This is the ongoing saga of Heidi and friends, raccoons and the occasional opossum that frequent my backyard buffet. Come and join us, won't you, as we observe the dinner antics of Heidi and the gang.
Prior Thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1086126/
Original Thread in Series: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/603944/
********************** HEIDI IS BACK!!!!! ************************
Long live the Queen!!!
The flowers are for our new mother. Heidi is finally back. She is fine. This time she doesn't even look worn or haggard - perhaps because she took more time to recuperate postpartum.
When I 1st went to the patio door to check, I only saw the yearlings and thought, "Another night w/o Heidi." Then when I gathered my things and stepped outside, there she was on the patio in front of me, standing in the light and looking fabulous - like she had even found time to stop by the spa and get her hair done. I stepped back inside and grabbed the IAMS kitten food for her.
Tonight there were 5 yearlings at the buffet along with the other adult and Heidi. Oddly, the other adult hasn't been out there for a while, possibly since Heidi went missing. I think that other adult is Freida, her now 2 yr old daughter. I wonder if Freida has been with Heidi all this time, helping her somehow. Just a thought. Interesting that she has been gone for a while and happened to return on the same night as Heidi.
Everyone was especially well behaved tonight, what with the queen around and all. At the end of the meal I served the last of the animal cookies, 2ea with white frosting. I tried to toss Heidi one just to see if she might be eating sweets now, but it landed on the side of her neck, frosting down, and stuck there. Oops. Unfortunately, not one of the yearlings had the nerve to walk up to her and grab it, so it stayed on her neck for a while.
Once Heidi smelled the frosting (on her neck), she came over to me and sat upright with her hands in the air so cute, clearly letting me know that NOW she wanted frosting. I was out of cookies, down to just broken pieces. Heidi only wants the frosting anyhow, so I bent the plastic top like a taco, dipped it in the [full] frosting can, pulled out a big heap of frosting, and handed it to her. Would you believe she ate all of that and came back sitting upright, hands over her head, asking for MORE. It was like she had been on her pregnancy diet for a couple of months now, and with the kits delivered she was ready to cut loose and eat some FROSTING. She ate about 1/2 the can before she left. Ok, ok. I know frosting isn't so good for her, but she ate a ton of IAMS kitten food before she ate the frosting. Anyhow, while I've been stingy with the goodies for a while now, tonight was a night to celebrate. It was Heidi's party, so I let her have all the frosting she wanted - and she wanted 1/2 the can.
HOOORAAAAAAAY, what a relief!
KyWoods,
I know! Isn't it the truth. I scolded her, gently of course as one would not talk harshly to the queen. I told her how worried we had all been.
Wonderful!
You 'gotta give it to her'. Heidi does know how to make a grand and dramatic entrance.
Oh this makes me so happy. I was really worried, but didn't want to say anything.
Yes, she definitely needs that frosting!!!
Oh that is such good news.
Oh thanks be to all the gods and animals who watch over the little wild ones: that is the best news ever! The world just would not feel the same if Heidi were gone: she is one in a million. And the fact that she looks so good is a wonderful bonus; I was afraid she'd drag herself back one day looking like death warmed over. Hurray!
Wonderful!! I'm so happy to hear the good news! Long live the queen!!
Loved the frosting story, BTW, and who cares about nutritional value at the moment; Heidi surely earned that treat!
that is fantastic news!! you know me, i just dread opening the thread expecting the worst... not today!!
and i'm glad she looks well. Is it possible that she planned out her nest near a decent food source?? so she wouldnt have to go far for some nutrition -- though there cant be anything better than the buffet.
but -- fantastic news!!
Hurray!! Did Heidi ever find the cookie on her neck?
LOL, Sheri,
I did forget that part of the story, didn't I. Yes. At 1st she used her back foot, the wrong back foot, to try to get it off the wrong side of her neck. Then she forgot about for a time while eating frosting. Somewhere along the way though either she got it off or it fell off on its own because by the time she was eating the 3rd or 4th scoop of frosting I saw that it was gone. I had been a bit concerned, not wanting her to go back to the den with food on her as the scent might attract unwanted guests.
Yayyy!!! ^_^
Glad to hear it! I'll bet she has other people feeding her! Any strong survivor would have back-up resources, I think.
I'm so relieved. You just made my day! But shame on you for teasing us at the end of the last thread: "this is a good place to end this chapter of our story, accept what is, and move on". Take care of you knee & enjoy your reunion with Heidi!
