Heidi: The New Family 07

Karen -- I don't think they like anything acetic. Aren't those olives in a vinegar solution? BTW, I read they really, really don't like anything citrus either; so I never offer the citrus stuff.

Terese -- Wow, we had the same thought. I do wonder sometimes which of the kits that was, and Trouble always comes to mind; but I really don't know. One thing I did notice though in reading it back; in the narrative I mention 4 kits, but there really were 5. Even way back then, Fraidy did not accompany them on the outing to learn bird feeder raiding skills. It was a long time before I even learned of her existance. Sad, but I happy that she made it, and now she comes into the yard.

Now about that camera thing, I'm thinking you guys don't know me very well yet. Ruth said I had a few months; so that means I don't have to buy a camera until 1 month 29 days. LOL. You might think I'm kidding, but here's an example. Years ago I was headed to my grandmother's house for a family meal. I had decided that it was rude of me to always arrive late. I was determined to make it on time so others wouldn't have to wait for me. I broke the speed limit, ran down little old ladied, small children, and women with baby carriages, and pulled into the drive on 2 wheels. The meal was scheduled for noon. It was 12:05. Not bad. Then I looked around and saw that I was the only one there. When I got inside Grandma was still wearing her house dress. Confused, I inquired about the rest of the family. She ignored me for a bit, and then finally, in a very sober and mildly appologetic voice she said, "Cheryl, dinner is at 1. We only tell you noon to make sure you get here by 1."

Look, everybody has to have at least one vice. Right?

Debbie -- Thank you! Of course, Heidi did all of the real work. The peep hole is hilarious. I don't know how close they are though.

Karen -- Fraidy, Juliet, one other female, and HRH have made VERY brief appearances, but not all at the same time. Heidi is extremely determined not to let them stay, though. I'll definitely wait until I get to know them a bit before I name them. I like to give them names that [to my mind] seem right for them as individuals. Also, as George pointed out, I don't know how many there are or what gender. Also, last year there were a few that just didn't stand out enough either in appearance or behavior to warrant names. If I can't identify them [at least most of the time], I don't name them.

tetleytuna -- Thank you! Heidi seems much "healthier" now. I think she feels much better. She has only coughed a few times since the delivery. Each time it was just one quick "eck" as opposed the lengthy hacking and wheezing she had been doing. I'd still like to try to worm her though.

Marylyn -- You are very welcome [for the card]. I just thought it would be something unique to do. It won't likely be there for future readers, but, oh well. When the card expires, I may go back and edit the info in to the post for future readers.

Floridian -- Thank you! I'm glad all of you are here to share the experience with me. (BTW, this morning as I was leaving for work a large, beautiful egret flew across the road (in my community, not a highway) just maybe 15-20 ft in front of my windshield. It was flying low, just crossing over from one pond to another. It was an awesome sight, and a nice way to start the morning.)

Terese -- Sorry about not writing earlier. I usually look forward to writing about the days events [and I always look forward to hearing from each of you], but the last few days I just had to get some other things done.

Monday night I new Heidi was on the way well before I saw her. I heard a nasty "spat" in the forest, and I knew she was reminding one of the others of their recent exile from HeidiLand.

Heidi was in a sociable mood. She came right up to me and ate about 2ft from my bench. HRH and 2 of the others showed up, Fraidy and Juliet, I think. Heidi wouldn't let them stay. She is quite determined now, and they all seem to be afraid of her.

I had taken out dog food, kitten food, dog biscuits, and watermelon. I had cut the end [about 5" thick] off of a large watermelon, maybe 10"D. Earlier, I had eaten the heart leaving 4" or so of red all around the partial sphere. Due to the size and the amount of melon remaining, it was noticeably heavy to carry in one hand. I put it down between the 2 dishes.

Juliet came down the fence, hungry, looking around. Heidi snarled at her menacingly. Juliet hung back near the fence, still hungry, still looking around, wanting something but afraid of Heidi. Slowly Juliet edged over toward the melon. Heidi growled. Juliet waited, then edged in some more. When she was close enough, Juliet dashed over, snatched the melon up in her mouth and, quite to my utter amazement, ran back to the fence with it. Heidi executed a run around and cut her off at the fence where upon Fraidy dropped the melon and scooted up the fence post. After Heidi returned to her own meal, Juliet came back down the fence, dragged the melon the last few inches to get it against the fence, and began eating. Juliet must have been quite hungry; her teeth ripped huge chunks out of the melon with such force that the melon was raised in the air a bit with each bite.

Most of all, I had been amazed by Juliet's ability to pick the heavy melon end up and run with it in her mouth. My own arm had hurt after carrying the melon from the house to the back yard. For Juliet to carry it some 25ft between her clenched teeth was a demonstration of the amazing power in those relatively small jaws and in her neck, as well. I had always known that raccoons packed a mean bite, but the sight of Juliet carrying that melon section really gave me a whole new appreciation for their potential bite strength.

Realizing that I had a pocket full of dog biscuits, when Juliet had finished the watermelon, I tossed her a few biscuits. Heidi was not amused. As the dog biscuits fell in the area near the fence, Heidi turned to Juliet and snarled again. Juliet grabbed a dog biscuit and disappeared over the fence. She did not return while I was out there.

