Five new additions.

Five adorable new additions are doing great.

Big thanks to Mark and his son for getting them here! Their den was in a bank owned property. The bank had mom trapped and killed, of course.  A terrible, very un-thorough company was used, because they obviously didn't even bother to check for the babies that were left there to die. (Or if they did, they didn't care!) Lucky for them though, Mark was one of the contractors sent in to work on the house the next day! Upon hearing a commotion, he located and rescue these cuties from the wall.  They were in perfect shape! It's obviously mom wasn't gone long. In fact, if I didn't know what actually happened, I would suspect a case of kidnapping, as most kidnap victims are often in great shape as well, having been taken from a mom that was doing her job. One night of trying to deal with the reality of taking care of "Oh such cute little babies, I want them!" and the kidnappers are quick to dump them on us!

If we knew the name of the pest control company used, I would spread the word to stay away from them, but unfortunately we don't.

At least these guys are safe and sound now!

Two girls and five boys have adjusted well and are taking their bottles great now. They are just at that stage where they love to play and wrestle a little instead of just falling asleep right after a meal, so of course I can't stop taking pictures of them! Enjoy!

Happy and not so happy updates.

Unfortunately, terrible news for one of the squirrels. JoAnn brought them up to Tuft's Friday morning and they took some x-rays. Her mandible was shattered and the molars were totally out of alignment. It was not something that could be fixed. On top of that there was a raging infection in her throat. They were totally amazed that she was even able to eat anything. A good example why some injuries, such as traumas, need to be checked a little more thoroughly on the inside. Externally there seemed to be improvement and she was eating, however the damage not seen was so bad she would only have lingered longer, suffering a great deal.  

Her sister, on the other hand is doing well. JoAnn already has 2 other squirrels close enough in size that she can go in with so she is not alone.

On a happier note....Mason and Cinder are thriving! They have more than doubled in weight.

Cinder's laceration has healed up nicely.

They are eating like little piglets...... 

....and just being darn cute.

And they are definitely enjoying their fur to cuddle in...so thanks to all who have donated furs!!

Meanwhile outside, the "wild" family is out and about and as active as ever. I have run into Gibby, Ringer, River and Belle for sure at night. I think maybe Red too, but it's been so long since I've seen her I'm not sure. Although she wouldn't come right up to me, she had no problem following me around from feeder to feeder as I checked on them like Red usually did. 

During the day I've had a few visitors as well. Everyone looks so different now though, that I'm not always sure who it is! Sometimes I only know it's one of mine because they'll come right down for a visit! 

I was thinking this was one of River's girls. Amazon or Nile were always friendly enough to come over to me, but not so friendly to let me scritch their chin like this time. Then again, that's the thing about these guys! Sometimes they can be friendly as hell and other times they can be grumpy or skittish depending on their mood and what's going on in their lives at the time. One day someone will hang all over you and the next, run at the sight of  you no matter how nice you call to them. Regardless, we had a lovely visit while this girl...possibly Amazon....sat back and told me about her day while having a little bite to eat.

The reds were released a week or so ago. They proceeded to vacate their cage and move into the large indoor pen! So much for going out on their own! Don't get too comfortable in there gang, when the new tenants are ready you're outta there!

Finally....the gang's all here!

The last of the regulars around here has finally checked in! I have to say I was getting a little nervous about little digger here.....but I looked up from my coffee the other day and there he was! Hole renovations and weed control are in progress at last.

The mom's are in daytime mode again too, out foraging early to beat the crowds. I ran into a couple of them the other day while taking care of the boys out in the woods. Though I'm not positive who this is, she looks a lot like Button. She was not friendly enough to want to come down and visit, but she wasn't so scared she didn't mind posing for the camera when I called to her! She was pretty relaxed with my presence. Mystery mom number 2 disappeared in a flash when she saw me, so I'm guessing not one of my girls.

This time of year is great for being able to photograph them out in the wild, thanks to their daylight travels.

The babies, now named Mason & Cinder, are doing great and growing like weeds. So far we have had a lot of calls about bunnies, most of which were just cases of re-nesting the babies. JoAnn has a few that needed to come in, but nothing crazy yet.......the explosion is imminent I'm sure!

Problem wildlife control companies...they CAN be humane!!

