Heidi Chronicles: More Life With Baby

Yesterday, one of the guys at work went out to an Asian market to pick up some snacks. Why he chose an Asian market for snacks, I don't know. He came back with charcoal covered peanuts called panda droppings - and that is exactly what they looked like, too. In addition, he picked up a large container of dried jack fruit.

Now if you are thinking, what is jack fruit, well so were we. Apparently, the fresh fruit is about the size of a large watermelon. According to the guy, the fresh fruit is very tasty. I don't know about that, but the dried jack fruit chips look like something you would have peeled away before eating the real food. They have the texture of cardboard. I had difficulty biting through it without sharpening my teeth. As for taste, well they really didn't have any.

I decided the folks running the Asian market saw him coming and figured they could get away with selling him the chaff and calling it fruit. We spent the rest of the day teasing him about those snacks and telling him he wasn't allowed to pick up the food anymore.

They know I feed the raccoons, so they decided to donate the jack fruit to the raccoons. I said, "I don't even think the raccoons will eat that stuff. They do have standards, you know." The guy who bought the stuff said, "But they eat garbage..."

Why does everyone always go there? As if, just because raccoons will 'shop' through garbage, that means they are willing to eat anything. I'm not sure that raccoons actually eat all that much garbage. Maybe they are just rummaging through there to see if they see anything they like - as opposed to eating most or all of what they find in the garbage. Widget, who is as finicky as Morris the cat ever was, enjoys rummaging through garbage, too - yes, if he can find an unprotected bag of garbage or if he can turn the garbage can over, Widget will pull everything out onto the floor and make a BIG mess. Grrr! But despite that very bad vice, Widget will most certainly not eat just anything.

Anyhow, they eventually talked me into bringing the container of jack fruit home. Raccoon do tend to like fruit, after all, so I figured I would give it a try. If the raccoons wouldn't eat the stuff - and I was pretty sure that would be the case - maybe the opossums would, and if they wouldn't eat it either, then I could always toss it in with the compost. I was sure none of the humans were going to eat it, so there was nothing to loose. (Still, I was pretty sure it would end up as compost. I just knew I would be returning on Monday to tease the guy even more about how even the raccoons and opossums passed on that stuff.)

Well, much to my absolute amazement, tonight the raccoons ate 2/3 of the canister of jack fruit. I estimate the capacity of the canister at about 1/2 gallon. A few of the kits - and they are quite spoiled - ate some. Freida ate a few. One of the yearlings sat beside me and ate and ate and ate jack fruit. I could not believe it. Go figure. And they were not starving either. They had (small amounts of) cookies, garlic bread, chicken strips, and cat food. They actually left cat food behind when they left.

Now, if I can get the charcoal covered peanuts for them next week (those were not popular either), any idea if the charcoal will hurt them?

Sheri,

I'm so sorry about your hip/leg. I'm fine tonight. Hope that you will feel better soon, too. As for all of those mysterious website symptoms you just described, I have had every one of those. I eventually realized that I was causing them. More one this later. My guess is unless you have malware on your computer, you are probably causing it, too. When I do this it's because I am accidentally hitting keystrokes that correspond with Windows/Mac hotkeys.

Some keystrokes erase all or part of what you have typed. When this happens. If you immediately, without hitting any other keys 1st, hit Ctrl-Z, it will put all of the stuff back. This will only work if you don't hit a single key between the moment the stuff goes away and when you type the Ctrl-Z. If you touch even one key in between, it's all over. It won't work. Try it. It's difficult to stop your fingers before you type another key, but if you can, it's wonderful to see everything magically reappear.

As for going back to the top of the screen and such, I can't recall now what key sequence causes that, but I've done it many times. It has something to do with the "image/Browse" area under the post screen. I think it's something like...if you have the cursor in the "image" box (below) and then hit Return or Send or something like that. It's not something you do on purpose but by mistake - like when in pain.

Hope you feel better soon and have a nice trip tomorrow.

And now for the sad news...

