya ask me!

Bobbing for whats left of the apples.

I'm not positive, but that looks like Sis's butt to me.

Pebbles

Trooper after I snatched him up before he could cause the mayhem I knew he was planning! I think his look says it all....."what? what'd I do?!" Nothing this time you little bugger! LOL

Bama, Springer, Chester, Rizzoli, Isles, Legend and Tumbler eagerly await their chance to get in there!

Minutes later I obliged them...and oh what a fun time was had by all!

Moving to the big pen.

2011-07-26T11:50:00.001-04:00

With River and her gang out of the big pen, it was time to move some of the babies in. So I moved the bigger of the babies...Trooper, Soldier, Sammy, Rocco, Doc and Sis over there and boy are they loving it! I was hesitant to put the smaller of that crew in there, but they have to get used to the height at some point, and although they are small for their age, developmentally they are where they should be....just like the bigger ones. So I'm getting ready to move Lucky, Ducky, Porcelain, Pebbles, Brim and Spit in there with them. They will be able to interact through a window with Bama and his crew and eventually all join up as one big crew. Then let the games begin!

Soldier

Sammy

Rocco

Sis

Soldier again.

Sis and I'm not sure who's on top there!

Trooper troublemaker! Yup...he's the new one for this year!

Doc

Soldier and Doc

Rocco

Trooper

A long day of play makes for sleepy babies!

River and the kids.

2011-07-25T07:27:00.001-04:00

Over the course of the last week, River and her brood have moved around a lot! The night Howell was hanging around the pen by himself he kept trying to get back in. So much so that when I stood there and opened the door for him he walked right past me and inside instead of keeping his distance like usual. So I let him stay the night.

The next afternoon I discovered River and the one girl she was with had been rejoined by the 2 that were MIA for a short time, holed up in the den box on the back release pen. So I decided a total family reunion was in order! I managed to get Howell into a carrier and hauled his ass down there and carried him up to his waiting family. He was thrilled beyond words and it was a very happy reunion!

Over the course of the next few days I have encountered them hanging out in the woods.

Eventually they started hanging out in the den box at the main feeding station. I usually encountered all 5 of them together. Yesterday I only noticed River and her usual girl with her and today I didn't notice any of them in there, but that's to be expected. They have been out exploring the local real estate and it's only a matter of time before they find the home of their dreams!

Fundriaser fun!

2011-07-24T08:27:00.008-04:00

Our fundraiser at Flatbread's was spectacular! So many of our wonderful friends, family and supporters came out in full force to show their support...THANK YOU ALL! And thanks to Flatbread for letting us have it and special thanks to Kristen who got the ball rolling and pretty much organized the whole thing!...and the Billerica Cat Care Coalition for getting the word out and coming by to support us! You all rock!!!

And look! I even got a picture of Lisa where she's not sleeping!!LOL Awesome! Great picture of Lisa and Mary!

...and Mary's sisters.

Sue's hubby Jim and John the Belmont ACO...he's one of the good guys and has done a lot to help us and the wildlife he encounters...a true Animal Control Officer (not to be mistaken with those Dog (only!) Officers) that cares about ALL the animals!

My absolute biggest fan/supporter/volunteer/you name it he does it person...Dad!! I think his choice of attire for the evening says it all! LOL

Sue and Jim....always there when you need them and very handy with tools!!!

Laurie's sister-in-law and family.

Daphne and Mark. The day they found Willie, Einstein and Flipper was the beginning of a beautiful friendship!! And many after Willie have them to thank for a wonderful place to be released and live.

JoAnn and her crew...hubby Manny and the guys from the gym! I hear so much about them....it was great to finally meet them! And my lovely Niece is in there too...she snuck her way into a few pics around the place! LOL

The crew at Woburn Animal Hospital....at least the 4 that would sit still for a pic! LOL Laurie, Lisa and Dr's Rice and Grange.

Mom, Dad, Aunt Deanna and Uncle Jack...and my niece again!