Heidi is becoming more and more trusting. She was eating in front of me. Again she chose to search through the grass for itsy-bitsy pieces of kitten food rather than eat the remaining dog food from the dish. I spoke to her (so that my actions would not frighten her) and then leaned down to put my box of kitten food down as close as I felt possible without frightening her. She pulled back momentarily as she saw me reach toward her but quickly recovered. After a time, when she had run out of kitten food in the grass, she sniffed the air in the direction of the box, then looked at me. I said, "it's ok". She moved toward the box, stood up (as the box is about 12" high with a wide 4x4 mouth), rested one front paw gently on the rim of the box, and then again turned to look at me as though to determine if it would be all right. Again, I said, "it's ok", and with that she turned the box over and began to eat.

When she went over to get some water about 15ft away, I leaned forward (toward her), got down on all fours on the ground and stretched to reach the empty bowl (left from yogurt the other night) that was about 1/2 way between us.

Heidi didn't run away. She continued to drink water watching me all the while. Still on all fours before her, I took the empty bowl, filled it with the cat food, backed up onto my bench, and put the bowl before me in the area where she had been eating earlier. When she finished her drink, she returned to eat from the bowl.

It was a most enjoyable visit. (no sign of the infants, of course.)

Last night I didn't see Heidi at all. As i mentioned earlier today, I took out a small tin of sardines, the carcass of one chicken [pulled apart into 3-4 sections, with plenty of meat still on them], watermelon chucks with rind attached, and dog and kitten food.

One of the younger females showed up, but in the dark I was not certain who it was. Her excitement at finding the sardines was undeniable. She snatched one up with a look that clearly said, "Yay! It's my birthday!" and ran a few feet away where she sat down, held it between her front paws, and began eating it in a manner reminiscent of a guy with one of those jerky sausage things. (If you don't know what that is, consider yourself lucky. If you do then you know that snatch/bite and chew motion that seems to accompany such "treats.")

After she finished all of the sardines, she grabbed one of the larger section of chicken carcas with attached back and ribs, and ran back over the fence to eat it. As Heidi still had not arrived, I left. Later when I tood the dog out all that remained were ultra thin (1/4" or less) strips of the green outer layer of the melon pieces.

Tonight was particularly enjoyable. I took out dry dog food, dry kitten food, a bunch of raw peanuts in the shell, and a tiny (1/4c) can of Fancy Feast cat food Tuna and Mackeral flavor. Heidi was waiting for me. I stopped at my bench to put some things down, planning to go over and fill the dishes at the feeding stations. Heidi jumped from the fence and was upon me almost before I could sit down. It was daylight. I wasn't afraid of her.

Among the items in my hands, I had a small bowl into which I'd planned to put the dry kitten food. As I reached forward to put the empty bowl down in front of me so that I could fill it, Heidi was hovering around it much as your dog or cat might do - not in an aggressive manner, just eager to get started. While she stood by the dish waiting, I poured the kitten food from a glass jar into the dish. Quickly, I popped the top on the small can of cat food. Heidi was only inches away. She backed up a few inches as I turned the can upside down and shook it to dump the contents into the bowl, but throughout all of that she did not run away. I pushed the bowl forward a bit toward her, and she started eating.

It was fun to watch her. She was so close, and it was so light out. I could see her little grey paws so well, like never before. It is clear now that she LOVES the kitten food, but surprisingly, she wasn't so excited about that Fancy Feast. She sat back, put both paws in the bowl, grasped the sides of the "ball" of canned cat food, and actually pushed the "ball" out of the way in order to expose the kitten food beneath. Then, with Fancy Feast covering her little paws, she proceeded to pick the kitten food up between her paws and put it in her mouth. Over and over she reached in, picked up kitten kibble with her two paws, and raised it to her mouth. Too cute.

It was just the 2 of us. She ate calmly. From time to time, she paused to gaze up at me for what seemed a relatively long interval. She was so close. I have never seen her face so clearly, so close up, looking at me that way. She wasn't frightened. It was a searching look, as if she were trying to make some sense of me. As if after all this time, she had finally begun to accept that I really meant her no harm and was, only now, trying to figure out just what I did want, who I was, why I was doing this.

She ate all of the dry kitten food that I had and then started picking up sections of the Fancy Feast which now had kitten food enbedded in it. She picked it up between her paws. That part was a bit messy. I tossed her a few peanuts in the shell. Oh, wow, she loved those, and it was fun to watch her eat them. She held them between her paws and bit the end off to get to the nuts inside. I must say that she did an amazing job of it, shelling them at least as fast as I could if not faster. I had 1/2 of a large bag with me and she ate most of them.

---there is more, but I will have to take a break and resume later, sorry --

Ohhh to leave me hanging with such excitement. I am so glad she is trusting of you. It has to be so hard to fight the urge to hold your hand out, to see if she would sniff it or retreat. To remember she is a wild animal, but yet just want to feel what her fur feels like and how she will react. I know safety...I know the rules. But...don't you just wonder?

I hope you get a good rest tonight.

Debbie

Great descriptions of the bountiful buffet: the sardine ecstacy, marathon melon carry, and peanut shelling! They are truly fascinating creatures, aren't they? Wouldn't you love to know the thoughts going through Heidi's mind while she was watching you? Nothing in her experience would make sense of your behavior, and I'd love to know how she processes it.

Glad to hear she has the other "diners" well in hand. Must admit it made me nervous, since there was real potential for trouble if she couldn't control the crowd once her babies arrived. I shouldn't have worried; this is Heidi territory, and she's perfectly capable of making that clear to all.

Debbie, their fur is interesting and quite lovely: very coarse outer coat/guard hairs to protect them from weather, brambles, etc., soft downy undercoat that is much thicker in winter to keep them warm. Their paw pads are so soft, much more so than dogs' and cats', probably because they are so sensitive and convey so much information to the raccoon. Understand that I know this only from handling babies/young coons while working with rehabbers: it definitely is not safe to try to touch or handle wild adults.

