Qbert, Snarf and Snuffles

Finally here is little Qbert ..(so named by the people that rescued him) is in with my first 2 babies Snarf and Snuffles. He was very happy to have playmates....
.....and they were more than happy to welcome a new friend!

They are doing great and already eating solids.

Awwwww...and they are just so cute together!

These guys have since moved into a bigger indoor cage and 2 younger greys and the single red are in this cage now. For lack of another red to put him with, he's in with the grey squirrels until we get one. Better to have some company than keep him alone for now.

Michelle and the rest of the little ones have finally been moved into the big pen vacated by the gang that was moved to the release site. More room to stretch their paws and run around like maniacs! They are loving it!!

We're still on track for a Wednesday release for Gerry and the gang....looks like the weather will be nice and Laurie and I are both off to send them on their way. It will be great for them but tough for us.....

At the release site.

OK....finally! The release site! It's perfect for them!

The very secluded path begins near the house.......and winds all through the woods. (That was fun lugging it all in there!)

It's like fern gully!

Into a clearing and there it is.
All set up and decorated a la raccoon.

Then it's time to add the coonies! Here they are.....The Attituds and NCIS all packed up and ready to go. (and not very happy about it either!)

Once my gang and Lauries are all loaded into the pen the crates are opened and the fun begins!

New territory and new surroundings makes for a lot of fun.....and that means no major squabbles among strangers! Even if there were problems, the cage is plenty big enough for them to avoid each other and plenty of den boxes to separate into.

They're all doing great out there and we are aiming for Wednesday for a possible release....weather permitting. They are going to love it out there!

Short but sweet...an update!

Holy cow! It's been CRAZY these past couple of weeks....I have not had a moment to post much of anything, I'm sorry! I took a chemical capture course at the Franklin Park Zoo to learn how to tranquilize and dart wildlife, I'm up to 6 baby squirrels, got in an adult injured skunk, and release day is pending for the gang out at the release site right now. It will be 2 weeks this coming Sunday....so anytime after that with a few days of good weather in the forecast, it's off they go. Maybe I'll actually get the pics of the release site up before they actually get released! LOL

My car is going into the shop on Thursday, so since I can't go anywhere anyway, maybe I can sit my ass on the computer and catch you all up...I promise to try!

Moving day, new babies & a visit with old babies.

Laurie and I spent the better part of today moving 16 of the babies to the release site in Littleton. We have spent the past week getting it ready. The boys with attitude and the NCIS kids with 6 of Laurie's gang are on their way to freedom soon. As soon as I find where I left the camera I'll get the pics posted! The move and mixing the 2 groups went REALLY well! Whew.

The second round of squirrel babies is in full swing. These 2 cuties are with me now. Both came in with upper respiratory problems but after a round of antibiotics they are doing great! Snarf is the boy and Snuffles is the girl....names are the result of their previous respiratory conditions...it just couldn't be helped! LOL

Got an early evening visit the other day too. I guess he didn't want to wait for dark and the rest of the crew! Early bird gets the worm.
Got anything good mom?

Oooooooo sardines!! How yummy!

Thanks mom! These are great!

The latest video I have been looking over from out there is crazy! Lots of activity with a couple of coyote and a fox.....all hanging out peacefully (and pretty cautiously I might add!) with the skunks out there! It's amazing....no one wants to mess with these guys! Can't say I blame them either.

How relaxed is that! You know, animals could teach us humans a lot I think!

The gang in Framingham.

I've been keeping tabs on the gang in Framingham and I'm happy to say Cinnamon, Peanut, Phoenix, Willie, Raquel, Ellie,Chicken, Piggy, Fozzy and Gonzo are doing great! I finally got a chance to go through the pics on the camera.

They start to trickle in early and check out the new gadget that just appeared!I stop by occasionally after work and this night had a nice little visit with some of them! Raquel was the first to come say Hi to mom. Eventually Ellie and Chicken graced me with their presence too. The humidity and killer mosquitoes drove me out before I could wait for more to come in...not to mention I had to work bright and early the next morning!

It's safe to say they feel pretty relaxed out there now.....

And looks like they are sticking together also! There are 2 other feeders out there...why they all have to eat right on top of each other is beyond me, but it does show me pretty much the whole gang at once. Seeing them separate makes it hard to get an accurate head count....

...but the family portrait makes it pretty easy!

There are a couple mom's out there also...one is pretty large, possibly Baloo? The other looks like Rosie maybe.....? Either way, everyone is getting along pretty well out there. Maybe Willie was helpful mediating between the two groups since the original group were his siblings after all. Luckily Willie fared much better the second time around!

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.

Very cute raccoon tale.

OK...I came across this on another blog and HAD to share! I wish everyone could have this attitude and it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling! It was cute and funny to boot!

This is from The Million Word Year blog.

