Clambake leftovers! Yum!

Mom and Dad had a clambake Saturday night and guess who took advantage of the leftovers! The little stinkers. This is Lisa's group that came here to live and that I released Friday night. They think they hit the jackpot...and now they'll probably never leave! LOL

Don't get used to it gang....you won't be dining like that again.

The skunks pretty much ruled the night....who would want to mess with them after all.

When the coonies showed up there was a momentary standoff.....

But eventually everyone got along and shared! You can see a skunk tail moving right behind the coonie here.

One little stinker triggers the camera and gets scared....

....but has no problem telling the coyote where to go! LOL Guess I won't have to worry about this gang holding their own out there.

The little stinkers go free!

So my 5 little stinkers finally got their freedom Monday night! As you can see...it brought a smile to their faces! LOL First wake up the crew......

...then give them a final big meal so they don't have to worry about it their first night out there exploring!

Then off they go! I opened the door and they made their way out without hesitation....well except for one that was SOUND asleep! The rest were wasting no time heading out and exploring....I had to go wake up the slacker or he would have woken up later to find himself all alone and none of the others in sight! A little snort and a grunt, he finally realized what was going on and caught up with his siblings.

They pretty much stuck to the woods, occasionally investigating just beyond the brush in the open....but for the most part they stayed safely under cover of the dense woods and eventually ventured deeper.

One last look back...and maybe a passing thank you?....and off my little babies went! Sniff..sniff! Good luck little ones!

I still have Lisa's 5 skunks here, and they were thrilled to get moved into the bigger pen my gang vacated. It won't be long before they can head out too!

Stinkers and surprises.

Was out filling the feeders and this little one scared the crap out of me! It's just a pan under an old hood from one of those hooded litter boxes. I lifted the box up to fill the pan and this ball of fur rolled towards me! He woke up just as I screamed like a baby, dropped the box and jumped back! Once I had my witts about me again, I took a peek. It's an older kit....about Pansy's size and seems perfectly healthy....especially after being so rudely awakened! My guess is the little one got separated from the family and picked a safe place to hole up for the day.

Based on the snarling noise coming from it everytime I got too close......definitely capable of handling itself. I let it be because my guess was mom would be back in the area come night time and a reunion was inevitable. I filled the pan and threw in a chicken wing for good measure and by that night when I checked our little friend was gone.

The little stinkers are doing great! Trying to beat the heat like everyone else, sprawled out in the dirt in the shade.

Then the food arrives!! Everyone wakes up for dinner!
Corn on the cobb.....

.....and some nice juicy mice are the favorites!

I'm just waiting for them to get a little bigger then off they go!

Poor little Sammy.

Well I'm saddened to say we lost Sammy. Tuft's said he was doing great and ready to come back. I got him last night and to be honest he didn't seem that well to me. But I got him settled in his bathtub suite, tried to feed him but he would have none of it, then set up all kinds of goodies in his cage to munch on. When I got up this morning to feed him he was dead. No idea why...and I'm not sending him off either. He's now in a nice peaceful spot overlooking my pond where he would have been released.

Laurie got Phillip's ashes back to me as well. I'm thinking I'll spread them at the release site we bring his sister and step-siblings to....

I have 5 more stinkers heading my way. Laurie is going to get them in and settled and re-hydrated for tonight since I'm working late then right back in to work first thing in the morning. I also have 2 more coonies coming this weekend that I don't really have room for, but there is no place else.....no one has room! I'm more stressed worrying about what will happen to them then I will be dealing with them when they get here sooooooooo...........

The little stinkers get an outside suite!

The 5 little skunks have graduated to an outdoor pen. I spent most of the day putting this together for them. I don't know why they include instructions...they are useless anyway!! Well it's finally together and the skunks love it!

They are eating on their own and as soon as they are big enough off they go!

Here's Pansy!

This is the new girl, Pansy. She's being very helpful here assisting me as I prepare the outside pen for Michelle and the younger gang.

Yup..this tree is secure!

This branch is a little wobbly.....
This tree is perfect!

She reminds me a lot of Lexi...she's got the same face. She will start to get supervised visits with the younger kids during the day as soon as the necropsy results come back (if ever!!) and I know they were not exposed to anything contagious. She will have to come inside at night until her vaccines are boostered though. Have to make sure she is not exposed to anything by the wild coonies that might visit the cage area at night until she's had enough vaccines to protect her.