Liz
What a great way to start the morning out. Wearing big.. big smile here. : ) So glad Heidi is back and being her good old self of coming right on up for treats . Been along winter waiting for her arrival.
Time to stock up on the kitty food, frosting, jams, yogurt, eggs and all her other favorite treats. When I was in the grocery store the other day noticed they ha d some of the small round watermelons and thought about Heidi and her love of them.
I think Heidi has a huge following here on DG!
Hi Terese,
I know. I guess a lot of people are slow to come back to read the updates, thinking they will either get the daily "no sign of Heidi" again or worse.
I've felt much the same way about going out each night to feed the yearlings. The yearlings were all so sweet and so well behaved. It totally wasn't there fault that Heidi wasn't there. Still, many nights I didn't want to go out there again to see "no Heidi". In fact, the night of her return, on my 1st trip to the door to turn on the light and look out, I saw only the Lt and another yearling and, as I walked away to get things ready, was actually tempted not to return. It seems ridiculous now (that I wouldn't want to go out to feed the yearlings), but I hated being reminded that Heidi was 'gone'.
I forced myself to go and was thrilled to see Heidi there when I stepped out onto the patio. Still, I can totally understand your hesitance to return for more bad news.
I think it is very likely that Heidi chose a nesting place with food nearby (although not so close as to attract unwanted guests to her nest). The 1st year she and I became acquainted she had apparently built her nest near here (somewhere shortly beyond the fence) expecting to take advantage of the daily supply of bird seed (BOSS). I had hoped she would build subsequent nests here, but she never has. I suspect that is due to the fact that now, unlike that 1st year, the buffet is a gathering spot for so many raccoons, too much activity for her to feel safe leaving her babies nearby.
Definitely, fantastic news.
Last night I was running a bit late getting out. It was 10:30 by the time I got out. There were 6 or so yearlings plus the other adult but no sign of Heidi. Now more than ever, I really think that Heidi isn't eating earlier in the day, late afternoon to dusk probably, in order to get back to the kits before anything happens to them. I suspect that she only showed up last night because she was hungry enough to take a chance on staying out late. I guess I need to try to get out there earlier. Mostly I just hate to go out early and sit. Waiting for the kits to come and get me is easier for me.
I realize that many of you may reject this seemingly silly notion that Heidi would be coming by at say 7PM when there is no food esp when she knows that I'm going to be out there feeding the yearlings at 10PM. But the safety of those newborn kits is of the utmost importance to Heidi. If she thinks it's risky to leave them alone at 10, then she's going to eat at 5 or 6 or whenever her instincts tell her is safest for them. I think she continues to come by here (even when I'm not out) as part of her regular route, just in case - perhaps hoping I will figure it out and change my schedule. Raccoons, after all, are foragers by nature, so going along a basic route looking to see what is available - and venturing off the route when the smell something yummy nearby - comes natural to them.
If you are still unconvinced consider this. The day I 1st 'met' Heidi, the day she 1st climbed down the fence in front of me and refused to leave, it was late afternoon, daylight still. She had young kits at the time and was desperate to find food for herself so that she could get back to them. But she came in late afternoon.
She wasn't here last night. She knows I'm out at 10 or so, knows it just as well as the yearlings do, but she wasn't here. I'm going to make an effort to go out earlier. That's a difficult time for me right now but I'll see what I can do.
A big "Thank You!" to all of you for being there and for your support during the nerve racking days as we held our breath and waited for news of Heidi's return.
Hi Susan (9kitty),
LOL. I wish you could have seen Heidi sitting upright at my knee hands over her head asking for frosting. Do you know what she reminded me of? She looked for all the world like that raccoon in the photo Terese posted recently, the one of the 'new boy' waving. Sitting upright like that and reaching up, she reminded me of the little 'boy' in that pick - although she was reaching rather than waving. If I had had a photographer handy, it would have made a great photo op. Many of the best photo moments, unfortunately, are those when the raccoons are interacting with me and thus I cannot easily take photos w/o effecting the situation.
But, yes, she very definitely needed that frosting. She so reminded me of any one of us who after doing w/o some favorite item for a long time is suddenly ready to throw caution to the wind and have a binge attack. She was like someone coming off of a crash diet and ready to eat her way through all of her favorites, like the smoker who has gone cold turkey for a while and finally given in to the urge to smoke enough cigarettes to make up for lost time, like the new mom who eschewed all alcohol for 9 months and is ready to throw back a few to make up for it. In short, she was like any one of us having gone w/o some favorite thing for way too long.