Cheryl, loved the story about dinner at your grandmother's. When I was a kid, I had an aunt just like you: everyone announced family dinners at least half an hour early to her. Not that I can talk: I'll no doubt be late for my own cremation...

OH, this is so sweet. Just the two of you combining the difference in the species. I can't wait to hear the rest. Good night all. Karen

Hi,everyone. I'm sorry. This afternoon I found a sick male ruby-throated hummingbird. I could tell right away that he wasn't ok. He let me walk right up and scoop him up. I called 2 animal hospitals and got bounced around from rehabber to rehabber. I tried so hard to find him some help, but he died.

I know it must sound silly since I'd only just "met" the bird, but I'm feeling a little down. Or maybe just tired. I'm going to rest now. I may not be able to write tonight. I hope you will forgive me if i don't. I should be back tomorrow for sure.

Scutler, I do so understand. Yesterday while working at my DD's house and helping with her garden, I dug up a nest of bunnies. I was devestated, and just pray the mother came back. I was afraid to call DD today and find out. She is a vet tech so I know they will be in good hands.

Gods gifts are so beautiful, and it hurts with every loss...no matter how small.

Hugs,
Debbie

one thing i read about bunnies... even if you have to re-do the nest, the mom can find them... i think i read "from about 150' away"

i too get devastated when animals die.... even if it's natures course.

The bunnies are in the same place, I was working with a garden claw, and when I dug, in "unrolled" several bunnies. I was terrified I injured them. I covered them back up with the mulch they were under and tucked back the fur around them. They were between 10 to 14 days of age...eyes opened but not much mobility.

Debbie, sounds like you did exactly the right thing. Bunny moms spend most of their time away from the nest, in an effort to avoid drawing predators. Sounds like you didn't handle the babies, which is good since it stresses them out badly. Assuming they weren't injured, they will be fine; mom surely found them and will continue to care for them.

Cheryl, so sorry about the hummingbird. It's hard to see any creature die, and hummingbirds are purely magical.

Thanks, guys. I took a long nap, and I feel a lot better now. I kept trying to tell myself that I wasn't supposed to be so upset, but I was. I guess we have to be who we are.

Debbie, so happy to hear that your baby bunnies didn't appear to be injured. I feel confident that the mother will be back to take care of them and that they will be ok.

Now for a few minutes about raccoons before i retire for the evening.

Sorry for leaving you guys hanging last night. I stopped for a break and promptly "passed out" with all of the lights still on. I did get a good night's sleep though. (Thanks, Debbie) and that led to a great day at work. Amazing how much better work goes when you get your z's.

Debbie, if I reach toward her [to put down food] Heidi backs away. She is still wary of that level of contact. She will come quite close to me as long as I don't reach toward her. I know, for their sake and mine, that I can't touch them or even let them touch me, so I try not to even think about that. I do, however, often lament the disease that has robbed us all of that option.

Ruth, yes, even given my intense love of all animals, I am amazed at the raccoons' abilities to hold my interest hour after hour, day after day. It seems I never tire of their antics. There is something new every day with them. They are amazing creatures. Their human-like qualities, like the way they use their front paws like little hands, make them all the more fascinating to watch.

Last night, in addition to the food items mentioned, I also took out the following items purged from the deep freeze: 3 cooked polish sausages, about 1/2lb of deli sliced Boar's Head Munster, and another 1/2lb or so of deli sliced BH Gouda. It seems that "my" raccoons are becoming a bit spoiled. (I keep remembering the days when I proclaimed how nice it was to feed animals that were so thankful for any food.) These days, apparently because they've learned that I can be accessed for the special goodies, no one wants anything less than the top favorites while I'm around; but as soon as I leave they gobble up everything in sight.

Last night I remember wondering who was going to clean up my lawn, strewn as it was with seemingly unwanted cheese slices and sausages. 2 hrs later when I went to walk the dog, there wasn't a shred of a clue that food had ever graced the lawn.

When Juliet 1st came down last night, Heidi made it immensely clear that she was NOT permitted to pass an invisible line way back near the fence, a line some 25-30ft from where Heidi and I sat, a line well beyond access to any food or water. Since Heidi clearly had no interest in the sausage at her own feet, I tossed the other 2 sausage over to where Juliet was waiting. She quickly grabbed one, sat back, held it between her paws, and began to eat hungrily. Immediately, Heidi left her own dish to launch an attack on Juliet, an attack that sent Juliet scrambling away from the sausage and back to the safety of the forest.

Some time later, as I was watching Heidi eat, I became aware of the [at first] vague image of Juliet's masked face peering through the branches of the Heidi tree where she sat watching us. Seeing her there, banished from HeidiLand, forced to watch the meal from afar tugged at my heart, but I understood that it was the way it had to be. When Heidi, and later Heidi's kits, exited the buffet, Juliet and the others would be allowed in. Heidi ruled here. She and her dependant children would eat first.

This message was edited May 25, 2007 3:22 AM

Tonight, given that i was detained by the hummingbird crisis, I was extremely late in feeding the raccoons. While they waited, they entertained themselves on the bird feeder jungle gym - mine has the squirrel proof spring mechanism which only adds to the fun.

When I went out the back door, they ran for the forest, but as soon as I rounded the corner, Heidi came running back. We met up some 4-5ft from my bench. In the past I've always fed them where they stood, fearing to walk toward or past them. Tonight I contined walking toward her on my way to the bench. She backed up and stayed out of my way but didn't run away at my approach.