With baby season upon us, some of the most common calls are for animals that have gotten into houses and have had babies. I can't tell you how many babies we end up with because mom was trapped and killed! It is very important for people to realize there are humane ways to deal with the problem! Many problems can be handled easily by the resident with things as simple as noise and lights. For issues that require professional help, there are also humane choices...choose wisely! Please don't be afraid to question a wildlife control company to make sure they will fix the problem without killing the animals. It can be done, some just choose not to operate that way. It's cheaper and easier for them to remove the animal and kill it, or they just don't care.

Laws are different in every state. In Massachusetts if an animal is trapped inside your home, it has to be released outside on your property. If the company removes the animal they HAVE to and WILL kill it! (yes....momma raccoon and all of her babies!) If they tell you they are taking it away and going to release it somewhere else THEY ARE LYING!  They would loose their Problem Animal Control (PAC) license for that and would not risk it. They are just trying to appease you and get the job.

A humane company will figure out what your problem is, humanely evict the animals, then fix the problem so it doesn't happen again. They will explain it all to you up front.  Most issues with animals in homes are not wildlife problems, they are construction problems...a hole here, a loose board there, a chimney without a cap, a tree branch too close to the house. Correct the construction issue, problem solved! Those that do not fix the problem are just insuring future jobs...they know if that hole is not fixed, something else will just move in to fill the vacancy, and it's only a matter of time before you're calling them back for another job!

Some issues, well they just take you by surprise! Take, for example, this issue brought to you by Gates' Wildlife Control . Imagine opening your recycle bin and finding this! Ahhhh...how cute is that!!!

I for one would be thrilled, and as far as I'm concerned they could have that recycle bin as a home for as long as they wanted it! LOL But I'm the crazy raccoon lady out in the woods, and most normal people would prefer they move along! Luckily for mom here, the resident contacted Gates', a very humane company that got mom to move out and relocate all her babies on her own accord. Unfortunately for my local followers, they are located in Canada so we cannot take advantage of them. But anyone else up that way...please take advantage of them if you need to...or pass it on to someone who does!

All is not lost though in my area! We have Perry Le Pews Wildlife Management Company, serving MA. I have been a fan of theirs since reading an article about them in the Cape Cod Times a couple years ago about the many innovations they have created to humanely handle wildlife. Though based out of Cape Cod, they cover all of MA for solving humane wildlife issues. After hours emergency calls are only handled on the Cape, however....but as long as you can hold off until Monday, you are in great hands!

Even if you are not in their area, please visit these sites to learn what humane wildlife control really is. This will give you an excellent idea what to look for in a company near you! You can also find both Gates' and Perry's on Facebook as well.

As I was finishing up this post, another excellent source of information became available. It is an article by Katherine McGill, Nuisance wildlife abuse-buyer beware, chock full of links to help you! Definitely a must read if you are looking to solve a wildlife issue in your home!

And so it begins.....

Baby season has officially kicked off! JoAnn has 3 baby buns and I now have these 2 adorable little ones. The little boy came in first on Thursday. He was found in the morning by some construction workers in the middle of a cement floor of the building they are working on. No idea where he came from or how he got there and there are no injuries on him. Definitely no trauma from a very bad fall, indicating he didn't fall from the rafters above either.

A little heat and some fox fur, thanks to the Coats for Cubs program, and he's a happy boy.

After being re hydrated and finally getting a good meal, he falls right to sleep in my hand.

Friday morning I get another call, the exact same situation! Another baby found in the same spot. This time the guys look around and do eventually find a raccoon holed up in the building. However, it's a large complex with many rooms that is not sealed....there could be a lot of raccoons in there in various places. We were not comfortable trying a reunite in this situation for a couple of reasons. First, we had no idea if the adult in question was in fact the mom. Second, if it was, why were her kits ending up on the floor and why was she leaving them there!

After getting a better look at the new girl, she has a laceration on her back and some minor scrapes on her belly. This is definitely a case of something getting at the babies and for whatever reason, leaving them in that particular spot. So we've got the guys keeping an eye out at the site and our little girls wound has been cleaned up, she's on antibiotics, re hydrated and eating her formula well.

Brother and sister have been happily reunited safe and sound!

It takes a village.....

This is your typical scenario. A crew shows up to cap the chimneys, and discovers one of them is occupied! Mom raccoon darts out and 5 babies are discovered in there. Luckily for this family, all the people involved cared! The chimney guys gathered the babies in a box and left them outside for mom, then finished their work. One next door neighbor, Erika, managed to get pics of Mom trying to get back to the kits afterwards (and helped keep an eye on the kits until we got there). Having no luck she climbed back down, found the babies and took off with one.

