Great Horned Owl

Every year, the Wildlife Rehab Center, now called The Wildlife Center of Texas, has an Open House so folks who volunteer can enjoy themselves for all they give to the Center. 

It's also for others in the community who make the donations that keep this wonderful rescue center alive. It's the one day they can get a rare tour of the facilities and see just what kind of work is done behind closed doors. No one who drop animals off (over 9,000 animals in 2011) and who is not a volunteer or from the nearby SPCA (of Animal Planets Cops Houston fame), is allowed in where the animals are, because it's a serious "hospital".  

The atmosphere is one of healing and relative calm, so traumatized and orphaned animals can do the important work of recovering so they can hopefully be released back in the wild in ship shape.

A few of these animals would never survive if released, due to broken wings that make them unable to fly, etc... These animals often become ambassadors for their species in the many educational programs the Center does within the community. And they come out for some of the visitors to see from a safe distance on this special Open House night. 

I came into contact with my first Great Horned owl on Open House night about 5 years ago. I was stunned and still am every time I'm privileged enough to be this close to one, and remain fascinated by their giant blinking eyes. See for yourself:

If you're an animal lover, and I know you are if you're reading this, please LIKE the Wildlife Center of Texas' Facebook page HERE. You will see wonderful photos and stories of the tremendous rescue and releases they do there every day, 24/7, 365 days of the year!

Baby Black Squirrel

One special thing about the month February: it's just about time for squirrels to have their babies. They have them twice a year --  starting in February and again in early fall.

A few years ago I got to help two little black squirrel babies at the Wildlife Rehab Center and somehow fed this one with one hand while stealing a few seconds of footage with my other. It's such a rare sight (and of course, such a joy) that I wanted to capture it to have forever.

I came across the little video this morning and since I haven't published it before, I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the baby squirrels being born everywhere.

Cold, Hard Reality

So, I was driving home from work past the same little stretch of park I've mentioned before and at the very end, on a little strip of green sandwiched between a parking lot and the fast moving, 4 lane road I was on, I saw something black. And big -- about the size of a high top sneaker. Sometimes I spot moss in a bundle and think it's a squirrel until I get closer but there is nothing jet black like this in the park. I knew in a second something was off, and as I got closer it was confirmed: what I'd spotted was a large, back rabbit with very long ears, munching on greens sprouting out of a faded flower patch.

I was planning on hitting the treadmill at home, but instead I parked. I figured if I walked up to it slowly and it didn't spook, it had been owned by humans. He moved as I approached but didn't go more than one hop, or lose interest in the tender greens.

It was obvious someone had dropped their former pet off. I thought through the scenario of putting him in my carrier and getting him to the Wildlife Rehab Center, a few times. They were closed. Would I have to do this in the morning, then be late to work? I guess I could go on my lunch time. But, I'm terribly allergic to bunnies, and I'd be paying for a week to do this... BUT I remembered I knew a spot in the outdoor mews at the Center where I could place the carrier and he'd be safe for the night, so I could drop him off. I'd have to put lettuce and water in with him, so I'd have to go home and get that first. BUT that was OK. So I went back to the car, opened the carrier, got my large net, and went back.

Where the bunny had let me get very close before, now he was uncomfortable. He eyed me, stopped eating. I was not moving any faster or erratically, and had the net flush to my body so it was not poised above him; maybe I was emitting a different scent...

I waited for him to relax and start nibbling again, but when I got close enough he'd hop. Because of the lay of the land, I was in a pickle. If I positioned myself in front of the dense bushes that lined the parking lot (a perfect rabbit hideaway), his only choice was to head into traffic. If I kept him from traffic, he'd of course end up in the bushes, where I couldn't reach him. Torn between the two, I stood between him and the traffic and long story short, I eventually lost him to the leafy cover.

I could have sat down and waited much longer so he could get used to me again before I'd tried to reach out for him. I could have waited for him to come out of the bushes. But I figured the temps have dropped so he'd be comfortable by day and through the night. He had food nearby, and though there was no water, he'd be OK until I came back the next day to try it again.

