Heidi Chronicles: Baby Talk 2010

From what I've read on the sites I've been looking at, the rat snakes will eat other snakes if they're hungry and one is around. Ours have numerous mice and other small mammals available.
Also, I was told that it could be that the rat snakes are so numerous that the copperheads just go elsewhere to look for food...which is just fine by me, lol.
If I found one, I'd probably call someone from the local herpetology club to come and relocate it. My son and I were members when he was little. There are people, like you say, who collect the venom to make antivenin.

Edit: Between the cats and their coon cousins, we never, ever have leftovers, lol. Even the birds will be brave and steal a piece of kibble now and then. And the 'grand-daddy longlegs' even eat the crumbs!
Tonight the four tiny furballs were out front raiding the birdfeeder. Mom was out back eating kibble. Sheesh!

This message was edited Jul 5, 2010 10:26 PM

There is never so much as a crumb left by morning, but that's no assurance that a rat didn't get a few bites in between other diners. Back when I had a bird feeder, I actually saw rats and mice outside. One year, you might recall, a mouse was trying to come over to the buffet to sneak food even while the raccoons and I were out there. I live by the forest, after all. I've not seen a single rat or mouse this year. Given that I have 2 expert hunters out there, Kitty and Cocoa, I would be surprised if a mouse or rat could survive here now. I mean, already Cocoa has killed all of the ground moles. As I mentioned before, the neighbor reported seeing Cocoa catch a rat in his front flowerbed, so they are definitely on patrol out there. They might be slowing down a bit now though due to the dreadful heat and humidity.

Here, too, the kitties are probably keeping most of the snakes away from the house, as I frequently find dead rodents nearby. I hate that, but then it's nice not having mice infest the basement anymore.

Great ideas, melody, about the extension lopper and especially about the stick practice. Haven't seen your visitor, but will go looking for your thread!

Oh Cheryl, I know you can't totally eliminate leftovers; these are raccoons, after all, not dogs who will hoover about until not a crumb remains, lol. But anything you can do to reduce the leftovers will help. The cats' hunting skills will also be really helpful; but if Cocoa is spending so much time indoors, he's probably having less impact on the rodent population. It can't hurt to also try to reconnect with that helpful policeman; having an experienced backup to call upon can only help.

I did see the Jerry photo, but had momentarily forgotten (senior moment). It's interesting that she's still allowed at the buffet after others like Dennis have been ousted; but then Dennis probably gets on Heidi's last nerve, too. Wouldn't it be adorable if Jerry teaches her kits to stand to receive treats? The image of a line of little furballs standing back for a "treat pass" is just too cute.

Ruth,

I have been formulating a plan for dealing with the snake issue that includes calling the policeman. I just wanted to wait until the long weekend was over.

Actually Dennis is back. She missed a few nights but has been back for a few now. I see definite signs that Dennis is changing. I think she is growing up finally. Believe it or not, I really do think I hurt her feelings the other day when I yelled at her about the cookies and the bag. She immediately went over to the tree and sat with her head down and her back to us. I called her, but she would not come back for quite a while. Something about that incident made me realize that Dennis really doesn't understand that she's annoying me, that she isn't just trying to be bad, and that she really does have difficulty with her behavior just like anyone with untreated ADHD. I honestly felt a bit sorry for her that day.

Since her return, Dennis has been behaving much better. She doesn't try to get into the bag to steal the cookies, and she back away when I move to reach for the cookies. I think she is really trying to behave now that she understands that I don't like that behavior. You might think she would have known before when I kept telling her 'no', but I just think she gets so obsessed with the cookies (or anything else she wants) that she can't see or hear anything else - until I yelled at her, that is.

The other day (2 days ago) she totally surprised me. I was never so proud of her. I had seen a couple of kits on the patio when I was coming out, but they had quickly disappeared, never showing up at the buffet. After Dennis finished eating, she went back over to that pear tree, the same one where she had looked for her kits before only this time they were actually in that tree - funny because I had looked up in that tree for them while sitting around at the buffet and hadn't seen any sign of the little fur balls. Anyhow, Dennis waited at the foot of the tree while all 3 of them came down. Then she kept them in a tight group while taking them to the fence. I called to her hoping to convince her to bring them to the buffet, but she took them to the fence instead.