Looks like we have another Fraidy - or worse. Three of Heidi's kits appear to be fine. Two are growing like weeds and appear well on their way. The 3rd is smaller but is acting 'normal', eating, walking around, playing, etc, so I figure that one will be fine, too. The 4th one is the one I've mentioned a time or two, the one that is always seen curled up sleeping at Heidi's feet.

The 1st few times I saw that one curled up that way sleeping while the others were eating, I thought it was cute, but it also raised a red flag. The behavior did not seem right. In 4yrs and countless kits, I've yet to see one do that. Even when that kit isn't sleeping, it is often hanging around right up against Heidi, sometimes sitting around just doing nothing at all, other times sitting around playing with its feet or its tail. Sometimes it lies on its back in the grass and plays with its feet in a manner not unlike the way human babies will reach for their feet while lying on their backs. Moreover, when doing these things, the kit does not 'play' in a robust manner as other kits do but rather it just gently and slowly reaches for its feet seemingly enthralled by them for long periods of time. It's cute/sweet to watch but really doesn't seem 'normal'.

Bottom line, I fear that kit may be a few cards short of the full deck. The last night that Heidi was here she was trying to teach the kit to follow her when she leaves - it was very obvious, even to a human. That was the night when she and the kits stayed after everyone else left, the night when they came up close to me to eat the kibble there. All of the kits were close around Heidi. The little one kept, as usual curling up right under Heidi's nose - while Heidi was trying to eat. Heidi would patiently move around the kit to continue eating - and then the kit would get up and move back under Heidi's face, and they would repeat the cycle over and over. Finally the kit tired of this and sat down in the grass at Heidi's hind quarter.

The kit sat their for a while gently running her fingers over her feet and looking around. After a little while she lay back in the grass. She was so small and cute, I just wanted to scoop her up.

After a while, Heidi turned to leave. The other three kits followed her as she walked to the fence. Despite the fact that she was right there with Heidi when Heidi got up to leave, the little one did not follow. While Heidi and her siblings were leaving she walked around (short distance) as though oblivious to everything.

Heidi sat in the tree just over the fence and called to the kit over and over. The kit did not show any sign that she even heard her mother calling her. At that point she also didn't seem to realize she was alone. She walked over to the watermelon and nibbled a bit. Heidi continued to call so loudly it made my throat hurt. The kit payed no attention.

After a few minutes, the kit finally realized her mom and siblings were gone. She started to cry out for her mother and trill loudly. Then instead of going toward the fence where Heidi and the others had gone (you would think she could smell their trail), she wandered off toward the weeds crying.

Heidi came back down for the kit. She went into the weeds and came back out trailing the kit behind her. Heidi ate kibble for a few minutes, again with the kit at her side, and tried her exit once more. AGAIN the kit stood around looking clueless while its mother walked to the fence, climbed it, and 'left'. Again the kit walked around for a minute or so as if all were well, then realizing it had been abandoned started crying and calling out. Again it failed to go to the fence but just wandered about crying. Heidi came back down again.. at that point I left.

Tonight Heidi and the kits were there again, and again tonight when Heidi and the other kits left, the little one stayed behind walking around in that "Duh" manner. I didn't actually see Heidi and the kits leave this time. I just suddenly realized that the Freida was left with 3 kits, and one was Heidi's little one.

This time apparently Heidi really was GONE. It took a little while for the kit to realize she was alone. I had figured it out well ahead of her. She went over to Freida, but Freida growled at her, not a mean growl just the rather benign growl raccoon moms use to signal to kits "I'm not your Mom" when approached.

The kit went around the yard crying and trilling and hunting for Heidi. When Freida and her kits left I really felt sorry for the little one left behind, still crying, still wandering about the yard. I called her and she came over to me, but she wouldn't stay. She went back to wandering and crying.

Once again I was the baby sitter. I was especially surprised, and still am, that Heidi would leave her kit this way. It is so unlike her. Realizing that by this time she, too, must realize that the kid isn't right, I wondered if she had left it on purpose hoping I would keep it. Had she decided to abandon it as hopeless? Or was she maybe trying tough love, once again trying to teach the kit the importance of paying attention and keeping up? Was she really gone or just hiding out in a tree somewhere nearby watching from afar while letting the kit see 1st hand why she needed to pay attention?