My wonderful sister-in-law with the kids! Please say a prayer for them and her Dad who passed away a couple days ago. Papa is with the angels now but he will be sorely missed.

Laurie's wonderful hubby :)

Dr. (Auntie to the coonies!) Bruce and Andrea from McGrath's.

Laurie's awesome dad! If it wasn't for him a LOT of the release pens and cages wouldn't have made it to their destinations! Her mom was there too....and I thought I had an awesome pic of them both until I downloaded them and as usual, so blurry you could hardly tell what the pic was!

The rest of the McGrath's crew.

It was a wonderful, crazy night and again, words don't seem like enough, but I want to thank you all so much for helping out! It is ever so greatly appreciated!

River Raccoon and the kids get released!

2011-07-19T09:43:00.001-04:00

Sunday was the big day for River and her brood! The release window was opened on their pen and it wasn't long at all before they were all out climbing like crazy. For the most part they all hung out in the tree right outside the pen. At one point, while I was cleaning the rest of the pens, I heard a sickening thud....like a large branch had fallen and hit the top of the pen. My heart sank as I rushed over there and found one of the babies pretty much unconscious on the ground. I brought her back into the pen to assess and do whatever I could.....pretty much out of my hands at that point. Thank God she started to come out of it and it was not long before she was climbing around the pen again! I still can't believe it! No signs of injuries, no bleeding from eyes, nose, mouth or ears...no limp...nothing. It was like it never happened. One of her sisters had apparently snuck back in there as well and they chilled out together for a while. Once it was apparent all seemed normal I re-opened the release door should they decide to leave again.

By the last time I checked them, River and one of the girls had wandered off into the woods and the other 3 were hanging around the pen playing . Next morning, River and baby were in a den box out back in the woods and the other 3 were in their den box in the pen. As of last night, the male Howell, was still hanging around the pen, River and baby were still hanging by the den box and no idea where the other 2 are.

I'm not terribly worried about the separation....I waited till the babies were pretty huge before releasing them around here....knowing some of the characters they would be up against out there, but I kind of wish they had kept better track of each other! Either way, as long as the babies need it, I'll be here to support them out there if they don't end up reuniting with mom.

Petey & The Boat Babies

2011-07-17T09:19:00.001-04:00

Here's our little guy Petey! After a long stay and some very intensive care with JoAnn, he is great and loving his new cousins! He is in with Spencer and Pinner and loves having someone to wrestle with now.

It's hard to believe these are the same tiny little Boat Babies from back in May! My how they have grown....and adorable as hell! It didn't take them long to overcome their fear and suspicion of me once they realized I was the almighty bringer of food...LOL

All 4 are now in an outdoor pen to themselves for the time being, but it's only a matter of time before someone else joins them.

It's only a matter of time before another shuffle goes on around here. So many babies....so little room! Laurie and I are in the process of putting up another large chain link enclosure...20x12 I think.....to make room for some of the babies that are big enough to go into a chain link cage without getting stuck etc.....

An interesting ride home.

2011-07-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

So I'm at work yesterday and via the power of Twitter, another baby coon in need of help that I can't say no to....because of course now I know about it and won't sleep unless I know it's OK. So the ARL rescued him then met up with me when I got out of work and delivered the sweetest little guy! I'm thinking a little too sweet for what should be a wild coonie this age! Should have been at least a little huffing and spitting as we hovered over the box, but what we got instead was a more than eager bundle of fur hopping into my arms and loving it!

Anyway, I'm driving home when something moving at my feet scares the crap out of me! My little friend managed to get out of the cardboard carrier and was happily exploring under my feet...and the break and gas pedals! I managed to pull him out of there without driving off the road and he quite happily spent the rest of the ride co-piloting from my center console!

It's a miracle we even made it home between him under my feet and my laughing so hard, and of course I just HAD to call Laurie and tell her! It's pretty obvious my driving was the last thing I was paying attention too! Shame on me!

So my little escape artist is appropriately named Houdini. The box (one of those cardboard carriers)was secure in the back seat when I got home. I can only guess if it rolled on it's side, the bottom may have gaped open just enough to provide an escape?

