Dandy & the extended family.

Well it has been far too long since updating you on my extended family sharing the woods with me!

Lets begin with one of my favorite success stories...Dandy! If not for Dr. Bruce and Dr. McGrath, she would not be out there today bringing her adorable new family in for a visit! THIS is why we do what we do!

Then we have the bachelors. All the older males....you know those loners who don't socialize and kill kits whenever they get the chance. HA! These guys have been hanging out for a couple years together, and they made sure Dandy and her kits were long gone before chancing a meal!

Then we have Dandy, Quinny and Scrappy all eating peacefully together. All from different releases....none knew each other prior, Dandy a new protective mom, Quinny a seasoned adult male now and Scrappy the new kid on the block.

Having recently had conversations on the Raccoon Network regarding the so called "experts" who decided what the social lives of raccoons were like....I'm always curious as to how the hell they came up with their info. Because to be honest with you, it's all a load of crap! After years of observing them out there...in person and on video....it's obvious one of them probably saw one lone raccoon one evening and spun the tale of the elusive procyon lotor, with something less than an intelligent imagination! LOL

Friends, foes & moving day for the girls.

Still no visit from Vin yet, but Scrappy here is still making regular visits. He especially likes to show up when I'm out feeding everyone else. Hmmmmmm, wonder why that is??? LOL

After running into Scrappy I had the extreme pleasure of running into my Ringer girl! I had just thrown a little treat to Hissy out back and as I went to walk by the main feeding platform she came running down to see me. So I gave her some dinner and we hung out while she ate. She looks great and, as usual, despite not seeing each other for months, she was quite happy to see me and was more than accepting of a few scratches under the chin and behind the ears! How wonderful it is to see how well she has done since her release in 2006!!

Yesterday Laurie and I got the girls moved to the release site! After a frustrating, sometimes humorous (not all coonies turn around to bite you when you grab their tails to prevent them from getting up a tree after escaping!), sometimes painful (unfortunately for Laurie....some do when you're not the mamma and you're trying to grab them!) we FINALLY got them all packed in crates and shipped to the release site.

So in a couple weeks, Pip, Merry, Dolci, Stony, May, Amy, Moose and Kinky will be free at last! Maybe they can say Hi to Baloo, Cinn, Peanut and the gang if they run into them since it's the same release site.

My little red friends don't seem to be stalking the squirrel feeder as much....but I do occasionally have to chase one or the other off. I came downstairs the other day to find this one laying on the ground right in front of the deck. On top of the railing was a big fat (obviously very smart) squirrel....just sitting up watching it! OK....maybe it was actually taunting it! That squirrel knew to stay calm and sit tight....the fox wasn't getting it up there. LOL

I opened the kitchen window to "suggest" to the fox it might want to move along. As it took off across the yard, foiled once again, it turned and I got one last dirty look before it ran into the woods.

Instead of sauntering off into the woods as usual, I think it decided to test our intelligence a little. A grateful squirrel was not fooled in the least and opted to trot right past me into the woods while I stood guard.
Sorry little fella....I love you guys, but this is not the fox feeding station! (But it sure is nice to get such a close up look at such a beauty!)

Thank you all...VERY MUCH!

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came by Saturday to help me get some projects done around here! Kristen, Ryan, Sue, Jim, Celine, John, Pat, Mom, Dad, Christine & Ella....you are awesome!! And for those who couldn't be there in person (Pericles, Kim, Kristy, Jeff, Donna- to name a few!) you were there in spirit and your donations are greatly appreciated!
I wish I had thought to take before and after pictures...but my feet hit the ground running in the morning, starting with a round of feedings and I didn't stop all day..it was all a blur.

My yard is neat and clean now...not a mess....it's actually a pleasure to look at.
And my basement......where do I begin! It no longer looks like a bomb exploded in there! The guys worked on getting the shelving moved and set up so I could clear a nice space to have enclosed as an isolation area. Dad is working on that and gathering easy to disinfect materials to build it.