I did try a brief introduction to the older NCIS and Attitude kids.....she was not very pleased about that at all! Although she's the same size as them, she's been a single coonie so she would probably be more comfortable with the smaller ones, but we'll see.

Drake and Quarry, the boy and girl from the Dracut Quarry who were buried by the asphalt landslide, are doing great and will be out of quarantine on Sunday I believe......then I can get pics of them once I don't have to worry about contaminating the camera! They will also join Pansy out in the shed and all 3 can eventually be introduced to the younger kids making one big group of 11!

The skunks are great...eating solids regularly and getting ready to go outside if I can get a pen set up. Sammy the Muskrat is hitching a ride with JoAnn to Tufts this morning to get checked out. He's loosing weight despite eating well so I want him checked, not being all that familiar with them or their ailments. Lets keep our fingers crossed for him! (At least I think it's a him! LOL Not quite as obvious as coonies!) I really like the little guy!

There's a muskrat in my tub!

No, really!! There's a muskrat in my tub! Got this cutie in the other day. I've never taken care of one of these before so it's been a learning experience. Got him set up in a little nest of fleece at one end of the tub and there's a litter pan filled with water and a little ramp to go in and out of it at the other end of the tub. The fur is amazingly soft! Doing a great job eating his formula and even nibbling solids already. A meal then a little dip in the pool....

....then a little grooming to keep the fur in tip top shape and back to bed.
The basement isn't smelling all that fresh and clean either...not with these five little stinkers that have recently moved in! They've got a nice hutch full of dirt and they are loving it! Already eating solid foods.....mice seem to be their favorite...yummy! It won't be long before these guys have to go outside.
When I was out last night filling the feeders I ran into Red. She brought the kids in to visit grammy! 4 beautiful kits that look just like her! I got some very cute video with my phone but doesn't seem to be compatible here so I'm sorry to say I am unable to show you! Bummer! Button also ran in real quick, grabbed some treats from me, then off she went again.

The final kit has joined the family. She was being cared for by another rehabber until weaned and is now here to join the gang and finally make some coonie friends. Her name is Pansy (No...I am not responsible for that name! LoL...that's all on you Lisa!) and she's beautiful! I'm going to try soon to take a minute or 2 to get some updated pics of the gang finally.

We are STILL waiting for necropsy results from Tufts! Laurie spoke to them yesterday and they said another week. SIGH!!! I've been getting the outdoor pen ready for the younger gang...just waiting to see if I should be concerned about anything contagious or not. Patience is a virtue I guess!

A stinky update.

The 3 little skunks are doing great and growing like weeds! One had an injured front paw and was not using it, but it has since improved and should be 100% in no time!

This is the greeting I usually get from them!

On occasion, however, I do manage to get a view of the non-business end and you can see how cute the little buggars are!


...even when they are stomping up some attitude at me! LOL

Checking out the new bigger outdoor pen when they were first moved in there....

Funny smelling raccoons.

Well I ended up with these little stinkers the other day. Had to rig an enclosure for them because I'm so full of coons I don't have room! They are doing great-eating solid foods luckily! They were found with their dead mother-and I will tell their story, but if you are squeamish skip to the last paragraph, and skip the 3rd picture......

SQUEAMISH PEOPLE STOP HERE......AND GO TO LAST PARAGRAPH

The babies were with their dead mother. She had been dead at least a couple days, but even in death she managed to save her kids. They were old enough to be eating solid food and they ended up surviving by eating her. As a result they were in very good shape when I got them and are now settled in with various (and better!) foods....puppy chow, yogurt, eggs, chicken wings and formula for starters. All eating well with good appetites!

Below is the picture of the dead mother....look closely at her neck. The plastic container stuck around her neck is possibly what led to her eventual demise but I have to admit, it was very disgusting and I was more concerned with getting the babies out of there and didn't investigate it too closely.




SQUEAMISH PEOPLE CAN BEGIN READING HERE AGAIN

Another sad example of how our trash affects other living things! These babies were lucky-she survived long enough to get them to where they were eating solid foods. Others are not always so lucky, many dying long painful deaths that are followed by the slow starving deaths of their babies when they are not old enough to be on their own.
Please remember this when throwing out your garbage!! Skunks have short stubby legs that are not very powerful so when they get things stuck on their heads it is almost impossible for them to get it off without help! Those that are found and assisted are the lucky ones, other's like this mom are not so lucky, but this time her kids were....