I admit, some of why I didn't succeed in catching him is because I was grappling with doubt that crept into my head when I told about the duck or they see the carrier, net, gloves and all kind of food and water in my car. If I were on Animal Cops, no one would blink an eye. But without a badge you get a few, boarder-line- crazy animal-lady looks. As a result, I wasn't as patient as I could have been with the net, and I didn't wait at the bushes to see if he would come out. I tried to think about it like other people might -- he'll be fine.

24 hours later, I was driving back and didn't see him. I parked and went to the flower patch by the bushes. A quick visual scan made it obvious he wasn't there... but as I looked up into the road, I saw something flat and dark. I probably said aloud what I was thinking, as my steps quickened. It was too flat and seemed too big to be him. I was sure it was someone's hoodie crumpled and flattened by tires.

But I was wrong. He wasn't fine. I'll spare you the close up.

I try to keep it happy here but nature has many sides, and all aren't always happy or fair. I've had to take those things in, process and accept them in my own way, if I wanted to work and play in it. I even try to respect it. But this is one example of man's failure, though, not nature's.

Lessons learned:
1. I will never feel doubt again when I see an out-of-place animal and try to do something about it. I am a sub-licensed wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator.

2. People who can't take care of pets (not to mention those who only want bunnies or ducklings --whose feathers they dye in pastel colors --for a few weeks after Easter), should NOT take animals on. When they don't want it anymore, they should not drop animals off in the park and hope for the best. They aren't necessarily able to adapt to the wild. If folks are going to do it anyway, then at least drop them deep within, away from traffic.

Maybe they tried to find someone to take it, maybe they thought it'd get euthanized if they gave it to a shelter, maybe in these hard times they had to decide between pet care and food on their own table. Maybe.

Another Good Day

I stopped by The Center Wednesday in the middle of the day... now that I am working full time, and was packing/moving/unpacking in every spare second for the last 8 weeks, AND have had the absolute worst seasonal allergies ever for months, I have not been able to physically volunteer there. I have been doing other things for them and I do miss being hands on.

But I found a juvenile blue jay floundering in the middle of the road with two cars speeding toward it from opposite directions. I thought someone had hit it or it'd fallen out of a nest or had crashed trying to learn to fly. I leapt out of my car, stopped the traffic, grabbed some cloth from the backseat, slowly approached the bird, and it allowed me to pick it up ever so gently.

The mother was doing all kinds of kaw-ing and fluttering from branch to branch overhead. I did follow her onto someone's lawn and held the baby up to the mother, who definitely turned her head so that one eye could fix on the fledgling. I was hoping the bird would just fly up to mom, after being stunned in the street. It's mouth was wide open, and while there was no blood, it's right foot was crunched up beneath her and her right wing was askew. There was no flying to mom, and mom eventually flew further away, though still sounding distressed. I was thinking, broken wing, and was hoping it didn't mean internal injuries instead. So I put it in my carrier and called work.


My fabulous boss suggested I indeed go ahead and take it to the Center, which fortunately was only about 12 minutes drive (with me speeding a little, of course). I noticed that the bird seemed quite calm, and had shut it's mouth, and was not seeming stressed. That was good. When I dropped the bird off, no sooner was it put on triage row that it suddenly came to life. Both feet and wings seemed to work okay! And it was tapping it's beak against the glass, like let me out. I asked, "Do I take it back then, and set it free?" The answer was no. There could be injuries, it could have been a stroke... better to be there where it could be observed and treated if so, and well fed and protected from predators, leading to being set free in a few weeks anyway. Win/win.

So I went to leave, and one of the volunteers happened to walk by holding this:

A most beautiful bobcat. Look at that foot! I'd never seen a bob cat before, and here this little one was, as sweet and docile as any house kitten. I asked if she snapped or bit or clawed and the answer was no... but we all know someday soon, that will be her nature. In the mean time I did have to reach out to touch it's furry head and take hold of one paw, just because...

I'd read on their website about this one who was brought in by a hiker who said it had followed her around the woods for over an hour, no mom in sight. I thought, darn, I will not be able to see something so extraordinary, because I'm not able to be there as much right now. And lo and behold, I got this little blessing.

Add that to the fact that the blue jay did not meet her end on the hot concrete and has another chance to grow up and live and fly, and it was a damn good day.

