Updates on the gang....

Feeding time is just not the same without the gang we moved to the release site! Oh....Dolci usually hears me out there and is the first to investigate as usual..........and then she calls the rest of them out who begin gathering on the wall as usual....
.....but there is a lot more empty space there now! *Sigh* The gang out at the release site is doing great...with one little kink. Drake decided to release himself early! I went back a couple days after putting them out there and while I'm inside cleaning up, a raccoon shows up outside trying to get in! I was mortified thinking I somehow let someone slip out the door when I went in!! He was easy enough to catch and put back in and I did another head count...about a hundred times!.....and once I was satisfied everyone was in there I left.
Laurie calls me the next day and guess what! Drake is out again....hanging out quite comfortably in a tree next to the pen. He's a little shy with me, so he's definitely not coming down for Laurie. So now we know at least it wasn't me being careless! He's getting out somehow. I checked the entire pen and the only thing I could find was a little section on the top where he possibly could have squeezed through and I wired it shut. Not much more we can do about it. When I see him out there he's not stressed or scared or running to me to "save him from the big scary world"....so I brought an extra den box and put it on top of the pen so he would have a place if he needed it, and we leave food out for him in there...that's in addition to the feeder that's already out there anyway. He's been hanging out in the area near them....sometimes he's right in the tree near the pen and other times we can't find him, but he seems to be doing fine and definitely doesn't seem to want back in. I just feel bad he's by himself right now.....if the weather wasn't so crappy we'd let them all join him....but as soon as it clears up they will.

So it's Vin that has the big hole in his ass....and he's doing great, but if you were to ask him how he feels this would be his reaction! LOL
He's being such a good patient though! He's got so many little holes all over him, poor thing, and he's very good about just sitting there letting my pull off the scabs to keep them open and draining. In fact I think he actually enjoys it!

He's done with the antibiotics and now it just remains to be seen if he's healed enough to go back out this fall or wait till spring....

The 6 baby squirrels (Caramel and crew) are growing like weeds and are in the large indoor cage now and loving it!

Once the weather clears up it will be time for Qbert, Snarf and Snuffles to get released with their group. They are big and beautiful and ready to go!

The baby flyers are doing awesome at Lisa's. She's been decorating the large cage with lots of hollow trees and branches for them to practice gliding when they are old enough.

We are also working on a fundraiser at my house for October. Some munchies, some beverages and Silpada Jewelry! The proceeds from the sales will go toward our jewels of the wild! It's going to be a busy month with that and then 2 wildlife conferences to go to as well in NH and NY!

The fungus ferrets!

Qbert, Snarf and Snuffles are big and beautiful and loving life in the outdoor pen with their new friends! In about a week they too will be out in the big world.....

.....making room for this gang once they are old enough! Here we have a group of 6 consisting of Caramel, the largest of them, a sweet boy that was well loved and cared for by the woman that found him. She had him for a couple of weeks but knew he needed to be with other squirrels and wanted to do what was best for him. So as hard as it was to part with the little bugger, she brought him here and he is thrilled to have playmates now! He's also a ham for the camera!

Caramel now has 4 sisters and a brother to play with. The 2 smallest girls came in together then there are the 3 middle sized ones, a brother/sister pair and a single female making it a family of 6 altogether.

All are doing great, eating well and starting to munch solids and even being pretty good at using the litter box (as demonstrated by Caramel....uh, a little privacy please mom! LOL).

So as you can see, the fungus encounter hasn't scared me off of taking in more squirrels!

Feeding time!

The younger gang are doing great! Very soon now I will have to choose the ones who are ready to go and send them out...I'm a little more attached to these guys so it's going to be tough this time around! Especially my sweet little Michelle! She's such a love.

So this is how it works......I head out toward the pens where all is usually quiet. Then one of the gang hears a noise and comes outside to check it out. (In this case it's Dolci)

Then the call goes out to the rest of the gang.....HEY!!! MOM'S COMING TO FEED USSSSSSSSSS!!

And next thing ya know there's an army of coons anxiously awaiting my arrival with the food bucket! LOL

Of course, I go into the pen on the opposite side of the cage in the larger 10ft section and they all know the routine.....so while I walk over to that entrance, they charge back through the inside and out to the large section to meet me......sounding like a heard of elephants as they go!

Do you have any idea what it is like to have 13 hungry bundles of fur and claws charge toward you like maniacs while you hold the object of their desire in your arms!??

A little like this..... x 13!! LOL!

If anyone happened to wander into my backyard at feeding time they would think I was being mauled by a gang of rabid raccoons as I stand there with 13 clinging bodies hanging on me to get to the bucket of food in my hands faster than I can toss it all out in there! It's like wearing a raccoon fur coat, only they are all still alive. (Luckily I am prepared for this...thus the layers of fleece I wear in the pen, and thick jeans...or I'd come outta there a bloody mess....because yes, they literally leap onto me and climb up!)

Finally the fervor dies down...I am able to spread the food around and one by one they disengage their claws from my body and head to their own separate piles of food.

A couple of the beach boys pick a spot.

My little oh so adorable Pip....along with Michelle she is one of the sweetest little girls! She will most likely be spending the winter so we'll see more of her!

Kinky will also probably be spending the winter. Merry and Dolci will probably stay, and if Dolci does her brother Scrappy will too...they are pretty bonded to each other and I think it would be too stressful to Dolci (who is already skittish to begin with) to be separated.

The 4 beach boys, Drake, Quarry, Pansy and Michelle will all be going soon I think. I'm already bummed thinking about it.....especially Michelle....sigh........this is the time of year I hate!

I've got a few more guests at the inn. JoAnn's 3 possies are going to be ready to go soon so they are here for a couple weeks or so in a release pen getting adjusted to the great outdoors in a large pen with plenty of room for climbing and exploring.

Qbert, Snarf and Snuffles have also joined 5 of JoAnn's squirrels in an outside release pen. They too are weaned and will be ready to go after getting acclimated in one of the large outdoor pens. We put both groups out there in neutral territory at the same time so no conflicts among them and they are all hanging out like one big happy family!

All the pens are filling up fast....hopefully most of them will empty fast too!

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.....

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!