Cute : Raccoon gives you “the look”

Picture this. Your garbage has been raided for weeks. No matter what you do, every morning you find your garbage cans knocked over and trash strewn all over your yard. It’s a huge mess that you have to clean up before going to work and you’re at the end of your rope. You’ve invested in not one but two different sets of supposedly “raccoon proof” trash cans to absolutely no avail. So in desperation, you decide to get up an hour early and see if you can catch the little bastard in the act.

And sure enough, you get up and there he is, rooting through your garbage with merry abandon and turning your front yard into a landfill. You cry out in outrage and startle him, and chase him out of your yard, down the lane, and into the alley behind the mini-mall.

Wrong move, fuzzy. That’s a dead end. And so there you are, with your tormentor trapped and compeltely at your mercy. You advance slowly. Vengeance will be yours!

And then he gives you this look.

Please, sir. Can I have some more?

An hour later, you’re sharing your morning coffee and donuts (you, mostly the coffee, him, mostly the donuts) with your new raccoon friend, whom you’ve decide to name Skippy, and you’ve decided that clean front lawn are over-rated compared to having breakfast with someone who, as long as the donuts last, is a really good listener.

Tree companies...the good & the bad & the idiots.

OK! I have been remiss in updating on the %*$#*@# tree company that chainsawed a family of raccoons in a tree and left them there.

(Recap...tree crew killed mom and severely injured 2 babies...1 survived, the other had to be euthanized, and the rest of litter was untouched and well thanks to ending up in Laurie and Mary's care.....then left them there. 2 HOURS LATER they mentioned to the home owner...oh by the way, chainsaw massacre happened in there...and left. Unlike tree crew, home owner has common sense and compassion and calls animal control.)

MARQUIS TREE COMPANY

That being said....the animal control officer went over there to speak to them and spoke to the crew and the owner (who was not present for the incident). The long and the short of it was basically "we didn't know they were in there and we didn't know what to do". (So just do nothing idiots!) The owner said there is nothing they can do when that happens, what are they supposed to do?

So the aco read him the riot act and basically said....here's a novel idea! Instead of let them suffer, call the animal control officer? DUH!

So whether the story is true or not....if it's not, then they are just plain assholes (sorry no use for an edit there!) If it is true....do you really want a crew with no common sense, who obviously can't think on their feet and panic when something non-routine (assuming it was!) happens, cutting a tree down next to your house?? (Not to mention can just let something like that happen and not even have a twinge of compassion for another living thing and at least try!) I know I don't and you'll never hear me recommend them ever.

It's not just them....to many time I hear stories of tree companies that just hack down the trees and throw the squirrel nests they find full of babies into the chipper. It's up to you to police them if you hire them because most (not all) don't care....make it very clear to them what is to happen to those animals if found in the tree. Most squirrels have more than 1 nest....those babies can be reunited after they leave.....!

Now for the good! Not all tree companies are like that! Laurie came into an awesome release site thanks to Bella, a man who brought her some raccoons. It's in Littleton and we checked it out last week....couldn't be more perfect!!! But I almost cringed when I saw he ran his own tree company. That soon changed after listening to him talk about how he makes sure to be careful of animals living in the trees....and turns out he is actually the one that rescued the reds that I released here and brought them to Bella who in turn brought them to Laurie....including Little Monkey! He "won't touch a spruce in spring because of all the baby birds in them." He's always helping rescue cats from trees as well. Now THAT'S my kind of tree company! He's a wonderful guy with a wonderful family and we are very thankful for his permission to release on his beautiful property!!

He hasn't got a website, but I know I'll never hesitate to call him if I need tree work done....

BILL PETERS TREE SERVICE

Out of Littleton and Westford

978-952-6832/978-692-6568

biill peters tree@verizon.net

Squirrel Tales.

These guys are just too cute. Part of my daily routine now in the evenings includes hanging out with the squirrely boys. It never fails. I'm taking care of the coonies, going in and out of the shed for food etc. and soon there is an audience hanging out by the tree next to the shed, eagerly anticipating my attention! (Or maybe it's just the goodies they know they are going to get.....ya, more likely that!)Reds and grays don't typically tolerate each other very well, but I'm happy to say my boys are very well behaved and share pretty well....dinner together is quite enjoyable. There is even one scarred old chippy that peacefully joins them on occasion. Maybe because they are young? Either way, I hope it lasts.

Little Monkey is usually the first to get my attention.While the 2 grays that usually stop by will wait quietly under the tree for me to notice them......

.....Little Monkey will hang from the tree and squawk away at eye level until he knows he has my full attention! (when that doesn't work, he just runs over and climbs up onto my shoulder....ahem...EXCUSE ME, I'M HERE!)

So I get the sunflower seeds out and dinner is served under the scenic oak tree for all....
Little Monkey gets what he wants....mission accomplished brings a happy smile to his face!

I'm such a cute, happy little fella! Here....get my good side mom!