Oh, and that's very interesting about how Rita's color changes with mood. It must be very helpful to have her mood announced so clearly by color so that you don't have to risk bothering her when she is angry. Also you know when to comfort her, etc. Since reptiles don't often show emotion in a manner that is clear to us mammals, it must be good to have hers color-coded that way.
Raccoon Files: NextGen 1
I think that Desi as a lone kit probably never learned to share. and I see to remember you
mentioning a mom last year that wasn't very gentle. Desi also would have had experienced that growling & bumping by any adults. Poor thing never got much love but for you.
the kits faces (noses) may appear more pointey as they have yet to fill out with muscle, fat and thick fur. JMHO
Birdie Blue, good observation about Desi's learned behavior - makes a lot of sense in terms of the behavior that Cheryl mentions...
Cheryl, sounds like you may have to teach the kits to be polite, if they want your treats! LOL!
Excellent insights, Sheri,
In addition to all of those things, I also think Desi may entered into this maternity thing very much unprepared and just ended up overwhelmed by all those kits. 3 toddlers at once is a lot for a 1st time mom. She probably should have had just 1 for her 1st effort. I think she didn't know how to deal with them and they now that they are a little older they have gotten the best of her. They don't listen to her at all well at this point.
With lots more time to practice, she may end up a good mom eventually, but she is having difficulties right now. You insights into why this might be so seem well thought out.
Ah, Liz,
Good idea to use the treats as training aids. I think I may have accidentally done something along these lines already. Back later today to explain.
Amanda, Cheryl just mentioned the interesting fact you taught us about color change. At my office (only about 10 people), we have lunch together on Fridays. The big boss had returned from Peru on Wednesday & was telling us about the marine iguanas - very interesting! His son, who also works there, has a PhD in marine biology (now working as an investment advisor) & was telling us about some of the behavior of marine iguanas & their black color & differences between them & the iguanas we've seen. Thanks to you, I was able to contribute that iguanas can change color slightly, which the PhD confirmed that they do slowly... :-) Just one of the many situations where you learn a fact or new word, then run into it in your every day life very soon.
Cheryl, Perhaps you can teach manners by using the "eeh" sound that usually makes toddlers & dogs stop and look or think??? It works in dog training along with positive reinforcement of course
It also establishes you as the pack leader, which you may well be in this situation! Correction-you ARE to them.
Heck, you attended the Citadal, whip them critters into form here!!
Sheri
This message was edited Sep 14, 2013 4:49 PM
Maybe pick up a clicker at a pet store. :D
Lizzie, cool that you were able to discuss intelligently. Smart conversations are so much richer when you can participate in the first person.
Cheryl about my degree. Interesting (per Lizzi' s comments) that the pHd with marine biology turned investment advisor: what a dolt!!! I practiced law for 14 years coveting a biology/natural science degree. When the timing was "right" or as good as it could get, I got into the Forestry department at NCSU and have all my coursework finished. Just need to finish my "project" - the alternative to thesis. I am unfunded and therefore doing a thesis with my research is out of my reach. I'm inducted in the National Forestry Honor Society (!!!) and a member of the Society of American foresters. I am taking a firefighting course this semester and will have to pass a written test and physical test to become certified as a firefighter! This is important in forestry these days for obvious reasons, as well as for prescribed burns, which compliments my work in forest ecology and environmental restoration.
Court and I have been fantasizing about moving to Montana when I'm done and I get a cool job working on a prairie restoration project where bison and elk have been reintroduced in the Great Plains, all the way up into Canada.
Now that you all hate me, I will stop and go back to wiping runny noses. :D
A.
What.... norr r raccoon files for today....what will we do. I have 3 people who each call me nearly daily to read any updates. We've all been in stitches the last few days. They keep askin me when a book is coming??..................So, what do I tell them?? I want that book too. there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you have a hit on your hands, er keyboard /Cheryl. Will you use a pen name? To protect the innocent. I'm sworn to pass the following on," Hurry., Hurry, Hurry. We want the book, we need the book, Hurry, Hurry!" Cheryl, some of these people are beginning to salivate at the thought I think. I am losing my voice from reading. The most recent over and over again.
Sheri
As I mentioned, the 1st night after the door climbing incident, the kits all stayed on the ground and all was well. I was hopeful that this might be an indication that door climbing had been a humorous but bad anomaly. I was wrong.
The 2nd night, that Saturday, I 1st turned on the light to see a most adorable scene, 2 of the kits sitting on the outdoor mat, their backs to me, a very squished and heavily chewed practice golf ball resting between them. There was just something about seeing them sitting there looking very much like 2 very young lab puppies resting at the door of their home.
That moment was all too brief, however. As soon as patio light went on they turned to see me standing there, and before I could act the climbing began. This time instead of climbing the door they climbed the trim, one kit on either side of the door. Frustrated by this behavior and the fear that it might become commonplace, I opened the door to 'argue' with them. The kit on 'my' side of the door, immediately dropped down, but I found myself standing there in the doorway eye to eye with the most assertive kit who had climbed the trim on the hinge side of the door and was now at the height just above my head and who, instead of getting down, now clung to the trim and sat their looking back at me fearlessly.
