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!

River.... again.

Upon hearing a ruckus outside, I went into the woods looking for the trouble maker. I'll give you 3 guesses who it was.....but you'll only need one!

A pleasant surprise.....I ran into Button while investigating! She definitely remembered me....almost walked right up to me to say Hi....but her companion was a little spooked and I think the swishing noise my coat made spooked her a little too. Vin had probably already done his share of aggravating them as well, possibly the reason for the ruckus we heard! Either way, it was good to see her looking just cute as ever!!! Vin just ended up back at the big pen harassing the girls again.

And.......

OMG, OMG, OMG...I am soooo not ready....but they are so damn cute I just want to cuddle them to death! I alluded to the mom with babies during Vin's escape, and I'm sure you've all been waiting ever so patiently for the scoop.

Well here they are in all their ABSOLUTE CUTENESS!!!

We have another River with us.....couldn't be helped...she came from a home next to a river! The usual story....mom gets trapped and "Oh my God....there are babies in there too!" These guys are about 1 day old(when I took these Saturday), bless their little hearts!
Luckily they come with their mom.....so other than the pain in the butt of shuffling everyone around, my work is easy....just watch and enjoy! I managed to give them a quick once over before settling them in with mom....3 girls and a boy...and very healthy! So in keeping with the river theme, and in appreciation of a wonderful supporter.....welcome Tigris, Amazon, Nile and Howell!

I have not seen them since settling them in....mom is a FIERCE protector. She's in the indoor section so she's less stressed by activity going on around, but it doesn't matter. She hears movement anywhere near the door and she's there like lightning, snarling and trying to get at me through it! I have to check on them by sneaking out there and waiting quietly for her to shift enough to make the babies squawk a little!

Vin hanging around is not helping matters either. I'm sure getting the girls worked up is not relaxing the new mom all that much! I don't want her getting too stressed and hurting the babies.

It's pretty obvious by now Vin is here to torment me! LOL

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!

How things have changed!

As I prepare to head out to the pen and see if Vin is still in fact separated from the rest of the gang (he couldn't tear the plexi glass apart so he was attempting to tear the framing of the window itself apart last night) I figured I would give you an example of why the separation.

Note the posture of this coonie. That is not "I'm happy to see you!" This is Tash....best bud and longtime friend of Vin....Pals to the end! So what has him so defensive you might ask? Just what is at the other end of that tunnel?

Yup! Mr. Innnocent himself. With that little "What? It wasn't me!" smirk on his face!

Tash had taken to denning up in the large outdoor den box with Kinky and I'm sure a couple of the others. He happily comes out to say hi to me!
When Vin comes by.....he scolds him off! An easily defensible position to prevent further bites to his backside! (where Vin likes to sneak up on them!) That is pretty much the effect he has on most of them now. Luckily the girls are very confident and don't take any crap, (and for the most part he is a gentle giant), because he is pretty huge and powerful compared to them and could hurt them if he really wanted to. Like I said, he's just being a raccoon....he's not mean, just persistently annoying!

So off I go to see what I have to deal with now!

Crazy weather & crazy coons!

After blizzard upon blizzard, suddenly we have a stretch of a couple weeks with no precipitation! Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Then the freezing temps give way to a few warm days. I mean, it was down right balmy! In the 60's even! It was beautiful.

I should have known there would be a price to pay.

Enter Friday night.....a MAJOR thunderstorm blew through here with high, gusty winds and torrential rain. By the next morning it looked like the pine trees had puked all over my yard, it was freezing again, and the gusty winds were sticking around.

Saturday was not a comfortable day! Luckily none of the pens were damaged. All the falling branches, trees and debris fell away from them, but the winds were still pretty bad.

First up LB and the boys. They were hesitant to come out to begin with because of the cold, (in fact LB didn't even bother!) but Mom was here.....and she's bringing food! So a big stretch, and lets check it out! Then ......screw this! The freezing wind sent Gibby and Ringo right back into the warm den box.