Even though the kit would not stay with me, it stayed in the yard, so once again I felt compelled to sit out there with it or at least near it. After wandering around the yard for a while and even climbing the fence to look for her up there, the kit finally went and got in the weeping willow where it sat crying and trilling for what seemed like ages. Having seen the kit act so clueless in the past, I was somewhat encouraged to see that it had the presence of mind to climb the fence and then (even more so ) to climb up into the weeping willow where the kits had gone a few days ago to hide and wait while Heidi was chasing the rogue male away.

I never actually saw Heidi come for the kit. Eventually, several of the other raccoons (yearlings) arrived to eat or eat some more. By that time the kit had stopped crying, and it didn't come to the buffet to be with the other raccoons even though these were members of the inner circle with whom she would be comfortable. I waited a while longer and still hearing no more sounds from the kit decided that Heidi must have come for her. If she approached from the other side of the weeds and shrubs and such I would not have seen her. Finally, I came back inside.

Cheryl,

Thank you so much for writing these Heidi chronicles, even when it hurt to sit at the puter !

Aww how sweet and sad too. I wonder if that is a hearing inpaired kit. Might explain some of its behaviour and "duh" moments.

good night and sweet dreems to all!!

Ruth,

The kit didn't appear to be hurt the other night when that male attacked it. Like you said, Heidi went after it the instant the kit started screaming, and as soon as the male saw her coming his way, he dropped the kit and made a bee line for the fence even before she got there.

Tonight when the little one was left behind, I thought about that incident with the male. That's one reason I sat out there (even though I was tired and starving and hoping Heidi would get back soon). The 'others', the ones who aren't allowed at the buffet when Heidi is around, often show up late like that to check for leftovers. I sure didn't want that rogue male to get a hold of the the little, clueless one.

I've seen programs about the kind of thing you are talking about where a 'single' male will kill the babies. Apparently, it is very prevalent in lions where if a new male manages to overthrow the dominant male and drive him out, the new male will then immediately set about killing all of the cubs. This way the females will come back in heat right away and also the new male won't have to waste an entire season raising and protecting the off spring of another male. Instead, by killing the cubs, he can go ahead and start spreading his own DNA.

I would not have expected that here, I guess because I've never seen any sign of it before. Then again until now the only adult males hanging around have been 'family', the Dad (HRH) and later Trouble. Then again, that might be why Heidi and the others put Trouble in the street. I have not seen any sign of him since very early spring. A time or 2 I've even been out there late enough to see some of the 'others' show up but never Trouble, and you know it is not unlike Trouble to miss a meal. Maybe the ladies didn't trust Trouble to hang around the area once the babies arrived - of course, he actually disappeared long before the kits showed up. Maybe they were just fed up with his nonsense.

Good night, Sheri,

Actually, right now I'm lying on my side with the laptop beside me. I just feel a lot better tonight - and I don't have to worry about work tomorrow.

I, too, wondered if the kit might be deaf. I even wondered if it might be blind as well since it didn't seem to realize Heidi was leaving even when it was right beside her and should have seen her go. That might also explain why it spends most of its time curled up close to her while she is eating. Esp if it can't see her, it might feel more secure that way. I don't see it walking into things though. Seems like if it had honed its sense well enough to keep from walking into things (if blind) it would also be able to sense when Heidi was leaving.

It might be deaf and that would explain it not realizing Heidi was calling it, but if it were merely deaf and nothing else were wrong with it, I would think it would eat and play (and grow) like all of the others. Also, tonight when I called it, it came out of the weeds and came to me. The next time I see the kit, I'm going to make a noise and watch to see if its ears move or it otherwise shows signs of hearing me.

Glad to hear you're at least getting some temporary relief, Cheryl; hope that will continue for quite a while! Sheri, the long car trip sounds deadly with that level of pain; may the force be with you to help you through it!

Great great story about the kit chasing its tail. I've seen both kittens and puppies playing that game, so suspect it might be pretty universal.

