Happy New Year!!

It's New Year's Eve....and it's a full moon with a snow storm! I'm guessing this is one party night the furrbutts are going to pass on to stay tucked in their dens where it is warm and cozy. (Something I would love to do as well, but I have to work....sigh!) So on behalf of the whole gang here....everyone have a very safe and Happy New Year!!

Checking in on the coon den

Had one of the camera's set up over at the coon den in the woods.....Daisey's Den. Not much activity at all in about a week. Of course I set it up right after about a foot of snow, so that's to be expected!

One brave soul peeks it's head out.....and decides "Screw this!" and right back in. Needless to say no one else ventured out that night either!

Finally after a warm day a lot of the snow had melted in the wooded areas....and we have someone who just couldn't wait till dark.....and it's Tosser!! I was very happy to see him doing well. I'm amazed at the diverse group that holes up in here. I think it is a very large underground area. There are other vent and exit holes all over the area....another exit hole is about 6ft behind Toto here at about 10 o'clock in this pic, near the large fallen branch there.

One brave soul was out in all that snow, but not brave enough to crawl into the den he discovered!

Christmas with the coons.

Well the gang was thrilled to discover the gifts Santa left under their tree!

And they didn't waste any time opening up the packages! Everyone grabbed one and tore into it.

Then came the big ol' bucket of toys! Oh goody goody! Let us at it!

A very good day indeed for my furry friends.

Merry Christmas from me and the gang!

A holiday silly.

OK, not a raccoon, but some cute holiday humor.....I do have kitty's as well after all. You'd never get one of these on a raccoon! LOL! He'd do more than knock over your tree...

Procyon cancrivorus, The Crab-Eating Raccoon

While perusing the Internet one day I came across a story about a rehabilitated crab eating raccoon named Bandit. (the link to his story is below!)

Well I figured most people don't realize there are other types of raccoons out there other than our common raccoon.Soooooo........ let me introduce you to one of our raccoon's cousin, Procyon cancrivorus, the crab eating raccoon.

Photo by Roger Manrique Found from Costa Rica through eastern and western Paraguay, Uruguay, and into northern Argentina, they are smaller than our northern coonies and appear much thinner due to the fact they don't have an undercoat. Living in a nice warm tropical climate these lucky cousins have no need for the thick undercoat that keeps our coonies warm! Basically a smooth coated version of our guys. Breeding season for these guys is July-September as opposed to our January-February season.

The mask and markings are a little different and their tails are slightly longer as well. They kind of look like a cross between our northern raccoon and the coati...also a member of the procyonidae family.

Latin Name - Procyon cancrivorus
Conservation Status - Least Concern
Location - Central & South America
Color - Brown/Grey
Length - 45 - 90 cms (18 - 35 inches)
Tail - 20 - 56 cms (8 - 22 inches)
Weight - 2 - 12 Kgs (4.5 - 26 lbs)
Life Expectancy - Up to 14 Yrs

Click here to read about Bandit. They are just as mischievous as our coonies also!

Another Karanambu Orphan: Bandit the Crab-Eating Raccoon

Back to the den in the woods.

The frozen ground has finally made it possible to safely walk around the den site (Daisey's Den)across the water without the fear of caving it in. So I got one of the coon cams set up over there the other night.

One of the first familiar faces was none other than Popeye!! Haven't seen him in a while and it's great to see he's doing so well! He's a big fatty now!

Button is there too! Seems to be quite a mix of coonies hanging out in there.....some of the old, some of the new, some of the juveniles, and even some big scrappy males.

I had the camera out there for 3 nights....but thanks to the curiosity of this coon....

....and the decision to play with his new toy, the camera was repositioned away from the activity of the den, thus not many photos.

We can thank the little bugger for one thing at least, the new angle gave us a great shot of a red fox in the area that night! I think he looks a little gimpy though, but unfortunately there weren't any more clips of him to be able to tell for sure.

Raccoons of a different color.

When you think "Raccoon" most of you probably picture this typical black, grey and white ring tailed bandit. (Thanks Razz and Dozer for the pose!)

Who you callin' a bandit!?

But there are some other very unique coonies out there! Like the oh soooo adorable Miss Vicki here. OMG how cute is that baby picture! She's a true albino with white fur and pink eyes.

Here she is all grown up..she totally owns her hooman mom! LOL What a beauty! (although I have to say....that look says mischief to me! LOL)

Another example of a white coonie....but notice the eyes. They are black so not albino, but very cute non the less!

A good example of why white/albino animals of any type around here don't usually last long. Look at how much better this guys sibling blends in. The white one sticks out like a sore thumb...an easier target for predators.