Hi Margaret!
Welcome! So good to see you with us.
Linda,
Of course, we have no way of knowing for sure what goes on "off stage" (as Ruth says), but I've never seen any indication that others may be feeding the raccoons. If you recall, shortly after I started feeding Kitty (the stray cat I adopted), I commented that I thought she might be eating at other homes. In her case, there were subtle signs to indicate this. For one thing, some days she was hungry. Other days not so much. (I later learned that my instincts were right about Kitty eating elsewhere.) With the raccoons, I don't see any such indications of this.
Except for the brief interval after her kits are born, Heidi is here quite reliably every night at the appointed hour. Every night she is hungry, not starved but hungry. Unlike the youngsters who sometimes argue and play and beg for treats and spend more time doing these things than actually eating, Heidi is extremely consistent. Every night she stands in one spot and eats her cat food. I give her roughly the same amount each night, measured in handfuls, and every night she eats that amount plus a smidgen more (which I add when she runs out). Then she turns and leaves. Heidi is amazingly consistent and predictable in all things.
It's a good theory, and, admittedly, we'll never know for sure. It could be right. But, honestly, I don't think the facts support that.
Regional differences may also play a part here. I live in a part of the country where the incidence of rabies in raccoons is extremely high. Off the charts high sometimes. In this part of the country, we are all taught from a very early age to practically despise raccoons. We are taught to be terrified of them and to stay away from them at all costs. I guess it is seen as a necessity here that parents teach children to run screaming in the other direction if they see a raccoon. Raccoons are so darn cute and yet, in this area, so incredibly dangerous. I guess it's necessary that children be taught to fear them. By the time we grow up, we are all (in this area) so convinced that raccoons are bad news that it's almost impossible to change that. (If you read the beginning of the Heidi threads, then you know that even I started out terrified of raccoons - due to what I was taught as a child.) Anyhow, people around here are extremely unlikely to interact with raccoons in any way other than screaming at them to go away.
All that said, it's very possible that Heidi and the others may have other homes (on their list) where they've learned that people sometimes leave food out for cats/dogs and where they can sometimes grab a bite. Such homes are likely on their regular route. They may only find food there occasionally, and probably not enough to feed one of them much less the group, but as foragers they take what they can find.
One year on a major holiday, 4th of July, I think, I was surprised when the raccoons showed up but weren't very hungry. That was a rare exception to the rule. That night they picked and nibbled like they were already full. Noting the date, I think it very likely that someone in the neighborhood, someone else living on the street along the forest edge, probably had a big backyard cookout for the 4th and then either left the scraps out overnight (perhaps having too much to drink and deciding to cleanup in the morning) or cleared it all off into a large trashcan of some type, something the raccoons could easily raid. That night the group showed up behaving like they had already eaten their fill elsewhere, but that is very rare, so rare as to make that night stand out in my mind even now.
But, I could always be wrong. ;-)
Hi Liz,
You caught that, did you? I was afraid I might have been too subtle. I wanted to hint at what we all feared while keeping my words strictly truthful - and, of course, I already knew Heidi was back.
Yes, I am bad. I couldn't resist. I only did it because I knew that in seconds, if you followed the link, you would learn the good news. I would not have done it otherwise. I hope it wasn't too mischievous of me. :-)
(As to the knee, I am still having some problems but it's not as bad now. When trying to figure out why it had suddenly gone so bad, I realized I had stopped taking my daily NSAID (mobic). I guess I thought it wasn't really doing anything. It was. I started back on the Mobic and my knee is feeling much better already.)
starlight,
I'm having a, hopefully, temporary 'dry' spell financially, so I have to be ultra careful with every penny right now and can't go shopping for treats like I used to. Luckily, I still have a stash of some of the things I bought last year for them (and some things some of you sent). I keep the raccoon stash on a baker's rack at the back door. I must have 5 or 6 cans of frosting there along with a couple of containers of marshmallow fluff and a bottle of syrup.
I have some fast food syrup packets and some jelly that I collected for them (just what was in my bag. I never get extra just for that purpose). I bought a bunch of cat food and Purina dog chow on sale recently, so I'm stocked up pretty well on that.