Not having so much as a clue how to get the kit down but determined to try, I swung the door back and forth quickly to make the [dog] bells hanging from the doorknob ring and jingle wildly. Still the kit hung there from the door facing looking at me, her eyes showing not even the slightest fear. Desi and the timid kit had by this time taken hiding places, but the courageous one remained on the door facing, while her cohort stood looking up at me from the mat, their faces clearly saying in unison, "cookies, please!"
At that point, I gave up, left the kit on the door trim and went back inside to gather the food - but no cookies. I was too annoyed. This behavior did not deserve cookies. By the time I returned to the door, the kit was back on the floor, although she did try to scamper inside when I opened the door. And by that I mean that she hopped up onto the edge of the kitchen floor with all floors. Thankfully, however, once I stepped outside she decided to follow the food and thus quickly exited the kitchen.
I put the kibble down for them and left, still pretty steamed about their behavior. Later as I cooled down I realized how wrong I had been to be frustrated with them. Climbing is just what the do. They are raccoons, not humans. To them climbing comes as natural as walking does to us. Tree. Door trim. It's all the same to them. The kit had no reason to think his behavior was wrong or that it might upset me - no more so than if he had been climbing a tree in the forest. Sometimes we humans forget that our rules are not universal throughout the animal kingdom.
The next night, Sunday night, Desi and the whole group of them appeared visibly rattled, no longer showing the same degree of trust in me as they had before the jingle bell door scenario of the prior evening. I felt horrible. I also felt a sense of loss to think I may have ruined my relationship with them.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that in the confusion the night before, I also managed quite by accident to step on the most assertive kit's feet. It's hard to explain. You just had to be there. The kits were so totally out of control. I could not even walk. They were all up close under my feet from the second I stepped onto the patio, especially the 'leader' who seemed to stay under my feet every moment. When it happened, I had actually picked my foot up and shook it in an attempt to scare her and send her back a bit, but when I finally put the foot back down again, well, her tiny little feet were still right there, having not moved away at all.
Incredibly, the kit did not 'attack' the offending foot as even a pet will sometimes do in such situations. She yelped, and I did my best to get off her feet as quickly as I could. But, again, all this happened the night before, when the kits were at there hooligan worst.
On this particular night, Sunday night, everyone was giving me a wide berth & I was feeling pretty awful. I took a few cookies along in my pocket as I went out to feed them. This time, hoping to mend our now broken friendship, I sat down on my garden buddy seat beside them as they ate. I offered them cookies, but even the bravest kit would not come forward to take one. I had to toss the cookie pieces over to them. I was sad. Very sad.
They will forgive you. Just not as quickly as lab pups.
xox
Very insightful, Amanda!
Liz & Sheri,
Just wanted to let you both know that I did hear you. I appreciate your compliments, and your stated desire to hear more did a lot to encourage me to find time to write - including those last few posts & the one to come now.
By the next day all seemed forgiven, and the raccoons were pretty much back to normal - except for the climbing thing. I'm happy to say that there have not been any climbing events since that last one.
To those who suggested I use treats as training aids and otherwise attempt to alter their behavior use methods known to work with dogs, it just happens quite by accident that I withheld treats the night of the last door climbing episode, & they haven't been climbing since then. Probably coincidence, but who knows. All of this, btw, occurred before your suggestions but is why I made that comment alluding to having already 'kind of' used the suggested methods.
I'm not convinced that training methods which work for dogs will work equally well for raccoons. I'm not even convinced that raccoons are particularly trainable beyond very simple actions. Raccoons are not anything like dogs. I wish each of you could have the opportunity to interact with them up close. I also wish I knew the right words to describe their temperament. Despite their adorable behavior and appearance, it is generally agreed that raccoons do not make good house pets, mostly because they are unmanageable.
Even people who keep tame raccoons as pets will tell you that you have to raccoon-proof your house and that you cannot even have upholstered furniture around them because they will destroy it - this because even tame ones cannot be trained to behave as we might want them to. And then there is that guy in England who raised the baby raccoon and then released it, and now the raccoon returns periodically, often destroying his house in the most unbelievable ways (search youtube for Raccoon Willie if you want to see how the raccoon ripped huge holes in the kitchen and destroyed cabinets).
How to explain this? Raccoons are like children with ADHD - on steroids. They have the attention span of a gnat. They are intelligent but not particularly interested in learning to do what you want them to do. They don't even have the time to hear what you want them to do. They are very busy creatures. Busy bending things, twisting things, breaking things. Busy touching things. Busy investigating their world. Busy. Busy. Busy.
All that said, I did withhold cookies the day they were 'bad', and they have been 'good' since then, so who knows?