Baaah

It's not quite Teddy, the goat beloved by this blogger and apparently this blog's readers but this little lamb came to The Center for day care. While he was able to curl up and nap in this area, I caught him awake and saying hello.



Short, but sheep.

I Found Two Chickens, Part Two!

If you click HERE or just scroll down to the previous post, you will know what all this is about.

Last I left you, I had two beautiful hens that had spent the night and were starting a low burrrrrr noise (which I caught on both films below) when I was brushing my teeth. After I gave them a drink of water, I gently lifted them out of the box one by one and put them back in the carrier in which I'd brought them upstairs. One didn't want to go -- and tried to stick it's foot against the door, which I can only assume meant that I was a fabulous hostess.

I am kidding, you know.

Other than that millisecond of hesitation, they went into without incident. Here they are:

I covered the carrier with my leopard blanket and went down in the service elevator, again praying I wouldn't be discovered. But if I had been -- can you picture that encounter? Though this being Texas.... maybe it wouldn't surprise anyone. It was about 7:30 AM on a Saturday morning, so that helped. The elevator was deserted. And seeing that we're moving out in about 10 days, I had little to lose.

Once I secured the cage in the passenger seat, I drove carefully for 15 minutes or so to The Wildlife Center. On the way, I took the blanket off and put the window down so they could enjoy the fresh air and morning sun (for anyone who doesn't know, it's roosters that cock-a-doodle-do at the first hint of morning).

When I got there, I was instructed to put them in one of the outdoor pens, which was my hope. Then I went to get them a nice big pan of water and another filled with chicken scratch. What's great about volunteering at this place is that it allowed me to take care of them all the way through. It wasn't a day I was coming in, but instead of just dropping them off I could get them settled before I left.

But there was a little surprise.... there just so happened to be a handsome white rooster next to them, and it was a riot when I put the girls in the adjacent pen. He immediately zeroed in on them, and for the first few minutes, they were both standing side by side, giving him an audience. He proceeded to bu-kaw and strut, and scrape the gravel back with his feet like James Brown. He paced back and forth working his neck as I melted into a puddle. I mean really, I'm a city girl. No matter how long I've been around wildlife now, it's all new to me. I thought this shit only happened in cartoons/comedy skits or was exaggerated, but apparently, it's art mirroring life.



Mistah Fiiine Feathas... Now I see where Jagger gets it.




By the way, I have since caught myself (always when alone mind you) making that low burrrrr burrrr sound out loud, including variations, to amuse myself. I may have done it unconsciously though, god knows how many times. Perhaps I did it in my car, and someone may have seen me and wondered if I was singing to the radio or talking to someone on one of those blue tooth earplug things that I abhor (but never say never). Thank goodness for a place that forces you to have the AC on in the car so the windows were up. That's my guarantee that no one could have actually heard that I was, in fact... clucking.

Found: Two Chickens!

OK, so I was driving home from a bar, having had two shots of tequila and a beer and I found two chickens.

Sounds like the start of a joke, but it's true, and it gets better. At least I think it's funny. I was at the bar for farewell party for someone at the zoo, where I volunteer. I was heading back home before dinner and as I drove past the mansion-filled street en route, I saw two beautiful black and white hens pecking away at the grass.

I have never forgiven myself for not taking The Chicken at the Park and ensuring her safety (I finally went out with a carrier, cracked corn and a net and never found her... and I've never seen her again). As you can see by clicking HERE and HERE, after the construction on the site of her old home, where the little train shack had been in The Park, she took to living under a little bridge in the parking lot. While this provided plenty of coverage, insects to peck at in the plants and a water source, I saw her waaay too often in the middle of the road. YES, OR TRYING TO CROSS THE ROAD.

Either something really good happened to her, or something really bad. I was not going to risk it with these two. So I gave them some corn to eat while I rang a few bells in the neighborhood to ask after them. No one had ever seen them before or knew who they belonged to. That was all I needed to hear.




I had a carrier in the trunk and by now, a tattooed girl who was riding past parked her bike and helped me catch them. It was very easy, so I realized they were used to human beings. When we got home, we tossed a blanket over the carrier and snuck them up the elevator in our high rise. They don't allow wild animals so I was hoping no one would let a BUK-KAW rip at that very moment. The girls were good. Very very good.

