Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to fellow co-workers I end up with lots of pumpkins for the gang after the Halloween season. They love pumpkin...even the little ones! Here are some pics of them enjoying this festive feast!

What better way to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving from the gang! Whether you celebrate it or not, this is for you too because I am thankful for all your support of my furry little friends! A gracious thank you to you all!

May, Moose and Amy.

Dolci and Kinky....

Tash and Vin....I think the smile on Vin's face says it all! :)

Wait till they get their furry little paws on our Thanksgiving feast leftovers!

The Real Fox-Coyote Enclosure

This is a very disturbing practice that many of you will wish you never learned about....I know I wish I was blissfully ignorant to it still! However ignorance is not bliss for the wildlife victims of this barbaric practice! So forgive me, but I must share...the more people who know about it and fight it, the more innocent victims we can save. Many probably don't even realize this exists, so here is your wake up call people!

I am talking about fenced hunting, also referred to as wildlife pens or fox pens. Take a moment to click on the link above and read about it and add your voice of disapproval by signing the petition. Florida has recently (thankfully!) banned this practice...now tell Indiana to also!

Still don't have your attention? This will bring it brutally home for you........

The following video is disturbing....Lisa just don't bother watching it! And as sickening as it is, it is mild compared to some of the footage I have seen of this....of the dogs actually brutally killing these trapped and cornered animals WHO NEVER STOOD A CHANCE!

This outrages me beyond words, so my apologies but I'm stayin' up on this soap box!

One big (almost) happy family!

After a weekend of chaperoning meet and greets in the big pen, our 3 groups of coonies have become one! First the divider was removed and the little kids May, Moose and Amy were given access to the the big kids pen. Surprisingly the one's I expected trouble from were pretty good about the new guests and the quietest ones were wreaking havoc! Andy in particular.....wow what a brat he is being! May of course was the bravest and biggest pain....she started more trouble than she avoided! She went straight to the ground, searching out food ignoring all the rest until any of them dared to sniff, approach or otherwise look at her funny......then she became little Miss. Spitfire and all hell would break loose!
All 3 eventually ventured down but would retreat to higher ground...and one of the chaperons! LOL.....when things got sticky. Eventually they just opted to stick to the higher spots and wrestle among themselves until things quieted down.

Little did they know that was only the beginning of the excitement for the day! Once things settled down with the 3 babies it was time for Vin and Tash to try their luck! For Tash it would be a reunion with some. Pip, Merry, Kinky, Scrappy and Dolci were his step-siblings before he was taken to be released. Little Pip here was especially happy to have him back!

Tash got a lot of hugs and grooming from Pip......

...and was eagerly accepted back by the rest of the gang.

Easy going boy that he is, Vin had no personal issues with anyone in there, but a few gave him a hard time. (Yup-Andy had issues!) He took it all in stride though and basically turned the other cheek and kept a low profile...despite Stony's attempts to ruffle his feathers here!

I think Tash had a word with his siblings telling them Vin was a pretty good dude because they were more than happy to welcome him in like one of the family as Kinky did here.

So with the exception of a few disputes that are basically more noise than anything, everyone is getting along pretty well now or avoiding those they don't get along with. At this point Andy is still the primary trouble maker but no worries, May has already put him in his place! LOL

That leaves Vin's cage open for a new girl that came in last week and has been staying in Mary's pen until I could vacate one. She does not appear ill but that doesn't mean she isn't. She appears tame though so she'll be in quarantine for some time to rule out rabies. It's quite possible someone raised her then booted her out when she became too much trouble or when they thought she was old enough....not realizing they did more harm than good. Luckily she was picked up by an ACO that cared enough to give her a chance instead of just assuming the worst and killing her. Her appetite is great, she's a good weight and her coat is not unkempt so time will tell for this new girl.

May, Moose & Amy are growing like weeds!

The 3 youngest kids are doing awesome! I'm hoping on my next day off to try to mix them in with the older gang. Hopefully little May won't hurt any of them! LOL
Amy in particular enjoys tummy tickles from Mom.

I love this one! Moose has the longer reach...he just kind of holds Amy back by her head while she keeps trying to get her paws on him!

They are all just so cute I could take pics all day watching them play.

Enough already! Damn paparazzi! Gimme that thing! hehe

Tash gets xrays

Tash is being as good a patient as Vin was thank goodness! He knew he was in for an unpleasant ride when he got put in the carrier again! LOLBut he was great for the shot of anesthesia and quickly and quietly went to sleep so we could check him out. He's almost there........

....and down for the count!
As you can see the injured foot is very swollen......and painful as well.