As I mentioned, we now seem to be friends again, and all is forgiven. That next night when they returned, I sat outside with them for a while & shared cookies. And I touched one of the kits. It was just there with its back to me, eating, and w/in arms reach. I wanted to touch it, so I did. It's what we humans do. We touch things, just because they are there and just to see if we can.
I was surprised because the kits are pretty big now, roughly the size of a small lab pup as previously mentioned, and it did not respond at all to my touch, so much so that I was tempted to think it somehow did not realize I was touching it. So I touched it 'harder'. I rubbed its back several times and then put my hand over its back so that my fingers overlapped its ribs on one side and my thumb did so on the other. Still no reaction, so I squeezed lightly with my fingers. Nothing at all. Finally, I had to accept it. The kits don't care if I touch them. Not at all.
I think it's like this. Kits don't have boundaries. They are accustomed to touching and being touched. Being touched constantly by their mom and their siblings from day 1 and even before that. Being touched is not a scary thing to them. It's perfectly normal. A good thing even. It's their mom licking them clean. It's their siblings initiating play. It's the warmth of mom's body keeping them warm and fed. It's all the good things in their world - and much like human children, they don't yet know about the bad. I think Liz has it right here. It's up to the raccoon mom to signal danger and keep the kits away from other animals and people, and in this particular situation Desi has failed to do so.
Once raccoons grow up, their mom eventually pushes them away. This happens somewhere between 6mo and 1yr. After that they no longer have much physical contact with others, not even their mom or siblings anymore. From that time on, except for mating & raising kits of their own, all other physical contact is limited to fighting and predation, catching food and being food. Even these kits who are totally comfortable having me touch them now, will instinctively flinch or move away from such touch by next spring simply because by that time it will make no sense to them to be touched by another species - except as lunch.
I've touched the kits several times since then, btw, and always with the same result. They don't care. I've even intentionally reached past their faces to touch the top of their heads, something we know even pet dogs often find provocative, as it's a potentially threatening move. But the kits don't mind that either. With their mom off-duty in this situation, they are nonplussed by pretty much anything I do, which is why they even ignored it the time I made all that noise with the bells.
The timid one sometimes backs away from me even when I'm not touching her, but that just because she is so timid. She is coming around though. The other night something about my approach scared her, and she ran to the shrubs to hide while I was putting food down for them. But quite amazingly, she came back to eat immediately when I called her in a sweet voice - so we are making progress.
One night recently we had a particularly noteworthy event. The gang showed up at the appointed time as usual, and I went out and fed them. As I mentioned before, I don't feed them enough to adequately fill all 4 of them. Right now I really can't afford to do so, but I think that's probably for the best anyhow, as it forces Desi to take them out and teach them to scavenge for their own food. When Heidi was around, I felt more confident that the young were being taught adequately. I'm not as sure about that now in her absence.
What I give them is roughly the same amount I used to give Desi, maybe a little more - plus a cookie or two sometimes (but when I say 'cookies', please know that I actually mean broken pieces of cookies, the cheapest $1 cookies I can find - thinking of trying to make some low sugar cookies). Anyhow, it's basically like if you went to Burger King with three 10yrs olds and the 4 of you shared a Whopper and small fry. A nice snack but not a meal.
But it does make sure each of them gets some nutrition each day and some vitamins and minerals, regardless of what else they find to eat that day. And it also leaves them encouraged to search for food on their own.
Usually, they eat and leave and that's the end of it, but this one night I kept hearing noises outside even hours after they had 'left'. It's lucky I'm not the scary type, btw, or I would be terrified most of the time, living so close to the forest, hearing noises outside. On this particular night I kept hearing occasional bumps and such. Nothing loud or particularly noteworthy, other than the fact that these were not 'normal' noises, not things I'm accustomed to hearing out there. I was in my bedroom at the time, and many of the noises were close, seemingly just on the other side of the wall.
At no point was I afraid. It never occurred to me that the sounds might signal anyone or anything that was 'after' me, so to speak. I'm well armed for a fight if necessary, but I've never felt the need to seek protection, something which only seems a bit odd to me now as I tell the story. You might expect that some of these 'bumps in the night' would worry me, but oddly they do not. But, again, I digress as this is not supposed to be about me.
It was some 2.5-3hrs after I had fed the raccoons. Yet the sounds continued, and the only thing I could think of that might make those sounds was ...raccoons. I went to the patio, turned on the light, and looked out. Nothing. Nothing at all. The patio was empty as it should have been that time of night. Of course it was, I though, because the raccoons had left hours ago.
I was just about to turn the light off and go back to my room, when Desi suddenly appeared on the patio in front of me, one kit just behind her. She stood there, squared off, facing me with a look that asked of me, "So, what are you going to do now?"