I had no idea what to do to make them comfortable for the night but after a little thought it ended up that I put them in a big new deep Dell box with a floor of thick newspaper. I added a towel and a tee shirt to half. That whole thing went in my egg shaped bath tub in the guest bathroom where they would not be disturbed by sound or light for the night.

Before I tucked them in, I put cracked corn in the corner and they started pecking, so they couldn't be too upset. Then I held a tupperware container of water about beak level and they very delicately drank quite a bit. I was able to rest easy knowing they had their fill; if I'd left it in there for the night they'd have spilled it.






I put a light blanket over the top of the crate, as there were air holes on the sides. All was a quiet. Fast Foward to 7 AM the next day:


Good Morning Chickens! Time to sneak out and take you to The Wildlife Center.



Apparently they slept standing up? I gave them water and in the 20 minutes it took for me to get ready to go, one of them was starting a hysterical low buuuuuur noise. Cracked me up.

Tune in tomorrow for part two -- a happy ending.

Three Dehydrated Babes

After I returned Peter Paul and Mary to The Center, I gave myself another two week rest and started on Allegra. Spent the whole of Sunday helping there. At the end of the day there were three puny ones that needed to be fed at least twice more before bed and nursed, so I brought them home. These two, #20 and 21 were on triage. They came in with a sibling who was DOA. Both were really dehydrated and weak, the female more than the male. It has been hard to get her to even stir when I feed her. She lays in my hands as if she were asleep, but I administer milk drop by drop and watch for the little swallow in her throat. Right now I am diluting it with plain Pedialyte. The stuff in it will help revive them. Should take a day or so.


Poor skinny sweet babies. The third, #22, is a female Fox. She has one eye almost open. It's easy to forget that they are still infants because they are so much bigger and at times furrier than Grays. This little one also came in with her brother who died and has had the runs for two days. I have her on diluted milk and will feed her enough hours apart that I'm sure all the previous meal has cleared her system. Gave her a drop of medicine before taking her home that I hope will work and have her being regular within 24 hours. Once she's OK I will mix her milk with Pedialyte for a day.

Sleepy little one. She's in the small shoebox I drove her home in, laying on a dark gray rice sock that I'd heated in the microwave to keep her cozy for the ride. Squirrels like to have their noses pressing against or preferably tucked under something. With her head bent, it's not because she doesn't feel well... it's her way of pressing her nose to something as there is no fabric to push under.

As soon as both systems are normalize I will increase the milk ratio mixed with purified water to get the calorie and fat count up that they need at this critical time of growth.

Sleeping Cuties

Well, it's started again. Baby season. The Center got in several squirrels and baby ducklings, just a few possums so far (both fingers crossed there won't be as many as last year. Cute but stinky!!) and we're waiting for the boom of baby birds to hit. Three little gray squirrels came in late Sunday afternoon who were too young to stay at the center -- meaning they needed an additional feeding or two after hours. I guess someone was re-doing their attic and found a nest with them in it. *sigh* Renovations!

These three aren't sick at all like the ones I usually take. They just had some insulation I cleared out from their mouths and noses... so they are easy to feed and I don't get up 10 x a night because I'm worried about them. One's female, 54 grams, and the two males are 54 and 60 grams. I did have to separate them the first night because the bigger male started sucking on the others, which sometimes happens when they are this young. Everything is OK today though.

So while they're safe and sound --and as such, will definitely grow up and be released into the wild -- I did feel for the mother who probably came back to the nest and wondered where her babies were.

But then, I guess a mother can leave a nest and come back and find it empty thanks to a raptor raid too. Mother Nature can sometimes be as harsh as humankind.

Don't worry mama squirrel, I have your little ones.

I'm keeping them warm, well fed, and loved!

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.

Prepare to Melt

Or should I have titled this "Prepare to Replay"?

Because that is what you are going to want to do with this video. It beings new meaning to the term short, but oh so very very sweet.

Early in November, someone found a young, little white dog wandering around terribly matted and very very pregnant. It was brought to the SPCA but one of the soft-hearted women who runs The Center spotted her and decided to bring her over where we are. Since it's slow season (baby squirrel time was just about over and baby opossum and bird time is a long way off), we could keep an eye on her -- while giving her tons of love and affection, which I have to say she soaked right up without hesitation.