Andy bravely descended to eat some dinner, but it didn't last long! Notice how he's holding his back legs? He was trying to keep them warm by pulling them up against his body, and when that didn't work too well, off he went into the warm cozy den box. Enough was enough!
On to the rest of the gang. At first it was business as usual....everyone saw Mom, which equals food, so out they charged. Then a big gust of wind blew something down and there was a loud crash! A tremendous stampede ensued & they all ran back inside to the indoor den box. Well almost everyone! One of the babies thought it best to hide here! (I laughed so hard I don't even remember which one it was!)
Frozen still, not twitching a muscle! Remember, if they can't see you, then you can't see them.....same goes for whatever scares them!

When the rest of the gang heard me laughing my ass off, they figured it was safe to come out again, and unlike the boys, the freezing wind was not going to keep them from food! So veggies and omnivore diet was enjoyed by all....as well as some new fun! Some of the pine tree branches collected off the ground!
Pip, May and Amy

Kinky, Moose and Scrappy

Merry and one of the babies.

The babies have grown quite a bit! This is actually Pip (left) and Amy. Can you believe it! Amy already looks bigger than our little Pip! Moose is bigger still and little May is about the same size. Pip is so tiny, and is probably going to remain a pretty small raccoon. After seeing what this winter was like, I'm glad she spent the winter here.....probably would not have fared well out there. At least she'll have this coming season to mature and hopefully pack on enough size to get her through her future winters in the wild if they should end up being this bad again.

I'm not coming down there....Tash wants his dinner served up on the observation deck!

May loves her tummy tickles!

Amy knows where the treats are kept.....right in this pocket! It's a big pocket and I usually end up having to drag them out of there by their tail after they dive head first into it! It's pretty amusing to be walking around with nothing but a big furry butt and tail hanging out of your pocket! :)

And here we have Mr. Innocent himself....NOT! Vin is driving everyone crazy! Through no fault of his own of course....he's just being a raccoon. He's an older baby, more mature and feeling his oats so to speak.....he's acting like he's supposed to be, but that doesn't mean the gang and I have to like it!

After the first attempt at separating him (with Scrappy to keep him company) failed when he ripped apart the removable window, Dad came by and measured for a new one....hopefully a stronger one.

In the meantime, when I saw Vin and Scrappy hanging out in the section I wanted to separate them into, I couldn't let an easy opportunity pass. There is a built in plexi glass window that can be opened and closed to seal off that section as well. I had not wanted to use that because I still wanted them to be able to interact with the crew through a wire window, but the annoyance level among the girls has reached a peak. To avoid future injuries and future babies (in case anyone ends up going into heat!) I played my trump card.....and I'm going to hope he doesn't manage to dig his way in there again!

A note on raccoon teeth & some quick updates.

Let me take advantage of the slow times around here for a little lesson on raccoon teeth....and why they are so good at inhaling chicken parts, bones and all, in record time!

Aside from the pit bull like power of their jaws, they have the usual teeth found in other omnivores, such as molars, incisors and canines. A quick peek in your dogs mouth will look similar. One very important difference....take a look at that upper canine. It is not a smooth, round tooth like in a dog or like the bottom canine. Thanks to the lighting and the small amount of tarter buildup, you can see how the top canine has more of a blade-like edge....a very sharp blade-like edge! I like to think of them as a shark/raccoon hybrid! (especially when that particular tooth is buried deep within the flesh of my hand or arm! LOL). That sharp edge makes it an excellent tool for shredding......not your "average" puncture wound where this tooth is involved.

(Thank you Tash....you were a wonderful model for this.... while you were unconscious and getting your x-rays of course!)

A couple of quick updates. There is a new injured squirrel at the feeders. Looks like something took half his tail off. He's doing great though and it looks better every day. Eventually the tail will heal and the dead part will turn brittle and fall off. It's pretty common and looks worse than it is.