I opened the door and stepped out to see that the other 2 kits were huddled together under my bedroom window where the entire group of them had apparently been all this time, 2-3hrs, the whole time I had been hearing those intermittent noises on the other side of the wall from me. I can only surmise that for some reason they were particularly hungry on this particular night and perhaps knowing what was or was not available to them elsewhere, were reluctant to leave. They had apparently chosen that spot under my bedroom window intentionally, knowing all too well that I was right there on the other side of that wall. Had they even been making noises intentionally in an effort to summon me? They are, as I've often said, incredibly silent, ninja-like creatures, at least when they want to be.
Effected by the realization that they had stayed for hours and what that must mean, I went out and gave them another large scoop of kibble. They quickly huddled around me as I put the food out on the patio. A little while later when I went back to check on them, they were gone and not one crumb of kibble remained.
They've sure got you pegged! Stealth Ninja's...right. lol
Oh, Oh, blowing in the face does work with raccoons!! I stupidly did just that on Jekyl Island outside a restaurant when they were getting greedy for grapes.. I could have lost my nose, but the big guy did back off!
Sheri,
I'm not saying you can't effect raccoon behavior in some cases. I'm just saying that they don't appear to be trainable in a manner similar to dogs. For instance, people don't seem to have had any success trying to teach them something as basic as not to destroy the sofa. Getting a reaction is not the same thing as training. Most creatures will move away from something that makes them uncomfortable, which is the reaction you got by blowing in the raccoons face, but that doesn't teach the raccoon to do or not do something the next time.
What you did by blowing in the raccoons' face was analogous to what I did a few years ago when I sprayed water in the raccoons' faces to keep them away from Bast who was injured. I kept them away from Bast by making it uncomfortable for them to do otherwise, but I did not teach them anything. The moment I stopped spraying them with water, they resumed doing as they pleased. In fact, not only did they not learn anything from that incident, but after about the 2nd day, I had to drastically increase the degree of discomfort to continue to keep them in line - so if anything they actually learned to resist even more rigorously, and that is what I'm trying to say about their behavior. After about the 2nd day, I had to begin spraying them with a strong mix of vinegar & water, because water alone was no longer working. That's the opposite of training. Imagine if we needed to increase the pressure every 2 days to keep dogs inline. I doubt many people would own Rottweilers.
My 1st thought after the initial door climbing incident was that I might have to get that water bottle out again, and that is what I plan to do if they resume climbing. (I'm not going to put my face close enough to a wild raccoon's face to blow on him/her. Even though that might work, I think it would be dangerous, as it would put my face and even my eyes at risk in the event of attack. Even though the chance of attack is low, I'm not willing to put my face/eyes at risk.) I can accomplish the same thing much more safely with the water bottle, but I would prefer not to have to take it to that level if I can avoid it, since I doubt that would help me get close to them. It's a delicate balance between having them comfortable enough around me to interact with me and yet having them sufficiently afraid of me to behave. I learned this with Dennis & am seeing it again with these kits.
It's desirable to have them sufficiently unafraid so that they will let me get close to them, feed them cookies, take pics, etc, but due to the basic character of raccoons, they need some fear (of me) to behave. Striking just the right balance borders on the impossible. Heidi was the one who made things work so well before. I could see that from how badly the raccoons behaved each year when she went away to have her kits. Somehow, she kept them all inline. They didn't need to be afraid of me as long as they were afraid of her. These kits would never have climbed the door with Heidi around. It's a whole new world at the buffet now w/o her. New rules to learn. New balances to strike.
I had to laugh at you testing the kit by squeezing it.. guffaw!!!! :D
;-)
Just wanted to make sure they were awake!
I remember back to the days when you thought you would NEVER touch a raccoon - how far you've come!
It seems as if you influenced Dennis' behavior in a somewhat consistent way, when she became too pushy.
Yes, it does sound like Desi relies on you, in a way that Heidi never did...
Last night, I was working, after dinner. The door to the downstairs family room was open, so cats could wander in & out. My husband kept yelling from the living room that he thought a raccoon was downstairs. As many times, as I told him that wasn't the case, he'd repeat the alarm a few minutes later. I finally convinced him, it was the washing machine, running a load of towels, which were spinning unevenly & making a thumping noise. Just wanted to related how you've changed our daily life - he never would have suggested raccoons in the house as a possibility (despite living in the Santa Cruz mountains for years) , before hearing me relate your adventures! LOL!
Oh where oh where have our Desi clan gone? Oh where oh where can they be?
Oh where oh where has Cheryl the Cookie lady gone? Oh where oh where can she be?
It's not just the stories and kit antics we miss......we love them a lot you see.....
I am praying for the safety and good health of Cheryl and her furbie friends. As comfy and familiar as some of the kits our, I especially pray for your hand of protection over Cheryl!!
Amen
Love & hugs sent your way. I truly hope that yo u are just on a writing slump and not in a severe pain battle like we sometimes are. If you could just send up a smoke signal
Praying in agreement with you!
Hi Sheri, June, & Everyone,
I'm fine. Thank you very much for thinking of me and for your concern. Sorry that I've been AWOL for a while. I guess I just lost track. I've just been super busy, both with Life & other projects. As I mentioned earlier, my many interests often result in a situation in which there are never enough days in the hour, but I'm sure others of you experience this, as well.