The dog was cleaned and all that horrible fur was cut away. She seemed so grateful to be somewhere warm and safe, with plenty of food and love. She looked at everyone with huge saucer eyes -- a candidate for those collectible figurines you find in the back of magazines.

We thought she was going to have those puppies day one, but two weeks later she was still trotting around, quite content, demanding our constant attention. Just around Thanksgiving she put forth her own bounty in the form of 5 tiny puppies... most were all white and either one or two had a little caramel coloring. When I came in today they were nursing and had their eyes open. I had to scrape myself off the floor. I'd lost consciousness due to cuteness overload.

After doing some work I came back to where the little play pen with the babies were. I heard a little lapping --quite distinct from nursing sounds -- and spotted the caramel one tentatively licking at some real food. I whipped out my camera and caught a moment of it.



OMaGeeeeee! LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!

You replayed it, right?

This Chinese Goose came to The Center a while back with a broken leg which happened when a dog ran after it and got it in it's mouth. I've seen it happen too often-- people are out walking their doggies and encourage them to chase after squirrels, ducks and geese. I'm not sure why. Maybe they assume the animals will be quick and get away and just provide a harmless romp for their pup. But we see some terrible stuff come in from this so I recommend bringing a ball/frisbee or tossing them a stick....

We'd had this duck for about a week. Cleaned and dressed the wounds, gave an antibiotic to fight infection and depending, an anti-inflam medication or something to help with pain. Made sure the visiting vets would check how things were progressing. This one was not stepping on the leg, so we tried to put him in a tub of water (seen below) to help him exercise the leg but he wasn't too interested at first. So we took him out, toweled him off, set him down and let him preen. We'd try it again another day.



We kept her for several weeks, and like most geese, she was very talkative. Since Geese mate for life and bond very deeply with another of it's kind, I always worry about their partner who has been left alone, wondering what happened to their buddy. And when I hear the plaintative wail from the one we are treating, I wonder if it is wondering the same thing. In a lull, I might go sit with a goose for a little, and they often calm down. I'm told that they don't relate this way, and that as a human, I may be stressing them out rather than comforting them. But I don't get this response. I don't try to talk to a goose, I just sit very still, like a friend at a bedside, and mentally I send love and thoughts of healing to them. (Don't think I'm nuts... it can't hurt can it? The world would probably be a bit better off it we all did this for each other, right?)

I'm partial to geese, since meeting and becoming quite involved in the partnership of Mr and Mrs Goose who you can read about HERE and more if you click on their names or just the label Geese on the right of this page. We've seen several cases of really bad wounds come in. But the woman who heads the center said. "Geese are really hardy and resilient." I held onto those words when I worried for them, and sure enough she was right.

This goose healed up well enough and now lives happily on that very woman's couple of acres with many other waterfowl. If I ever find a place to buy a home I plan have land and a little pond so I can provide a safe haven too. Don't think he's at all lonely now! :-)

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.

Lunchtime!

I haven't had time to write a whole post for this but I'm just going to load it. This is more of the little girl gray, my 14th little rehab baby (see last post). Not a squirmy little squirrel. Some sit right in your palm like she does. Others get so excited they can't keep the nipple in their mouths and frantically hunt around for what they just spit out. Or they kick with their big back feet, a little like babies kick when you hold them in those chest harnesses... it's cute but it can make it a little tougher to feed them. Not my baby #14. She was easy.



Oh those bright little almond shaped eyes looking right at you!

It's hard to feed a squirrel with one hand and shoot a movie with the other. I figure the subject matter is so engaging you'll forgive me.



And when they shut their eyes because they are in bliss nursing! Only the hardest of hearts would not melt into a puddle....

I just took her back to The Center yesterday and stayed to feed her and be the one to see her go into her new tank with two grays who are a little bigger than her... and make sure that they all got along. Which they did. No problems whatsoever. I stayed to give her the last feeing of the day as well, and that always makes me feel better about returning them.

Today I went back and saw someone else feeding her and she is still the same sweet little love as she is here.