Dennis stood at the bottom of the fence post and waited for all 3 kits to climb up onto the fence. Then she climbed up. Then it got a little humorous. I guess the kits didn't know where to go or how to climb from there onto the small limbs available. Dennis, who was then at the back of the group of 3 kits standing in line nose to tail on the top of the fence, needed to get to the front of the line to show them, so she walked over the top of the kits to get to the front. They didn't seem harmed by this although one looked like he might tumble off the fence. Anyhow, she made it to the front of the line and then led them further down the fence. There they were in a very organized line all 3 kits nose to tail following behind her, a big improvement over her prior parenting skills. She really seemed to have learned a great deal about how to be a mom and she seemed to be trying her best. I was very, very proud of her.

At some point further down the fence they all stopped and sort of huddled together on the top of the fence for a few minutes before coming back down and to the buffet. To the human eye it looked as though the kids had gone the whole way along the top of the fence saying, "Can we go to the buffet, Mom, please? Can we?" and she had finally acquiesced.

I'm at a loss for an explanation as to why Heidi has allowed Dennis and Jerry to return. Cissy has been hopping around on 3 legs all season, so for her it seems obvious that it's her injury. Neither Dennis nor Jerry appear injured. The one thing they do have in common is a lack of skill, Dennis due to her ADHD and Jerry due to her fears, recall that she learned to stand up for treats because she was always hiding in the back. Is it possible that Heidi felt these 2 needed remedial training to acquire decent parenting skills? Could she have allowed them to stay for the benefit of the kits? It's about the only thing I can think of.

Oh heck, when it comes to Heidi I'm coming to believe that all things are possible; she may well feel that Jerry and Dennis need remedial coaching on parenting behavior. Forget a sixth sense, Heidi seems to have at least ten...likely many more. And I'm so happy to hear you're seeing signs of healing (or at least less pain) in Heidi's foot. We all know the day will come, but please may it still be a long long way off.

And the tale of Dennis with her kits on the fence is happily impressive. She is getting there, sloooowly; now if she could just refrain from stepping on them, lol. And hopefully the yelling at her did teach her something; sadly, that may be what it takes to get a point across when she's totally distracted/obsessed/whatever. And only feelings, if that, are hurt by the occasional well-deserved rebuke.

I forget who was Jerry's mom, if we ever knew. It's surprising that she's still so fearful as a mature breeding lady, one of those cases that make you puzzle over nature vs. nurture.

The non visual picture you paint of the group and the going ons at the buffet is so complete I (as others have said)feel that I can actually "see"everyone there. Also as others have said, I likely wouldn't continue here on DG if it wasn't for your thread. I rarely go to any others(well except for Kitty and Cocoa's).

I do hope Heidi's foot is getting better by the day and she will be her old healthy self soon! So much danger in the woods for them all but that is nature.

Judy

Ruth,

Or, subtle difference, Dennis and Jerry may need more training/help in procuring enough food for themselves and their kits. Both can manage to feed themselves under normal circumstances but may not be able to do so while nursing - and that would effect not only them but the kits. I've noticed that both seem thin. Dennis' hip bones are showing. Jerry's problem seems to be fear/shyness. Even now the others sometimes chase her back and take her food. As we know Dennis' problem is due to her ADHD. Some of her problems date back to her failure to pay attention to and sometimes even show up for those early lessons when she was a kit.

Another thing I noticed that might support the theory of Jerry and Dennis needing more training in parental skills is that, so far at least, these 2 are the only ones other than Heidi who bring their kits with them. Cissy, for instance, also has kits (as per her teets), but we never see them. Same with the other adult regular (who I don't recognize). Could be coincidence but certainly seems interesting.

I'm with you on Heidi's 10th sense. As I said earlier, I tend to think of her as a sage. I have no problem bowing to her greater intelligence on many subjects. Yesterday, BTW, her foot was better still. I didn't notice any sign of swelling or of limping. Poor Cissy on the other hand is still holding her back foot well off the ground as she has done for months now. Whatever happened to hers, it's definitely healing most slowly. (As to these feet, what about turtle bites? I know raccoons eat turtle eggs. Could the turtles be biting them?)