Then, as i reached the bench, Heidi started advancing on me...and growling. She had been growling and grumbling a lot lately. Still I couldn't believe she was coming toward me for food AND growling. That would seem to indicate the kind of aggression that neither Heidi nor any of the raccoons had ever shown toward me. Growling during the approach for food would signal the intent to TAKE the food.

I had gotten to know Heidi too well to believe that she intended such aggression. I sat down on the bench. Even as I was setting up the food, she continued the intermitent growling. Then in a flash, she ran over to one side to reprimand Juliet who had been hiding behind the flower pots all this time. Heidi had not been growling at me. She had been growling at the nearby and hidden Juliet, letting the latter know that she was not permitted to join us. I had known that Heidi would not behave aggressively toward me.

As Heidi ate, Juliet came up behind me in search of food. I tossed her a peanut off to the side as I did not plan to feed her in her location behind me. She made a few steps in the direction of the peanut, Heidi growled, and Juliet froze; she never went over to retrieve the peanut.

The rest of the night was pretty violent. HRH made about 3 attempts to come into the yard from various entry points. Heidi launched vicious attacks on him each time he set foot in the yard. I stayed well out of the way. When the 1st fight broke out I took the opportunity to go for the water hose (praying for a snake free zone around the faucet) and fill the bone dry water bowls, something I'd overlooked earlier during the hbird crisis.

I've learned to anticipate the battles and stay well out of the way which is much easier now since i can actually stand up and walk away even when Heidi is eating only 2 ft away and all without sending her running for the safety of the forest. One of my bigger concerns right now about the fighting is the risk that all that noise will attract unwanted attention from the neighbors who might rightly wonder about the source of all that growling, snarling, and spitting so close by. One neighbor's outside lights came on during the commotion tonight.

BTW, HRH never got anywhere near me, and as long as I was out there he was not permitted to eat anything.

Heidi is now becoming so comfortable around me that I find myself doing things which I would never have considered before. Last night I had run back to the house for more kitten food and had hurridly poured both the kitten food and a bunch of whole peanuts into a mason jar which i took back out with me. When I returned, Heidi was back on the kitten food kick (she vasolated between pnuts and k food), After I had removed from the jar all of the kitten food that I could easily access, I found myself holding the jar up in the air (so that I could get light to see the contents better), turning it around and fishing out the bits of kibble. At one point I looked down to see Heidi, where she was eating some 2 ft away, looking up at me. It was only then that I realized I had been rolling the jar of peanuts around practically over her head. She hadn't run away, but had meerly looked up at me as if to say, "Hey, can't you see I'm eating down here."

Tonight Heidi was again up close, and I was wrestling with a 10lb sack of cat food and a large [extra crinkly] plastic bag of peanuts, picking them up and putting them down, holding the plastic bag high in the air to search for peanuts, making all manner of "crinkling" sounds over her head. Once or twice she looked up when the lights from the house [behind me] caused whatever bag I was holding overhead at the moment to cast a shadow over her, but otherwise, she showed no sign of stress at all this movement and sound.

Oops. better get off to dreamland. Still another day to go before the official weekend.

Great reading of Heidi's growling as she approached you; you have really gotten to know and understand the coons well! I know it's hard to see clearly hungry raccoons resolutely run off from the food, especially the girls who might be pregnant; but Heidi is doing what she has to do, in her mind, to keep her kids safe. This was her territory long before the others appeared (or were born), and defending it is purely instinctive for her when she has babies. Besides, I suspect that much of the cleanup after you and Heidi leave the yard is done by the other coons. No one ever said that nature is kind: the first imperative is to protect the young, and Heidi is clearly a pro at that. You are doing all that can by trying to toss food to the others when possible, but not interfering with Heidi's need to defend her territory.

Hi Ruth,

One of the surprising things that I have learned about raccoons, even wild ones, through my interactions with Heidi is how gentle and non-aggressive they are, and the extent they will go to in avoiding violence. (Of course, I always have to qualify that remark with the knowledge that they are well armed and quite capable of causing severe injury if sufficiently provoked.) And I'm happy to report that when Heidi approached me growling, for perhaps the 1st time the threat of rabies did not even cross my mind.

I've been trying [really hard] to avoid even tossing treats to the others since I realize that Heidi needs to keep them at bay - sometimes I loose the battle with myself, but am trying to do better. Ususally, I only toss them something when they get up close to me. I do that mostly for my protection because it allows me to "control" their location - rather than having them walking up to me from the side or back and sniffing me (noses only inches from me) when I'm unaware. I figured they were coming in to eat the leftovers after Heidi left. Last night I even went back out with some more cheese (from the freezer stuff, but not freezer burned) to leave for them, and it was gone within the hour. It is difficult to see their little faces watching through the trees and to have them visibly trying to find a way to get to me (for a treat) but not be able to feed them, still I'm trying not to interfere - any more than I already have by feeding them to begin with.

Edited to add that I don't think of it as Heidi being mean to the others because I know it is what she needs to do to protect the new and defenseless babies. She has already armed these guys most of whom are last year's brood with all the skills they require to make it on their own. As for protecting the babies, I think we all know the extent we would go to if necessary to protect our own children from harm.

I'd also like to add that I realize how anti-climactic it must be after you've all waited so long for the much anticipated birth of Heidi's kits to now hear only stories of food fights and trust issues. Hopefully, the time will go by quickly enough and in her new found level of trust, Heidi will bring them to see us as soon as possible.

