The kids in the "REALLY big" big boys pen

This is the door separating the little kids from the really big kids cage. This was taken from inside the little kids section. Now that the little kids are older they are getting supervised visits into the 10ft section of the cage. There are 3 older coons in there (you can see one peeking in here!) and they have had many weeks to get to know each other through the gate.

It was finally time to open the gate and allow the little kids in to check out the bigger cage. One of the older coons wasn't so thrilled! He took refuge in his favorite box, occasionally pushing open the door to peek out! It was sooooo funny watching such a big boy hide from such little ones!



Needless to say the little kids couldn't be bothered with the older ones, they were so excited to have higher trees to climb and a bigger pool to play in!

Seeker in all his glory!

Tugger and Buster check out the pool.

One of the terrible twosome (I think it's Nosey) takes a swim.

Roxy greets one of the older girls.

Tugger enjoys the hanging shelf.

Teddy greets one of the older girls.

Stinky takes the hard way down a tree.

Clover plays with Gray, one of the older coons.

Gimme that camera! Roxy grabs for the lens.

Roxy and Buster mess around on a tree.

As you can see the gang had a great time playing in the bigger pen and everyone got along great! It does have to be supervised though, because even though they all get along, the older ones are much bigger and don't know their own strength when they play and I have to be careful they don't hurt the little ones by accident.

I don't let Tosser and Mohican run around in there too much yet...they are still a little small for the cage and the heights in there. I have to watch them like a hawk so they have briefly checked it out, but I usually leave them in their pen for now while supervising the others in the bigger pen.

Dandy & Red

Well here she is....13 days after surgery and Dandy is looking good! She is anxious to go, pacing all night in her pen. She'll be getting her check up this week and as long and the Dr. thinks she's ready she will get to go home finally!

Good morning mom! You got my egg with ya!

Look at that cute little scrunched up face! She's looking rough, but I don't think she cares about that.

See how well my mouth works! Tongue still stretches to get all the right spots and the teeth are still sharp and pretty! I can yawn big and wide without any pain too!

Yummy!! Thanks for the egg mom!

Of course now that Dandy seems to be getting ready to go, I find Red in a predicament! Was out late last night feeding the overwinters and when I checked the feeding station no one was there at first. As I started to leave a lot of chattering stopped me. Red was on the top platform trying to get my attention, but wouldn't come down...although she was acting like she wanted to really badly! So I climb up to her and of course, she's not using one of her back legs. She couldn't get down.

So I head up to the house to get a carrier to grab her. She ended up making it down because on my way back to the feeding station she met me half way, chattering up a storm and gimping right up to me and into the carrier.

So I have her settled in a pen now. She did start using the leg and she let me get a better look at it. Her right ankle is swollen and painful, but she is bearing weight on it now so I don't think it is broken. Possibly either an abscess or swelling from a bad sprain or trauma to the ankle. I am not overly worried about it, but being Sunday I have no way of getting it checked. I'll get an x-ray and a closer look tomorrow when I have access to the vet and some helping hands!

Needless to say she is actually pretty happy to be getting mom's attention since she's still in her very friendly mood. She settled happily back into the pen she grew up in and is not the least bit stressed about the whole thing. Her attitude will be a big help when it comes to checking the leg. Anesthesia may not be necessary with her desire & willingness to be handled by me.

Seeing Red!

Well I ran into Red when I went out back to feed the overwinters. There is a big storage container out there with all their treats etc. in it and while I was in the pen Red must have heard me and came over to check things out. She scared the crap out of me when I heard something rummaging in the container. Luckily it was just her helping me out! She is still in the very clingy mood she has developed within the past couple months. (she wasn't like this initially after her release).

This is unusual for them once they are free....they usually do not want to be handled once they are released....but will tolerate my presence if I run into them. Yet once again she just jumped into my arms and wanted to be held. I was getting some serious coonie hugs this night, much to my surprise. I think she is pregnant and her maternal hormones are at work here and it will ware off soon as she prepares to have her kits. Right now she's just happy to see mom and say Hi when she gets the chance.

I also feel better knowing this is specific to me and she's not like this towards other humans. The last time I ran into her and she was like this, Laurie came by to feed the overwinters. When she came towards me and Red, Red immediately took off and even my presence didn't prevent it. I teach them to fear other humans before releasing them, and I feel better witnessing that behavior in action so I know it was reinforced enough to make her dissappear even if I am around.

Dandy is doing great. She is healing well, eating fine and keeping the wound clean. She is taking her antibiotics and worming meds without a problem and being an excellent patient. I know she is restless and just wants out so she can return to her home in the wild. I feel bad keeping her penned up but it is for her greater good and it will be great to see her go free again when I am sure she is healed completely and ready to go.

I'm sure Siren misses her too since the two of them were always hanging out together. It will be nice when and if they can reunite depending on their "maternal situations" this spring.

Day 5 after surgery.

Where's my egg mom?

Dandy is getting better every day. Here she pokes her head out to say hi when she realized I was in her pen cleaning up.

Awwww she looks so cute now....just like before the accident.....

....until she tilts her head up a little! ha ha! Poor girl is going to have a permanent scowl on her face, but I still think she's cute! Looks and feels a lot better than it did when I found her!

She will always be beautiful to me!!!

Introducing the overwinters.....

Time to meet the gang that is spending the winter. It's a crazy cast of characters. We have Popeye, Foxy, Daisy, Screech, Buddy and Whitey.

Popeye and Foxy were raised by our friends at Urban Wildlife in Springfield. We brought them here to hang out with Daisy, Screech, Buddy and Whitey who are the same age. My friend and fellow rehaber Laurie did a great job with those four and when they were all ready, we introduced all 6 of them into the release pen. As expected, they all got along great and are now awaiting a spring release. (While Laurie and I trudge down there every day to water, clean and feed them!)

The pen is down near the feeding station so they are getting acquainted with the area as well as the comings and goings of the released gang, so hopefully they will integrate well once they get out there.

Digging out!

Just when all the snow from the last storm had finally disappeared....we get another 9 inches! I just spent the morning digging out the entrances to the pens and the feeding stations! What a pain in the butt. Luckily the woods are thick enough that it did not pile up as bad as in the more open areas, so digging out the actual pens wasn't too bad.

Don't think I'll be running into anyone out in the woods for a little while! Not until the snow melts down a little or it gets hard enough for the coonies to walk on top of.