The pics of Heidi's swollen foot (taken on day 1 when it was at its worse) didn't turn out very well. I was having great difficulty getting clear access to the foot especially at a good viewing angle. One of the photos is attached. I do see two dots that could be fang marks. With respect to the snake theory, I was thinking more of a dry bite or nearly so. More on this later, but my research indicates that Copperheads appear to be quick to strike but less likely than other snakes to inject venom. It is believed that, unlike other snakes, Copperheads may use a dry bite as their 1st method of warning an offender to get away. Other poisonous snakes also sometimes give dry bites but not at the rate of Copperheads, and other snakes generally use some other form of 1st warning as in rattlesnakes who use their rattles and cotton mouths who hold their heads up with mouth wide agape showing the cottony white interior.

A dry bite might still render the area swollen due to having the muscle punctured by the fangs. Likewise, a bite with only a very small qty of venom (snakes do this, too) would cause a smaller subset of the normal symptoms which include swelling and pain. A very small dose probably wouldn't kill them but might still do some tissue damage which would take time to heal. Also, although if the snake were the culprit I would think the dry bite more likely, recently on NatGeo they said over time ground squirrels have developed immunity to snake venom. I wasn't aware of this, but if squirrel's can do it, then it seems possible for other creatures like raccoons.

Thank you very much, Judy!

Even when it has been said before, it is still quite helpful to hear it again. Not only because it helps to renew the positive effects for my spirit each time I hear it, but also because each incidence lends further credence to the idea. When the 1st person and even for that matter the 5th person suggested I should make this into a book, I dismissed it with the equivalent of "Don't be silly." I was so unable to fathom the idea that it was only after hearing it many, many times from many, many people that I finally said (to myself), "Can all these people be wrong?"

Never hesitate to pass on complements even those that have been said before. Most of us never hear enough of them.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your very generous compliment. I am truly humbled by your words.

Since I've been living with Mr Copperhead, I've done a lot of research, just wanting to know what I'm up against. Here are a few bits of info I've uncovered. If anyone takes exception to any of these facts and/or has contradictory information, please advise. Doctors/hospitals are required to report all snake bite incidents to authorities. Some of this information is derived from the resultant records.

(1) The majority of snake bites (not sure if this is specific to the US or worldwide) are to the hands. The majority of victims are young males 17-25. This, according to the experts, suggests that most bites are the result of people aggravating the snakes in some way, trying to catch them, etc.

Some accidental bites to the hands occur when an unsuspecting person sticks their hand into a bush (or flower pot) where a snake just happens to be hiding. This happens, for instance, when picking vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. Except for these incidents, one would expect most accidental bites to occur on the legs and feet. By 'accidental' in this case I refer to those incidents in which the victim was not harassing the snake in any way, trying to capture it, etc.

(2) Copperheads account for the majority of snake bites that occur in yards (in the US), yet there are no records of death due to a Copperhead bite in recorded history, and they are responsible for the least damage or permanent injury of all poisonous snakes in the US. Their venom is quite strong and capable of substantial damage, so this is not the reason for the lack thereof. Authorities believe these facts indicate that, unlike most other snakes, Copperheads may be inclined to use a bite as their actual 1st warning to us to leave them alone.

Most snakes try to warn us in some other way, like the rattle in the case of rattle snakes. Venom is essential to the snake's survival and is expensive to produce. It requires energy (i.e., food and resources) to produce, and they can only produce so much in a given amount of time. Venomous snakes use venom to catch prey. Without venom they cannot get food and thus have a very real risk of starvation. As a result, they are NOT eager to waste venom biting us unnecessarily. They will bite if they think their life is at stake, but would prefer to settle matters some other way if possible.

Most people don't realize this, but not all bites [by venomous snakes] include venom. Over half of all such bites are dry bites meaning that the snake does not inject venom. Even in those cases in which the snake does inject venom, it may not inject a full dose. The snake can control the amount of venom injected and may inject any portion up to the full 'dose'. Dry bites along with those that include only relatively small quantities of venom are intended to scare the adversary away without using up much needed venom. Dry (or nearly so) bites may also occur if the snake just used up its venom killing prey.

...More to come later...Gotta get to work...

Very interesting, thanks for the info! I never knew that!

back home after a month in Wisc....

just a quick note, OK a few... about my nightly visitor.