Waiting to see the kits. 2months - 6 days and counting (LOL)


This message was edited May 25, 2007 10:16 AM

cheryl -- that too would just break my heart... knowing they want treats and Heidi not letting them in the yard.... I'd be tossing lots of food over the fence... possibly in different areas --- but i do understand that Heidi is protecting her "space" for her babies.

but at least they are getting the "scraps" that Heidi misses or just leaves behind.

oh -- and your comment about "being late" ... I have to do the same thing for my Dad... though he blames his SO [though she moves at a snails pace] When we have family gatherings,,, i usually tell him at least 30 min earlier, and he's still usually late. For my sisters wedding, he was so late, she almost had to use our mom's DH as a stand in to walk her down the aisle.... that's pretty bad... he's another one who will be late for his cremation.

Oh, I don't think it's anti-climatic now. I still go here first every day for an update. Thank you so much for taking the time to keep us "involved"!

seems you were editing when i was typing... so i missed the edit... I too do not think it's anti-climactic... i still enjoy all the Heidi stories, whether the others are around or not.

Yes, you and Heidi have become part of our lives. We need to hear from you guys :-) I know about the hbird. Several months ago, a bird hit our window and when I went out I found a dead female house finch. I love the finches. I just lost it and started crying, saying "I'm so sorry." I think I must have had a bad day because I couldn't stop crying. So I wrapped her and buried her. Then I bought some leaf-shaped things from one of the bird catalogs that you put on the outside of the window that you can see through, but the birds see reflected light instead of the trees behind them. Birds will still occasionally hit the window, but not as hard and I (knock on wood) haven't had anymore deaths since I put those things on the window. I have been accused of being soft-hearted when it comes to animals.
My raccoons have things down pat pretty much. Some come early and get the goodies whatever they are, usually just the animal crackers, and others come later and get whatever is left. I have 5 bowls with about 4 cups of dog food each and it is gone every day. Only periodically I hear a big fight. Night before last was one, and it usually isn't near the food. It is back further into the trees and fallen leaves. The next day I can see the mess in the leaves where the fight was. Any idea what they are fighting about?? Territory?? I still don't know whether Stubbie is a male or female, but he/she comes to eat dog food and then will come up near the dog run to eat some of the seeds on the ground I put down for the other animals. Many of the guys are not afraid of my flashlight now, especially when I say something so they recognize my voice. A couple will go hide behind a tree until they hear my voice and know "oh, she won't hurt us. She just stays on the porch and watches." And then they come back down to the food bowls. 4 are up near the woods the other is near the tree back here by the end of the dog run for LittleOne. Unfortunately some of the others found LittleOne's bowl, too, and sometimes get there first. She will run up the tree if someone else comes while she is eating. She is still young, but I don't know how old she is. She is just a bit smaller than the others, cutest little face. That's it for my gang. Karen

Good for you, Cheryl; the thought of rabies is now on a far back burner where it belongs. As the guy who trained me in animal control told me, "Believe me, but you'll know it when you see it." I thought he was crazy until I saw my first rabid animal; and then there was no shred of doubt in my mind what the illness was.

Silly lady, to think anyone is bored with the Heidi updates; you have a whole audience hanging on here for every report. Like bird- and wildlife-watchers everywhere, we're very happy with ordinary daily details: great drama is lovely, of course, but rare in nature and not expected. And this is the safest time in the babies' life, being totally dependent upon and protected by mama Heidi; wouldn't dream of wishing it away for their sake.

Karen, the fights you're hearing could be territory, males competing over a lady in heat, or mating. For mature but young coons who have two litters a year, the second mating would be happening sometime soon.

Terese, the wedding story is too funny - now, i mean, I'm sure it wasn't very funny THEN. I'm not even going to tell the story about how I managed to hold up my grandmother's funeral. (I'm a bad, bad person. But in my defense, I doubt she was in all that big a hurry to get buried.) When I 1st started my current job I needed to be there by 8AM. In time it got pushed back to 8:30 and finally 9AM. Recently, when I was stuck in traffic, I called on of my collegues to let them know I'd be a "little" late to which he said, "you know, just a suggestion, you probably don't need to bother letting us know when you're going to be late - atleast not until say 11 or maybe noon." (I'm just not a morning person, and to make matters worse I'm a right brain person stuck in a left brain world. The right brain does not comprehend the concept of "time". Those are my excuses, anyhow.)

Goldfinch, Terese, Karen, and Ruth, so good to hear that you are all still enjoying the Adventures of Heidi and Friends even though the kids are currently safe asleep and hidden away somewhere. I was a little concerned that we went through the whole countdown to that one great moment when we knew for sure that Heidi had given birth only to have me lead off the next post with all manner of "common", everyday stuff which had nothing to do with the newborns we had all waited so long for.

Karen, I know just what you mean when you say that 'it must have been a bad day' when the bird incident happened and you couldn't stop crying. That happens to me, too, some time. I'm not sure if these things truly happen on the days that I am most emotional or if they just trigger the release of things I've been bottling up for a while.

About a decade ago I found a little bird on my patio. He couldn't fly. I put him in a makeshift cage and drove him to my vet's office (animal hospital) where I asked if they could "fix" him. I was all teary eyed and pleading, "What ever it cost, I'll pay for it. Just help him." They must have thought I needed medication. They said they didn't "do" birds. Worse, they confiscated him because by law we're not allowed to "have" wild birds. They said they would put him to sleep. (I suspect that's vet speak for take him in the back and whack him over the head.) I cried all the way home. I was sorry I'd taken him there just so they could kill him. (That's why I didn't take the hbird there.) I know that living things die. I don't know why it was so important to me that day to get help for the little bird, but, again, I think sometimes these episodes just act as a catharsis for all of the baggage we've been accumulating day to day.