The cuteness continues.....here are some variations of cinnamon or red raccoons. Very cute! Again sometimes found in the wild, but more common with breeders where it is legal to own raccoons as pets. After seeing these pictures, is it any wonder why people want to rush out and get one? Unfortunately most people don't know what they are getting into and they end up stuck in a small cage (or worse) for the rest of their lives. A horrendous tragedy for a coonie!!! It takes a special person to be owned by a raccoon...and you better not care about your house being destroyed!! LOL

My intention is not to make you all go out and get a coonie here...so please don't. Just appreciate the beauty of one of the biggest clowns in the woods!! All to many times people get one...some with the very noble intentions of helping the orphan they come across. They fall in love with it and decide to keep it as a pet instead of getting it to someone with the proper knowledge to care for it. Then it gets bigger and starts to act like a coonie should....getting into everything, roughhousing with teeth and claws and climbing everything....including it's human benefactor! Some just toss it back out into the wild....that juvenile isn't going to fare well. Some finally decide to call a rehabber and now we have our work cut out for us getting that coonie to realize it's a coonie so it can be released. Others have far worse fates....often ripped from the only family they know, very frightened, then euthanized when someone finds out they have been illegally kept by someone without a rehabber permit. So if you really care about that adorable little fella you rescue out there...please get it to someone who knows them well and can best help that baby!!!! Especially if it's a single kit...they need to be with other coonie kids and I can assure you...any rehabber you call that deals with coonies will have more than enough babies for him to join! LOL

Updates on the release sites.

I'm very happy to report that all appears well at all the release sites. Baloo's gang is still hanging together. That's RJ facing us on the left and as you can see they still like to huddle around the feeder together as a group! Cooniebear the tail-less coon and his friend are still regulars as well as the big fat possie.

I was crazy enough to head to Dozer's release site last night..probably the coldest night of the year! I hadn't been in a while so I needed to check the bucket and maybe run into someone since they were occasionally there between 7 and 8 on the last round of pics from the coon cam, but I wasn't hopeful.

Well cold doesn't even begin to describe it. It was the kind of cold that makes the snot freeze in your nose when you breathe in! LOL How's that for descriptive! I'm glad I went though because the feeders were totally empty. So I filled them and ran the flashlight over the surrounding trees hoping someone was around. Just as I'm packing it in I catch sight of a pair of glowing eyes staring from a treetop. I start calling to them.....and ever so slowly I notice the glowing eyes going down the tree. Once they hit the ground I figure the coonie is either going to book it out of there the other way or hopefully head my way for a visit! Well he booked it all right....straight over to me! My baby Dozer was more than happy to see mom again! That was all Tank needed to see from his spot up another tree and down he came too, very happy to see me. Luckily I had my cell phone for pics again!

Tank
Dozer

Both of them insisted on climbing into my arms and cuddling with me.... and doing a wonderful job of grooming my hair as well! (I wasn't wearing my nice warm fleece hoodie because Tank freaked out! He was sitting right next to me when I put it on and when he saw me...suddenly I wasn't mom anymore! LOL)

I could have stayed with them forever...but again, it was FREEZING! So I said my goodbye's and threw some treats down to keep them occupied while I snuck outta there to warm up my frostbitten face! But seeing them made it all worthwhile!

Laurie & Lisa's hidden talent!

Laurie came up with the brilliant idea of giving wreaths and baskets to all the vets and people who have helped us with the coonies by donating a release site.

Even more brilliant are the creations she and Lisa came up with! Here is the basket they made for my vet.....

Beautiful! I think we can all agree they should go into business!!

Barred owl release.

Last weekend we all headed up to JoAnn's to release a barred owl on the golf course near her house. It's within about a half mile of where it had been found the previous week, possibly hit by a car and stunned on the side of the road.

It was FREEZING!! We weren't all prepared for a trek across the golf course in the snow and freezing weather.....so we raided a box of hats and gloves at JoAnn's. Luckily I snagged the earmuffs first, leaving Lisa with this fashionable hat! LOL Oh her expression is priceless!

Then off we trudged through the snow.


We finally reach the perfect spot! Opened the box and waited for him to take off!

And waited......

.....and waited!

So we finally tilted the box to give him a little incentive and finally off he went!

We hung out for a while watching him as he checked out his surroundings....until all of a sudden we looked up and he was gone....in total silence. Not even the sound of flapping wings. It was beautiful! Yet another happy ending!

Then we got the heck outta there before frostbite set in!!

Our annual Christmas Brunch!

Yesterday us gals had our annual Christmas Brunch! We spent the better part of the day pigging out on the feast prepared by Mary, lots of homemade goodies, sipping (OK, maybe gulping down! LOL) mimosa's with fresh squeezed OJ, and just plain old relaxing! You got it....no babies to feed either!!! It was AWESOME!

Of particular note was this wonderful goody!! A holiday raccoon cake made by a friend of mine for the occasion. Isn't it the cutest damn thing?? We hated to cut into it.....what a sacrilege!!...but eventually we did....and it was just as good on the inside as it was on the outside!! Everything but the whiskers was edible!! Awesome job Jules!!

You can check out her website here: http://www.juleofcakes.vpweb.com/

With full bellies we headed to the living room....and a sea of presents to open! Lots of rehab and wildlife goodies for the coming season as well as some awesome wildlife decor for our homes!

Laurie & Lisa

JoAnn & Sue

And our wonderful hostess Mary!

Finally all the gifts were open. I was lucky enough to get to bring this cutie home!! Love it! Just one of the many awesome raccoon gifts I got.....thanks so much you guys!!

We all had a great day.....some of us had a little more fun than others!! LOL!

Just kidding!! Lisa wasn't feeling very good due to the flu or something, not from too many mimosas!

Personally I don't think I'll need to eat again for a week!