Hard to figure out exactly what the problem is with the little Heidi kit, but it's clear there is a problem. If the kit was deaf or blind from birth, the other senses would help to compensate; and he/she could still smell her mom's scent and follow her that way. I'm afraid you may be right that she's just a few cards short of the deck. Given how Heidi kept Fraidy at a distance as a kit, I was very surprised to hear that the kit who hangs out so close to her has a serious problem. But the behavior you describe when she left the kit behind the second night seems much more in tune with the Heidi we know. She made a real effort to help the kit learn to follow her, and that might not have been the first lesson of that kind; but eventually she has to be more concerned about the kits who are already in the forest than the one who just can't get it together. Heidi is a superb mother, but nature is practical in the long run: three kits versus one is a simple and necessary choice. That baby's chances for long-range survival, sadly, sound not good at all.

And BTW, much as I hate to break your bubble, urban raccoons very definitely do eat garbage - lots of it when they can find it. Let's face it, natural food sources for them in the city are virtually nonexistent some days, and definitely so all winter unless they can catch rodents. They certainly don't eat everything they find in the dumpsters, but they eat quite a lot of what we - and your very happily spoiled visitors - would consider disgusting. Urban raccoons know no other way to survive, and a cultured palate is just not an option for them, lol.

Poor little kit, maybe eventually you'll be able to figrue out what is wrong with it. Maybe it just maturing very slowly emtionally and mentally.

Sound s liek it mor e of a tiny lover type person and that right now the whoel world oen bi g playground and cushion of Heidi love.

Ya cna see wher e heidi ha s to go with the othe r three first and probably tuck them in for th enight befor e comign back for the othe r one.

Hopefully the little one afte r a coupel of night s of being left will get the idea that she /he needs to stay with mamma and pay more attention.

Maybe the little one just really slow in learnign lessons an hopefulyl get wis e soon. Wonde r if heidi still letting it nurs e sinc e it liek s to stay curle d up next to he r so much.

Seems liek if eye sight was problem that it wouldnt be abel to climb the trees and such so well. hearign could be a problem, but soudn smor eliek this kit gonan just be slow.

Hopefulyl it will catch up with the siblings pretty fast. maybe ther e is a way when Heidi and the other kits leave if you see them starting to hea d that way you cna kind a gently figrue out how to to scare/motivate that kit to follow.

I laughed out loud reading about the kit being afraid of it's tail and then playing with it. Reminded me a little of my tiny poddle Pedro who is about the size of your dog. He will get little twigs or branches tangled in his hair and thinks it's something chasing him. No matter how fast he tries to run, the thing just keeps following him. Very soon he just freezes and won't move at all until I come over and help him. My cat Samson will go sit beside him if he notices and try to comfort him. Anytime I see the two of them just sitting side by side looking at me, I know I need to get get over there and help Pedro.

I sure hope your fourth kit gets things figured out. It seems like a good sign that Heidi is letting that one stay close and not shunning her like she did Fraidey. It's seems like the kits don't all develop at the same rate. Maybe she is just lagging behind the others.

Maybe you will have to have your coworker pick you up some more dried Jack fruit. Sounds like it could take the place of watermelon in the winter. At least for the animals.

Have you been to a neurologist? I really feel for you with that nerve pain. I had a ruptured disc in my neck a few years ago and finally ended up having a spinal fusion. All I can say is the surgery was nothing compared to the pain I'd been in before. Hope you can find something to help soon.

Now I'd better get back to redoing some of my flower beds.

Susan



This message was edited Sep 19, 2009 7:43 AM

Cheryl, I immediately thought the poor kit was either hear or visually impaired, or both. She may have very limited vision also if not totally blind, which stops her from truly walking into things. That is so very sad, especially for a little one in the wild. I wonder if you could hold one of those toys on a string or such in front of her to see if she would play.

And if this is the same kit the male got, he could have done damage internal. A bite to that tiny head could cause damage like that.

I hope you find a way to take care of your pain. Everyone has offered good advice, I don't have much more...except trying to rest and take care of yourself.

I read and follow every day or so...but issues here have kept me on the run and limited posting time. Prayers continue for you to feel better.

