I need to tell you something, and it's a little OT. It's about wildlife, just not about the raccoons, although it could possibly effect them, so here goes.
Some years back I went out one morning to work in my garden and was surprised to find that the neighbor's backyard had been essentially plowed under. It looked as though he had taken a rototiller to the backyard, turning his entire back lawn under in the process. I wondered what on earth could be his reason for doing that. It was an awfully large area for a city dweller's backyard vegetable garden. A few minutes later he came out, saw me staring at it, and told me the wild boar (hogs) that live in the forest back there had come out during the night and rooted around in the lawn in search of edible grubs, roots, whatever.
I was mortified to think that we had wild hogs living back there. For those who don't know, wild hogs are incredibly dangerous. They will kill a grown man or a large dog with ease. About the only hope for getting away from them is to run fast and climb a tree close by before they reach you. Very scary creatures. Incredibly ironic that I never had any contact with them in all the years I lived in a rural area while growing up, and now they live behind my house (in the city) and come out periodically at night to destroy lawns. The neighbor told me that others in the neighborhood had seen the hogs come out in the late night hours.
After the hogs destroyed the neighbors backyard, he came home one day with some wire which he used to block off his backyard, stretching wire from my fence to the fence on the other side of him. He put the wire in the edge of the forest where it would not be visible unless someone actually ventured back there in the forest to see it. After that, there wasn't another hog sighting or sighting hog related damage over the years after he put up wire to block them from entering his backyard from the forest. It has probably been 8yrs or more. I had almost forgotten about the hogs entirely, until...
Today I was outside doing some yard work, and when I walked over to my side yard on the opposite side (not adjacent to the neighbor mentioned above but opposite side) I was horrified to see that much of it had been churned up and turned over leaving large holes with dirt exposed. The hogs. OMG, the hogs had returned, and not being able to get through on the other side, they had come through on this neighbor's side and for whatever reason had run along that side of my house, 'rototilling' the lawn in that 'heckstrip', a term for those narrow and relatively useless strips of lawn on either side of houses like mine. (I cleaned the term up a bit, since DG is a family-friendly place.)
The damage to my lawn shows that the hogs came all the way to the front corner of my house. That is really scary, because I've been out in the front yard before in the wee hours, usually walking Widget or taking out the trash/recycling. Even scarier is the fact that occasionally when I take Widget out at night he goes over in the dark area over on that side of the house if he needs to, well, you know. I don't like for him to go over there, but when I take him out at 2 or 3AM I usually don't use a leash and thus can't readily control him, and I'm not willing to go walking around over there in the dark to get him for fear of snakes and such. He only does that on rare occasion. He usually does his business in the backyard when I let him out there in the mornings.
Sill, the thought of him going over there and finding a herd of wild boars is terrifying. Widget isn't very smart about such things. He would run right up to a wild boar barking. He would pick a fight, and a wild boar would swallow him in one gulp. I guess I'll have to remember to use a leash with him no matter how late it is and also be careful myself. If they have come to the very edge of the front yard, what's to stop them from coming into the front yard to chase me? Scarey. I will have to remember to be careful out there in the dark. As for the raccoons, I guess their very acute senses and ability to climb with such ease should protect them.
Heidi Chronicles: Question to All Readers
Last night I fell asleep early, around dusk, and didn't wake up until around 2AM. Having completely missed the interval for feeding raccoons, I put some food out just in case. It was gone by morning, but I have no idea who actually ate it.
Not wanting to risk a repeat of last night, I decided to put some dry cat food out a little while ago along with a single Oreo. In doing so I might not actually get to see the visitor(s), but they might get fed. I just went to check the patio, hoping to find Desi there. Instead I found Puddle. I couldn't help but notice that while the pile of cat food was still there (and she was working on it), that Oreo was long gone. She had apparently eaten the Oreo 1st, so I'm guessing I've found one of her favorites - sugar.
I opened the patio door and looked out at her, spoke to her even. This time she did not leave. After looking back at me for a minute or so, she resumed eating. After a few minutes I closed the door and left.
It was around midnight when I saw Desi out there the other night. I will try to remember to put some more food out around 11PM or so in hopes of feeding her.
I put more food out at 11PM. At 11:30 when I checked, there was a raccoon out there eating it. Unfortunately, it was a different raccoon. This one was more greyish, whereas the 1st was reddish brown. Also, this one split as soon as I turned the light on and did not return when I stood on the patio calling. I refilled the food that raccoon had eaten and added 2 Oreos in hopes that Desi might come along soon.
