Heidi: The New Family 07

This thread is a continuation of a group of threads the last one of which can be found here: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/714871/

This is the story of Heidi. Heidi is a female raccoon whose summer home is in the forest behind my house. In spring she comes here to raise her babies where she knows she can always raid the bird feeder if necessary. In early Spring 06 she came down my back fence in daylight and pretty much refused to leave. At 1st I was afraid of her but in time she "tamed" me and we became friends. Last year I helped her feed her babies, and she allowed me the incredible opportunity to spend time with them and watch them grow and play and learn.

She is back now and today is her official due date as calculated by spartacusaby (our virtual resident raccoon rehabber). We are all waiting on pins and needles...

Yes we are. "Aunt" Karen

Today I opened the window so that I could keep an eye on the feeder just in case Heidi showed up for a snack. I was hoping I might at least be able to determine if she was still pregnant.

What I found made me question my earlier assertion that she had been raiding the feeder the past few days. A squirrel soon showed up to raid the feeder. It is squirrel proof but after enough raccoon abuse it becomes far more squirrel friendly. Seeing the squirrel eating from the feeder and tossing a bunch of seed on the ground, I went out and adjusted the tension so as to end his meal.

A few minutes later and for most of the afternoon the feeder became the center of a feast the likes of which I could not have imagined. Through the window I counted 3 cardinal couples, 2 HUGE blue jays, a large crow, and an assortment of tufted titmice, carolina wrens, and chickadees ALL trying to share the feeder at once. They were lined up in the crepe myrtle by the feeder, on the ground, on the sheperd's hook, on plant trellises, etc and there activities reminded me of airplanes circling a busy airport waiting to land. This unprecedented feeding frenzy continued unabated for most of the day.

Between the squirrels (who I didn't realize where able to eat from the feeder) and the bird activity, esp so many large birds, I began to wonder if they alone might have been able to consume the "missing" seed.

Karen, ROTFLMAO!

Just before sunset I was busy with something. I rushed to get through so that I could go out and check on Heidi. By the time I was ready to go out, I could still see out but it was definitely starting to get darkish (dusk). I grabbed some dog food, stuffed my pockets with dog biscuits, filled a small container with kitten food and a handful of blackberries and headed out to wait for Heidi.

I didn't have to wait long as she leaped from the fence and came running to meet me when I rounded the corner. She seemed hungry and happy to see me but otherwise looked quite healthy. I was incredibly glad to see her, too.

She ran right up to me. I wasn't afraid of her. As I bent down to put the food on the ground for her she was only about a foot from my hand and was clearly eager to start eating. I put the blackberries down 1st. I had carried them (loose) on top of the dog food and wanted to take them out gently. Heidi sniffed a blackberry and, with a look that said that was not what she came for, walked past the blackberries and closer to me. She could smell the dog food. She knew I had the right stuff; I just wasn't putting it down fast enough. As I reached to put down more food, she was inches from my hand. She moved back a little as she saw my hand coming toward her but otherwise seemed pretty comfortable with me, and in the next instant moved forward again to start eating the dog food. I was amazed at how comfortable she seemed with me - at least, that is, when she was hungry.

As I sat down to watch her, I tried to discern if she was or wasn't still pregnant. And, Folks, I don't know the answer! She did not seem as "bloated" and puffy as before but she also didn't seem as "flat" at I had expected. I had expected to see skin hanging off a thin frame. I didn't see that. She was still largish, but her back was more of a normal size. She was no longer round, no longer a ball with legs and head. Still she wasn't thin. I was confused. She seemed healthier, happier, brighter. She moved more easily and did not cough or grumble.

She seemed to have some bulk down around the bellie area. I wondered if she had actually given birth already or if the kits had "dropped" to a lower postition in preparation for birth.

While I was trying to figure it all out, I tossed her some of the kitten food but in a different spot to the side so that I could see which she preferred. She quite definitely preferred the kitten food even though the tiny pieces were difficult to find in the grass.

About that moment when she and I were enjoying a nice visit and when I thought for sure I had more time to figure out the answer to the question of the day, the small children next door came into their backyard screaming, their voices loud and shrill. I tried to tell Heidi it was ok, and she tried to believe me, and if the children had stopped shouting it might have worked. Unfortunately, the kids were only getting started as they continued to get louder and louder over the next few minutes. Finally, Heidi bolted for the fence and was gone.