There are still periods when I don't see Desi and the kids for days at the time, usually when the time of their visit corresponds with other events in my life. To insure they get a healthy 'snack' and that they don't get disappointed and stop coming around, I've been leaving food on the patio for them whenever I know I won't be able to meet with them. Unlike Heidi, Desi has not yet learned to wait for me when I don't show up right away, nor is she adept at quickly adjusting her schedule anytime I change mine. She shows up at the same time each day, waits only maybe 15min or so, and then leaves, so this is how I've been managing the situation when I can't be there.
I started doing this (putting food out for them when I can't be there) after the 1st night when I failed to show up on time. It was after several evenings of spending time out there sitting with them & passing out a few, broken cookie pieces which are always very popular with the kids - and the moms, as well. Then one night something came up, and I showed up 30-45min or so late and turned on the patio light to see an empty and deserted patio, except for the calling card they had left me. There on the outside doormat sat the tiny stuffed animal I had given the kits earlier in the season and had not seen since, until that night.
That tiny, wet, & dirty plush toy so lovingly played with and sitting there all alone on the doormat, really touched me. I thought about taking a photo for you guys and now wish I had done so. Apparently, although I had not seen the little toy, since giving it to the kits that night a month or so ago, they had known its whereabouts and been playing with it all along, and on this night had played with it on the doormat as they sat waiting for me to show up with the dinner that never arrived. As I looked at the toy they had left behind, sitting alone there on the mat, I imagined the disappointment on those tiny faces when I failed to show up. Since that night I've been careful to put food out for them whenever I cannot be there at the appointed time.
I've been working on a number of projects. Some of you will be happy to hear that I've been working on the book. I've also been painting, studying, and working on a new project I hope to roll out soon. I've been planning a blog, 2 actually, but one initially, a project which I hope will give me an income stream, small at 1st but, hopefully, with potential to grow if things work out well. The blogs will be free to the public, but I'm hoping through a variety of methods to use them to generate money, hopefully in time at least enough to pay for my time, sort of like a part-time job of sorts.
On 1 blog I hope to discuss ways to cut expenses and live well for less, based on some of the many things I learned during my period of unemployment (and continue to learn even now). On the 2nd, I'm thinking about starting a blog to discuss the things I've learned about menopause and about HRT. I see this latter topic as an open ended one, as we are really only on the forefront of HRT and information on the science of menopause and how best to treat it. I believe (and hope) there is a need out there for information on both of these topics. With the economy as it is, there must be many out there who could benefit from information on specific ways to cut expenses and save money.
As to menopause, as I've stated before (albeit on my other thread), I continue to believe this is a giant black hole within our society, one of the very few topics STILL shrouded in mystery, disinformation, & silence even now as we make our way into the 21st century. It's information that will be needed by some 50-60% of our society at some point in their lives and w/o which I suspect many like me will wander aimlessly about trying helplessly to figure things out on their own. It's a topic I would like to bring out of the back of some dusty closet and encourage women to embrace and discuss freely. Everyone needs a dream. Right?
I had been planning to tell you about my blog project(s) on my other thread, but it seems to fit in here given the question about what's going on with me. With respect to the raccoons, I think I will always tend to move back and forth between periods of high volume and of low, periods when I have lots to say and others when I just can't seem to find my voice. I have those intervals, you know. Times when words just seem to flow effortlessly off my keyboard and other times when I am not in the mood to talk and stumble mightily just to try to form intelligible sentences. When I try to force myself to write during those latter times, the result really isn't good at all. I read it back and thing, "Yep, I really should have done something else that day."
Pain-wise, I'm happy to report that I'm doing fine again. I have no idea what prompted that period of high pain not too long ago, but, thankfully, things seem to have returned to 'normal' now, and by that I mean the new, mostly pain-free normal I've come to enjoy. I still have my fairly infrequent aches and pains, but all in all things are going well.
Amanda,
I can't recall if I ever responded to your post about what you are studying (and your plans), and I'm too lazy to look back for the info. Just wanted to say that I'm happy for you - and, yes, envious, too. I can understand the desire, after decades in a high stress career, to make a change to something more laid back and something you truly love. Your intense love of animals is obvious, and I'm glad you will be able to focus your career on something relating to them - happy for you & the animals. Wow. A ranch in Montana sounds so romantic.
On a separate but not completely unrelated note, how is the goat doing? Do you still see and interact with him? I keep wanting to ask you about this but only seem to think of it when I'm away from the laptop.
Greetings all, and most of all Cheryl. ;)
Like you I've been keeping a low profile. Funny you should ask. I had my nose broken slightly but not noticeably by the goat last week. The day before that we were horsing around and while running down the hill in the neighbors yard with him I tripped and rolled, unhurt just horsing around, when it occurred to me that I might be trampled by the goat who must weigh the better part of 200-250 lbs. :D
So. I really ought to be more cautious. But I'd let him sleep in my bed if he were mine. Haha.