News seems to get around the forest as fast as gossip spreads in human society. I'm thinking when a raccoon comes home with cat food on her breath, the others hold her down, shine a bright light in her eyes, and drip water on her head while questioning her for hours on end until she finally spills the information about where she got it. That's my current take on how information spreads so fast in the forest.
Just checked again. Both Oreos are now gone along with about 2/3 of the cat food. I'm guessing that was the work of the same raccoon who I saw out there, since she was too full to finish all of the cat food I added (on top of what she had already eaten). Those Oreos sure do seem to be hot tonight. They all seem to be eating the Oreos 1st, choosing them over the cat food.
OMG, the wild boars sound terrifying! I once had a close encounter with boars (well, they were about 30 ft, away, but that was close enough for me) & my friend & I ran (uphill) as the baby boars & mother approached us. We'd been sitting quietly, listening to the "deer" munch their way up the hill, until they came into sight & I can't remember ever being so frightened!
Sounds like things are ramping up at your little wildlife preserve & you've got some pregnant moms-to-be enjoying your bounty! :-)
Will you be able to get someone to install similar fencing like your neighbor did to blockth ose Boars?
Liz,
Wow, your story sound terrifying! Thus far I've only had property damage. Never actually come into contact with them. I can't imagine having to run uphill to get away from them. I'm so glad neither of you was harmed. I saw a program once about the boar problem in Florida where their numbers are especially high. A woman encountered a boar on her property. She ran, but the boar got close enough to rip into her calf muscle with its tusks. Still, despite the damage to her leg, she was lucky to get away without further harm. Those things are vicious, and as I'm sure you know, you don't have to be messing with them in any way to be attacked. I'll just have to keep in mind that they could be in my yard at night and keep aware of my surroundings.
As for the raccoon mothers-to-be, I think so!
Sheri,
Basically, no. The boars aren't coming through on my property. Remember I have a 6-7ft privacy fence around my entire backyard. That's the same fence that you have seen many times in the raccoon pictures back when I used to sit near the forest/fence. That fence runs along the forest edge, and keeps non-climbing animals from entering my property from the forest. It was that same fence to which my neighbor on the one side attached the wire fencing at the back of his property to keep the boars out on that side. The problem (for me) is that the boars can still come out of the forest via the property of my neighbor on the other side.
My fence keeps them from coming out of the forest on my property. The wire my neighbor on the one side attached to my fence and stretched across the back of his property (hidden in the forest edge) keeps them from coming through on his property, but the property of my neighbor on the other side is unprotected. The boars can just walk right out of the forest into her backyard and gain access to my side property via hers.
Unfortunately, I don't have any contact with her. She is rarely ever home. When I 1st moved here she was married, and her husband did a good job of upkeep on the property. He left maybe 7 or 8yrs ago. Since then the property has not been well kept. By herself, she probably doesn't have the time or the money to deal with property issues. He probably would have been more likely to do something about the situation, but now that he is gone...
I was thinking I might talk to the HOA about the situation, since I never see that neighbor. I don't know if the HOA can help, but maybe they could discuss it with her. She may not even realize the boars are coming through her yard putting her family and visitors at extreme risk. But, basically, I can't get anyone to erect wire back there because it's not my property where they are gaining access.
Hi Debbie,
I can't begin to express how happy I was to see the raccoon looking in at me through the patio door. With Heidi gone, I had sort of accepted that I might never see that again, as the others didn't sit by the door as Heidi did. When I saw that face looking in at me again like old times, I just wanted to run out there and hug her. :-)
Amanda,
Yes, that is exactly the same kind of situation. I can see that you really do understand those seconds or minutes of confusion like I experienced when I 1st saw the raccoon at the door. I wasn't thinking about raccoons or even really paying attention at the time. I was daydreaming when the raccoon face in the [glass] door caught my eye. Also, it was around 12:30AM at the time, and I had just awoken and gone to the kitchen for a [midnight] drink/snack, so my brain was still a bit foggy. It took my brain a minute or so to jump into gear and make sense of it all.
All smiles. Except for the tusks. :/
Still, good to hear even a Puddles sighting. Stay safe. I don't know a thing about boar behavior. Maybe you should read up to see if they are nomadic or will hang around. I thought possums were supposed to be nomads, but have always been surprised to have them stay for long long periods at a time.