First off, with DH sleeping out in the add-a-room [addition to the Park Model] -- teh nightly visits have caused some sleep-interrupted nights.... with Charlie running back and forth to all the windows and the raccoon eating out of the plastic squirrel feeder [plastic pickle jar] making all a ruckus.... DH put an end to it.

We started taking in the feeder plus my hummingbird feeder, as she was trying to drink it nightly.

For a few weeks it was nice and quiet.

Last night, DH was not there as he came home yesterday.... so i left the feeders out, plus some kibble and a bowl of water.

I was awaken about 1.30am by Charlie, and the rain had started [it sounds like really loud popcorn on the aluminum roof] when i looked out the window, I saw the lil one sound asleep on the railing. [it's a 4x1, so wide enough for a critter to lay down] she had her nose by the tree and the front paw was hanging over the right side and a back paw was hanging over the left edge of the railing, and it did look like her tail was wrapped around it, maybe hanging on a bit.

after a bit, i was wondering if she was dead.... not moving at all... then i noticed each paw slightly moved with her breathing... then i thought... that is one exhausted mother.

once it started raining much harder, she vanished.... but she probably slept for at least 15 minutes.

I was glad she had a good dinner, as i'll be gone about 4 days.

Cheryl -- SO glad to hear Heidi's foot is doing better.

Hope you can deal with that snake.

I didn't realize there were NO recorded deaths from copperhead bites; knew I'd never heard of any, but that didn't mean much. Of course the animals are ever so much smaller than humans, but your theory of a dry bite or one with little venom makes good sense.

As for a turtle bite, I just don't know. I'm sure you have snappers in all that marshland behind you, but I'd expect a snapper's bite to do more tearing. Yes, raccoons certainly do prey on turtle nests to raid the eggs; but other than snappers, I don't know of turtles who readily bite. Box turtles, for example, just duck and cover and the non-snapping water turtles I've known (like sliders) do the same, though less effectively.

I suspect that the cause of Heidi's injury will remain a mystery, though the fact that she's healing quickly is beyond great news. As long as Cissy's injury is taking to heal, she may have encountered a predatory dog; they can do a whole lot of damage, but usually pay dearly for it because raccoons are quite formidable when attacked. The raccoon often loses his/her life, but the dog is at least usually left with some painful wounds and infections. Raccoons who manage to escape are often left with painful, if not crippling, injuries as you've seen in the past. Having to provide for and raise kits while badly injured is really rough; but the desperate need for food at those times is often what convinces the raccoon to risk a visit to some dog's yard. Your guys are truly lucky to have the food you provide; it helps a LOT to keep them out of harm's way.

Actually, the kits have made several appearances, not Heidi's kits but the others. Heidi doesn't like to bring hers out in daylight. Sorry, I just haven't been in a very talkative mood lately so didn't get around to mentioning much about the kits - and their visits so far have been very brief. They are on the patio often, but rarely come to the buffet. When they do venture down to the buffet, something, a neighbor, fireworks, loud car, etc always scares them away.

Here is one of Jerry's 2. This is the more assertive one. The other is too scared to spend time at the buffet. This little one is pretty courageous though. He/she even responds to me now when I try to say comforting things and will even come back sometimes after running to the fence (if I speak to him to say it's ok).

He's a cutie, huh?

Jerry with her 2. The other one only came down this one time and briefly before running back up the fence and into the tree. The other females chase Jerry back and make it difficult for her to eat. When they chase her she will stand way back (wherever they chase her to) and stand up to ask me to throw food back there to her - which I do. However, when she brings the kids, the others don't mess with her at all. In this pic she is right up in the main area. Raccoon moms with kits occupy an exalted place in raccoon society and command great respect. I gather that's why they don't mess with her when she has the kits with her. (You would think she would bring them more often.)

So far her kits have eaten animal cookies (which they love) and kibble. I couldn't seem to interest them in marshmallows. They don't seem to recognize them as food, don't even stop to sniff them.

more to come later. I also have a brief video of the kits so you can see them in motion.

Here's Jerry with the courageous kit and another raccoon. Jerry is the one on the left, the one with the white 'v' on the top of her head. The other Mom is the one that is meanest to Jerry. Were it not for the Junior's presence, that other raccoon would never let Jerry eat in that spot (on prime buffet real estate) and they could certainly not eat side by side like that. Sometimes kids are a benefit after all.

