Feeding time!

The younger gang are doing great! Very soon now I will have to choose the ones who are ready to go and send them out...I'm a little more attached to these guys so it's going to be tough this time around! Especially my sweet little Michelle! She's such a love.

So this is how it works......I head out toward the pens where all is usually quiet. Then one of the gang hears a noise and comes outside to check it out. (In this case it's Dolci)

Then the call goes out to the rest of the gang.....HEY!!! MOM'S COMING TO FEED USSSSSSSSSS!!

And next thing ya know there's an army of coons anxiously awaiting my arrival with the food bucket! LOL

Of course, I go into the pen on the opposite side of the cage in the larger 10ft section and they all know the routine.....so while I walk over to that entrance, they charge back through the inside and out to the large section to meet me......sounding like a heard of elephants as they go!

Do you have any idea what it is like to have 13 hungry bundles of fur and claws charge toward you like maniacs while you hold the object of their desire in your arms!??

A little like this..... x 13!! LOL!

If anyone happened to wander into my backyard at feeding time they would think I was being mauled by a gang of rabid raccoons as I stand there with 13 clinging bodies hanging on me to get to the bucket of food in my hands faster than I can toss it all out in there! It's like wearing a raccoon fur coat, only they are all still alive. (Luckily I am prepared for this...thus the layers of fleece I wear in the pen, and thick jeans...or I'd come outta there a bloody mess....because yes, they literally leap onto me and climb up!)

Finally the fervor dies down...I am able to spread the food around and one by one they disengage their claws from my body and head to their own separate piles of food.

A couple of the beach boys pick a spot.

My little oh so adorable Pip....along with Michelle she is one of the sweetest little girls! She will most likely be spending the winter so we'll see more of her!

Kinky will also probably be spending the winter. Merry and Dolci will probably stay, and if Dolci does her brother Scrappy will too...they are pretty bonded to each other and I think it would be too stressful to Dolci (who is already skittish to begin with) to be separated.

The 4 beach boys, Drake, Quarry, Pansy and Michelle will all be going soon I think. I'm already bummed thinking about it.....especially Michelle....sigh........this is the time of year I hate!

I've got a few more guests at the inn. JoAnn's 3 possies are going to be ready to go soon so they are here for a couple weeks or so in a release pen getting adjusted to the great outdoors in a large pen with plenty of room for climbing and exploring.

Qbert, Snarf and Snuffles have also joined 5 of JoAnn's squirrels in an outside release pen. They too are weaned and will be ready to go after getting acclimated in one of the large outdoor pens. We put both groups out there in neutral territory at the same time so no conflicts among them and they are all hanging out like one big happy family!

All the pens are filling up fast....hopefully most of them will empty fast too!

A little humor....

Mary's birthday was Sept. 9th so we all got together at JoAnn's this past Sunday evening for dinner and to celebrate. Lot's of great food and fun (and babies to feed!).....and most humorous was this gift certificate for a manicure she got....it was for a whole Fity dolla! Haaaaaaaa! And this was the final fixed result after a lot more confusion on the employees part!

The next day it was time for Lisa to "decorate" her outdoor squirrel pen. So Laurie and I gathered some "branches" (ok...maybe small trees in this case..hehe) for them to bring over.

They were too big to fit inside so we figured what the hell.....and just strapped them on top! Meanwhile there was a very angry adult squirrel delicately contained inside the car that had been injured and now well enough to be released back at Lisa's where he was found. Hehe...I'm glad I wasn't along for that ride. I could picture it....with the window cracked ever so slightly and a psycho squirrel running loose in the car trying to kill them..."but officer, we needed new branches for the squirrel cage!....." LOL

Needless to say, everyone made it to Lisa's in one piece, without escape and without having to explain it all (or at least try to!) to a police officer!

In the meantime there are lots of baby squirrels to tend to! I'll update you on that crew soon! Still no sign of the gang released in Littleton. Short of sitting out there all night long, I don't think we are going to encounter them again. In fact, they dispersed so well we may send a second group out there soon!

The first release.

OK...sooooooooooooo......no luck figuring out how to get the @!#$*&# video onto my $#%@* computer! If I had to guess, it has to do with the way I formatted the disc in the camcorder so that it can only be played like a dvd. I can watch it but I can't do anything with it! Of course I videotaped the release so no actual pics of it. I do have these though....taken while we were hanging out saying goodbye just before we opened the doors!

What a bunch of clowns! They were in rare form!

Once the door was opened most came out in a mad rush. A couple of the Attitudes were the last ones out and needed a little reassurance by me that it was OK.....but eventually they were all out and hell bent on having fun, running and climbing all over the place!

The next morning Laurie and I managed to locate 4 of the gang out there hanging out in the trees. That was the last we've seen of any of them!

Been back a few times, and Laurie and I went late Monday night to see if we would run into anyone and nothing. The food is barely touched so they are not relying on the pen and feeders either. Although it's sad we probably will not get to see them again....in this case it is a good sign. It means they are very independent and don't need to rely on us. It also means that there is plenty of natural food out there for them! We knew we had a great release area when we saw it and their lack of dependence on the actual release site tends to support that. Complete with a lake, swamps, tons of trees and PLENTY of room to roam away from any human habitation....they are having the time of their lives out there I am sure! They were soooo ready to go!

I'm still here!

I apologize for my absence.....without getting into to much of the gross details, I ended up getting a fungus on my thumb that caused both my hands to become very itchy and irritated to say the least! It was difficult using my hands for much and I pretty much avoided the computer throughout it all. By the time I finished dealing with the animals my hands were too irritated to do much else with them anyway, despite the use of gloves! They are FINALLY getting better....the new meds are working and my hands are looking normal again for a change.

A lot has happened since! Qbert, Snarf and Snuffles have grown! They're in the big indoor cage and loving it. Snuffles is somewhat of an escape artist and occasionally I find her waiting for me on top of the cage while the boys try to figure out how to join her!

There has been a large influx of baby squirrels these past few days. One injured adult and 10 new babies have joined the crew! Good thing my hands are getting better....even with some nice padded gloves these guys are a handful.

Roo here has been a guest for a little while. He's a very sweet adult that came in injured....possibly hit by a car? He's dragging his back end, however he can move his feet and tail and feels pain when pinched. He's pretty quick when he wants to be. He is eating great and the wounds and scrapes on his back feet are healing well so for the time being, he has a place to rest and is being given some time to see if his back end is just bruised and will heal with rest.

We did end up releasing the gang this past Wednesday. The hurricane was a non-factor weather wise in this area. I took some video of the release and I'll be damned if I can figure out how to get it onto my computer to post it! Ugghhhh....very frustrating!!! I've been back a couple of times and no sign of the gang. Laurie and I are going to try to head out there tomorrow night and see if anyone is around. In the meantime I'll keep trying to get that darn video to do what I want it to!!!