The giant Oscar fish that court rescued from a client last fall died yesterday morning, and I was crushed. Have spent hundreds of dollars and thousands of hours trying to make him right, but the odds were always stacked against us I suppose.
Have had more baby squirrels delivered to me by neighbors, more calls about wayward stray dogs, only two monarch sightings, car is back in the shop, and the tomAto hornworm I was rearing finally hatched out some wasp larvae. Made me sad. So we will take care of him, bury the fish an fix the car......
Glad to hear that you have found some cadence with the kits. Th image of their forlorn toy sitting on the door mat tugs at the heart strings. We are a sappy bunch. I am so happy you are here to entertain us.
As to your blog ideas, everybody's doin it! I agree about the HRT and m-pause subject. I am only learning about peri M pause, but th information is scattered about and not comprehensive. Since my mom croaked I have no one but you to ask. ;)
Keep us posted when you can. :)
This message was edited Sep 25, 2013 10:10 PM
Amanda,
Have you ever thought of becoming a wildlife rehabber? It sounds like you would be well suited to the avocation. Someday, when time & circumstance allow, I think I would like to rehab raccoons, especially since I already have some experience dealing with them.
I'm so sorry about Oscar. I completely understand your sorrow. I once found a hummingbird that was clearly in the throws of some kind of health emergency. I took it inside where set about frantically trying to locate a rehabber in my area who might be able to help the bird. I so desperately wanted the little 'guy' to make it. While juggling the phone in search of a rehabber, I quickly made some 'nectar', so I could offer it food. Hummers have to fill their stomach every 15 min to avoid starvation, and I wanted to rule out that possible problem.
Within about 20min I located a qualified rehabber who said she would take the bird if it survived the night. She said this because, from my description of the situation she was fairly sure the bird was already dying. She was right. It died in my hand while I was on the phone with her, drawing it's last breath before she could even finish the sentence in which she agreed to take it. Upon realizing the bird had died, it was all I could do to tell her so and hang up the phone. For the next 30min or so, I cried like a baby. I had only 'known' the bird for < an hour, and I knew how 'crazy' it was that I should be so torn up at its demise. Yet I was. But I'm guessing this is something you can understand.
As to your concern about the risk of being trampled by the goat, although it is not impossible, such an outcome is exceedingly unlikely. An animal, especially one that is running, will only step on you in the unlikely event that it has absolutely no other choice. This is not out of any sort of altruism on the animal's part but rather due to its own survival instinct and desire to avoid harming itself. Just as you and I step over & around items on the floor or ground, an animal will avoid stepping on anything other than solid ground. Doing so just makes sense, because in the wild an animal with a broken or severely injured leg is a dead animal. Most horses will adamantly refuse even to step on the colored lines on a highway.
In my youth, between romping bareback around pastures, jumping, and so on, I believe I must have fallen off a horse in every conceivable manner, yet never once did I come into contact with a hoof or even a leg. It used to really scare me to see how dogs always ran with us on trails, positioning themselves up under the horses' side where it seemed they would surely be trampled, but they were never harmed either. When you think of all of the people out there falling from and under horses all around the world, falling from jumpers, from racers, from barel-racers, and even from bucking broncs and bulls, you have to see that incredibly few are trampled.
Bottom line, there is no 100% guarantee the goat won't step on you, but it is extremely unlikely. The best advice if you do fall around him is to go limp and trust him to step over or around you.
Ha ha ah a - I LOVE that you are giving me anti-trampling advice. :D
THANKS! Made my day. Will keep that in mind and continue to "horse" around.
Yes, we (Court and I both) have considered the wildlife certification, but the truth is that we are not "stable" insofar as we don't own the house we live in and have way too many critters of our own to care for without crazy people like you and me calling at all hours with emergencies like the one you describe with the hummer.
Yes, the crushing feeling of loss by the extinguished life spark from anything, sometimes even a plant, is something I'm all too familiar with. I wonder sometimes how I could possibly cry another tear, but like Sisyphus, I am cursed to repeat this action forever. After I left my law practice, I considered a run at veterinary school. I was urged on by peers at NCSU vet school, but I knew the emotional toll would be great, and I don't want to live out my days as a caretaker, having done my share of that with the humans in my life.
Getting ready to raise the Titanic (Oscar) and plant him among my roses. I will find some comfort knowing his life will not have been in vain as I understand roses enjoy fish emulsion.
Have a wonderful day. I hope to hear more of the kits (and you!) soon.
A.
p.s. Rita is well. Snoopy is "almost normal" according to her most recent bloodwork. shrug. Just keep your head down and keep pushing forward!
I would not be able to do animal rehab as long as I live in this particular house/location. Neither HOA nor city rules would not allow it. Among other things, I already have 3 of the 2 pets I'm legally allowed. (Even Rita would not be allowed here under a strict reading of city ordinance, a fact I find particularly laughable considering we have alligators running freely about the neighborhood and even, in some cases, lounging on people's patios.)