Debbie

I had a dream last night that a tiny kit wandered into our house! It was tame, and allowed us to pet it and play with it. It had a collar and tag on that read "LaFarge Nature Reserve". LaFarge is a large drywall factory nearby on the Ohio River, and they built a nature reserve with walking trails and fishing lakes. I have been trying to find out how to access it, but no luck so far. I can't get ahold of a human at the plant, and the guard in the guardshack hasn't been given ifo on it. Must be a big secret!
Cheryl, you might have to adopt that poor little kit.

KyWoods,

I though about that the 1st night when I was sitting out there with the kit. I though about it because I realized if the kit wasn't 'right' it might never be able to get along on its own in the wild. Unfortunately, the kit is too old now. Its like your kittens. It won't come to me. If I somehow managed to catch it - and that's a very big if - it would surely throw a big fit if I tried to pick it up off the ground. Basically, it's too old to try to tame now (without getting scratched).

Anyhow, it is illegal in SC to own a raccoon. It would probably impossible to find a vet who would see him for even routine things. Also, it's illegal to own a raccoon in the city of Charleston and it's against the rules of my HOA to keep any animal other than a cat or dog. However, if Heidi leaves the kit behind, it can always live in my backyard and eat at the buffet. If a wild animal just happens to make a home in my back yard and eat from the "compost bin", that's not my fault. Right? And it's not against the law.

I skipped last night, but Sat night I went out there just to see if the little kit was out there. Sure enough, Heidi was there with all 4 of her kits. The two larger kits, the ones who grew at a normal rate, were all over the place as they are at a fairly independent age. The 2 smaller kits were both hanging around close to Heidi. The little one that got left behind the night before stayed near Heidi, but this time I noticed to differences: (1) the kit was not curled up sleeping at her feet and (2) the kit was eating for a change. The 2 small kits stayed an est 6-10 in from her, but I noticed her growl lightly at one point when the one tried to get up close against her. It looks like she is trying to insist that they be a little more independent, looks like she thinks it is time for the little one to stop sleeping under her shirt tail while the others are eating. (I think that is probably a good idea, too)

As for when she left, well, this time she walked over to the fence, called twice, and disappeared into the forest. The two larger ones followed almost immediately, but the two small ones just went right on doing what they were doing as though oblivious to the fact that they had been left behind. It was maybe 10 min or so before they showed any sign of realizing this. One walked around the area quietly looking for Heidi. The other, the Baby, walked around screaming loudly. After a minute or so, both of the small ones went up into the Weeping Willow which is in my yard and surrounded by weeds, shrubs, flowers, etc. This seems to be Heidi's designated place for the 09 kits to wait for her when lost.

I wondered if she had maybe left them on purpose, perhaps expecting them to stay in the tree while she took the older kits on a training mission. She has a problem now because she has 2 'older', more developed kits and two babies. The two groups are at distinctly different points in their development, so their training needs are very different. The more developed ones need to get out there and learn to track and scavenge; they have a lot to learn in a short time. It's unfair for them to be held back. The smaller ones need more coddling still. It reminds me of those old 1 room schools with one teacher trying to teach 1st graders and 12th graders at the same time.

I didn't feel as bad for the Baby this time since it was not left alone. It had its sibling. It only cried for a very short time before it went to the tree and hung out with its sibling. There was no sign of them the next morning, so I gather Heidi did come back for them. Looks like she has things under control.

Makes great sense, Cheryl, as you always do, to theorize that Heidi is taking the more mature kits off for further training, knowing the slow ones are safe in your yard. Doesn't solve the problem of how the one really slow kit will manage to survive on his/her own when the time comes, but it sounds like Heidi is doing what she can to instill some independence. As if it weren't enough work raising 4 kits, raising them at two very different developmental rates must be a true nightmare!

I wonder if there is a short bus for raccoons? ;)

LOL!

Good one, KyWoods! And I'm sure there is a short bus for all species, just as I'm sure most of us have met some short bus candidates in the animal kingdom. We can't all be Heidi, after all!

True! I have days when I need a short bus, too...