A few minutes later the kids were gone again, but Heidi did not return as usual. I put the dog food in her bowl and set the container of kitten food beside it. I called to her repeatedly, but to no avail. I even went back to the house and turned off the outside lights so that she would feel less exposed, but during the 1/2hr or so that I waited she did not return.

Something was very different it seemed. Unless she had eaten enough to quell her hunger, Heidi always came back after the frightening thing was gone, but not tonight. Moreover, by this time it was totally dark out, and still there was no sign of any of the others. No trees jiggling, no leaves cracking underfoot, no Fraidy on top of the fence, no Juliet coming down to eat from the other dish, no HRH or Trouble sneaking around the perimiter of the vegetable garden. There was only darkness, stillness, silence, only me and my food alone in the night.

Seeing little alternative, after a while I came back inside. At least I knew that she was ok, and that she really trusted me quite a bit, enough to come within inches of my moving hands even as I was standing and bending down towards her. I would have to wait for another day for the answer I sought.

Heidi! You are such a tease, lol. Shaaaame on you for making all your "aunties" fret.

mg

Darn. My raccoons are being weird, too, in the way that they are coming to eat a little dog food and then they want SEEDS. They are craving seeds. They will eat the bird seed off the ground, and eat the seeds out of a large bowl I keep seed in for the squirrels/chippies. Tonight watching the cam, several of them took turns at chowing down at the seed bowl. Then they either left or went back to the dog food. Others scrounging seed off the ground where I throw out for the ground eating birds. Any idea why this sudden interest in the seeds over the other food? Stubbie is back from last year. Now we can't tell IF he is a rotund he or a pregnant she. I guess we wait and see. Karen

LOL, mg, you tell her!

Higher fat content?

I wonder if they would eat suet?

mg

Karen -- If it's sunflower seed, they really love sf seed. Sometimes Heidi and the gang still want some sf seeds even with all the other things I give them, and last summer the kids would often sneak over to the feeder for a snack of sf seeds even while I was out there feeding them dog biscuits and such. Realizing how much they like the stuff, sometimes I put a scoop of sf seeds in with their dog food.

Maybe you are just seeing this behavior now because they are becoming more comfortable around you and more willing to come near the house to "steal" the seeds.

As I mentioned before, I have definitely noticed that instead of eating a bunch of 1 thing, they like to eat a variety of things so it doesn't surprise me that after eating dogfood for a while they would wander over to try out the seeds.

As for Stumpie, I doubt they get too fat in the wild so if he has only recently returned, I think he's pregnant. ;-)

mg, I can answer that one. Yes. I have not been able to feed the birds suet for years. Heidi has carried off countless suet feeders. You know, the metal cages that hang from a limb. She has a cache of them in the forest somewhere. This spring I bought a huge suet feeder, a 12-14"D wire cage around a smaller wire cage designed to keep squirrels and large birds out. Given its size I thought it was safe, so I left it on the patio table one night while waiting for the poles I'd ordered to arrive. The next morning it was gone, not a clue remained anywhere in the yard.

So, yes, they love suet.

Another thing I've noticed and meant to mention is that when they start wandering about in search of something different to eat, they aren't starving. When they 1st come in from the "wild" they scarf down anything in sight and don't leave perfectly good food lying around to look for other food. After we spoil them a bit and they are no longer so very hungry, they start looking around for other "flavors".

Now what could she be doing with her cache?

Innerspring mattress?
medieval baby bjorns?
sculpture titled "can't cage me so she cages my food"?


hmmmmm......

Suet's a hit huh? Wonder if you could make suet/peanut butter balls for them too? Must be a reason they suddenly crave higher fat foods?

mg

Hmm. Well, now that's an interesting idea: suet/pb balls.

Suet cages are just part of Heidi's stash. She also has carried of 3 or 4 thistle sleeves, a couple of hummingbird feeders (because nectar is also a big hit), a few corn holders (squirrels), a bungee feeder for the squirrels, at least 2 of the dog's stuffed animals, a peanut butter feeder, and a couple of small bird feeders among other things long forgotten. I figure a few hundred years from now archeologists of the future will be digging up her cache and trying to make sense of that pile of stuff, wondering why "we" would make such an odd collection.

BTW, I'm starting to think that Heidi is enjoying the limelight and the drama. I think she came out in her baggy clothes just to keep us guessing a little bit longer.

Mg, the base for most feeder suet is beef tallow, so the appeal probably lies in the taste as much as the fat. Love the concept of medieval baby bjorns...