One more. Jerry's kit, probably Jerry, too, but not certain.

If you look really close you can see red spots on the adult raccoon's front foot. I'll post a zoom of that later. Looks like bite marks of some kind. That one isn't limping though.

close up of the leg. again, this raccoon is not limping. still it goes to show how many damaged feet we have lately.

Looks like bites of some kind, or maybe an encounter with briars.

Since there are 4 punctures, I think it must be a raccoon bite. They bite each other like that when angry or even just annoyed. It's not intended to injure but only to hurt and get the point across. The 4 dots match up well for top and bottom incisors on both sides. I had 2 pinpoint bruises that looked like that the time Dennis bit me. I only had 2, top and bottom on one side, because she only got me with the one side. The incisors (I guess that what those long, straight, pointy fangs are called) meet 1st when they bite with the whole mouth - as apposed to biting a finger which fits between the incisors and gets hammered by the row of straight, flat ended biting teeth along the front of the mouth. (Hmm. I'm getting to be something of an authority - kidding - on raccoon bite marks. lol. Knowledge gained the hard way.)

Briers sound good except that these punctures are two symmetrical, I think. Symmetry suggests teeth.

Jerry's little one again

Thank you, thank you!! I thought that looked like a tennis ball. the 2nd pic confirmed it. Jerry's white v on the top of her head is a good IDer. I guess after seeing as many as you have over the years you would note subtle things like that that the rest of us might not even see.
Oh and pics are fine even if you don't feel like including the narrative. I say that with a grin...because I am grateful for any little crumb of your Heidi diner that gets tossed out to see!

sending a hug and a prayer,
Sheri ^_^

Sheri,

You are very welcome. :-D

I will post more as time allows. Oh, and, yes, that is a tennis ball. It was part of a dog toy with straps attached for throwing and tugging. Just to show how much they enjoy their toys, that was one of the toys the landscaper picked up back in April and put in a bucket on the patio. The raccoons then pulled all of the toys back out of the bucket, 1st one or 2 at a time and later they turned the whole bucket over. In time they had toys strung all over the patio. Then they started dragging some toys farther and farther across the yard in the direction of the buffet. Eventually, I picked all the toys I could find up again and put them back in the bucket. That ball along with a blue, stuffed, dog and a few small balls ended up at the buffet where they had been taken by the raccoons. I thought it was pretty cute that they took those toys from the bucket on the patio and carried them all the way back across the yard to the buffet, so I left them out there.

That tennis ball gives wonderful perspective for the Kits size.

I was about to mention that. I have another picture in which the kit appears to be playing with the ball. He has it under him, between his 4 legs. I'll post it soon. That one really shows the comparison between the kit and the ball esp well.

LOL, that's a fun mental image of them dumping all the toys out and dragging them around just like kids at a daycare!
Isn't it funny how the kits' legs look so long and thin when they walk, all hunched over? Cute li'l boogers, though.

KyWoods,

It is a fun image. And just one more of the many ways in which humans and animals are more alike than most people seem to think.

The kits are leggy and just a tiny bit uncoordinated early on. Actually, most baby animals have disproportionately long legs to allow them to keep up with the adults when they need to run from danger, or at least that's true of prey animals. Have you ever noticed how long the legs of newborn foals are? Or that foals' bodies stand at almost the same height as the moms - because of those long legs? Or that foals have to bend their front legs to reach the ground to eat grass? Same thing. In any species that deals with danger primarily by running, the babies have to be born with legs almost as long as the adults so they can keep up when the group runs from danger.

That makes perfect sense--never thought about that!
I saw the prettiest little possum last night drinking out of the community water bowl on the back porch. It had a very 'frosty' looking coat. Probably similar to Snowball's. I felt bad because it sniffed the empty food dishes after the kitties and coons left. Of course I refilled them, but it ran off when I went out there, and those greedy kitties ran up immediately for seconds. I hope the poor dear got to eat! I had to close the door, as it was our bedtime, so I didn't get to watch for it.

Jerry's kits are too cute for words; and you would think she'd bring them often since they gain her access to the buffet. Strange; but then she seems generally quite timid.

Had to lol at the teeth description, Cheryl. Those four long sharp pointy teeth are the canines; the incisors are the tiny little teeth in between the canines. Guess you're not quite ready for a new career in dentistry, lol; but then I'm a consummate idiot about computers in comparison to you.