Since the start of this season, I've kept the quantity of treats low (except for Heidi's coming back party). To make things last, I only give them 2 or 3 items per night. That's better for them anyhow, and it extends the treat stash. All of the treats I've given them have been from my stash: cookies, peanuts, marshmallows, etc. I didn't have to buy any treats so far. I just finished the peanuts and the last bag of cookies.
Now that funds are short, I'm shopping BOGO's, sales, coupons, you name it. I found marshmallows 2 for 1 and grabbed 2 bags for them. Following your suggestion about coupons, I went out looking for pet food coupons (for them and the cats). I didn't have a lot of success w/coupons which tend to be more available for the pricey things, but I did find a site that allowed me (in one place) to sign up for quite a large list of free samples of high end cat and dog food, some for a free small bag. I signed up for everything they had in dog and cat food and treats. Still waiting to get them. Will report back when I see how well this works.
As for watermelon, I actually put a container of watermelon down and walked away the other day - and I think watermelon is my all time favorite food. Another day. I'm really trying to keep to the the essentials right now. (Since I'm having to wait for that melon, Heidi will also have to wait - at least until the local melons ripen.)
Now, just in case anyone is tempted to feel sorry for me, I have plenty of food in the freezer and pantry, not always what I want, but plenty just the same. And I think we probably all know that I needed to learn a little restraint anyhow, so this is probably a very good lesson for me.
We're getting by, the critters and I. They all get fed. The raccoons get 2 cookies a day each. But this year, there won't be so much shopping for cart loads of sugar laden treats for the raccoons to eat with abandon. Oh, and, yes, you are right. Heidi does love her some watermelon! : )
Hi Audrey,
I'm happy to hear that Heidi is well loved. She's a very special lady. I wish I could tell her.
Ruth,
I keep forgetting to comment on something you said a while back, about your disappointment that none of Heidi's daughters ever seem to acquire her ways of raising young. That is disappointing and seems to be rather universal.
My theory is that it's about age and maturity. We only get to see the daughters raise their 1st litter. They are teenagers. I don't know about you, but I wasn't ready at that age to be a Heidi mom. At that age you have so many other interests and things you want to do. Babies are an encumbrance.
I think by the time those daughters get to their 2nd or 3rd litters they will start to slow down a bit and remember some of the things Heidi taught them. I call it delayed learning. It happens to me all the time. My brain records things people do and say even when I'm not ready yet to make use of the information. Then later, sometimes even years later, some situation will bring those words or actions back to the forefront of my mind. Then, when I'm ready for it, the actual 'aha' moment and the learning will occur. I'm thinking that will happen with Heidi's daughters in the future when they are at the right level of maturity.
starlight,
Forgot to mention that I did pick up some eggs the other day. At $1.48/dz they seemed like a pretty cheap source of good quality protein. I figured Heidi and I could share them. I took one out for her last night, but she wasn't there.
Last night I left Cocoa outside alone with his food for a few minutes hoping he would do more eating and less playing w/o distractions. A few minutes later I looked out the window to see an adorable, small, young opossum out there eating the food. I opened the door and went out there to scare it away. The opossum just froze and stood there looking at me. It was only about 18in from my foot and SO cute. I didn't know whether to run it off or pick it up and hug it!
That was the youngest opossum I had ever seen (in real life). It was adorable.
And I found myself standing there thinking, "Look, KyWoods' baby opossum came to my house, too!"
I had the same reaction to dropping Mobic from my daily pills (and I stopped for the same reason). I'd guess that it is such a subtle little worker that we don't notice it working until we stop taking it and all of those painful spots that were suppressed re-inflame.
Did the baby opossum chase Cocoa away from his food? He sure is a cautious cat. I am thinking that if you put out some food early in the evening for Heidi, and you don't stay with it to guard it, that critters will 'come out of the woodwork' and your backyard will be overrun with 'possums and rats & mice and snakes... Tho' I think that Heidi would love to sniff through your fence and find that you had left her some food..
June,
I very much agree, both on Mobic and the idea of leaving food out for Heidi. I never like to leave food out for the raccoons when they aren't there to eat it (right away). I'm especially concerned about attracting mice and rats (which in turn attract snakes).
It's hard to say for sure if the baby opossum ran Cocoa away from his food. He may have been through for the moment. He tends to eat a little, play a little, eat some more. Then again, Cocoa certainly didn't chase the baby opossum away when it came into his space to eat his food. When threatened, opossums fake everybody out by opening their mouths wide to show all those teeth - and they have a bunch of teeth. Cocoa probably saw all those teeth and said, "Help yourself, Buddy. I've already eaten."