Cheryl, your description of Heidi's appearance and behavior makes me think the babies might have arrived. She would be more sensitive to any possible threat (noisy neighbor children) if she had kits to get back to. Animals don't immediately "deflate" in appearance after delivery; sometimes takes a few days. And the lowest four of eight nipples carry the major milk supply, so that could explain apparent thickness below the waist. The fact that she seemed more physically comfortable and in a better humor is also suggestive. Time will tell, but the signs are looking good....

What a shopping spree: there'll be good eating at Scutler's Diner! The kitten and cat food was an excellent idea for increased protein and calcium, and I'm not surprised she loved it.

mg -- I like the mattress - very creative. (I don't know what a bjorn is. I even looked it up on google, wikipedia, and websters to no avail.)

Ruth -- You know what keeps coming to my mind? That recent photo of her "stradling" the babies while standing in a tripod position. I can't imagine looking at that and saying, "I'm not sure." So, if I'm not sure now...

It seemed like she was heavy in the entire horizontal plane below her natural body (as opposed to below the waist). Before, her sides stuck out the width of another 1/2 raccoon on each side such that you couldn't see her back. Now her back looks roughly normal width, and (for lack of a better description) it looks like 1 of those 1/2 raccoons dropped down and is hanging below her - so maybe that's the milk.

I'm inclined to think she has had them. She looked great. I can't qualify the remark. She just looked healthy and, well, she "sparkled".

I'm starting to think that she has run the others away. For the sake of Heidi and the babies, I'm glad they are gone (if they are), but, honestly, I miss them. I was really starting to like Fraidy once she opened up a bit.

I think you might have recommended the cat food a long time ago, and it just popped up in my head again recently. It has almost 2x the protein of the Jim Dandy. It was obvious she liked the kitten food because she was having difficulty getting the tiny pieces out of the grass but still chose it over the dog food. I left the rest in a container by her bowl so she wouldn't have so much trouble with it.

A while ago I went back out there to check. The neighbors had turned the outside lights off, so I think Heidi may have returned for the food. I couldn't see her dish over there in the dark but most of the food was gone from the dish at station 1.

It was very nice to see her again, and nice to see that she trusts me.

Even if she has run the others off (which seems likely), they will inevitably pop in from time to time: hope springs eternal and all that. Cats have a much higher protein requirement than dogs, and kittens even more so; so that's a great way to give her nutrient-dense food when she can't spare much time away from the kids. The pieces of kibble are small, though; must be a bear to root them out of the grass! Your descriptions are making me pretty sure she's a new mom: hurray!

So you think she had them on the 18th or the 19th? Doesn't really matter. It's neat being a new Aunt. I wonder how many nieces and nephews we have? Good thought for the cat/kitten food. Yogurt would be good, too. She needs lots of fluids, so make sure the water bins are filled up. Occasionally I had a bitch who didn't want to drink water. I ended up giving her (not low fat) frozen yogurt, which she inhaled, and goats milk that I had bought in case I needed it for the pups. Vet said any way to get fluids in. Eventually she went back to water. New mothers. You say she has the GLOW, so it sounds like she's a new mom. Excitedly, Aunt Karen

I don't know what a "bjorn" is either, except a tennis player Karen

>>don't know what a "bjorn" is either

I always thought it was one of those "baby carriers" that strap on and you carry the baby on your chest.


yup... guess i was correct
http://www.babybjorn.com/TemplatesWeb/ProductInfo.asp?itemid=24

i used one of these with my kids

Karen -- I didn't want to take out any food that might spoil (like yogurt) since she hadn't shown up the last few days. I've been doing a much better job of keeping the water clean and filled back there in the feeding area since I became aware of the situtation. She had plenty of wate, but thanks for reminding me.

Terese -- Oh, thanks for clearing that up for me. I saw that web site but since they were also selling other items, I didn't "get" that the chest carrier was the bjorn. Actually, I was starting to think a bjorn was a baby store (LOL) - BabiesRUs would qualify per my new [mis]understanding.

Ok, NOW that I understand the meaning of bjorn, suet cages as midievel baby bjorns IS quite creative! Love it!

Quick bit of raccoon related humor:

Saturday morning at 4AM I was awakened by my little dog Widget. As I was sleep walking through the house in a semi-coma on my way to the back door to let him out, I was jolted to a [slightly] higher level of counsciousness by the sight of a large, filled and tied kitchen trash bag oddly sitting in the walkway between the great room and the kitchen. I sat on the bench beside the back door waiting for the dog to return and trying to make some kind of sense of that trash bag.