I never get off the short bus. That my problem. LOL

Personally, I have a few days when the short bus seems much too long, if you know what I mean...

ROFL

starlight, Ruth,

I'm in complete agreement with both of you!

Hi All,

This week I'm in another of those grad classes, 1 week crash course type, 8hrs a day. We are on break right now, so I thought I would take a moment to check in.

Break will be over any minute, but I will talk until then. I don't know exactly what the plan is (with Heidi and the kits), but so far it seems to be working. Every single night (that I'm out there, that is) the night ends exactly the same.

Heidi makes a discrete exit, calls once, very lightly and then disappears into the forest. Three kits immediately line up behind her and exit as well. The fourth kit, the little one, continues eating. She is in her own little world, oblivious to everything else. About 10 minutes later, the little kit suddenly realizes she has been deserted. That's when the hunting and waling begins. Same thing every night.

No matter how many times I see it, the scene remains heartbreaking.

...oops! breaks over. gotta go. more later...

It's heartbreaking to hear and see the little kit walking around crying and to know that she is feeling all scared and alone, but I've learned to just go inside and try to put it behind me. Once she gets in that 'looking for Mom' mode, the kit won't come to me anyhow. There isn't a lot that I can do for her.

Every night we go through this, tonight included. Still, the next night when I go back out there I always find Heidi surrounded by her 4 kits. So, like I said, I don't know exactly how they are working out the logistics, but somehow it works - for now.

Heidi and the others still aren't mean to the little one in any way, even though at times I'm sure the little one must annoy them. Heidi does seem to be pushing the little one to be a bit more independent though, and it actually seems to be helping - with everything except the 'leaving' problem.

To keep the kit from curling up at her feet and sleeping, she just calmly and gently steps aside when the kit stays too close to her for a minute or so. That way makes it difficult for the kit to hang onto her 'coat tail' without having to be mean, without having to growl or snap at it. Heidi sure has the patience of job (as the saying goes). As a result of her recent efforts, the kit has begun to walk around eating. It has become more independent. It even shows much greater awareness now of its surroundings.

The kit never paid any attention to me, not even when I tossed cookies over to it where it was resting behind Heidi. It never ate the cookies, never seemed to notice me. The other night, since Heidi stopped letting the kit sleep at her feet, I tossed it a cookie, and (1) it ate the cookie and (2) came over to me seeking another. That was quite a breakthrough moment. It seemed to show that the kit has some intelligence. It understood where the cookie came from, that it didn't just drop out of the sky, and it knew enough to come for another. Now that I made friends with it in this way, the little kit is coming to me now. I figure this is a good thing, just in case I do end up needing to take care of it - even if only by letting it live in the back yard as a wild animal.

And yet the kit STILL cannot seem to hear Heidi calling when she leaves and can never manage to leave with his family. (shaking my head in confusion). The kit is not deaf BTW. One night when everyone had left except the kit and me, something made a sound up near the house. The kit looked in that direction immediately, its ears peaked. With only me out there, he could not have taken cues from another raccoon. He had to hear the sound.

I wonder...could he be autistic? I mean, he shows signs of intelligence. If he can figure out where the cookie came from, why can't he leave with his family? Autism might explain how he could have all of his senses and be reasonably intelligent and yet unable to interact normally with the outside world. Just a thought. Still, he does seem to be interacting more now that Heidi isn't letting him spend his time sleeping beside her.

Gotta go for now. Have to get up early for school. Have school Saturday, too.

Ruth,

I've wondered why Heidi is treating this one differently (from Fraidy). Perhaps it is due to some difference between them. This one looks more 'normal' than Fraidy, but if it continues to behave the way it does, it probably has less chance for survival. Maybe it's because Heidi is older and wiser now. Perhaps she learned from the Fraidy situation.

I think the most likely answer is the difference now vs then in the availability of resources. Fraidy was born and subsequently pushed away before I started feeding the raccoons. That 1st year, even when I did feed them she had no reason to believe I would continue. Back then with 5 kits and limited resources, it probably seemed wise not to 'waste' valuable resources on a kit that would not thrive. Now that food is prevalent and free, there is no risk in feeding the little kit even though it seems unlikely that she will do well in the long run.