I didn't make it out earlier. Like I said, it's a tough time for me. Heidi did show up tonight at the regular time though. She seemed pretty hungry. I took another egg out for her, but she let one of the yearlings take it. Then she sniffed the spot where the egg had been and looked up at me as if to say, "Can I have another egg?" Nope. Times are hard now. You get one egg. If you give it away, you have 0 eggs. Tonight she ate her usual quantity plus several additional handfuls (rather than the usual 1 more). It's as if she's trying to eat enough on alternate days to tide her over.
Interesting thing I noted though. She's eating Iams Kitten right now. The others are eating Purina Dog Chow. Tonight in addition to her kitten food, I gave her a handful of dog chow. She seemed to eat them both with more or less equal enthusiasm. I actually think she likes the kitten food better and would choose it if she could only have one, but much like many of us, she likes a little variety in her meals. A side of dog chow makes a nice complement to the kitten chow. Actually, I've noticed before that the raccoons really tend to like some variety. I suppose it makes sense really that nature would imbue them with this preference for variety when foraging as consuming a variety of foods increases their chances of getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need.
Hope you're right about Heidi's daughters just needing maturity to become better moms; that would be a very hopeful note for the future. And it may well be true; I hadn't factored in the fact that we don't see the daughters past their first two years.
Yes, as omnivores I think raccoons do seek variety in their diet by nature; can't say I'd ever considered two different types of kibble as variety, lol, but they are significantly different nutritionally.
Don't for heaven's sake feel guilty about limiting expenses on the buffet. We all need to remember that generations of urban raccoons survive and thrive on what they can find in the very few, very small green spaces and the endless bounty of dumpsters. You're still providing excellent nutrition, and they really don't need Chez Ritz.
Cats & possums commonly are observed eating side by side from a feed dish. If that was a very young possum, I doub't there was any gaping (showing the teeeth). The really yooung ones tend to fall over onto their side & play possum 1st. Oh how I would love to have some of those babies to rehab.
I'm so very glad Heidi's back. All along I agreed with Cheryl's explanation of Heidi's presence being shown by the lack of interlopers coming to the buffet.
Yeah Heidi.
Yeah Cheryl
Rah, rah, rah....another good summer of racoon kits and memories ahead!!
Sheri
What wonderful news that Heidi is back and things are getting back to normal in routine for you and them. I see you have put the Kitty story in the pet forum and I am "watching"it also.
I hadn't stayed out for months to see my group but evidently I have been seen as the other night while still filling the dishes out back a very young raccoon came right up to a dish about 4 feet from me and started eating away! Such a thrill when that happens!!
Judy
Hi Sheri,
The 'baby' opossum on my front porch the other night wasn't one of those adorable, tiny babies, not the size you are probably thinking of. It was more of a youngster, I guess, vs an actual baby, but it was still quite a cute little thing. This little one was roughly the same size as Cocoa, an older kitten.
In the past a larger, adult opossum has been out there from time to time to steal the cat's food. That was back when Kitty was still mothering the kittens. She used to growl at the intruder to say, "keep away from me" while she and the kittens slowly made there way out of their corner bed. The cats would always leave the area when the [adult] opossum showed up, staying well clear of the offender and willing surrendering the food. I guess Cocoa probably learned this response from his mom, and thus just abandoned the food when the young opossum came around.
The [at the time seemingly strange] fact that no outsiders were showing up at the buffet was the only thing that gave me any hope at all in those last days before Heidi returned. Although I was beginning to believe the worst, I could never quite reconcile this with the lack of opportunistic 'visitors' at the buffet
Hi Judy,
I am so right there with you remembering those 1st, exhilarating moments when the raccoons start to show their trust in you by coming close to eat. It is a wonderful feeling, isn't it? I think to me it's a feeling that I have begun to communicate just a little with this other species. I've gotten across to them that I am friend not foe. It's a huge accomplishment. Congratulations.
Glad to hear that you are following the Kitty/Cocoa thread, too. When I 1st started talking about Kitty on this thread, it was in winter when their wasn't anything going on with the raccoons. I had expected the Kitty conversation to be brief. Now that I realize that I will likely have questions to ask and things to say about Kitty and Cocoa well into the future, it only seemed right to give them their own thread so that people could more easily choose whether to follow or not.
