Swimming Lessons

Just yesterday I was at the Wildlife Rehab Center and had a first with The Beavers. I've never even seen one until 2 weeks ago, and in that time I filmed THIS little movie of them drinking from a bottle (You MUST click that link to watch, if you haven't seen it!). To my great delight, a few days later I myself was feeding them. And yesterday I got to "swim" them.... meaning we fill up the large utility sink off the kitchen and put them in so they can get used to swimming. Had I been thinking, I would have gotten THAT on video.

Of the two, there is one who's sensitive (fussy) and very vocal (whiney). Pinktail we call her, because to tell them apart we put a tiny dot of pink nail polish on her tail. Though it's fallen off , by now I can tell who she is by her temperament (I say her, but we don't know who is what sex at this point).

We put a branch or two and a few great smelling leafy boughs and a pine cone in their little tank. I saw one of them instinctually trying to eat a leaf and the other gnawing with those beaver teeth on the wood. Yay, they are learning to be beavers! This movie isn't much because I can't sit around waiting for them to do something great when there are other mouths to feed, but it's a little something...

For their swimming lesson, I got the water temp juuuuuuust right and watched as the woman who runs the center put Pinktail in. I did the same with the other one, who I'll call Biggie, since he's bigger. (I don't try to come up with fabulous names for the sake of the stories!) She then walked away and Pinktail started to reach up to me and cry. It was adorable. I knew it was good for her to keep her in, so I just turned her around and she paddled a little. Biggie wasn't any more skilled, but uttered not a peep. He did grab on to P. They were hanging on each other, even thought they could touch the bottom. So I spent a delightful 10 minutes pulling them apart and resetting Pinktail (she kept trying to crawl out).

Then it was a matter of lifting them out and putting towels around them, with the attendant whimpering from Miss Pink. Made some Esbilac (Powdered "puppy" milk), put 4 oz in each bottle with 1 oz Pedialyte and warmed it up in the microwave. Then, still wrapped in towels, let them nurse.

Biggie is a great eater, though I had to pull the nipple out of his mouth several times so he wouldn't aspirate. THEN I heard him complain. He did not want to let go of it. Pinky was being fussy as usual, but eventually they both were satiated with 3 oz. We dried them off a little more and put them back in the tank, with the heater on. I watched as they promptly went right to sleep!

Who knew Beavers were this cute and... human?