The little emaciated girl is eating regularly out there and I think she's looking better.

As far as the coonies go, Vin has worn out his welcome with the gang. He's harassing the girls (as most young men will...hehe). Love is in the air this time of year for the coonies anyway, and even though he is young, his behavior is still a pain in the ass! Even Tash is fed up with him! He's sporting a new wound on his good rear leg and based on his attitude with Vin, I'm guessing he's the one that put it there. The up side to that is that the new wound forced him to start using the other injured foot more! Self induced physical therapy.....works for me! I'm glad to see him starting to retrain that other foot to work again.

Not having an empty pen to put Vin in, I separated him (with Scrappy to keep him company since he seems to be the only one to tolerate him right now) into the smaller side of the pen. I put up the wire "window" I always put up there to separate it (remember the one they were all smooshed up against when I put the late babies in there?) and the next day it was totally ripped apart and everyone was together again. Got dad working on a stronger one now! It would be so much easier if there wasn't about 3 feet of snow on the ground! Then we could just throw up one of the release pens and move him. Alas, no such luck.

Humor...at Reader's Digest expense!

Forgive my lack of posts as of late!! I have either been too busy at home to sit at the computer, too busy at work to get on here and post, or my "dinosaur" of a computer (as the IT guy at work put it!) is not cooperating and I am unable to post.......it is, to put it bluntly, Sh!&#ing the bed. I might also add that there has been a lack of anything new and exciting to report anyway, as the over abundant (and very annoying!) amount of snowfall has pretty much kept every living thing out there holed up!

Laurie and I did rescue a Canada goose this past weekend that was struck (allegedly) by a car. A duck found dead in the road with him was not so lucky. We brought the goose to Tuft's but alas, his fate was with the duck and I found out today that he died. At least he did not linger in the street freezing and in pain.......The barred owl from Bedford is doing great though. There are pins in the wing and he's getting more x-rays tomorrow to check the progress.

I caught a glimpse of Tashmoo using his injured foot.....just a little, but using it none the less! Can you say RELEASABLE!!! Yayyyyyy! (assuming I didn't just jinx myself)

This story is from Vernon, one of our biggest fans....it is a riot and I must share it with you!! Vernon, I can only guess they became familiar with our boy Vin through your wonderful photo pages of him perhaps?? This is like one of those stories in the news where they tell us the write in candidate on a ballot that almost won an election was a cat! LOL I love it! It is most eloquently told by him:

The Reader's Digest writes to me every few months to announce that I have been given a half-dozen entries in the latest prize draw, something I have yet to win. These letters seem to get through despite their completely mangling my address ; I have tried many times to tell the correct form of the address but to no avail. This time the prize-draw documents came with a clutch of specimen cheques, each made out -- so they supposed -- in my name. Imagine my surprise to see that they were all drawn in favour of 'Vincent -----' ! So I have spun a wee story for the benefit of the Reader's Digest involving yet another role for star of stage and computer screen ... Raccoon Vin.

Is there anybody there?

For years I have been returning your documents annotated to indicate that your version of my address is wrong. Part of it is right but it includes so much else that my receipt of even some of your missives must be taken as tribute to the endeavors of the postmen.

I have just noticed, however, that you are not only using an incorrect address but also addressing your letters to my raccoon!

Now, I realize that-as Sterling North related in his book of the name (which you really ought to serialize, along with his more famous Rascal)-raccoons are the brightest people but even Vin does not run his own bank account. I hope, therefore, that, should you ever have the much recommended task of sending me a cheque, you will draw it in my favour rather than his. (Despite being blessed with the dexterity for which his species is famous, he does not have opposable thumbs and, unable to hold a pen, cannot endorse a cheque.)

Please, therefore, correct your records.

(Proper name & address inserted here! )

Haha!! No worries though, I told Vernon that as Vin's legal guardian I would be more than happy to endorse the check so he could collect the winnings!

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!