Mangy coons!

Got a call from the MSPCA yesterday. A fourth kit from Bramble's family was found! 7 days later!!!! After getting over my shock that it was even still alive, Andrea brought him here last night. The fact that he seemed alert and crying gave me hope... I know better, but I had hope anyway. If sheer will alone could have helped him I would have been all set but it was not to be. It was as if once he was safe and saw his siblings again he knew it was ok to let go and he began to fade. I have a little couch down in the basement where all the babies are and I wrapped him up nice and cozy and slept with him on my chest so he could hear a heartbeat and feel my breathing and know he was not alone as he quietly slipped away. God I really hate that part of the rehab!!

So on to happier things.......

The boys with attitude...doing awesome and they love feeding time at the food trough!! LOL

We get a lot of calls about raccoons that must be sick because they are out during they day and they look mangy and gross. This time of year coonies are always out during the day....especially mothers! It's safer to leave the den unprotected during the day to go out and find food to keep up with the demand nursing babies put on their bodies!! And all coonies look mangy and gross this time of year....some more so than others. They all blow their winter coats for the summer. Come fall they will have new beautiful full thick coats for winter again. (That's why coon hunting season :( is winter....that's when the coats are the best .)

As demonstrated by Witchy and River....some loose almost all their fur and look bald! Looks like an over sized rat here with no hair from the mid-section back!
Some just get little bald spots here and there where large clumps fall out. Either way...they look gross and mangy....but it's normal!

Hey! Who you callin' mangy!?...and stop taking pictures of our butts!!! LOL

The really hot days also bring more coonies out to lounge in the trees where it is cooler! Some not so bothered by a visit from mom....

...others a little less thrilled! The body language on this one says it all! Ears back and still as a statue and maybe she won't see me! LOL

I'm waiting to hear from JoAnn about a baby we tried to reunite with it's mother these past couple nights.....I'll keep ya posted on that new arrival if she didn't grab him!

So sad.....

Another awful tragedy for one raccoon family. Got a call from the ACO officer...a tree cutting company had cut down a tree with a mom and her babies in it. I'm still investigating...but from what I can gather, they just cut it down without checking anything, right into the family. Then told the homeowner 2 hours later!!!..."Oh by the way we killed a raccoon and there are babies in there" and skipped out of there before animal control could get there....leaving behind a horrible mess to deal with!!

I was at work and helpless to help, but luckily Mary and Laurie were around and had it all under control! Mom was dead, 2 babies were injured and 3 babies remained unscathed. The first baby had to be euthanized due to the head injury sustained. Baby number 2 however was a little luckier. A large laceration to the jaw was stitched up.......

...and an equally messy laceration to the leg that I cannot imagine ever being put together very well were tended to.

And big Kudo's to Dr. Rice for putting this puzzle back together! Amazing...I can't believe it's the same leg! The poor thing is resting comfortably with Laurie for now while the 3 healthy siblings are in Mary's safe hands.


Hopefully the fix will hold on the leg..only time will tell. For now this little one will remain with Laurie separate from it's siblings until well enough...then when given the all clear, will get to join them again.

So as sad and upsetting as it is....not a total tragedy in the end. I'll be looking into that tree company! A couple minutes to take the time to check the tree....like most good tree companies do....could have spared a lot of pain and suffering!!

Crazy update to a crazy week!!

Wow...where to begin! Well Phillip and Michelle are out of quarantine and in with the younger coon pile of 7...making an even bigger pile of 9 now!

Thursday got a baby from the MSPCA. Mom was hit by a car and killed and only 1 of the 3 kits she had were caught. Hungry and covered in sticky burrs, Bramble joined the crew. Lost a little sleep thinking of the other 2 left out there, but at least one was safe!

My neighbor also called early that morning. A coon was trying to get into his dog pen and didn't seem right since the dog was still in there! It finally went about 100 feet up a tree nearby so all we could do was wait it out.

Friday afternoon as I'm heading home from work my neighbor calls me....the coonie is only about 8ft up in the tree now. I stop over and my heart sinks...it looks like Tosser! Something is definitely wrong with him. I manage to easily capture him and don't notice any obvious wounds or injuries. So now I am mentally prepared to have Laurie euthanize him...I figure rabies or distemper. I'm a wreck. I settle him into a carrier then head out with Lisa to check on a baby coon found in a woman's back yard. Mom had been around the night before, as well as another baby.....but just this little guy is left there now. He's in great shape so we pop him some fluids and put him in the reuniting box to give mom a chance to fetch him one more night.......

Back to Tosser. Lisa and I bring him in to the animal hospital. After further checking, it looks like his whiskers are singed. I do live near some power lines...so now it's possible he may have been electrocuted to some extent somehow. It's a possibility and he's not in terrible shape....he's comfortable, eating and drinking and for now I'll just monitor him and hope he improves. It's either that or he will decline in health if rabies or distemper are at work. Either way, he's in good hands and I'll be able to help him one way or the other. My fingers are crossed!!!!!!!