I was still really groggy, and I struggled mightily to think - which made the misplaced bag all the more confusing to me. Still, I could think of no logical reason for it to be there. Not only could I not recall putting it there, but there was simply no reason why I would have left it there or even carried it through there and left it by mistake. Yet this was quite the mystery because no one else was around and there it was - the bag in the walkway where it certainly had not been the day before.

In an effort to resolve this perplexing situation, I started a mental rundown of possibilities for how it got moved. Clearly something had to have moved it. From time to time I battle rats outside where they are attracted to the birdseed. I have never seen any evidence whatsoever of rats inside, however, but am always concerned that they may eventually eat their way through and get inside. In my sleepy haze, I actually considered for a moment whether a rat could have pulled a full large kitchen trash bag all the way across the kitchen (where I had left it by mistake on Friday when I was supposed to be taking it out) and out into the hallway. I made a mental image of this and determined that would have to be one scarey super rat. (and, of course, they usually eat where they are.)

If not a rat, what? It was the eve of Heidi's B-day. OMG, had she somehow gotten into the attic, deposited her new kits up there somewhere and, coming down to the kitchen to look for food, pulled the bag across the room?! There I was for one terrifying moment, 3/4ths of my brain still doing business with the sandman, trying to process all this new information on very slim mental resources, and suddenly faced with the idea that a raccoon might now be trapped in my house. Ahhhh! I was tempted to run outside with the dog - even in my nightie.

Finally, a few more cylinders kicked in, and with a mixture of frustration and humor I realized that my 9" tall, 4.5lb Maltese dog, who STILL doesn't understand that rules do apply to him, had during that brief interval while he was alone in the kitchen before bed on Friday night decided that the contents of the trash bag would make interesting food and/or chew toys; so, because he prefers to take everything to his comfy puff-ball bed in the corner of the great room, he had dragged it all the way across the kitchen, through the doorway, and out into the brief hall where it had apparently become entangled with furniture forcing him to abandon it when he heard me calling him from the bedroom. (Suddenly, I recalled that he had not responded the 1st "n" times I'd called him the night before. Then he had finally come running into the bedroom with that happy, energetic, angelic look.)

Any new happenings with the kids tonight? Karen

http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=5167392441828M201430548Y&product_id=

And just how do you know how many and what there gender is?

I think my leg is being pulled.

Hi, George! No joke, they really are here. That's why I put the ...and... on the end - because I figure it's a given that there's probably at least 1 boy and most likely more girls than boys, so 2 girls plus an unknown or 2.

This afternoon I ran the string trimmer in the back garden right up until almost dark. Then I went inside to get the food and ran out to the feeding area. I didn't expect Heidi to show up because of the loud noise from the trimmer, but incredibly she was waiting for me despite the string trimmer.

Tonight I could tell for sure that she had already given birth. She's still not thin but seems to have gone down just a little bit more - still has the extra weight hanging below her natural body, milk I figure. Now she can climb down the fence post again; I didn't pay attention to how she came down yesterday.

She seemed pretty calm, ate a lot, was still eating when I left. She did not eat fast like she was doing in the last video. (I gave her a 1:1:1 mix of kitten food, dog food, and sunflower seeds with a side of plain yogurt.)

HRH made a cameo appearance tonight during which he ate a handful of dogfood from the other dish before Heidi sent him on his way. Maybe he's the dad and came to see the new arrivals. From Heidi's reaction, I don't think he's going to be getting visitation rights anytime soon.

That's about it for tonight, except that Heidi drank plenty of water (stopped 3 times to drink while I was there) and right now she is understandably all business. She has to eat and get back to those little bundles of joy.

Congrats, everyone!

Hi, Karen! I don't think we have to worry about hydration. Heidi is drinking like a sailor. And she made it through the delivery like the old pro she is. Yay!

Ruth -- just wanted to say that you sure were right on target with that due date, better odds than most ob's!