That's my take anyhow. Gotta go, it's hard enough to stay alert in class for 8hrs straight while on pain pills, no less. I don't need to add sleep deprivation to the list.

Your reasoning makes great sense, Cheryl; I hadn't put together the fact that Heidi couldn't be sure of ongoing resources the year Fraidy was born, and also that she'd been largely rejected before you opened the diner. Good luck with the new class!

Somethign just crossed my mind. The 4th kit doesn't leave when heidi and its siblings do, but have you notice d at all that it comes at the same tiem when Heidoi and the others do?

If so, why woudl the kit coem on time , but not hear to leave on time?

I think maybe Heidi has just decided you make a good baby sitter and feels safe leaving the little one with you while she gives lessons to the other 3. She must come back later and pick up the little one to join up with the others.

Now that would be an interesting thing to research--autism in the animal kingdom! Hey, they get a lot of the other things that we do, right?

Edit: Wow, look at this: http://www.blisstree.com/autismvox/can-animals-have-autism/

This message was edited Sep 25, 2009 3:15 PM

I've not been able to discover his special (savant) skill(s) yet, if he has any - like whether he knows how many cookies are in the bag.

ROFL Now that would be remarkable, wouldn't it? A raccoon savant!

ROFLOLOL

Catching up a bit now in responding to posts.

Susan (lincolnitess),

Such a cute story about Pedro and Samson. Interesting, too, how we get to know those little things about our pets - like seeing the two sitting side by side that way means you need to go and remove the twigs.

Usually, all of the kits in a litter will develop at about the same rate. There may be some minor size differences but nothing like this. Fraidy and now the 2 small ones from Heidi's current litter are the only ones I've seen lag behind this way in 4 years of observing them. Fraidy's growth was definitely stunted early on. I think maybe at her age Heidi is having difficulty supporting (in the womb) large litters (4 or more). I guess it's also possible that her eggs may not be at fresh as they once were. She's getting old now. At a minimum she has reached the average lifespan for wild raccoons.

I think maybe I didn't explain Jack fruit so well. While I used watermelon for a size comparison, the fruit is not at all like watermelon, at least not the dried Jack fruit we had. Also, while the raccoon ate more of it that I expected - esp as I didn't expect them to eat 1 - they didn't appear to love it. It was no substitute for watermelon. Several of the kits ate 1 or 2 pieces (only). Heidi and Freida didn't eat any. One of the yearlings seemed to like it somewhat. She at most of it.

Luckily, when it comes to watermelon the raccons and I are a perfect match. I love, love, love watermelon. I can't get enough of the stuff, and apparently they can't either. I buy it regularly (for me) and save the outer inch or two for them most of the time. They also get any melons that are below par. Last winter my local Publix carried watermelon from various parts of South and Central America throughout the entire winter. Incredibly, these winter melons were of excellent quality and were only a dollar or two higher than the summer melons; as a result, we enjoyed melons regularly all through the winter.

I haven't seen a neurologist yet. That is on my list, too. Thank you for letting me know that it worked well for you. I've heard many similar accounts from others from people who suffered terribly before surgery and have been pain free for years since surgery. When my pain 1st started, I saw my primary care dr. After a few rounds of pain pills she sent me to the pain mgt dr. I think she wanted me to try the injections 1st. At that time I knew next to nothing about the subject but have learned a great deal along the way. I now feel that I have given the shots a fair chance and it's time to move on to something else.

Debbie,

At the time of your post, the little kit was not coming close to me, definitely not close enough to try to play with it. Most of the time (from the very beginning) it would stand beside Heidi and nibble a bit and then would spent the remainder of the night curled up right up against Heidi's back feet where it would sleep. Sometimes it would lie on its back (still at Heidi's back feet) and gently fondle its feet and tail. Sometimes it would even just sit and stare off into space.

That kit was always (from day one) quite unusual in its behavior. Usually, kits are like kids, a bundle of energy. Kits usually stick close to their mom for a day or two when 1st introduced to the buffet and then quickly begin moving away from her to spend their time eating, playing, and exploring. This is the 1st time I have ever seen a kit curl up and sleep through most or all of a visit to the buffet - and this one does it every night, or at least, he/she did so until recently when Heidi began pushing it be more independent.