Thanks for the adorable photos of the babies and Jerry. Heidi continues to amaze me with her wisdom and parenting skills. Makes me wonder what her mother was like. Love hearing about Dennis too and am glad she is becoming a little better Mom over time. I really enjoy reading both your Racoon and cat tales. Usually sneak a few minutes at work each night to check in on them and it gives me something to look forward to.

susan

I, for one, can't wait to buy The Heidi Cronicles and The Saga of the Feral Housecats.

Now there's a fascinating thought, Susan. Is Heidi just unique or was her own mother equally excellent? Has she acquired her wisdom through experience, or was she just exceptionally well-taught?

Last night Dennis lost her kids again! I know. I know. But she is Dennis, you know. She is trying now. I really can see that. Obviously, it's going to take a little more work though. Seems like the root of the problem is that, when the food comes out, Dennis gets too excited and too focused on the food to pay attention to where her kits are headed. Then, after she eats, she goes to where she thinks they are only to find that they aren't there.

And she doesn't seem to have one of those emergency catch phrases. You know, to call them and get them to respond when she can't find them. Heidi calls her kits with, "whoop, whoop." Of course, Heidi never looses hers because she has the foresight to stash them safely in a tree somewhere BEFORE she comes to eat, but she still has an emergency call just in case, and the kids are taught to respond to it. Dennis hasn't figured that out yet, either. But, honestly, I can see that she really is trying and has made a lot of improvement. Maybe in another year or so she will have some of these other things figured out.

Last night - it was around 8ish but still daylight out - when Dennis got through eating went over the fence and climbed up to the fork near the top of the Heidi tree. There's a great landing up there perfect for a raccoon playhouse. Dennis leaves her kits up there many nights, but I can see the tops of the raccoons when they are in that tree, and even as I watched her climbing up there, I could see that there were no kits in that tree last night.

Sure enough, Dennis reached the top of the tree and looked and sniffed all around. She went out on a couple of long limbs and looked all about the sky and tree tops, but the kits were no where to be found. She looked around the forest edge for a while. When she finally came back into the yard she looked visibly perplexed. She lay down under the weeping willow as if to ponder what to do. After a few minutes she apparently thought of the pear tree. Excited and with renewed vigor at the thought that she had likely found them, she got up and headed for the pear tree. Her walk was different now, no longer the drawn and destitute walk of the haggard raccoon who had come back from the forest without her kits moments before. Now she walked with purpose as she strode toward the pear tree confident she would find them there.

Dennis climbed about 10ft up the pear tree, a mere fraction of its total height, and then turned around and climbed back down again. The pear tree is fairly straight and narrow with no crotches and no horizontal limbs, so apparently Dennis was able to see to the top of the tree from her spot on the trunk, or at least she seemed to think so. She came down looking dejected once more. After that she walked around strategic parts of the yard, nose to the ground, looking more like a blood hound than a raccoon. She was clearly trying to pick up some indication as to where her kits had gone when they left the patio earlier.

Shortly after this she headed back into the forest, this time far down on the other side of the backyard. A few minutes later, I left the buffet to come back inside for the evening. I never saw Dennis reunited with her kits, but as the group was all again once more the following day, I know that things did end well. It struck me as interesting that I had not heard a peep out of the kits during all of this, nor had I heard Dennis trying to call them. It seems like she has done an admirable job of teaching her kits to hide in a treetop somewhere and remain amazingly silent, and while this is probably a very good thing most of the time, there are times (like when they are lost) when it would be helpful for them to call out. Of course, last night they didn't likely realize they were lost, and this is where the mother's "whoop, whoop" call to them becomes so useful. I hope Dennis will soon realize that vocalization (and teaching the kits to respond) could help her a lot in such situations. Better yet, I hope in due time she will learn a more disciplined approach to dinner putting her own hunger aside long enough to be sure her kits are properly stashed somewhere before tending to her stomach.

Loosing her kits this way may sound bad - and it is - but I hasten to reiterate that Dennis is making a lot of progress. Most of all, it is very clear this year and for the 1st time ever, that she really is trying to be a good Mom her errors not withstanding. It is the trying that makes me feel so good about her efforts and her future prospects as a Mom. I mention this again because while her intent is clear when watching her, it may not come through in the story when humorous and/or potentially dangerous snippets of events are chosen and retold sometimes out of context.

