Fuzzy and Fast Asleep

MUST CLICK ON THIS TO ENLARGE -- really, don't miss doing it. So furry! So red!

Just a favorite picture of the male of those last two Fox babies I took care of in fall - the ones that were so sick and so attached to each other. This one fell asleep on his back and just looked so Uh.Dor.Able that I had to preserve it on film. And I did. Brings me right back there and I wish he were still in my house right now! I miss those two immensely!

Another Miracle of Life

Today I added to the mounting list of once in a lifetime experiences I've racked up since moving to Houston (whoda thunk it): I fed two tiny baby flying squirrels. Now, we've had humming bird babies and baby rats, both of which are very small (and fascinating, not to mention cute), but these are the tiniest things I've ever held in my hand. And boy, they are eager to eat and grow.

We got them in the other day and before closing, D, the same woman who brought the pregnant dog over (see post below), asked if I'd feed the little ones before we all left. I went over to the tank and could not believe what I saw when I lifted the lid. I slipped my hand in there so when you view the video below you can get a sense of their size. I had no idea how I was going to hold something so small. It feels like you are holding nothing at all, and they seem terribly delicate. It's a miracle that they have life in them, but they do.

A drop of milk seems the size of a kiddie pool compared their little mouths, and one slip up from me and they could suffer dire concequences... but it all went fine.

LOOK at that tiny puss! And those feet! It is not an insect, or a little leaf that'd blown in the door. Nope, there is a nose, a little bit of whiskers, fur, ears and eyes, albeit closed.. and little paws and even littler nails. Check it this teeny weeny fella. When you are involved with nature, and all the creatures we share the planet with, the stunning miracle of it all becomes apparent. Incomprehensible really. All I know is... I'm grateful to be a part of it.

I Give Thanks

Oh I feel wonderful and my heart is full (as my stomach was yesterday). Why? Because I finally got a chance to run up to The Center to volunteer for a few hours, and saw the two Fox squirrels that I wrote about last post. Last Friday I had to go out of town so I took them both in Thursday afternoon. It helps me to give them back if I get to be the one to settle them into their new tank, and put in some of the little things I know each squirrel needs... one might like a bowl to sleep in, another, fuzzy fabric, and yet another might need favor apples or avocado to chew on. I can make sure they have that, so the first night in the strange new place with it's strange new sounds won't seem completely foreign. I also get to give them the last feeding of the day, again to normalize their adjustment to new surroundings... I go home feeling OK to leave the little ones I've cared for night and day...

But within a few days, I see their pictures and begin to wonder how they are. As soon as I got back, I had out of town company and much holiday prep, so I just couldn't go in. I really found myself missing them, which I try not to do. My job is to be a foster mother, getting them from point B to C (A being that they are born and D being that they are big enough to eat on their own and begin the process of soft release).

But after I waved to my step-kids as they each drove to Austin and San Marcos and dropped my sister off at the airport, and I raced up to The Center... All the squirrels were gone but my two foxes. I was so happy to see them! They were still together, had just transitioned to eating only solid foods, and for the first time, I felt like they really knew me... I know we are not to imprint but I picked up the female and she curled right up under my neck and put her little nose to my chin and mouth to say hello.



She even posed with me for a self-pic of the two of us. And then I picked up the male and also took pics. I gave them each a pecan, which they heartily accepted, and I took some movies of them both eating them... marvelling how far they'd come in just a weeks time.

I got to check in on them over the next two hours, and that just made me feel good. Instead of wondering 200 times a day how they are, I can just look over and see. It will carry me for a good long while now.





After finishing their pecan, they curled up to take a nap...


And just before I left I looked in and there they were, sleeping on top of each other, just as they always had. I was so glad to know they were still close and have each other. Wonderful little beings...

Love is Letting Go...

Some of you know I had a very sick set of baby fox squirrels about 2 weeks ago, a male and a female, eyes closed.
They both came in, as many did, with some kind of terrible virus. Both had very stuffed noses and the female had it really bad. She was wheezing and clicking, though it was not the clicking you hear in their lungs that's associated with aspiration or pneumonia. Though I gave them each a drop of liquid benadryl 15 minutes before I went to feed them (to help them breathe easier while nursing) and had them on an antibiotic twice a day, it would not do much to relieve the symptoms.

The little female got worse as the night came on. I could take her back to The Center in the morning to see the vet, but was very concerned she would not make it though the night. I'd have been happy to pay anything for a vet in the city to see her that night, but when I called one of the expert rehabber ladies who run the center for advice, she said most vets are not familiar with wildlife and would not be able to do much more than we were doing.

Knowing I could get help in the morning, I prepared myself for a very difficult night. The little girl was gasping and her rib cage would jump with each breath due to the effort involved. I tried to set up a steam tent and sat under a towel holding her sleeping body. I tried to prop her up in her little bed in case it would make breathing easier, but squirrels are just too flexible and jumpy. So I sat upright in the chair in my bedroom with her on my chest for over two hours hoping it would make breathing easier.  I kept falling asleep sitting there with her, but I was determined to not let her down.  So I did something I rarely do -- I prayed and prayed hard over her... And I got online and asked my blog friends to pray for her, send her healing thoughts, or keep her health and wholeness in mind... whatever they felt comfortable doing. I have known this kind of thing to be very powerful, and thankfully, it was successful in the case.

She indeed made it through the night, and the next morning I got trained to give her very powerful medicine... one I had to wear gloves to measure out and administer, as it would do something to me if it got absorbed through my skin (tho safe for squirrels). It took a lot, but I finally got her on the mend. And then her little brother, who was never as bad off as she, started to get more congested and wheeze a little!  So I started him on the heavy duty medicine. After several long days and nights they both got better. I think the experience made them very attached to each other.
Unlike other squirrels who sleep then spend several hours exploring or playing, they spent most of their time together sleeping in dozens of uh-dor-able positions.

Maybe the medicine was the reason, or perhaps it was the cozy cereal bowl I stuffed with soft fleece fabric! But even days after they opened their eyes and were beginning to chew on nuts and apples, they were so attached that when I'd take one out to nurse, the other would cry after about 10 minutes of being alone. It was a heart wrenching sound and I'd rush to the tank, holding the other one happily feeding on milk, and the crying would stop. Sweet babies. Look at them!

But below is a hysterical photo of the female who grew stronger and healthier every day, fast asleep, hopefully soooo relaxed because she felt safe and secure. Nose always tucked under or against something... and look at those little feet! Click on any picture to see them enlarged.

Last Thursday, the morning I had to bring them back, I saw something unusual. The female was awake and in a very quiet mood. With her little buddy still curled up beneath her, she stared out at me. I don't ascribe thoughts to squirrels, but after I shot this and looked at it days after I wondered, did she know I was going to have to give her back that day? Did she know that she was all better now, brought back to health from a very serious illness?  Did I catch her reflecting in her squirrel way in that moment of transition, the ones we all have spent just before our lives are about to change? Did she know that she was moving on to the next stage of her little life?




Lol, probably not. But for a baby who would most likely have died, she did have a second shot at life. Fat, furry and bright eyed, maybe she was just saying thank you to her foster mommy and to all her unseen blog pals who prayed for her to get well. I think that's it. And I heartily join her in deep and sincere gratitude for all those who cared about her when I reached out (via e-mail and Jackie's Blog) and kept vigil with me through your good thoughts that night.

I hope it's gratifying to see these pictures and know you made a difference.