 It just so happens one of the neighbors is the brother of our very own Sue Squuurl! He called her and she got me and John involved, and we took it from there! Initial reports were that mom ended up coming back and got 4 of the 5. I broke out the reuniting box to give mom the night to come back for the last one while John went to check on the last one and make sure it was OK and warm. No, mom had not come back for the rest. There were still 4 very adorable kits huddled there under the bushes!

The homeowner was kind enough to let us do our thing and we got them all cozy and safe inside the reuniting box and left it tucked under the bushes where mom had found them earlier. John checked them this morning and I am thrilled to say he returned to an empty box! Music to my ears. Thanks everyone for caring and helping out!! Great job Mom and good luck with the family in your new home!

On my way to Belmont to set up the reuniting box, I made a quick stop at the Burlington Mall. Not to go shopping like normal people do! I had to meet someone and pick up another little orphan found on the floor of a building under renovation, no known mother around. An adorable week old little boy who is doing well so far. However the plot thickens! I just received another call from the woman.....another baby found, same situation, same exact location. So this story is to be continued.....as we try to figure out what the heck is going on!



The crew is kinda famous!

I got an email the other day from The Bi-State Wildlife Hotline stating some of my pictures had been used on their website and is that OK?

So needless to say I checked out the link! All you people in Missouri & Illinois heads up....this is a great website to get all the help and information you need regarding your local wildlife! Of course I gave my permission....as long as the animals were being portrayed in a good light. Which of course they were since it is a rescue website as well. Whatever helps the animals, I'm all in!

As it turns out, some of the gang is famous! Gerry, Vin, Peanut, Raquel and Isles make up a lot of the raccoon page (2nd-5th pic) as well as Trooper as the thumb nail icon.(God I love that picture of Peanut eating the animal crackers!!)

While I was on there I decided to poke around a little and as it turns out, the coonies were not the only ones that showed up there! A lot of our gang is famous, and you can see them on the coyote, groundhog, squirrel and possie pages!  So I'm quite flattered a fellow rescue likes my pictures enough to use them for their website! Maybe I'm in the wrong profession.......nahhhhhhhh! LOL
Go check out their website....it looks great and it's full of awesome info on wildlife no matter where you are from!

Get 'em while their hot!

The new cafe press 2011 babies calendar is here! I gotta tell ya it's tough narrowing it down to 13 pictures....we need about 20 more months in the year! LOL

I'm thinking next year, if I get my act together early enough, maybe I'll have all you wonderful supporters out there pick your favorite pictures from the season and we can all vote for the top 13 to go into the calendar. What do ya think? After all, it's your favorite furrbutts that should be in there! I'm also going to look into other printing options like vistaprint or something where I can add a little more flair and descriptions to them so they are not so plain....

Chicken Little fits right in.

Happy Veterans Day to all the brave men and woman who have served and sacrificed for our country!

Well, Chicken Little is just the cutest thing! She reminds me quite a bit of Pip. She's very petite, gets along with everyone, but don't mess with her food! Seeing as she spends a lot of time standing upright, it's safe to say her leg has healed just fine. No sign of a limp anymore and for real.....she spends a lot more time on 2 legs than 4 when I go in there.

I think it's because she's so little and surrounded by a mob of bigger coons, she had to resort to ways to make me notice her more when treats are being doled out.

But seriously....how could I not notice such a cutie pie!

Cooper has lost his place as the smallest one in there, but he's a close runner up.

Once the tub o' grub arrives, everyone grabs their morsel of choice, runs to their own little space (so as not to have to share said morsel) and settles in for dinner.

Some of these guys had quite a growth spurt over this past month and are big enough to go now, but it's too late in the season. So lucky them, they get pampered for a few months more until I boot them out in the spring. Although Pebbles and Porcelain here were actually big enough to go earlier, they have been held over due to their mycoplasma issues. No re-occurrences since the last one, they are fine, but just a precaution. I fully anticipate them to be released in the spring with everyone else.

An example of how little Chicken is compared to Porcelain.

Two of the boys have an epic battle over a chicken leg...of course there were plenty more in there, but they each had to have THAT one!

Meanwhile the girls were smart enough to realize....there's a whole bucket of chicken here! No need to fight over it!

*Sigh*...those silly boys!

Please come back and visit soon!
Preferably with treats! :)