Wow, Karen, you must really be going through quite a quantity of dog food. I'm not using near that amount, and I can't keep it in stock lately. (Today I'm going to check for some big bags at WalMart. They usually have very good prices.) Feeding Heidi and even Heidi and the kids is easy, but trying to feed 7 adults several of which are eating for "6", now that takes a lot of dog food. I take the dog food out in a full 32oz box (dry weight of dog biscuits it previously held) plus a quart jar of kitten food 1/2 full plus assorted other treats like peanuts, grapes, etc. If the whole gang is there, it still isn't enough. When I read your of 4cups x 5 bowls, I thought how impressive. And obviously you have been doing this for some time now.

Ok, [hopefully] humorous aside. I just came back from the grocery store. Just went to pick up a "few" things, if you know what i mean...20 bags later. Anyhow, I got a couple of bags of kitten food just to be sure I don't run out of it before I get to WalMart. The lady at the checkout counter was chit-chatting while I was perusing magazines. She said something about me having a lot of cats. Without thinking, I replied that I don't have ANY cats. She looked at me quizically and paused for a moment during which I caught sight of the many bags of cat food going down the conveyor belt. The woman actually stood waiting for an explanation. I'm not good at "untruths". Realizing that I could not tell her what I was really doing with the cat food, my brain churned out all manner of unacceptible answers before she finally said, "Feeding the strays? That's so nice of you. We have a lot of strays in my neighborhood, too." To which I replied (honestly I might add), "Yes, that's right, I'm feeding the 'strays' ". (I didn't say which species.) Of course, now that I'm out of the spotlight, I can think of all manner of possible answers from "organic fertilizer" to "none of your business just bag the stuff" or maybe "hors d'oeuvres, they're great on a wheat thin with a litte pate and a mint sprig. try them at your next party".

It's a shame the way raccoons are perceived by our society, shame that feeding them and enjoying there company is almost criminal.

BTW, Karen, some nights when I'm out there waiting for Heidi to arrive [since the birth of her kits], I often hear all manner of spats, fights, and down right battles going on back there. Maybe you also have a new mother in the area.

Just wanted to add that I've made some changes to my schedule in order to try to get to sleep earlier. It's working almost too well. Some days I come home, do the necessary stuff, feed the coons, and fall into a coma as soon as I sit down. I did my best writing in the evenings, so the new schedule is wreaking havoc with my posts. I'm hoping once the sleep pendulum gets through bouncing and I settle into my new schedule I'll be able to stay up another 30 minutes or so to write.

I did see the raccoons last night. I have to get some things done right now but will try to write about it later this afternoon or tonight. I hope you are all enjoying this holiday weekend - and that we will all take a few moments to reflect on why we have this holiday.

Well, I hate to say it, but last night EVERYBODY showed up for dinner, even Snowball. (I suspect that HE has been cleaning up the lawn, disposing of everything the raccoons didn't want, and, thankfully, sparing me the task of scraping hot, humid cheese slices off the lawn the next day. He's probably the one that eats the white part of the watermelon after the raccoons eat the red. By morning all that remains is a thin green skin.He's quite the cleanup crew.)

I filled the bowls at the 2 feeding stations with dog food, then sat on my bench, filled a 3rd dish for Heidi and set it in front of the bench at a "comfortable" distance. I'm trying to reserve the high protein, high calcium things like kitten food for her. To avoid having her food taken by any early diners, I've been putting it in front of me. The 1st arrivals always take the regular feeding stations near the fence. Sometimes, when Heidi shows up before the 2 feeding stations have been claimed, she will go to one of them on arrival. Then, I call her by name as you would call your pet, and she comes over to eat by me. Isn't that cool? The ability to actually call her is a fairly new achievement. It works every time though so I know it's not just a coincidence. And when I do this she already HAS a dish full of food and I'm asking her to leave it and come to me or to my dish, and she does.

There was a good bit of fighting going on in the forest beyond the fence before Heidi arrived. The fighting was accompanied by some unusual sound effects including one that resembled a car burning rubber during a rapid stop. For the 1st time I became concerned for the kits. Would one of the others, particularly HRH, or Snowball possibly harm or predate the kits while Heidi is away eating? When she is here eating she seems pretty calm, but on occasion she does turn her head toward the forest to listen to some sound which obviously lies outside of my range of hearing.

As I mentioned, all 7 showed up last night, and everyone seemed famished. For some reason last night Heidi was oddly tolerant of their presence so long as they stayed clear of her food. As a result, they managed to keep the arguments to a minimum. The 2 exceptions were HRH and Snowball. Snowball had to stay on the fence and down at the farthest corner. Even the younger females were all over him.

HRH, on the other hand, was a total menace. He just walked up and took the dish at station 1 from the raccoon that was eating there, and when he finished that food he went over and took the dish from the one eating at station 2. Everyone except Heidi seemed afraid of him. At one point when he started walking around Fraidy and Juliet who were near me ran. I looked around for Fraidy and finally found her draped across the crotch of the nearby weeping willow. I think he is the one most likely to cause trouble for the kits, especially considering the way he's treating the other adults. Last night it occurred to me that HE's the one I most need to relocate, but it would be quite difficult to capture him.

HRH was primarily an annoyance but the manner in which he took possession of the dish at station 1 was amusing. It also may shed some light on possible differences between family groups vs the species as a whole. All of Heidi's kids "steal" things the same way she does, using the "crouch over most of it with your back to them and then scoot back to emcompass the rest" method. HRH, on the other hand, crouched in front of the dish with both of his front legs/paws across the dish as though he were both holding it down and blocking access to it. But for his obvious bad manners, he was otherwise cute thus perched to defend his take.