Late Baby

I've got a new squirrel I'm nursing for a few days. That would be #14 or 15 I think, since August. Didn't expect to have any more since baby season is long over, and the ones people may be finding and turning in to The Center are juveniles (between 5-10 weeks) who are half way weaned. We will care for them until they can be given to at-home rehabbers who have the room for outdoor cages and can oversee their several month process of transitioning back into the wild (called a soft release).

But I went in Thursday and there was a little girl with her eyes still sealed shut. She would probably need a late night feeding -- long past the hours at The Center --and I was way too happy to do it. I stopped to consider that I was just over the problems my allergies gave me from the last bunch -- eye infections, a terrible cough, a raspy voice-- and just getting back to normal in my life routines. I'd cleaned, put away all the squirrel stuff and started to get to sleep when I was tired and get up when I wanted without the babies needs ruling my life. With Thanksgiving just a few weeks off, and guests coming in, I thought better of it. But when I checked her chart I saw that she also hadn't --- TMI alert!!!--- pooped for the 2 days since she came in. And she was a really fussy eater. Not every volunteer at The Center is good with squirrels so I was concerned about her feeding too. I knew a few days of my attention and the added security of the quiet and dark I could provide at my home would get her past the shock of whatever had happened to her, and she'd be normalized in no time.

Sure enough, by Friday night she was eating more easily and her systems became regular. Yay. I like to think she feels secure now-- here she is sleeping after milk in the pocket of my flannel pajamas. She looked so blissful, I let her do that for a bit before I tucked her in in her tank. If you click on the picture you can see that sweet little face and outstretched paw close up. (SO worth it!)

Her eyes opened Saturday and she's gotten more active, climbing up the little fleece fabric I put on one wall of the tank, developing muscles and learning to hang upside down by her back feet. She began doing the instinctive gesturing for holding and eating nuts before her eyes were open, so I introduced a raw Macademia nut (the softest, for baby teeth) for her to chew on, and later put some walnuts and pecans in her tank. Those are soft and too big for her to pick up but she won't get anything lodged in her throat if I'm not around either. In the morning I find she's chewed on them... and quite adorably, has collected and stored them all under the little tree branch I put in.

All in all, I think she's going to be a fine, healthy squirrel!

Rocky a.k.a Mouse the First Squirrel

The first orphaned squirrel I got to rehab at home came in about half hour before The Center was closing. A man from an animal shelter brought him, in a little cardboard carrier. I saw it coming in and wanted to know: What is in the box? I remember that now and smile. Little did I know then that destiny was unfolding...

Once the paperwork was done, I took the baby to Triage. I hovered nearby while he was checked out; I always do that as I want to learn all I can. But when squirrels come in I'm especially interested (quel suprise).

You never know when they come in what they've been through, but there are some signs. You look for bruises from falls, cuts, listen for wheezing, look for mites, etc. If you pinch the skin between their little shoulder blades and it stays pinched when you release it, that's your clue they're dehydrated. While subcutaneous fluids can be injected and will work it's way into their system, there are some circumstances where it's not the best thing to do. This little one was definitely dehydrated and had a few ant bites, but overall seemed OK and would not have to stay for a vet. I eagerly asked if I could feed him. When I was done I went to put him in with the rest but realized he needed to be fed at least twice more that night. I called out, "who is going to take him home?" and much to my shock and delight, the bosses said, "YOU ARE!"

I had filled out my own paperwork to be sub contracted as a rehabber with Texas Parks and Wildlife under The Center's boss's license, but I didn't think about when I'd take something home.

They knew I had an affinity for nursing squirrels. They set me up with all I needed and sent me packing with my precious cargo. I must have driven 10 MPH with my hand on his little carrier the entire way. I was excited and scared. I had a little baby to bring home!

I started him on a program of warm Ringers with a little esbilac for taste. Here's a picture of his scrawny little legs and his ribs still visible AFTER I'd been feeding for him for over 24 hours....