So Dennis and her kits did eventually reunite?
Is Dennis 2 years old? I wonder how many years it takes to get to the wise sage of a matriarch like Heidi.
Seeing the kits play with the tennis ball and other toys must really be cute. Baby animals are so inquisitive and uninhibited during their play time.

Hi Sheri,

Dennis is 3. She's from the 2007 litter, the very 1st litter I followed from gestation to adulthood. Yes, although I didn't see them reunite, they did. She was back with the 3 kits the following night (last night).

The kits are adorable to watch doing pretty much anything. It is particularly fun to watch them play; however, they don't play much (if at all) until/unless they become especially comfortable. That hasn't happened yet. Right now they are quite timid when at the buffet. I have to be very careful and deliberate in my movements to avoid sending them scurrying back to the forest. Raccoons are naturally on edge in daylight, so the fact that I'm feeding them well before dusk doesn't help much.

It's light out. I'm a stranger to them. They may even have been taught already to fear humans, so seeing the adults coming up to eat so close to me is confusing for them. People are still active in the neighborhood and making scary sounds, neighbors having cookouts, people walking dogs out on the street, dog barking, etc. It takes tremendous courage for the little ones even to venture out in such a situation. Only a few rare kits have been willing to spend much time at the buffet with me there so far. Being thus stressed out, they eat but don't play. I didn't even see the kit play with the tennis ball. It just looks from the photo like he was doing so. I may even be wrong about that. I have had the opportunity to watch kits play in the past though and it is simply amazing. I've watched them frolic with each other in the pool by moonlight, an awesome sight, and have also witnessed a mother playing with a kit, play fighting and such, so adorable.

Last night Dennis and family were back. This time things went much better. Her kits waited on the 'landing' near the top of the Heidi tree, and she knew exactly where to find them when she had finished her meal. She went directly to them.

They didn't leave right away though. Dennis hung out in the treetop with them for awhile. Then she came back down to the buffet area leaving the kits up in the tree. She apparently wanted to bring the kits down to the buffet, but I gather she wanted to do so only after I left, perhaps because the kits are scared to eat with me there. Or maybe she was actually waiting for a particular raccoon or raccoons, perhaps disruptive ones, to leave. Who knows.

While waiting for the right time to bring the kits down, Dennis stretched out just beyond the pool and under the far branches of the Heidi tree, the tree that contained her kits. The tree is actually in the forest on the other side of the fence, but Dennis was lying in the yard near the tree and under its outer branches. I took a few pics of her slumbering there although, regrettably, I missed the one pic I most wanted.

There was Dennis stretched out on the slope near the pool. I didn't realize she was actually asleep until...She had turned over so that she was on her back and a little toward one side. Slowly one hind leg went up into the air, almost straight up. The leg stayed there just hanging in mid air for a minute or so before slowly, very slowly, slumping back downward once more. There was something about the way the leg moved that said quite clearly that she was sound asleep and I was getting an unexpected peek at what is normally private behavior.

Something about the sight of the wild raccoon stretched out sound asleep on the lawn and that leg straight up in the air as though dangling from an invisible string suddenly struck me as hilarious such that I laughed out loud, quietly, as I struggled to get the camera into position and the straps out of the way. Then, as if controlled by a mind of its own, the leg returned to its place on the ground. (I missed the shot.)

Then, for some reason, perhaps just because of the popularity of that tree with its large, comfy, near vertical limbs and raccoon-perfect landing, another raccoon climbed up into the Heidi tree, the same tree that held Dennis' kits. As though her mind had been unconsciously monitoring the activity in the tree even as she slept, Dennis awoke suddenly when the raccoon went up in the tree with her kits. She sat up, looked up into the tree, saw the other raccoon, and immediately headed for the fence and up into the tree. The other raccoon was not particularly close to the kits but was just resting on a branch below theirs. This did not set well with Dennis, however, so she went up into the tree, too. She didn't fight with the other raccoon. She just went up to the higher branch where her kits were and lay down up there with them where she remained for the duration. Once again, I was impressed by the behavior of this new Dennis.