Hugs all 'round. Have a busy week so I'd better git.
xox
A.
Boars can be very scary and are very very dangerous. Especially if there are young around. Definitely different than pigs for sure.
I hope you all had a peaceful weekend.
Debbie
Haven't seen any of them since I last posted, neither raccoons nor opossums nor boars. The food I put gets eaten, but despite numerous attempts, I've not been able to hook up with the actual diners. At present it looks like the raccoons are coming around later, like midnight or after. This allows a nice window for Puddle to eat early in the evening and even makes it possible for me to feed them both if I'm willing to put food out twice each night.
Amanda: I believe even nomadic humans pitch a tent and stay in one area until they have (temporarily) exhausted the resources there before packing up and moving on. I don't think nomadic means they must keep moving constantly, just that they don't put down roots, erect permanent dwellings, try to own the land, or stay indefinitely on one piece of land,. They use what the land provides rather than trying to control the land through agriculture. Hmm, I hadn't thought about this before, but now that I've hammered out a simple definition it occurs to me that we humans may actually be returning to our nomadic roots. These days working class people are all but forced to move periodically to stay employed and few farm in an effort to produce most of what they eat/use. If/when there is no longer suitable work available in an area, most people pack up and move to where the work is - hmm, sounds oddly nomadic. Although on paper we still 'own' our homes, if one moves repeatedly to stay employed, essentially trading one home for another and another, how really does that differ from the life of the nomadic wanderer - other than on paper, that is.
As for the wild boars, I've seen a number of programs on the subject on NatGeo, Animal Planet, Science, etc, enough to know that wild boars are, as Debbie points out, exceedingly dangerous. Growing up here, I had heard from hunters what I assumed were 'tall tales' of wild hog ferocity, but after seeing several programs on the subject, I now realize those stories were closer to the truth than I dared imagine. Wild boars have been known to chase humans down and are quite capable of killing even an adult male or a large dog. In their native area they are stalked and killed by tigers; however, even tigers tend to avoid adult males, and wild boars have been known to kill tigers! That last part really puts things into perspective for me.
From programs on educational TV, I've learned that hogs are not native to N. America but were brought here by the early settlers who set some of them free with the intention of producing a wild population for later hunting. Unfortunately, the climate in the southern US has allowed wild hogs to grow to a size, weight, and ferocity not seen in their native Europe, thus becoming quite dangerous, and has allowed them to reproduce in large numbers and prosper to the point of being invasive and problematic. Like most non-native species, they have no natural enemies or predators in this area (N America) to hold their numbers in check. Prior efforts on the part of both government and locals have failed to irradiate them. Aside from being quite dangerous, wild hogs also do considerable damage to the land, often to the detriment of native plants and animals. Wild hog populations now exist in most southern states, and are particularly out of control in Florida (warm climates seem to benefit them). They continue to spread to new territory.
Lastly, just from their history in this area, I know they will be back. I just don't know when. They came through in 2002/2003 when they destroyed my neighbor's backyard. At that time, my neighbor was familiar with the wild boars from stories he had heard from previous residents/neighbors. From this we know that the wild boars had been seen in the area before the 2002/2003 event. After my neighbor fenced his yard off from forest access, we didn't see the boars or their damage again (on our block, that is) until recently when they dug up my side lawn. The wild boars live in the forest behind our houses, the same forest where Heidi and the other raccoons live(d). They appear to remain deep in the forest most of the time, coming out only when food becomes scarce in their area or when pushed out by new development.
(Just last week I could hear chain saws back there in the forest felling trees. I have no idea what they are clearing or building back there, but it's interesting that the boars came out of the forest to eat during that same week.) The boars don't appear to come into our yards often, but their dangerous nature and the fact that we can't predict when they will show up again makes them quite scary, not to mention the serous damage they do to yards. I need to take a picture of the damage they did to my yard. It's not something one can adequately describe except to say that they leave the lawn looking as though it has been turned under with a rototiller (or plow). Wikipedia says in the US alone, wild boars do some $400M property damage annually.