After examining him he gets his x-rays then back into his carrier to wake up.

It appears all the little bones in his foot between the toes and the ankle were crunched up somehow. There is an old bite wound there so most likely someone bit him hard enough to crunch it.....coonies have a pit bull kind of power to their jaws so it's very possible. The injury itself on top of the fact that it is a month old is not a canditate for surgery. Right now all we can do is start him on antibiotics good for bone infections and give him time to rest and heal. The bones will most likely heal fused in some fashion, and although it won't be normal, I hope it will be good enough to use and function normally for the most part. He's not using it now because it's too painful so hopefully once the swelling is down and the antibiotics take effect he will start putting weight on it and progress from there.

He is pretty unfazed by the whole thing! Once I got him back to the pen he wasn't even out of the carrier and he was grabbing chow off the ground and inhaling it......priorities ya know.....LOL!

He and Vin are best buds now, enjoying each others company and sharing the same den box! Both are very good natured boys and it will probably be no problem mixing them in with the rest of the gang soon.....the 5 I kept for the winter were his step-siblings anyway until I took him away with the others to be released. It should be a happy reunion for them!

Tash and I finally reach an understanding about him taking his meds!

The antibiotic used is very bitter.... but luckily Laurie had a compounding pharmacy whip some up in tutti fruity flavor and he has since been quite agreeable about the twice daily dose he has to take. (Thank god for my sake! He would have won every battle I'm sure, because he definitely won the first 2 with the original bitter version!)

The new baby!

Here's the new baby! OMG it is the cutest thing!!! Great big thanks go out to Kristy for this cutie pie....it was a wonderful surprise!!! If you haven't noticed her blog Mini Menagerie listed in the margin of this one, now is a good time to check it out. The most amazing and TINY little critters....I'm in awe and I don't know how she does it! This is so tiny even my camera couldn't focus on it...and my old eyes probably never will! LOL My picture does it no justice whatsoever...hers are much better and you can see them here.....
http://minimenagerie.blogspot.com/2010/11/another-pajama-baby-with-enormous-head.html
It reminds me so much of my little Pip....even the mask is the same...so Pip in PJ's it is!
Thanks so much Kristy!! Love it!

*SIGH*- Vin has company.

I jinxed myself! The injured beach boy I talked about at the release site is back! I had spread Phillip's ashes out there with the gang so he could be free with them....silly I know but I hoped he would keep an eye on them with a little divine assistance maybe? No such luck...LOL. (or maybe just the luck Tash needed it would turn out!)

I set up the coon cam out there and there is plenty of activity. The gang is still hanging out together and until now Tashmoo was keeping up despite the fact that he is obviously still not using his back leg. If it was as simple as the bite wound he should not be limping around like this anymore!

He was injured over 3 weeks ago and at the very least should be bearing weight a little! Luckily with the camera I am able to see he is still getting along great, eating well and in good body condition. He's there with the gang every night so that's good. There is no way we'd be able to trap him with all those guys running around out there! Concerned but not terribly worried.....hes adapting and doing well.

Then Laurie checks the site Friday. He scared the crap out of her when she opened the den box and he's in there huffing away at her! (LOL...see I'm not the only one getting the crap scared outta me!)

Soooooo.....I head over after work and as I expected it was Tash. He still loves mom luckily so I was able to get him into a carrier and bring him home.

Vin was so excited when I arrived......until he realized I brought company and not a treat that is! LOL

They are both familiar with each other so they are able to be together. Vin was perfectly fine coming right down to say Hi....Tash a little less welcoming but tolerant just the same. They won't exactly be cuddling in the same den box together, but have no problem hanging out in the same pen together.

Tash was very happy to be safe and comfortable back home and definitely in need of some help from mom.

Until we are able to get an x-ray and a good look, I can't even begin to speculate, but the leg is very swollen and painful to the touch and although he can move it somewhat, he's not using it at all. He did manage to get into the hammock and make himself comfortable though!

Right now he's eating well and BAR (bright, alert, responsive) which is a very good sign. Whatever is wrong it's not making him sick at this point, just impairing his ability to function properly like climbing and escaping danger! A sitting duck on borrowed time if left out there on his own.

May, Amy and Moose are doing great....the 3 little pigs are eating all their food and growing like weeds.

As for the rest of the gang at the release site.....one is a little gimpy out there but not to the extent of Tashmoo. The gang is still hanging out together and doing well. Here is my sweetie Michelle (far left) looking great! She's the easiest to tell with that little snub nose of hers! Reminds me of my Dandy girl!