HA! For years we have been in violation of some city ordinance or other. As I used to tell my clients, the only way you get busted or the law is enforced is if one of your neighbors has a beef with you and reports you.
Ack. All the more reason to move to a ranch in Montana. ;)
Hi Cheryl,
I hope you are ok and also the back yard bunch. Can't help but think that the daylight to dark changes have affected schedules and then also hoping that they haven't stormed you in the kitchen, holding you hostage for lack of the much coveted vanilla waffers.
I am concerned about those fearless raccoon kits growing and truly becoming a danger to you. Whatever is going on, know that we your faithful followers and friends are concerned , missing you and praying for the best.
Sheri
Praying for you Cheryl. Hope you are OK.
please write something !. Would love to hear about your baby soft skin again! Wish mine was.
Sheri
ROTFLOL, Sheri
Sorry. I've been a bit 'down in the dumps', so to speak. But I could not help but laugh at your comment RE the soft skin thing. That was something I posted a while back on my OT thread. It's just another 'side-effect' of the HRT. I guess I'm getting used to it now, but a few times there I was just so completely amazed at how incredibly soft & silky my skin felt after being on the hormones for a while - especially by comparison to the dry, flaky, & 'creepy' skin I had acquired during perimenopause. Anyhow, couldn't help but laugh when I read your post.
I'm ok. Just a bit blue. Nothing too serious. Nothing to worry about. Happens to everyone now & then, I imagine. Every 'body' here is fine - and by 'body' I'm including the furry ones.
Lately, I've been having some difficulty meeting up with Desi & the kids on any kind of regular basis. Can't seem to get a read on their schedule these days. I think you are right that it has to do with the shortening of days. They used to arrive either just before or just after sundown, but that is no longer the case. Sundown used to occur around 9PM or so. Now it is getting dark a couple hours earlier. Guess they are not so hungry and/or eager to get out of 'bed' at the new time.
A few nights I made an embarrassing number of trips to the door to check for them but to no avail. I knew they were still coming around though, because they were eating the food I left for them. I was starting to wonder about things like whether they were all still together and whether they would still be as comfortable around me.
Finally, a couple nights ago I finally saw them. I was in the kitchen cooking at the time. I was cooking something a bit work-intensive, & that kept me in the kitchen for a while, long enough to be there when the raccoons finally showed up. Unfortunately, I was at a critical point in the food prep process such that I could not stop to hang out with them. I looked up from my work to see Desi standing at the door watching me.
I made a quick dash outside to take them some food. A little while later I looked up again to see one of the kits standing upright against the patio door. I made a 2nd quick dash out to check on them & refill their food - and to lightly spritz the raccoon that was climbing the door. The latter quickly got down and stood there looking a bit perplexed for a minute or two, as he/she tasted the extremely dilute vinegar water mix on his/her fur and wondered why I had done that. Later, by the time I had a minute to spare, they were gone.
Simply by accident, the very next night I saw them again under very similar circumstances. Once again I was in the kitchen cooking when they showed up. That night I was also busy but had a few minutes more to spare with them. I spent a few minutes outside with them - and squeezed one of the kits just to see if I still could. ;-)
The kits are considerably larger now, about the size of a football with legs, tail, and head added. I can no longer get my hand around them like I used to. I had to just gently 'squeeze' the one kit's back. Incredibly, the kits was just as nonplussed as ever.
Unfortunately, being busy and preoccupied as I was on both nights, I forgot to check the time to see exactly when they were stopping by. I do know that it was considerably after dark, I'm guessing as much as 2hrs, so closer to the time when sundown used to occur, the time they had been arriving all along. But, again, although I have a general idea as to when they came by, I don't know the 'exact' time to meet up with them again. In fact, the very next night (3rd night) I was again in the kitchen cooking an hour or so after dark, but on that night despite frequent checks of the door, I never managed to catch up with them.
Oh, one last thing. Almost forgot to mention. The kit hasn't climbed the door since I spritzed him/her, but before that he/she was about 1/2 way up the door every time I got there to open it. Each time I opened the door that one would drop to the floor inside the kitchen but would always go back out with me as I stepped out the door. I got so accustomed to this scenario that I stopped even worrying about it. I would just open the door and let her plot down on the kitchen floor, confident that she would follow me (and the food) right back out anyhow.
That's about it for now. Thanks for thinking of me.
Thank you for writing. It is going to be very interesting to learn this new gang's habits. One thing we know for sure is that they all have some Heidi genes and that's a good thing.
I have been battling the blues too lately It has to be the decrease in daylight plus any personal issues we each may carry
I got one of those daylight lamps and hope it will prove beneficial for me. I get way scary unsafe down sometimes. I call someone, pray or listen to some of the taped teachings from my church,
The Bridge in Kernersville, NC. That's some good mood meds for me at least.