HRH does afford me some insight into which behaviors are global and which are specific to Heidi's family. I have noticed that Heidi and the kits almost never take each other's food. They seem to observe the rule that food belongs to whoever has possesion of it. If the available dishes are taken, they, including even Heidi, will come over to me looking for food rather than take the food from the ones that have it. If one of the others takes her dish while Heidi is off getting a drink of water, she will not take it back when she returns. She will go in search of another food source. Apparently, when she walks away from it she gives up her rights to it even if she had wanted to return, sort of like when you get out of line at the store to run back for some forgotten item. Occasionally when contention is high, the others will steal food out of each other's dish (but not take the dish entirely), but I think this is largely because they are siblings and they learned this behavior growing up together. Such behavior between them is well received, and doesn't result in fighting. HRH has more of a "thug" attitude. He just takes what he wants.

Fraidy loves the peanuts, and last night I had a pocket full of them for her. She sat beside me like a puppy, and ate those peanuts. I find her very sweet. They are all non-aggressive, but Fraidy is particularly so. It goes with her position in the group as the one who was afraid of almost everything, and unwilling to fight for anything. At the present time, if there is one I'd most like to pet, it is Fraidy. That's hard to explain. Heidi is my favorite. If I could only "keep" one, I'd keep her, but there is something special about sweet, little Fraidy.

Tonight was 180 degrees out from last night. Only Fraidy, Juliet, and Heidi showed up, and they were late. Everybody was picky. Nobody seemed all that hungry. Everybody craved sweets for a change, even Heidi. I had only put out a small portion of the food, and they didn't eat all of that. The only explanation I can think of is they must have raided a Memorial Day barbeque somewhere else in the neighborhood before they arrived.

I had taken out the usual dog food and kitten food along with the last half "shell" of the watermelon (with about 3-4" of red left), about 1/2 c of discarded hbird nectar, a cup of plain yogurt for Heidi, and a pocket full of peanuts for Fraidy. I had expected Fraidy to go for the melon and the nectar. I'd wrestled with the idea of cutting the watermelon into more manageable pieces but as she always likes to drink the liquid, I had opted to leave it whole.

Fraidy was 1st down and much as I had predicted, she walked directly to the melon, stood up on her hind legs and reached in with her paws to fish for the bits of melon "swimming" in the liquid.

About that time, Heidi showed up. Heidi was in a rather unsociable mood tonight. I guess 3-5 newborns can tire you out some days. She started her meal at Station 1. When I called her to partake of the kitten food and yogurt I'd prepared just for her, she sauntered over with a very Garfieldesque attitude. She turned her nose up at the yogurt, sampled the kitten food, walked around the dishes to look up at me as if to ask if that was all I had, and then, most unexpectedly, turned to go over and take the watermelon from Fraidy.

I was more than a little surprised by Heidi's behavior as I don't believe I've ever seen her take food from any of the others, and throughout her pregnancy she had shunned all things sweet. Tonight, however, she was on a quest for sugar. She drank all of the liquid from the melon. Then she moved to the untouched dish of nectar which she consumed with such enthusiasm that I feared she would try to eat the thin plastic container. (Don't laugh, there are holes in all of their dishes now, and they tried to eat the styrofoam container on which I'd placed the Fancy Feast canned food days earlier.)

When she had licked the plastic off the dish, Heidi made one more trip over to see if I had any sweet treats for her. Finding none, she rejected all the other food, and went back to the forest looking almost annoyed that I hadn't planned better. (I feel as though I need to start putting out menus earlier in the day so they can check the box next to their preference for the evening meal.)

When Heidi took her melon away, Fraidy had gone over to Station 2 to eat. Right after Heidi walked away from the melon, Juliet started down the fence. Seeing this, Fraidy literaly ran over to reclaim the melon - just in case. It was one of those Kodak moments, and I was happy to see her asserting herself a bit. She ate melon, and then licked the remaining plastic off the long empty container that had previously held her favorite nectar.

I called Fraidy. Afterall, I had a pocket full of peanuts for her. She came over, and ate a peanut or two but without her ususal enthusiasm. Then she stepped over to Heidi's abandoned dish, sniffed and rejected the yogurt and nibbled the kitten food before returning to the watermelon once more.

Seeing that everyone was craving desert, I ran back to the house for nectar and grapes. Fraidy also loves grapes, and I had some very fresh, sweet red seedless grapes in the fridge. When I returned, Fraidy came right over to see what I had brought back. (I think they are learning now that I always bring treats when I make a trip back to the house.) I tossed her the grapes. She ate about 10 or so, and then left.

Finally, I sat there alone in the dark surrounded by 2 partially eaten dishes of dogfood, a barely touched dish of kitten food, with an untouched dish of yogurt, my pockets still stuffed with jumbo raw peanuts in the shell and a bag of fresh grapes in my hand wondering where the party was and what had happended to my invitation.

