Raccoons gone wild again!

With temps. in the low 60's again, the older boys are feeling their oats a little and were in especially playful moods! Once they were able to squeeze by the usual raccoon blocking the entrance that is!!! This time Rollo was holding up the group.

Stinky has a treat.

Quinny was especially rambunctious this afternoon & it all started with him getting a hold of my camera strap and wrestling me for it!

Then jumping on his brother's back when he looses the battle with me.

Toto is still using his...well ahhhh....his built in pacifier shall we say!

The 3 stooges Nosey, Rollo & Mo

The twins Nosey & Stinkey wrestle for my attention.

Using mom as a tree to play on.....

Ahhhh...Quinny looks so calm and gentle in my arms here! But don't be fooled!! Only seconds before.....

....he literally climbed up my body......

....after leaping over and sticking to me like velcro!!

Stinkey plays tug of war with my sleeve.

Toto is just calm as can be.

Nosey finally gets his chance in mom's arms and is not about to let Quinny spoil it!

Rollo looks so calm & peaceful...but nooooo....see that ball of fur further in? That's Toto sitting on him...they were wrestling around like maniacs in there!

Toto gets a snack and Quinny wants to see what he's got there!

Right now Toto is thinking ...."Just don't fart!!"

Mo grabs his treat.

And a final "See Ya!" from Nosey and the crazy gang!

A check of the tree today reveals that our tree coon #2 is still up there so I'm still keeping an eye on that situation as well.

Tree raccoon returns!

Well it's back! I went out this afternoon and checked the tree and here we go again...... It is very balmy out...over 60 so I'm not too worried. And now that I think about it, the weather was mild the last time also. It's very possible this coonie is just enjoying it's naps outside in the nice weather. The tree is definitely huge enough to house a coonie inside it...could be a big enough knot hole entrance anywhere up there!

I walked by the den site also....looks like turtle was on the menu last night! Found this shell at the waters edge by the den. You can tell it's a little gnawed on there....and empty inside! Probably started as dinner then became a toy afterwards.

Lots of video of the gang at the main coondo feeding station....all normal! Dandy and Daisy looking great..... I think Popeye and Sarge were in the mix too!

Every one's got spring fever with this nice weather and love in the air. The older downtown boys were in rare form! Quinny was a wrestle maniac! I've got lots of bruises on my arm from the monkey bites he kept giving me.....through 2 fleeces even! I'll get those pics posted as soon as I go through them and narrow the over 200 pics down to the cutest few!

Roxy is in heat uptown so I had to break up the gang. She and the young kids are in one section and the 2 older males are on the other side......no need to add to the menagerie! I want everyone ready to get the boot this spring to make room for the new babies!

The saga continues....

I'm out yesterday afternoon doing the rounds and once again, I find a coonie sleeping in a tree. Don't ask me how I happen to notice these guys!! Here's a little perspective for you....I'm out looking around in the treetops....from a distance I notice a blob that looks like fur....yes a tiny dot at the end of the arrow!

Zooming in a little closer with the camera.....again at the end of the arrow....This is pretty much what it looked like to my naked eye standing across the way from the tree. (How the hell did I notice that??)

And finally zoomed in on it with the camera......

What in the world is it that makes me happen to look up in the right tree (among TONS in the woods) at the right time and actually think....hmmmmmm, that looks like a coonie, let me get my binoculars!!??

Well I did, and I am happy to say that while watching with the binoculars, it did move around...did the little doggie turn in circles to get comfy and settled in again. I did not notice any visible or horrible wounds and it was moving normally....no sign of the shakes or neurologic issues.

The tree is right on one of the major "highways" of travel to one of the feeders. So I set up the coon cam hoping to get a look if it came down. There were only about 5 short clips showing coonie's, and none showed neurologic signs. All appeared to be acting/moving/looking normal as they headed to the feeder. I cannot be sure one was this new tree coon, but it gives me hope! Also, when I checked the tree today....no sign of it up there! So far, this tree tale has ended better than the first one!