Of course I care about you. You are one of my very special friends. Just because we've not met face to face makes no difference. I count you as one of my besties!
Big hug,
Sheri
Hey Sheri and Cheryl... I purchased on of those Sun lamps for a neighbor who is disabled. Got it for a steal on eBay. Court would have liked to keep it because he also suffers the seasonal affective disorder.
The sun was very nice today and lifted my spirits considerably. Hope you all enjoyed the day.
Sheri & Amanda,
Thanks to both of you. You know, I think you may be on to something. For some time now, I have noticed a definite difference in my mood & energy on sunny vs cloudy days. In fact, natural sunlight has such a profound effect on my mood that it even influenced my choice of houses over a decade ago when I bought this one primarily for the large number and size of windows, almost wall to wall, ceiling to floor windows throughout much of the house, and for the huge qty of natural light the windows admit. I even refuse to use 'sheers' (sheer curtains), because I don't want to loose even one photon of available sunlight. (I do have blinds and shutters on those windows which pose a privacy issue, including all those on the front of the house.) There were other houses on my short list, houses I actually liked better than this one, but this one won out just because of all of the sunlight; that's just how important sunlight is to my happiness.
Several years ago I came very close to buying one of those light devices - and I've considered it a time or two since then. I just wasn't sure if one purchased OTC (not medical or prescription grade) would actually be effective. Amanda, did you (or your DH) actually try the one you bought for the neighbor? If so, was there a noticeable effect? With sunlight, I find the effect so immediately noticeable that I can feel my mood brighten instantly when the sun comes out suddenly on what was a cloudy, overcast day.
One reason I think your assessment of the problem may be spot on is that we almost never have sunshine anymore. I think I probably mentioned it before. From early June 2013 through some time in late Sept or early Oct it actually rained here every single day! They even discussed the issue on CNN. Some kind of pressure system was hanging over us, causing this totally unprecedented period of non-stop rain. It rained day and night most of the time during that period, and we practically never saw the sun.
Since early October, it no longer rains every single day, but it still rains a lot, and, worst of all, it is dark, dreary, and overcast pretty much all of the time, whether it rains or not. Every morning, same thing - dark and dreary. It's so dreary here, every day, that 9AM looks like dusk. Several mornings I've overslept just because it was so dark out that I was sure the sun was barely coming up, so I turned over to get a few more winks. That has happened so many times in the past months that I've learned to check the actual time rather than trust the darkness as an indicator.
It has like this, dark, dreary, an overcast, pretty much every day since early June (and this is NOT our normal weather, btw). I've gotten so accustomed now to this dreary weather. I guess I've stopped noticing it on a conscious level, even though I'm sure it still effects my mood. Until you guys mentioned it, I hadn't even considered that all these endless months of gloomy weather may be a contributing factor in my equally gloomy mood. I'm glad you brought this to my attention. Now when I'm feeling down, I remind myself that it's probably just the light, or lack thereof. That actually does help.
Hopefully, this horrible, gloomy, sunless weather will eventually end, but CNN says they don't see any indication of a change anywhere in sight.
Sheri,
Special thanks for your kind & supportive words. I'm sorry to hear that you also have the blues some days but glad to know that you have an effective outlet to turn to at such time. My blues haven't been the super severe kind, just the kind where I often lack motivation to do stuff, especially to write or communicate. I don't just vegetate though. Often I clean the house, do yard work, or cook, the kind of work that occupies the body but leaves the mind free.
Thanks again for caring.
I think we are turning into Seattle Lite. Don't they typically have this kind of weather where it rains almost all of the time, and is overcast even on non-rainy days?
Seriously, this weather we are having in Charleston (since early summer) is quite unlike anything I've ever known. It's the kind of thing you probably need to experience to truly realize its effects. I'm thinking this would likely give almost anyone a blue moment or two.
Btw, I did see the raccoons again the other night. They were under my bedroom window making noise. Not a lot of noise, just little sounds now and then but sounds that I recognized as differing from the norm. So I went to the patio door to feed them. I'm guessing they knew I was in the bed just a few feet from that window. I also figure they gathered there under the bedroom window and made little noises on purpose, to let me know they were here.
The kits are growing like weeds. I guess they really aren't even kits anymore. They are almost as big as their mom now, so much so that I have to look carefully to pick her out from the group now.
That night I had some time, so I sat out on the patio with them while they ate. I gave them kibble plus the scorched bottoms from The Great Dinner Roll Fiasco of 2013. The kits gathered around at my knee and side. One kit kept grabbing my pants leg in both hands and tugging in a manner that reminded me of a small child tugging at the hem of its mom's dress. It took me a while, but I finally realized what all that pants-tugging was about. The kit wanted COOKIES!!! Unfortunately, I didn't have any cookies or other sweets to offer him/her at the time. The tugging thing was adorable though. She wasn't rough or annoying about it. Just tugging gently every few minutes.