Saturday brought a beautiful weekend. Momma coon came back for her kit...only an empty box left there! Also a few visitors to the front yard. My ground hog friend who I haven't seen yet finally made an appearance! And the snappers are out in full force filling my front lawn with eggs!!

Almost looks like an elephant from behind when the get up and walk!
A day trip for the baby geese.....

And a much needed new release pen for the squirrels has been added to the collection. The other 2 are already full of 18 squirrels and there are more to come over and go out! Thanks Vinny for getting it done so quick....great cage!!

Saturday also brought another call from the MSPCA.....another of Bramble's litter mates was found! She was not quite as happy as Bramble to be found! Thorny is a fitting name...growling and nipping she joined her sister.

The older boys ...Gerry and the crew....are officially weaned now and loving life in the small outdoor section of the pen! LL gave me a little scare getting sick for a couple days...but the parvo test was negative and it turned out to just be a tummy bug. A day of nothing to eat and only sub q fluids helped settle it down and he's pigging out with the rest of them now.

Sunday afternoon brought a happy ending for the last little kit lost when his mother was killed. Very skinny and dehydrated, he finally made his way here to join his sisters. Whew!! It was a very vocal reunion for them all and Thistle is doing great now. Even Thorny is starting to warm up a little....instead of cowering in the back of the cage and growling when I try to get her out for feeding time, she actually follows her siblings into my lap to get her bottle! Major progress. Eventually she'll stop growling and nipping at the hand that feeds her! LOL

22 baby coons...where the hell am I going to put them all!

And finally....the 6 squirrels I got a while back were relased and loving it!

A pile of coons!

Kinky finally has company! The beach boys from Salisbury (Tashmoo, Katama, Chappy and Squibby) and Merry and Pip are finally out of quarantine. Eyes are open and they are now one big pig pile of 7 baby coons! Even the tiniest one...Pip (who is the damn cutest little pipsqueak I might add!) is eating like a pro and growing like a weed!Kinky on the left is loving the new extended family!
Coon pile!!!

Phillip and Michelle will be joining them as soon as their quarantine is over and it'll be an even bigger coon pile!

The squirrels went out into the release pen last week and are doing great! In about a week they too will be released and out in the big world!

Yesterday JoAnn brought a group of 12 over and put them in the larger release pen so there are squirrels everywhere now!

Free at last!

I did end up releasing the overwinters on Sunday night. Cinnamon, Peanut, Willie, Ellie, Piggy, Chicken, Gonzo, Fozzy, Raquel and Phoenix are officially free raccoons! It was a lot of fun watching them run around and play like maniacs!

Piggy wasted no time and was the first one out.

Willie was the last one out! Too many memories of what happened the last time he was released here perhaps?? LOL But he finally took the plunge and joined the rest of the gang!
I stayed and enjoyed watching their antics until they all finally drifted further off and it started getting dark....

The part I hate most.....saying goodbye and leaving....hoping they do OK out there on their own!

The big boys in the outside pen.

The 5 older "boys with attitude" are hanging out in the outdoor pen during the days now....and lovin' it!! A little hesitant to leave mom's side at first.........but with hammocks to bounce in....

...trees to climb.....

......and all kinds of new things to explore.......

...it wasn't long before the little devils were up to their usual crazy antics!

Does that face say mischief or what!! LOL

The coyote pups move on.

Well it wasn't easy....but I parted with the coyote pups on Friday. I really miss them! Many thanks to Jim who was heading to Western Ma. to see the rehabber that was taking them! Our little pups got to hitch a ride and are now safe and sound in their new home and doing well! Thanks Dawn for taking them in.....they couldn't be in a better place! Here they are getting a little outside time before they left.

A sad turn of events for the little robin family. There was one baby being cared for and one morning I checked in on them and no activity at the nest. When I went out and checked I found the poor little baby dead on the ground with a wound. Possibly another bird or chipmunk had gotten to the nest. A rat or coonie wouldn't have left the baby. I was so bummed!

The weather is looking good for the next few days so it looks like I'll be heading out to the release site tonight to send the gang on their way.......more goodbyes.....sigh......

A quick intro to Phillip and Michelle!

The two Buddha coons-Phillip and Michelle......(boy are they big and beefy!)....are doing great. The dried blood that was clogging Michelle's nose has cleared out and all the swelling is gone. She's perfectly normal now and doing great......oh and did I mention VERY adorable!!??

Hey!! Don't forget about me!! Phillip is equally as healthy and is a very good climber! Didn't take him long to figure out how to get out of the open crate!

OK....I'm ready to eat now!!! (Actually, he's always ready to eat!!!)