Everything else is cleaned up and organized and in its place. A lot of large garbage bags were hauled outta there too!

All the babies are doing great. 2 new 5wk old squirrels were added to the mix. I anticipate they will be joining Luci and Sweetie in a few days.

All the baby coonies are doing great. The youngest 4 are all taking the bottle now...no more tube feeding! Yayyyyy. Look at the difference in colors on them....ranging from quite blond to very dark brown!

Look at her go! One of Stony's girls, only 4 days old and eating like a pro. One last attempt to reunite was unsuccessful so I'm taking over as mom.

While I was out taking care of the gang last evening I was walking up the trail from the downtown pen when a raccoon ambled across the path in front of me. After my initial heart attack thinking I left a pen unsecured and someone came out to play, I realized it was Scrappy. Must have decided to come out early to cause trouble! LOL

He picked a nice spot in a tree to watch something exciting happening on the pond.


He seems to have finally found a better den than the tree next to his pen to spend his days at least. I still haven't seen Vin in quite some time. If he is still around, he's not coming by until the wee hours of the morning, unlike Scrappy who is out there most early evenings....and still happy to say Hi to me when I check on him. Hopefully Vin's fine. I have heard the familiar sound of an annoyed raccoon in the woods behind the pens and can only imagine he's up to his usual trouble-making activities with the locals now.

A boring update....

Well not much going on here yet (knock on wood, fingers crossed, etc. etc.!)

The boys are ready to go...I only hesitate until the babies with River are a little older so if they hang around bugging the girls, it will not put the babies in jeopardy.

The girls are just waiting for Kinky's foot to heal now. She's already using it again, I'm just waiting for the wound to granulate in a little more. Hopefully not too much longer then they will get moved to the Framingham release site....maybe run into Baloo and Cinnamon and say Hi for me!

I have not seen Trouble #1 (aka Vin) in over a couple weeks. I'm torn between worry and relief....but as we all know he is great at finding his way home if he gets into trouble. I'm sure he's just out there annoying all the new ladies he's been meeting!

Then there's Trouble #2 (aka Scrappy)! He's still around making nightly visits to the girls. In fact, until about 4 nights ago, he was denning up a tall pine tree between the main pen and his short lived new pen. He's apparently found a new place to sleep, but not a new place to hang out. He's not as annoying though. I think the gang is more jealous than annoyed with him and he's still happy to come play with me a little when I go out to check on him......especially when mini-marshmallows are involved!

A small amount of pinkies have filtered in.....so far Laurie, Lisa, Mary and JoAnn are handling them. Lisa had a single fox kit come in a couple days ago. A little older than our litter of 11 and in very bad shape. Unfortunately the poor little thing didn't make it :(

Right now we are bracing ourselves.....and cringing every time the phone rings! LOL

Monday is my day off and it's supposed to be pretty nice out! Yayyyyyyy.

I'll try and get some pics of the gang to show you how awful they look! The are all molting and their coats look like crap....making for some silly looking coons. We'll see how the camera behaves....lately it's been acting up and I think it's on it' last legs!!

The boys!

Well the boys are doing great! Vin scared the crap out of me when I went into their pen to clean and feed! I'm carrying on in there and catch a movement out of the corner of my eye right above me. Holy crap...I scared the boys when I jumped and screamed like a baby! I think I scared Vin too because he backed up a little and gave me this surprised look! LOL! He must have been thinking...it looks like mom, but it sure didn't sound like mom!

Tash was pretty unfazed by him....more likely wishing he was up there running around with him.

Oblivious to all else, Gibby just wanted his food.....NOW while LB, Andy and Ringo were a little more annoyed with Vin's suddenly discovered presence right about them (and the strange squealing noise mom made!) Tash found the whole incident pretty amusing I think!

So out of the pen I got to have a chat with Vin. He knew he was in for it too! He saw me coming and a very guilty looking coonie decides it would be best to leave the boys alone and climbs down. He's such a wise guy!!!! And he knows it!! Ugghhhh.