Earlier today, btw, I was thinking of maybe approaching the neighbor on the side that is not currently protected (fence off from the forest) to see if she would be willing to have the area behind her house fenced off from the forest (fence hidden in forest edge) if I pay for it and take care of hiring someone to do the work. It would be worth it to me just to know that Widget and I (and anyone else who visits) are safe from attack, not to mention the cost of virtually unlimited repairs to fix lawn damage. On that one side of my house, they have now left several large mud puddles (2 or more ft in diameter) where there was previously solid and healthy grass. That area is normally quite arid and being on the southwest side of the house, bakes in the afternoon sun. (Muddy now due to endless rains but normally very dry). Thus it will be quite the challenge to try to get grass to grow back over the newly cleared areas (cleared by boars).
Hi, I'm new to DG, I have spent the last few weeks reading your great story. It is nice to hear about kindness and understanding these days.
You have helped me with my critter problem. I have a chipmunk that I find very cute and very destructive. I have been feeding him/her as a bribe to leave my plants alone. I use to put Critter Ridder out to try to repel him/her.(did not work) I have many other critters that do not eat as much as that little chipmunk.(rabbits, opossums,skunk,raccoon,deer and a ground hog) I live out in the country. Love the wildlife out here. Anyway the chipmunk now takes bird seed to my raised bed and sits on the edge to eat it. My raised bed is straight out my back door almost. It's like he/she wants me to see him enjoy his treat. I enjoy my chipmunk more these days. Now if you only had a cure for the digging. The digging is not as much of a problem. I can fill in his holes. I will try to get a picture of the chipmunk eating it's meal.
I live in Zone 6 in Ohio and my raccoon's are not a bother at all. They are bigger than yours, however they are still very cute and funny. They never bother us. They do like to play on the slide to my son's gym set in the back yard. They climb the rock wall and slide down to run back around and start over. It is fun to watch. Will try to get a picture not sure I can they would run away if I went out there.
I'm sorry I have went on about my chipmunk. I just wanted to let you know that you have helped us to live together better. You have a blessed day and Thank You for your help and story.
Welcome Taylordaylily, you will enjoy it here, We all go on about various critters at times....love hearing all the antics of them and interactions
with our families.
Debbie
Thank You Debbie. I do love this thread. Me and my family have laughed and cried along the way. Loved to see that people have hearts and care about their world. You have a blessed day.
That's beautiful - Cheryl will be touched to know she is making the world a better place. :)
xox
Hi Taylor!
Welcome to The Heidi/Raccoon/Opossum Threads! (Or whatever we ultimately decide to call the Next Generation threads)
It's very nice to hear from you, and I enjoyed hearing about your many wildlife guests. The image of the chipmunk eating his meals outside your back door is adorable as is that of the raccoons playing on your son's slide. Please do post pics or video links if you get any. I do, of course, understand the difficulties of trying to get photos w/o scarring the critters away. It's the very same reason why I haven't posted pics yet of any of my 2013 visitors, as I'm waiting for them to feel more comfortable around me before breaking out the flashing lights.
I'm happy to hear that you have managed to work out a truce with the chipmunk and your other visitors. If you read the beginning of the Heidi threads you know that my relationship with the raccoons started in much the same way, with me 1st trying to keep them out of my yard and then eventually learning that their presence in my yard was truly a gift rather than a problem after all. Once I opened my heart to them, I went on to enjoy their company and their antics for many years and still do to this day.
As for your raccoons being different, yes, I've read that their are as many as 5 different varieties of raccoons adapted to different parts of the country. From what I read those in the northern US tend to be some 10-15 lbs heavier than ours and have longer, thicker fur. From photos I've seen, I think your raccoons with their dense fur coats are more beautiful than our own. I'm guessing you probably have a fair amount of snow in winter where you live. As a result, raccoons in your area should go through periods of semi-hibernation when snow is heavy on the ground blocking access to food and sometimes even making it difficult to leave their dens. During such times their metabolic processes will slow to a crawl so that they need little or no food for days and even weeks thus allowing them to survive winter storms. Thus it is that during such times in winter when you might think they need your help the most, they may seem to disappear for a while, returning once more when the weather improves. (The truth is that all of our raccoons need our help the most when they are nursing the next generation in spring and early summer. It's during this time that their metabolisms are in overdrive as are their appetites.)
Oh, and no problem about discussing animals other than raccoons. As Debbie points out, we all do that sometimes. I do it a LOT. Recently, in the absence of raccoon visitors, I've discussed goldfinches, opossums, dogs, cats, and now wild boars. I figure, while we may all have our favorites, for the most part those who love animals tend to have a soft spot for all of them to one degree or another.