The coon cam is set up at the den site tonight to try to get an idea how everyone is doing over there. Fingers crossed!!

Cozy in the bat cave.

Jingles has finally settled in like a bat should! Hanging from the roof! Whenever I put him back in after his "torture sessions"....(oh the drama!LOL).....he waits for me to leave then finds his own spot to settle into. This is the first time he chose to hang like the bat he is and I'm so proud of my little guy!!

Jingles, Dandy & all the raccoons....

Jingles is doing great....and pissed off as usual when I check him out and give him some fluids!

The uptown gang are all great and cute as ever....

The 2 boys wrestle with my hand...Charger and Outlaw

All 3 of the younger kids....Button far left, and the 2 boys.

Cute as a Button!

The older boys get their favorite.....no problem getting them to come out for chicken wings!

....well...some of them come out for them, and some just settle for breakfast in bed. LOL

My girl Dandy gives us our best look yet at how well she has done since her surgery. She still has that permanent smile....but oh how beautiful it is to see!

So far no signs of any neurologic coons at the feeding station, and Daisy...one of the residents of the den site, is one of the regular visitors showing up at the feeding station and looking great.

Right now I'm just keeping my eye on things and hoping for the best. I'll try alternating the coon cam between the den site and the feeding station to get a look at as many as I can, checking for neurologic signs......

Not good news for raccoons.

It has been a crazy week to say the least. More bad news than good unfortunately.

Sometime about last Wednesday, video showed a neurologic coon at the den site.
This is one of the clips...and though you may find it disturbing to watch (as I do), I think it would be educational for some people out there. I have seen videos on youtube where someone films a "poor raccoon" that they bring in to "help" because they think it is just hungry and cold and scared, when in fact it is neurologic, possibly suffering from head trauma, distemper or rabies!!! Though their intentions are good, they feed it, take some pics, then release it back into the wild to infect and kill more raccoons......

So I began periodic searches through the woods and area looking for the poor thing. (and hoping the one harassing it didn't get anything from it!) On Thursday I notice a coonie cradled up high(75+ feet) in a pine tree near one of the feeding stations. Don't ask me how I noticed that!! I got no reaction from it when I called and no movement.


Ok...so I spend most of Thursday and Friday looking for our neuro friend and keeping an eye on our tree friend....mulling over rescue options.
Saturday morning I check on tree coon before we all head out to the WRAM conference at Tuft's for the day. Still there, still unmoved. After the conference, Laurie and I head into the woods to check the den site, set up the coon cam and debate tree coon's options. Then we head to the downtown pen to feed the gang, when Laurie notices a coon hanging out near by.

He doesn't look good, definitely a face wound and a little wobbly.

So we decide to catch him! I cannot possibly begin to detail for you the extremely humorous account of us trying to catch him.....chasing him through swamp, brambles, brush and water....in the dark....with already frozen feet, to finally corner him. Then a net that didn't catch him "just right", pinning the coonie while looking for the carrier somewhere in the brush....seeing the light in Laurie's hands bounce all over the place in the distance as she runs through bushes trying to find where the hell we left the carrier...hearing the "uugghhh" then "splat" as the little bouncing light disappears....then she re-appears at my side, covered in muck and bootless.... and finally tossing him in the carrier! We were laughing so hard we were crying!! Suffice it to say that despite the gravity of the situation now, I am giggling my ass off again as I think about it!! (I was picking branches out of my hair the next morning still!)

We get him comfortable and set up inside for the night (he's not one of my releases, thank god!) and bring him in to Laurie's vet the next morning to sedate him and ascertain his situation. Suffice it to say the wounds were not good and we decided to euthanize him and send him in for rabies testing. We literally drove it to the lab in Boston ourselves that day. (It ended up he was our tree coonie).

The results are back and he was positive for Rabies!! He is not the one that was on the video, so I know of at least one more out there that is ill, and now I am sick with worry & beyond words about the rest of my gang out there!! All I can do is keep an eye out and hope for the best for them all.....and wish like hell it wasn't mating season...making them more active and likely to come into contact and bite each other! I can only pray that the rabies vaccines they got have done some good...it won't help their kids, but just maybe it will keep my releases safe.