I fairly certain that was not the kit that was attacked by the male that night. The attack took place in an area where only a fairly adventurous (i.e., more mature) kit would have gone. The little one stays at Heidi's side most of the night. When not at Heidi's side, it hides out in the area with the shrubs, flowers, and tall weeds (which is well away from the area where the attack occurred). I'm not positive, but I believe it was Joey, Heidi's largest kit, who was attacked. Joey is growing in leaps and bounds. He enjoys the buffet, but after he eats and plays he gets bored. He often climbs the fence and sits in the tree calling Heidi to let her know that he is ready to go on a romp through the forest. The attack happened over near the fence. I'm pretty sure it was Joey, but he is fine. (With almost 'teenage' (in maturity) Joey chomping at the bit to go for a x mile 'jog' through the forest and 2 toddlers who need more time to finish their meal, poor Heidi really has her hands full these days.)

As for the pain, thanks. I get down about it occasionally but most of the time I remain optimistic that I will find a solution in time. Sometimes I tell you guys about flare ups just to explain my absence. During such time it is all I can do to get through the day, so I'm not inclined to do a lot of writing.

Ruth,

In addition to the size difference with Heidi's kit, I've also noticed that the two small ones both have injured feet/legs. The one who never leaves with Heidi has an injured back leg. She holds that leg high up in the air where it never touches down. The other small kit has an injured front leg or paw. She manages to walk without using that leg.

I don't know how long either of them have been walking this way. I 1st noticed this around the time that they started staying behind. (Note that the other small one doesn't always stay behind.) I don't know for sure if these are injury. I guess they could be birth defects although I didn't notice them early on. Then again, I didn't see much of the small ones until recently because the one stayed curled up sleeping and the other stayed over in the weeds. Anyhow, both of them walk so well on 3 legs the don't even appear to have a limp. Like kids, kits are so flexible at that age that they just compensate for shortcoming and keep on going like its normal. Still, the injuries (or whatever they are) may also be a factor in Heidi leaving them while taking the larger ones for treks through the forest.

starlight,

If I hear you correctly, I think you are basically asking 'if the kit doesn't follow them to leave, how does it manage to follow them to get here?'

Good question. I've pondered things along these lines. Until recently the kit always left with the group, so at one time it was able to leave with them. My guess is once it gets going, it can manage to keep going. The problem seems to be in getting it to recognize when it's time to leave. I think when it was younger Heidi put more individual effort into telling that kit to follow her (while standing right beside the kit). Recently, she decided it was time for the kits to become more independent.

Whereas before she rounded them up while still on the ground now she goes up the fence and then calls them. Whereas before she called loudly and a lot, now she may only call once, maybe twice and very softly. This makes sense. As prey animals they need to minimize the noise they make. When the kits are really young, she needs to hold their hands more, call louder, etc. Now she seems to think they are old enough to learn to listen for and respond to a low, brief call.

Anyhow, I think when Heidi manages to get the kit to follow (in either direction) she does so by using the hand holding method that worked when it was younger. But that is assuming the problem really is that the kit doesn't realize it is supposed to go with her. There are other options. She may be leaving the smaller kit(s) behind intentionally while she takes the larger ones around the forest. She may be doing that either because the smaller ones can't keep up well or maybe because of their injured feet. If that's the case, perhaps the kit knows it isn't supposed to follow when she calls the larger one to leave. Perhaps she has communicated this somehow, that the smaller one is to stay behind in the yard where it is safe (and climb the willow if it gets scared) and she will return for it later. Even if the kit knows it is supposed to stay behind, it might still get scared and start crying once she leaves. (So maybe the dense one isn't the kit but the human.)

Susan (l),

I think you may very well be right about this. Despite all the drama each night when they leave, the next time I see them there are always 4 kits, so clearly she must come back for the little one later in the night. I've gone out there when they were not there and have been there a few times when they arrived, all 4 kits are always with her.