Stinkers and surprises.

Was out filling the feeders and this little one scared the crap out of me! It's just a pan under an old hood from one of those hooded litter boxes. I lifted the box up to fill the pan and this ball of fur rolled towards me! He woke up just as I screamed like a baby, dropped the box and jumped back! Once I had my witts about me again, I took a peek. It's an older kit....about Pansy's size and seems perfectly healthy....especially after being so rudely awakened! My guess is the little one got separated from the family and picked a safe place to hole up for the day.

Based on the snarling noise coming from it everytime I got too close......definitely capable of handling itself. I let it be because my guess was mom would be back in the area come night time and a reunion was inevitable. I filled the pan and threw in a chicken wing for good measure and by that night when I checked our little friend was gone.

The little stinkers are doing great! Trying to beat the heat like everyone else, sprawled out in the dirt in the shade.

Then the food arrives!! Everyone wakes up for dinner!
Corn on the cobb.....

.....and some nice juicy mice are the favorites!

I'm just waiting for them to get a little bigger then off they go!

The results are in!

Finally! We have the necropsy results on Phillip. Bottom line....NO INFECTIOUS PROCESS! That means no more quarantine....wooohoooo! It was most likely a genetic neurological process.

So that means the 8 younger kids have now been joined by Pansy, Drake and Quarry. Pansy is thrilled to have friends for a change and Drake and Quarry were more than happy to meet new ones. One big happy family of 11 now and I'm happy to say the younger 8 had no problem whatsoever welcoming 3 newcomers and vice versa!

So we have Pansy on the largest side, and Pip on the smallest and a hodge-podge of sizes in between....it's quite the motley crew!

Drake and Quarry

I totally forgot I have not properly introduced Drake and Quarry! They were out of quarantine last week and graduated to the shed. The girl, Quarry, is very outgoing! Her favorite place to play is on my back....in my hair!

The boy, Drake, is a little more skittish. He's not nasty if I handle him, but he definitely prefers it if I DON'T! He does not want to play with me but doesn't mind me being around.

Needless to say they are both very lucky to be alive and very cute!

They'll be joining the younger group and Pansy, rounding out the second group of babies that are now outside!

Poor little Sammy.

Well I'm saddened to say we lost Sammy. Tuft's said he was doing great and ready to come back. I got him last night and to be honest he didn't seem that well to me. But I got him settled in his bathtub suite, tried to feed him but he would have none of it, then set up all kinds of goodies in his cage to munch on. When I got up this morning to feed him he was dead. No idea why...and I'm not sending him off either. He's now in a nice peaceful spot overlooking my pond where he would have been released.

Laurie got Phillip's ashes back to me as well. I'm thinking I'll spread them at the release site we bring his sister and step-siblings to....

I have 5 more stinkers heading my way. Laurie is going to get them in and settled and re-hydrated for tonight since I'm working late then right back in to work first thing in the morning. I also have 2 more coonies coming this weekend that I don't really have room for, but there is no place else.....no one has room! I'm more stressed worrying about what will happen to them then I will be dealing with them when they get here sooooooooo...........