Great to have you with us.
I don't know what happened to my raccoon guests. After that one wonderful visit from Desi and after seeing a 2nd raccoon outside the next night, I've not seen raccoons nor opossums for a while now. I do continue to put out food each evening, sometimes adding a 2nd meal later in the night in hopes of reaching both Puddle who comes early and the raccoons who both came later. The food is always eaten. In fact the early meal is usually gone w/in an hour or so. I just haven't managed to catch up with the diners lately.
Even now as we are only a few very short weeks from May those bright yellow goldfinches remain in my yard daily noshing on nyjer. My guess is these are young renegades bucking the system. With such a nice climate (now, that is) and unlimited food, they may be wondering why their elders bid them leave here to fly to their northern home to give birth to their young. They may think they know better, think why not stay here. In another month, maybe two, I'm guessing they will find out that the climate here will soon become inhospitable and their elders knew better, after all. But for now this group of several dozen goldfinches remain happily eating nyjer at my backyard feeder.
Thankfully, I've not seen the boars again. I'm hoping they won't be back for another decade or so. Below I've attached some pics to show the damage they did to my side yard in that one visit. The 1st pic shows an untouched section of the same side yard for comparison. It's early in the season, and so far I don't have a dedicated gardener this year, so I haven't fertilized the law yet. But while the 'before' shot may look a bit anemic, it's in decent shape for a lawn that is just starting to wake up in early spring. The other shots include both long shots to show the overall damage and closeups to let you see just how bad the damage really is.
Edited to add: Remember these pics were taken weeks later, after heavy rain has had time to settle the soil. In the days immediately following the boar visit the area looked as though it had quite literally been plowed under.
This message was edited Apr 18, 2013 12:39 PM
Taylor,
Your words have me wondering how/if I might make 'friends' with the boars. I doubt that's really feasible considering this is an animal that really is capable of harming us - and doing serious lawn damage in very little time. But your words did help to remind me of my own prior statements challenging the way we view the 'bad' things in life and especially the unwanted wildlife visitors. Still, I doubt I will ever be able to appreciate Mr Copperhead or Mr & Mrs Boar and their family, even though I suspect those piglets are probably very cute. There are limits.
Hello, My raccoon's are bigger they they are more rounded than yours and their hair is fuller. We do get snow in winter. I do not have many critters that I see in winter. Only my birds and 3 squirrels. Mine are very shy and do not cause me any problems. They do not bother my bird feeders. I hope that does not jinx my feeders. I have Goldfinch year round and love them. I bake my nyjer seed in the oven at 170 for 10 minutes. It kills the seeds ability to germinate. That works on all bird seed btw.
I'm not sure you can make friends with boars. They did years ago. I saw on Animal Planet that if farm raised pig is let go in the wild with in weeks will grow teeth and hair like a boar. I wonder how they did it long ago. I do pray that they do no harm to you or your yard friends. They sure make a mess. I feel silly being upset with my chipmunk after seeing that. My chipmunk just likes to dig by my plants and taste them. I have never had to fear him/her. I would just have to keep fixing my yard I think. I could never kill God's creature's. I have even made peace with my skunk friend. She stinks, however she eats bugs and that makes me enjoy her. She has had several sets of babies.( not sure what you call a skunk baby) They smell from baby on. A baby skunk is very cute. It's a shame they smell so bad.
I have a Robin nest in my plum tree out front. I went and bought them some dried meal worms to feed their nest full. They work so very hard. I do hope the Hawk or Crow does not find the nest. Last year I had one out there and a crow came and took one of the babies right before my eyes. It was hard to watch my little friends so upset. I do not blame the crow that is what he eats. It's just hard to see anything lose it's life before it really had a chance to start. The parents tried to scare the crow away, with no luck. He came in took the baby and was out of here with 2 robin's on his tail they chased him for a bit.
I hope your Raccoon friends come back. They are fun to read about.
Have a great day.
Whew! Another super busy day. Came home and 'passed out'. Awoke around 10PM. Went to the front door to check for cats. Only 1 waiting there. Went to the kitchen for a drink. After a few minutes in there, decided I should also check the back door for the other cat. Arrived at the patio door to find that same smallish raccoon standing upright and looking in at me, the one with the strange face markings, the one I think may be Desi. This was the 1st time I had seen her since that night when she 1st came back - so, basically the 2nd sighting overall.