(click to enlarge any photo)

The next day I went 4 to 1 Ringers/Esbilac, then 3 to 1 then 2 to 1, the normal strength. That gave his system time to cleanse while hydrating him and getting increasing nutrition in there. For days he showed interest in the first half cc but the lay limp in my hand while I painstakingly gave him another 2-3.5 cc's, 6 times a day. It was like he was asleep, but I saw that his little throat was swallowing, so I continued, literally one drop at a time. The whole time I affirmed him -- that he was strong, and would grow and be furry and get to play in the trees and chase little girl squirrels and have babies one day. It was not by design that I did this; It was more like my inner monologue turned outward.

Soon he looked like this -- still small but much, much better. I was officially hooked.

In noticed he had a few little bumps on his back, on his right ear... and you can see one on his knuckle above. And the skin on his tail, chest and thighs was flaking. I took him in to The Center and he was given a little drop of something between his shoulders for parasites (internal and external), and a mild steroid cream for his skin, which, over the next several days, I continued to apply at home. They say if you find bugs or scabs on a squirrel get them off, and they took off the his ear, leaving a an indentation.

I didn't yet have a tank with a heated top yet, and he was too small for that anyway, so I had him in a long shoebox with holes on the top over a heating pad that never turned off. I heated a rice sock in the microwave and put it in with him among fresh fleece and soft cotton cloths, which I changed every day for my boy.

After feedings, I put him back in his box and watched him use all his might to push his little nose under the rice sock. I didn't know then then that most squirrels like to have their nose under something to sleep. When he was still weak, I'd help him out by denting the underside of the thing with my index finger and lifting it up so he could get his nose under. He'd completely relax into sweet dreams. Here he's got his sniffer nestled under his bedding.

Unsure if he'd make it, and keenly aware that I was responsible for this little life, I kept vigil night and day. I must have looked in on him with trepidation 100 times every 24 hours, but each peek filled my heart to the brim with gratitude and joy. Not only was he breathing, I literally saw significant growth each time I lifted that lid. I kid you not. It was like high speed photography or something. And his poses grew to be so amusing I started taking pictures. I kept the camera next to his box because squirrels leap a lot when dead asleep, and hence never hold a position for long. It's amazing they don't wake up but I figure it's a byproduct of their wired up systems.

I did a whole post HERE on his positions. It's hilarious so please check it out. Guaranteed to make you smile.

To be continued!

Mr. Personality

I have mentioned someone who I volunteer with at the Rehab Center that we affectionately call Uncle Bill. Not because he is like an uncle to us... no, to the animals he cares for.

I adore Bill myself. Just took an instant liking to him. He comes in and works hard... took on the outside stalls called mews where we keep all the little ducklings that come in, the songbirds that are transitioning from fledgelings to adulthood, gulls, herons, geese, etc... and further back in the yard there are a few fenced in pens, that can have anything from the baby goat and little pigs to alligators. Uncle Bill cares for them all no matter how scorching it is, no matter that he is sloshed in duck poop and slimy fishy water. He takes his time and he is gentle with the animals. We are not to treat them as pets, so as not to imprint them to humans... but Bill spends time with each animal as he goes about his chores. He delights in them -- as many are quite amusing... like this black crown heron that he named Mr. Personality. There are 5 in this pen, but you'll know which one he is.




Before I knew of this name, I had gone in to help clean up the fish they'd had for lunch, and had no idea why that one was going on. I mean, I heard him going on while I attended to the ducks in the pen close to this, so he's not reacting to a person in the pen. At some point I thought to myself, maybe he fell or flew into a window to get to us, and he has suffered some kind of brain damage, lol.

We figure the other ones have no idea what he's going on about, and possibly want him to just STOP. The poor guy to the left is not related to him, but they came in together. We figure he just thinks: "Somehow I got stuck with wacko over here."

If you view it again, U.B. also named the three who stand regally at the top left as the Three Magi's because they stand so stoically, looking upon it all. I think the names are perfect.

What a crack up animals can be. Have you ever seen a black crown heron? And why, I wonder, aren't they black?

Bits and Pieces

BUSY LITTLE HANDS:
A little video I forgot I shot -- oh these little digital snap cameras with their mini movie capability. When I zoom in it takes it's time to focus and makes a strange noise at times. But I get the shot -- there are countless numbers of antics going on every day that I don't catch. I can hardly post the ones I do, so filming quality gets pushed even further down the list...