So he starts to check out the woods like he is innocently "just exploring" while I tag along hanging out with him. It didn't take me long to figure out what he was up to though as I realized he was on a round about route to guess where???

Yup, right back up to annoy all the girls again! Ohhhhhh what a little wise ass he is!!
Lately, finally, they are sticking to darkness and staying away during the day.

He and Scrappy are a tag team. Wednesday night I went out there to find Scrappy getting the gang all worked up! He was a little better about it though. I went out and he got all playful and cute with me, but he was much better about letting me "encourage" him away from the pens to play. He made an appearance last night too. I was finishing up rounds and look up one of the trees near the girls pen and see a lounging Scrappy watching me. I must have woken him early....God forbid! I just wish he would stop hanging out around the girls!! I don't want him freaking out River and the babies. Even though she's in the indoor section and can not see him, she hears all and reacts to all! I have not seen hide nor hair of them since putting them in there. I can not even open the door without her throwing herself at the door and trying to grab me and KILL me! But I do hear the babies in there....and luckily I left enough food and water for an army in there. When I brace the door and open it just a crack I can see enough to know there is still plenty of food and the water is still clean enough to be drinkable.

I'm going to have to get in there at some point though, and I am not savoring the thought, nor do I have any idea how I am going to do it!

And they're off.....

It was such a crazy weekend I don't even know where to begin! A mother with babies coming in has caused an emergency reshuffle of everyone!!! (I'll get to her story later.) Thank god the snow is gone from the woods and for the most part, melted off the fence panels that were stored out in the yard. Even greater thanks to Laurie and Lisa....and that they were both able to come over on Sunday and help me slap up a pen to make room!

We decided to move the trouble maker Vin and Scrappy into this bigger pen, move the new mom and her babies into the indoor section of the big pen and boot the rest of the gang into the large outdoor section separate from the mom. Tash, the last remaining older male in with the girls (other than Moose who doesn't count yet because he's so young) was also relocated into the pen with LB and the other 3 boys. Luckily they all remembered each other and are still friends so they accepted him right back!

My plan is to release Vin, Scrappy, LB, Andy, Ringo and Gibby here....right from their pens. I haven't released here in a while, and they're all boys so if they don't move on, at least they wouldn't bring any extra kits into the area. Tash will stay a little longer...he's finally using his foot, but it could use a little more time.

At least that WAS the plan! That awesome cage that gave us some breathing room lasted 2 nights! Today on my rounds I found the cage empty....Vin and Scrappy found a way out, the little buggers!! Not a big deal since that was the plan anyway, but ohhhhh that little shit! LOL (I must note here that I was not as careful about sewing up the seams so to speak, like usual due to time constraints etc....but I figured if they escape, no big deal, I was releasing them from there anyway!)
It didn't take long to find them. Scrappy found a comfy spot wayyyyyy up the pine tree right next to the pen.

And Vin?? Well as usual he was hanging out where he didn't belong!! On top of the girls pen, pissing them all off again! He found a nice cozy spot under the roof that covers the lower section of the outdoor cage. As I'm out there trying to figure out how the heck they got out, his head pops out and I get this look!

He then proceeded to go back to annoying his sisters again!

I can't say I was too thrilled to see the way he started eyeballing my home! Don't even think about it buddy!!!

Oh well, so back to harassing the girls and enjoying what was thankfully a pleasant afternoon....a little chilly, but not too bad....perfect release weather for coonies, as long as it holds!

Why do I have the feeling I haven't seen the end of this troublemaker!? LOL

The break-in attempt.

Thus far, Vin has been unsuccessful at his break-in attempt, though not due to a lack of effort obviously!! It doesn't help that the rest of the gang are on the other side teasing him either. Pay back's a bitch pal....hehehe. When I go in there (after witnessing Vin digging at the wood and Scrappy watching mind you!)they both run and hide in the den box like "I saw nothing!"