CONGRATULATIONS GRAMMA CHERYL and all us aunts and uncles. Glad she made it through healthy. Good she's eating and drinking well. So when do we expect to see the little ones? How many weeks until she allows them out and about? I read they nurse for 14 weeks, but she will take them out a little before then. I'll have to check the books again. Wonder why HRH is sticking around. Good girl--she sent him packing. Karen

Love the card: what a cute idea, Cheryl! I wouldn't expect to see the kids until they are at least two- and probably closer to three - months old. Right now they are blind, deaf, helpless, and totally adorable. I'm trying to remember your descriptions of the kids when you first saw them last year. As I recall, they sounded pretty well-coordinated physically, which would mean at least three months old. [Like young kittens and puppies, they are pretty klutzy and do a lot of falling over their own feet for the first couple months: not good for negotiating trees and fences.] That will put us in late July, or more likely August: lots of time to anticipate and work on keeping Heidi well-fed and safe. With the incredible prenatal diet she's had all through this pregnancy, these have to be the healthiest raccoon kits to hit the forest in a long time! Again, congratulations and thanks for all you and Karen are doing for the wild ones.

Thanks, Ruth : )
(Smiling at the idea of very healthy kits)
And thanks to you for serving as advisor!

Looks like Heidi 1st appeared on May 17 last year. We suspect that she was nursing the kits at that time. We don't know how old they were but suspect they were pretty young. Here is where I 1st saw them on Jul 9 (prior to this time I didn't know for sure that they existed) - Post #2491751: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/603944/

Edited to add: Here's the link to the exact post where I 1st saw the kits last summer: http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=2491751

This message was edited May 21, 2007 1:56 AM

Cheryl,

wow... very awesome!! Congrats to Heidi and can't wait for the kits to show up.

Terese

ps -- ever wonder who that lil one was hanging up side down that first day you saw them? Trouble maybe?
pss -- get a new/fixed camera yet ;-)

Oh we have babies! I am so happy to hear there was a safe arrival, I know you were concerned. Heidi sure sounds like an awesome mom.

As you said, these have to be some healthy plump little kits! I think you need a "peep hole" in that fence so you can see the other side! LOL

Congrats on a job well done by you, Mother Nature is so proud of your help also!

Debbie

I am thinking that maybe my coons that are soooo seed-hungry are lactating moms. They just seem sooo hungry and thirsty. Last night they drank their water dry (holds a gallon) and my small bird bath, also. Just hard to tell. Only one looks fat (Stubby). I guess we'll all know come August. Are you naming these babies yet, or will you wait till you see them? Have any of the others-Fraidy or Trouble-been back since the birth?? Karen

I am so excited! We have furbabies! From what you have described, perhaps now that she has had her kits Heidi will be feeling better and not have that horrible cough any more. Thanks to all of your wonderful care there is another happy racoon family this year...as well as happy human "uncles and aunties" :^)

Yayyy!!! That's wonderful news! :-) Thanks for the cute card, too.

Hooray!! Babies!! Thanks for all the pleasure these threads bring to me and everyone else here

Yep. Cute little coonies and now babies. Karen

Uggg, no update since Sunday? I'm dying here.....

teehee -- I know you have a life outside of Daves and the 'Coons....
just eagerly waiting more news.

Sorry, guys. News at 11 (tonight)

BTW, just a tid bit, I learned something new that raccoons LOVE: sardines. When I was listing the stuff I bought recently, I think I left the can of sardines (in olive oil) off the list. Last night I put the the chicken carcass (torn into sections) out and dumped the sardines into the side of the container. Heidi wasn't there at the time, but the one that was (didn't recognize who in the dark) went directly to the chicken (passed dog food, kitten food, and watermelon on the way). He reached in to the side of the container, pulled out a sardine, and ran off to one side to eat it, all the while looking as though he had just found a treasure chest and was hoping to keep it a secret. He returned to search for the remaining sardines, even lifting the chicken parts to look under them. Then he lapped up all of the sardine oil before finally grabbing a section of chicken carcas which he took back over the fence with him.

I will definitely have to invest in more sardines. That went over quite well. The look on his face said it all. It was like, "Wow! I can't BELIEVE my luck!"

I'll have to remember that one. One thing I found out they DON'T like is Spanish Olives. Kent (my DH) got a get well basket some time ago when his shoulder was replaced and in it was a can of Spanish Olives, well we didn't like them, and guess what?? The raccoons didn't either. I found whole ones, ones with bites out and thrown away, all scattered all over the place--obviously thrown out of the food they wanted to eat. They apparently did like seafood chowder, however. I bought it without reading the label, only to find out when I got home was the only sea food in it was whiting (fake crab). So I defrosted it, took it out in a container and ladeled it onto their food. No sign of it the next day. Dish licked clean. I think they like the seafood stuff. However, they also ate several other things from the gift basket--some type of sausage and some hot pepper cheese (surprised me). It's amazing now that we hardly ever throw away any food garbage anymore. Waiting for news at 11. :-) Karen