I was thrilled to see her, although I was still a bit groggy from my long nap. Cocoa was at my feet. Just as I went to pick him up to take him to another room, he caught sight of the raccoon just beyond the glass door (ie, inches from us) and started hissing big time. By the time I returned from putting Cocoa away (only minutes later), the raccoon had disappeared, probably scared off by the hissing cat.
I grabbed the cat food bag and headed out onto the patio. "Here, Sweetie," I called out into the night. Immediately, the raccoon reappeared and came toward me - and I do mean right smack up to my toes. Unfortunately, Kitty (my other cat who was still outside) showed up at the same time, and I found myself in a precarious position. Both cat and raccoon were trying to get close to me, but were scared of each other and behaving a bit warlike. I decided the best thing to do was get Kitty inside, as that was what she wanted, and that would solve the problem between them.
As I reached behind me and opened the door, I called to Kitty to go inside. I turned back around to find the raccoon practically on my feet. I stepped towards the raccoon in an effort to move her back a little ways from the door so Kitty could go inside safely. The raccoon moved away from my advance but only very briefly before coming right back up to my toes again. I had to keep an eye on her. She was super friendly, but her tendency to come so very close made me a little uncomfortable. It was like if I let her out of my sight for a few seconds too many, I would find her using my pants leg for a wind sail again.
I did manage to get the cat inside and put food down for the raccoon. She came right up close to me to eat. On this visit she seemed visibly less fearful than the last time. After talking to her for a few minutes, I stepped back inside for a vanilla sandwich cookie which she totally enjoyed. Then I went back for a 2nd cookie, the last one left over from last spring. I had kept it sealed and in the fridge, so it was still like new. I know because I took a bite of that one before giving it to her. When the cookies were all gone, I headed back inside for the night, secure now in the knowledge that she would be back again sooner or later.
^_^ She's back! So good to know that she is so unafraid (and probably looking forward to the day that she gets to go into your kitchen!) LOL!
Big smile, big morning smile So happy to hear this! sure does sound like your Desi!
If this is little Desi, is she likely gravid with a small litter? Perhaps big shoes or swim fins and bellbottoms would work for wind surfing trials. LOL
Sounds like you're going to have a fun/interesting summer! So nice of you to be her taster. LOL!
Glad Desi is back! I have been waiting to hear. It's hard now that I am caught up, I have to wait. I hope she comes back tonight.
The 1st night it was around 12:30AM when I saw her at the door. For many nights following that I ran to check the door from 11:30 - 12:30, but she was never there. Last night it was 10:30PM when I saw her, so she doesn't seem to be keeping consistent hours yet. It's important for me to know when she will be here, or vice versa. This left me with a quandary for tonight. What time should I look for her?
A few minutes ago I was up letting Cocoa out, so even though it was still quite early (9PM), I swung by the patio door and turned on the light just to check. Much to my total surprise, there she was standing amidst the dandelions (lots of them in the back lawn this year) just maybe 2 feet from the patio edge. She had positioned herself directly in front of the patio door so that I could easily see her from the patio door and so that she could easily tell when I was in the kitchen.
I opened the door wide and called out to her and she came quickly onto the patio. She was about 1/2 way across the small patio when I decided to pop back inside to grab the bag of cat food. Not wanting her to leave, thinking I had gone away for the night, I left the patio door slightly ajar, just maybe 5-6in. I was, after all, just going a few steps across the kitchen (breakfast area) to grab the bag from the baker's rack. When I turned around to head back to the door, I was a bit surprised to see her little head sticking through the door! I chuckled to myself thinking how I probably should have anticipated that.
As I approached, she backed away, making room for me to go out onto the patio with her, but she didn't leave (or run away briefly) as she had done some times in the past. She stayed there with me on the patio as I reached into the bag and dished out several handfuls of kibble, all the while my body casting a giant and ominous shadow over her. Tonight, having no more cookies on hand, I gave her one of those single serving packets of the caramel dipping sauce (for apples and other fruit), putting it down beside her food, top removed. Right now she moves maybe 2ft away whenever I reach my hand toward her food that way. That's very good, actually, as it took a number of years to get Heidi that comfortable around me. This one is making fast progress. She is really quite trusting with only a little lingering doubt.
So far the past few days no other raccoons have been showing up to challenge her for the food, although I strongly suspect they will be here all too soon.