Scrappy pleading the fifth. After all, he's not the one doing the damage but he's not about to rat Vin out....he want's back in too!
And the actual guilty party looking like he just can't imagine why someone would do that! How awful!
Look at that face! He LOOKS guilty! He's looking as if to say "Do you think she noticed it? Do you think she knows it was me?"

Then they just go about acting all normal and innocent like, "Didn't see a thing! We were just hanging out and sleeping in here.....why, what happened?"

Don't let anyone ever tell you animals do not have feelings, because these 2 are definitely feeling guilty! They know they are doing something they shouldn't be and their reaction when caught in the act is textbook for "Oh crap, we're bagged, quick hide!" They don't run and hide when I go in there and they weren't working on the window!

The grumpy gramps gang.

The pictures don't really show it as well as live and in person...but the 3 babies (May, Moose, Amy) have got this funky overgrown eyebrow thing going on....kinda like those grumpy old men with overgrown, really bushy eyebrows that need to be cut....you know what I mean? Oh my god they look so funny.....and angry! LOL It's making their eyes look so small and sunken in.

Regardless they are still the cutest things! This is one way to make sure no one else gets any of the food. Raccoon muffin!

May is not fond of the cold and usually clambers into my lap to warm her feet up....or when she is hungry and doesn't want to miss out, she just grabs some chow and crawls up onto me to

keep her feet out of the cold snow! It's quite a balancing act....impressive to say the least.They are getting big too! Of course Pip here isn't exactly big to begin with in comparison....but she sure is damn cute, don't ya think! Moose is the biggest of the babies and he's almost as big as her.

Not many of the others wanted to come out in the single digit temperatures. Vin came out for a few bites.....

Amy grabbed her dinner and brought it inside....

Scrappy spent a little time checking out his dining options before heading inside to the warmth of the pig pile in the den box.

Everyone is doing great including LB and the boys in the other pen.

One of the reds and a gray are still occasionally using the shed to hang out in. The little red has made quite a nest for himself out of the whole role of paper towels I had in there....little bugger! Not to mention sections of newspaper and plastic supermarket bags dragged all over the place in there. Someone is have a little too much fun in the squirrel shed I think!

Special thanks to Bedford PD! One of the officers on patrol came across an injured owl flopping around on the ground Monday night. He scooped it up then a late night call from Jeff got me off my nice warm, cozy spot on the couch.....sigh! Hehe..I'm teasing ya Jeff...didn't mind at all!! It's awesome to know there are great guys (and gals-can't forget Kristen of course, she does so much for the critters!) like your crew out there that actually care enough to help! Come midnight the barred owl was safely in the hands of Tufts Wildlife. When I checked in on it on Tuesday it was doing well. Initial x-rays showed a broken humerus but they were optimistic it was in a location that could be fixed and were just waiting for it to be stable enough to safely anesthetize it and get better x-rays and go from there.

One lucky owl!

Scrappy and Dolci join us.

Another 2 stranded babies with no where to go have joined us. Found wandering down the middle of a road the finders attempted a couple nights to re-unite to no avail. I was unable to find anyone else to take them, so despite the overflow here already......say hello to Scrappy and Dolci! (So named by their rescuers)

Luckily they were already old enough to be eating on their own, as the finders had to hold on to them for a while before I could accommodate them. Brother and sister passed quarantine with flying colors and luckily are just the right size to fit in with Michelle, Pip and the rest of the gang. After a round of vaccines they finally got to move from my basement dungeon into the spacious outdoor pen with new friends, fresh air and trees to climb!

Everyone accepted the new kids very well but tiny little Pip still had to make sure they knew who was boss!

That's 13 now in the baby cage! They are going to outgrow it soon....very soon! The boys with attitude are ready to go as well as some of Laurie's. If we can get them out soon with an early release I may be able to juggle this gang over to the larger pen where there is a little more room. That will give Laurie's gang a little more room too...she's as overcrowded as I am! I need a contractor for a roommate so I can get him to build some more pens in exchange for room and board! LOL