And the good news? Well at least I got a good video of Dandy....looking and acting great so far...at the feeding station......

Bottle Boy update.

I am very happy to report Bottle Boy is doing great! He is now together with his new playmate Nicky and they love to wrestle and play together.

Awwww...the happy couple!

He is starting to climb often and his paw is gaining strength every day! At one point last week he was on top of his cage and put his paw flat in the normal position for the first time! Hopefully this will become a habit.

Hopes are high for this little guy, and so far it looks like he is on track for an excellent recovery....with a little physical therapy help from Nicky!!! (And LOTS of wonderful care and patience from his rehabbers!!)

Well hello there!

So I decide I'll set up the coon cam at the den site again. (I'm always torn between the feeding station or the den site now!) It was a last minute decision before going to work (it was 1pm), and I brought my regular camera with me so I could get some pics of the older boys while I was out there. Thank god!

Imagine my surprise as I'm fiddling around with the coon cam, attaching it to the tree and aiming it....I turn around and I've got an audience! I see this head poking out of the entrance watching intently.

I usually talk a little when I approach the den so as not to surprise or panic anyone, so obviously someone was awake and wanted to say hi!

So I start chatting away and my little friend comes out further and gets comfortable while watching me. I'm really not sure who it is, but definitely someone familiar with me!! The more I talked to him/her(didn't get a look underneath to know) , the more comfortable he/she got and just kind of chilled out with me.

Then, curiosity satisfied, and probably disappointed by the lack of treats presented (had I known I was going to run into someone I would have brought some!), back inside the den to bed!!

Not one of the "usual's" that visit regularly like Ringer or Red, but could very well be someone from a while back that I have not seen in ages...like Nel Mezzo or Whitey....that still remembers Mom! It could even be one of the grand kids! Some of Ringer's and Brownie's kits got used to me by following mom, they would even let me give them an occasional chin scratch sometimes. Their appearances really can change so much through the seasons I just can't be sure...but it makes me all warm and fuzzy to know they still trust me!

Hanging at the den site.

The gang at the den is staying active longer...up in daylight now too! This is about 7am..

Then about 7:30 am.....

And believe it or not....1:30 in the afternoon! This was about a half hour before I went and got the camera....I just missed it!

I'm wondering if the single late risers are some gentlemanly guests sneaking out after a little one nighter! The players....typical men! LOL!

All is in order at the den site....there are so many coonies coming and going I can't tell how many are hanging in there...at least 5 for sure...and Daisy is usually the first one out at night.

The Meltdown!

In case you ever wondered....coonies love to squish in as many bodies into one little space as possible! Like those clown cars at the circus! The 6 big boys are almost too big for one den box...that's why they have several in their pen, so there is room for everyone. And sometimes they do split up.......

.......and other times I come down and find body parts hanging out the hole because they all have to squish into one!! It's very silly to see...and even sillier when they all realize I am there, but no one can get out until the one squished into the entrance moves out of the way!!

Tosser just happened to be the one in the entrance this time.....and he took his time waking up, grooming himself, just hanging out in the entrance.......

.....while everyone else tried to squeeze out and come say Hi! It was hilarious to watch!!!!

Finally Tosser unplugs the hole! Oh, hey there mom! Was I in the way??

The weather is between 40-50 degrees here now! It's almost balmy! LOL. So the whole gang wanted to come out and say hi and grab a few treats from me.....they've been holed up in there for about 3 days without coming out! So they were all out and playful and having fun with the break in the weather!

Even Mo ventured out....will wonders never cease! You know it's gotta be nice out if he ventures out of the dark recesses of the den box!

Thanks mom!! Those were yummy!

The little kids in the main pen were also enjoying the warm weather....thoroughly enjoying running around and playing outside! Just being plain old silly!

Today is even warmer, but I'm noticing it had gotten very windy out here...we'll see how they feel about coming out in that!