He is doing fine and eating solids so easy enough to add to the mix. Although the bottom of his back feet are injured. The sensitive outer layer of skin peeled off somehow. Most of one foot is skinned off and just a little of the other. May have skinned it off sliding down a tree or something.....not a major injury, but a very ouchy one! Doesn't seem to phase him too much though....walks a little funny, but does walk and climb his cage.

On other matters....The Boat Babies are back and bigger than ever. Petey has also joined the crew. I had him for a night. He was extremely emaciated and needed round the clock critical care that I just didn't have time for, so JoAnn took him on and what an incredible job she did...no surprise! He survived thanks to her care and has now become best buds with Spencer and Pinner. I'll have pics of them all soon!

A walk with Spencer & Pinner.

2011-07-10T12:28:00.000-04:00

Playtime outside started out as a mad dash in fear for higher ground...

....then progressed to OMG what is this stuff! Pick me up NOW please!.....

...finally to Hey this is kind of neat.....lets check it out!

Once they got more curious then afraid...it was fun all around! Needless to say I got soooo many adorable pictures!... which I narrowed down to just a few....(oh about 18, LOL) cute ones. So enjoy as they explore and hang out with a new friend they seemed to take quite a liking to!

Sweetie & other happy stories.

2011-07-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

Check out this wonderful story about a baby raccoon rescue! It's wonderful to see a positive story about people interacting with raccoons.....and a happy ending!

Here is a picture of Phillip & Michelle's friend Sweetie. You may remember she is the mother of poor Sammy I told you about, who died earlier this year, and who our little Sammy is named after. Like my Ringer & Belle, she is a very good friend who visits regularly! I love reading about others who have a wild family out there that they enjoy & live in harmony with instead of driving them off or running in fear! It just makes my day! (I'm not the only crazy one out there walking in the woods talking to the animals! LOL) Thanks Phillip & Michelle.

"I have known Sweetie since she was a yearling about 6 years ago. Last year she had 4 babies and it appears that 3 are still around this year. Her last set of babies was in 2007. She does not have babies this year. She lost her tail to a coyote attack back in 2007. I usually see her 3-4 times a week. She is probably at the feeders every night just at times I am not looking. Hopefully she will be around for a few more years but at 7 years she is getting old, though she does not look it."

And one more....in some states the wildlife removal companies actually save the animals they remove or get help for the injured ones....unlike here in MA where they kill them. (But that's another soapbox altogether that I won't get going on right now!) Kudo's to Muskoka Wildlife Control (and any of the other agencies that have helped the animals they trap!) for getting this mom and her babies the help she so desperately needed!

Just a little happy cheer to start the weekend :)

Spencer & Pinner.

2011-07-07T05:13:00.002-04:00

The 2 youngest boys...and the last of the singles...are no longer singles! Pinner's quarantine is finally over and at long last, Spencer has a friend!!! Yippeeee!

Spencer has grown quite a bit and is cute as ever.

Pinner is a little older, but close enough in age to be a perfect playmate.

At first Pinner just annoyed poor little Spencer, pouncing and chewing on him. Spencer was a little less coordinated and unsure of himself she he just kept getting overwhelmed.....

...until Spencer finally figures it all out and one well placed paw to the face and we have the take down of the century! Sorry about the blur...the camera does not always focus well being on it's last legs and all, but it was still a priceless picture!

Both have settled in well now and are the only 2 left inside. Springer, Bama, Chester, Legend, Tumbler, Rizzoli and Isles have been moved outside into the smaller kids pen right across from the other 12. They are eating their formula and chow from bowls which has made feeding a little easier, but that is just a trade off for more cleaning. They are crapping everywhere except in their litter boxes now! As soon as I go through and clean it all up I move onto the next pen only to come back to find it a total mess again! Ugghh. They are all doing it actually! Instead of spending all my free time feeding bottles, I'm running back and forth between pens constantly cleaning up the mess and refreshing dirty water!

Is it fall yet?