With this being baby season also...you better stock up on eggs for her too! Heidi loved them when she was pregnant or nursing the babies.
Oh yes, and watermelon! lol
So happy one of the gang is back. I can just see that little face sticking in the patio door! LOL
Debbie
Eeek! We are delighted - I have been telling my bf (Court) about the saga and he even smiled when I told him that Desi (!?) was back. :D
Thanks Cheryl. You bring so much joy with this little bit of news.
xox
Hi June,
I know you were kidding about her wanting to get into the kitchen, but I had to laugh last night when she looked as if she might be about to come on in through that gap in the door. When I made that hasty decision to leave the door slightly ajar, I clearly didn't consider her prior tendency to come inside. LOL.
Hi Debbie,
She does seem like Desi in so many ways. Thanks for the reminder about the eggs. I just went to the market Monday and got 2dz eggs and watermelon. I even had a section of watermelon rind (w a couple inches fruit) ready to go out yesterday but forgot to give it to her last night. Will try to remember to do so tonight. I had already forgotten about the eggs. In the last couple years I had mostly only been giving eggs to Heidi, trying to keep cost down, but raw eggs are a big hit with most of the raccoons. Any time Heidi failed to eat hers, the others were always quick to grab it. I'm sure I can spare a egg or two for Desi. She will probably be thrilled.
I meant to pick up some grapes (on sale), since they are also a big hit with the raccoons. Didn't think about cookies on my grocery trip but now realize I need to stock up on some of those $1 pkgs of vanilla s/w cookies and maybe some animal crackers. A WalMart run might be in order.
Hi Sheri,
She should have a small litter, no more than 2 and more likely only 1. If she shows up with more than 2, I may have to rethink her ID, since yearling moms usually have very small litters. She doesn't look visibly pregnant, nor did she when I saw her some weeks back. By now, there is a good chance she may already have given birth, although she probably was still carrying young when last she was here.
I have several pairs of very comfy crocs, the original, clunky types, that I wear virtually all the time when home. In fact, I was wearing the crocks when little Desi stood on my shoes to windsurf last year. I don't have any bell bottoms, but since I lost that weight recently my pants legs are pretty floppy (and I still wear those 2sz too big pants around the house).
ROTF, Liz,
I hadn't thought of it in those terms, but t would have been most unneighborly, not to mention 'unsouthern', of me to serve bad food to a guest. Plus it was a very tasty cookie.
Taylor,
I totally understand. A couple years ago I found a show that I really liked. It was maybe 5 or 6yrs old but new to me. As a result, reruns were showing on several channels. I recorded them and enjoyed viewing them at will. For a while there I always had really good viewing on hand. It was a real bummer when I finally caught up on all those old shows. Now I have to wait for and make do with the one weekly episode, so I completely understand. The good news is that Desi appeared to hear you, as she came back right when you asked.
Thank you, Amanda,
I always love to read about those who have shared the story with others!
I wasn't too worried when Desi didn't show up these last few weeks. I had a feeling she would be back once she started nursing, if not before. When nursing they are unbelievably hungry and almost as tired. I was pretty sure that intense hunger would bring her back here in search of food. :-)
I definitely would be she has had babies already if she was pregnant. We have had many sitings (sadly) of very small raccoons on the side of the
road that didn't make it across safely. SO, if they have had them already up here in the Northern areas (still rather cold) I would say yes in yours also.
Wondering if you should add marshmellows to your list also! lol AND...that camera.
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Actually, raccoons in colder areas such as your give birth earlier. My guess is they do so because of your much shorter summer or growing season. They need to get those babies grown (or old enough to take care of themselves) before the cold weather begins. People in northern areas always report seeing kits out and about with their moms before our raccoons have even given birth yet.
Desi may have given birth already (judging from when the raccoon babies usually show up here) or not. Either way, the kits here are not old enough to leave the nest. Kits usually show up here in May/June.
Tonight a 2nd raccoon showed up along with Desi. I tried to get pics, but I overplayed my hand. They weren't ready yet. I ended up scaring them off. Oh, and the other raccoon looked very "with raccoon" which corresponds with my contention that our raccoons give birth later than those in your area - I thought it would be the opposite, too, in the beginning, I guess because it gets warm earlier here, but the winter cold ahead seems to be the greater concern for them.
So the side kick was waddleing, huh!