That said, I still hope to brighten your day. I am finding lately that when I give a squirrel a hard nut, like an almond, 3/4 of the time they bury it. When I give them something soft like a pecan or a walnut, they stay close and chomp it, keeping their eye on me, hoping for another as soon as they can chew it up.

I did catch a little one hopping around to find a spot, digging, pushing the nut in with his mouth and doing a very hearty job of packing down the soil, with one last whiff to either be sure where it is, or maybe be sure no other squirrel could detect it and steal it away....

BIRD UPDATES:
Also -- a vulture update. I told the story of the baby black vulture HERE. Last week I learned he'd gotten so big he was transferred to a big boy cage. Another woman was taking a quick pic so I joined her and did the same. This is for the Grilzzled

Scribe in particular.

In other news, the Chimney Swifts I guess got big enough to be returned to the wild. I have not yet found out how that happens... but I am so glad I got the pictures I did. Don't know when I will come across those again.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN:

And I have gotten my sub-contracting license that allowed me to take home a very sick baby squirrel who came in to the Center Thursday near closing. I had just managed to get a cc of lactated ringer’s solution down him (the fluids that they give for dehydration) and asked who was going to take him home for the evening feedings. The answer was -- you are!

I drove home probably with more care than I have in years, as I had very precious cargo. I am happy to say that he has gotten stronger with each passing day, and watching his progress on an hourly basis, for several days has been an amazing and most rewarding experience. I got him at 55 grams and unable to eat and now he's 73 grams, and quite a joyful eater. I hope to raise him just until his eyes open. Then I feel I can turn him back over with confidence that he will live.

He completely cracks me up, as he conks out in the craziest positions. I will do a little photo post of some of them in the next little while. Until then, here's the little munchkin. I swear these little guys just KILL me! Click on it to see it bigger. Those feet! So CUTE!

We're coming into baby squirrel season so I will have a lot more to feed when I go in to the Center. I just hope nothing happens like last year, where we were struggling to feed over 1200 of these due to Hurricaine Ike. Are you a fan of squirrels?

Every Day, Something New

After a fair amount of experience feeding baby birds, I was asked to go to the area what we move them to once they become fledglings and clean and feed those in there. It turned out to be a most enjoyable task. There were only about a dozen tanks in there, filled with birds unfamiliar to me, save the few Blue Jays. The last one on the end held a group of half a dozen soft ash-y black birds, who were making the biggest racket!

I opened the top of the tank and was greeted by an unusual sight: Instead of perching on a branch or standing on the ground, these guys were vertically clutching on to fabric that had been placed along the left side of the tank wall. Their chirps swelled to a crazy cacophony and their mouths opened as they vied for position when I came at them with their soaked science diet cat food on my fake mother's beak -- the kind of scissor handled tweezers I've mentioned in previous posts.


As soon as I was done with this feeding on the end, it was time to replenish my coffers and start a second feeding on those in the first tank. By the time I got to the Chimney Swifts again, one who'd been stuck lower down last time flew forward and attached himself to the pocket of my apron, much like a woodpecker would, where he apparently felt nice and comfy because he was very well behaved.

When I came at him with the food he began flapping his wings to get "Mama's"attention... but otherwise, he sat very patiently and in truth it made it much easier to feed him and the others in the tank.
Just adorable these little beings! Maybe not when they are squawking in your chimney. But when not being fed, you might never know they're there.

These little guys are the color they are to obviously blend in with their environment of choice... the smoky ash-encrusted inside of your chimney. They obviously breed at a time of year when there are no fires burning, and this explains why they grip upright. Yes, they make some noise but they are there for such a short time. And they do you the favor of catching thousands of pesky-to-humans insects.

They used to build in hollow trees but they now choose chimneys due to loss of habitat... and with all the new gas fireplaces, that alternative is also dwindling. If you have any in your chimney, please think twice before you hire someone to shoo them out. They usually just remove the nests and discard these helpless babies! Oh no, that just won't do!

If you click HERE, you can read more about that. Among other useful info it says: "Chimney Swifts are protected by Federal Law under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act." and if you hire a company to clean your chimney, you need to find a reputable company whose policy it is to protect the little dears.

I am very curious to know if any of you have ever had or seen them before.