Last night there was a new kit visiting the buffet. Cissy appeared almost from out of nowhere with one, lone kit in tow. Although it's possible that she might have others who just didn't come to the buffet this time, I suspect that this is her only kit. It is interesting to note that Cissy seems to have only 1 kit each time, so far at least. Like Dennis, Cissy is 3, so I would expect her to have somewhat larger litters by now, litters of 2 or 3.

Cissy is fairly comfortable with me, not as much as Dennis, but more than most. She will come to me to take food from my hand, for instance, and she normally eats on my left side about 2ft away. She brought her kit right up beside me and even expressed a bit of frustration with his fear of me, telling him to 'come on'.

The kit was quite small and had an odd pattern of dark speckles on the 'white' around its nose. The speckles were like those on a blue tick hound. They also resembled a mildew pattern. I didn't find them especially attractive.

I felt sorry for the kit as I watched him. Kitty seemed a bit short with him, shoving him with her nose from time to time to express her frustration at his clingy behavior. It was difficult to watch and yet so like the behavior often seen in our own species, the young and insensitive (at the moment) mother who, tired, in a hurry, and frustrated by the whiny behavior of her timid child, slaps the child's hand and responds angrily. We've all seen it at least once. We've all been that fly on the wall. We've all wanted to reach out to the child, wanted to yell at the Mom. Cissy remained in this mood the entire time they were there.

I wanted to fuss at Cissy, but I tried to see her side. She was a single parent. For months she had been hopping around on 3 legs - while gestating, nursing, and now dragging the kid around with her. Her injured leg probably hurt, maybe a lot making her patience short, and here was this kit with her all the time, crying and crying...
I'm not saying it's right, but we are human - or raccoon. We aren't perfect. We get frustrated. We make mistakes.

The kit was crying or trilling pretty much non-stop. I got some video and pics. As close as they were the trilling should be on the video. I'll load them soon.

I felt sorry for the kit, not just because his Mom was being short with him, but even more so because he seemed to be an only 'child'. In human families, there are some benefits to being an only child. The only child gets all of the parents' love and attention, gets all of the available resources for toys, education, etc. and still has plenty of other kids to play with in the community, at day care, at school, etc. Raccoon Moms, however, don't let their kits play with non-siblings, so a kit w/o siblings has NO playmates at all, ever and probably never even knows what he/she has missed. The only playmate such a kit will ever know is the Mom and then only if the Mom is willing to play a bit. And play is not just for fun, it's a vital part of development, of learning life skills - and something on which the 'only kit' will miss out in large part.

Raccoon siblings aren't just playmates either. They are security blankets. They are comforters. They are babysitters and substitute Moms when Mom is gone. Siblings cling to each other, make decision together, keep each other company, and on, and on. Their bond is so strong that 1yr olds with kits of their own can still be seen sharing food where any other two raccoons would be fighting.

With no siblings to play with, the 'only kit' will almost certainly bother the parent more and, as with Cissy's kit, may well end up rebuffed as a result. I truly feel sorry for the 'only kit'. I hate to see one. It seems almost criminal.

Part way through the meal yesterday, I looked up to see two kits on the trunk of the cherry tree just above the fence (like in one of the pics shown previously). They were hanging from the trunk and just looking at me. I have no idea how long they had been there watching me before I saw them. I guess I am something of a curiosity to them, a human that the adults feel comfortable being close to, a human providing food, a human period.

Once they realized I had seen them, they started climbing up the tree. Part way up, they must have changed their minds. They climbed back down. I'm not sure where the more timid one went, but the other came down the fence a few minutes later to eat at the buffet. It was then that I learned that these were Jerry's kits.

The one kit that comes to the buffet has been there a few times now and is becoming a bit more comfortable. That's the one in the photos above, the gangly one with the long legs. He likes cat food and especially likes animal cookies. He's becoming comfortable now with having me toss them to him. Yesterday he was less than 5ft from me.

It's cute to watch him do things in miniature, even simple things like eating. He's positively adorable beyond all words just standing there perched on his two hind feet while using his two, tiny hands, held wrist to wrist, forearm to forearm, to scoop up a single bit of kibble and raise it to his mouth, his 2 hands still together clasping it. And to see those itty bitty hands holding an animal cookie, grasping it firmly between his two hands as if it were a large book held out in front of him chest high...too cute for words.

Awww..How sweet! I just love to see them use their little hands.