I just hope that if they are raiding other peoples garbage, that these people don't decide to trap the invading bandits. Hopefully Heidi is smart enough to stay away from other humans. Hope the same for the others. Tonight there were 4 coons outside and I had some cantalope that wasn't too ripe, so cut it in pieces and went outside to add it to the bowls. Once they saw me leave the gate, they all disappeared. So they are really still afraid of me if I get into "their space." Probably a good thing. Even thought "my" raccoons will let me call them out of the woods for dinner, or when it is safe. Two other raccoons from across the road joined in last night. They weren't warmly received. Just snuffled at and chased away until the regulars were done and wandered away. That made a total of 9-the most I've seen together at one time. (Although the one was up here near the house at the LittleOne tree.)
I really hate to see them cross the road, as we live on a curve and so many cars driving recklessly have gone off the curve (either direction) and landed in our yard. Also where they cross is at the top of a small hill. A car couldn't stop in time, even if they wanted to, if these 2 were crossing where I saw them. Thank heavens no one coming at that time. I really don't want to go out one day and find a dead raccoon on the road. Although we do see them from time to time out here, and it makes me feel very sad. So, I think with 9 of them, at least one or two have to have babies out there. The area across the road was timbered off two years ago, so habitat might not be too great for them over there. We own a small section along the road, so they were not able to take those big trees down, so I hope that helps. The land is for sale now, so I hope some developer does not buy it. We are zoned agriculture, so they have to buy 2 acres at the minimum. I hate how the area is being invaded. Years ago we were one of the only places out here on this road. Now more people have moved in, accept across the road---yet. We don't intend to sell our small part of the area, so they can't have access to back there from here. sorry to go on about it, but it is just more wooded habitat that is going to be lost due to expansion of humans. I hate that. So much for the goings on here.
I have nights where only a few coons show up and others where a bunch show up. Is there something out there now that they like to eat?
Karen

Maybe you could hang "yard service" menus on the fence, for them to mark their choices with pawprints.... You may be right about the holiday barbecues; there's probably lots of good food in the 'hood this weekend.

HRH does sound like rather a bully, but then I suspect that's an occupational hazard for the neighborhood studmuffin; assertiveness is certainly a prerequisite. I mean, picture him going up to another male to say, "I say, old sport, would you mind not sniffing around that lovely lady in heat? I've had my eye on her for some time, you know, and feel the need to pass on my genes. Thanks ever so much." Not likely....

Remember what you said a while back; when they spurn perfectly wonderful food, they clearly are not all that hungry.

Yard Service Menu. paw prints.I love it.

I guess you have a good point about HRH. I'll try to be more sensitive to his social disability.;-)

Yesterday, as I was driving home from the grocery store with more raccoon favorites and treats, it occurred to me that I'm training a bunch of raccoons that might someday be seen tossing everything over the side of a dumpster somewhere, all the while muttering, "no, no, I can't eat THAT, ewe! ick. Where's the cat food, peanuts, and watermelon?"

These days, they are all to fat and sassy to eat just anything - or even most things - but I believe last night was the 1st time I ever saw them too full to even eat their favorite foods. And the unexpected saeity was pervasive throughout the group. I highly suspect that they crashed a party somewhere yesterday afternoon.

Scutler, that was just too funny! I had the mental image of a bunch of highbrow raccoons with an english accent and their noses and little pinkies pointing up in the air as the fat little butts hung over the side of the dumpster...........

Well, it looks like I'm over a week late! I kept wondering why the forum wasn't popping up! I can be so dumb at times...But I'm glad that the suspence of the delivery is over! Yeah!! And now that we know we are aunts & uncles....I'm wanting to see those babies! :D Now we wait a few more months, but it will be worth it when we see them! :D
Joey

edited to say...LOL!! Both of you are too funny! :D

This message was edited May 27, 2007 10:40 PM

Whew! Tonight things were back to normal again.

I went out well before dark. Tonight I took out chicken: the carcass with plenty of meat still on it plus the legs and wings entire. I also took out the usual dog food, kitten food, and a pocket of peanuts for cute, little Fraidy. I filled the bowls at the usual stations with dog food, set up Heidi's bowl with a full 2cups of kitten food, and put the chicken in a large dish in yet another area.

Fraidy was 1st to appear. Shortly after I set up, I saw her climbing down the same tree she seems to come down daily. I'm wondering if she is actually living in that tree. Is that likely? It seems to afford her a good view of the yard, making it possible for her to arrive ahead of the others most days. Last year when we were concerned about her ability to survive in the wild, some of you wanted me to make a home for her in my yard where she would be safe. While that wasn't feasible for a wild animal, she seems to have made herself a home that is the next best thing. The tree she climbs down is quite tall. The trunk is just beyond the fence, but some very large branches up high extend over the fence a bit, so she may well BE living in my yard.

In many ways Fraidy's behavior is similiar to that Karen describes for LittleOne. On days like today when I set up before the others have arrived, Fraidy comes down, looks both ways as though crossing the street (but in her case checking to be sure the others really aren't around), and then eats from Station 2 over by the composter where Heidi used to eat. The entire time that she is eating, she is nervously monitoring the sounds from the forest behind her.

Tonight after she had eaten a bit of the dog food Fraidy walked over to check out the dish at Station #1. As she passed the small, upturned dish that last night had held the nectar, she stopped to paw it a bit trying to turn it upright despite the fact that it was clearly very, very empty, having been licked clean several times over by a number of different raccoons the night before. Seeing this display I felt instant pangs of regret at not having brought out anything sweet. (They play me like a violin.)

Seeing that the nectar dish was empty and the dish at Station 1 only contained more of the same food she had already eaten, Fraidy then came over to me. She walked up in front of me and gave me that, "so do you have any treats for me today?" look. I started tossing her peanuts, and she pulled up a seat at my feet to eat them. It was still daylight out, and I was able to witness the peanut eating routine up close and in full detail.

Her back feet were HUGE, almost amusingly so. They have a flat foot with 5 toes. If you think about that, it's unique. We have 4 fingers and a thumb. Most animals have 4 toes and maybe the remnant or visage of a thumblike appendage. A foot with 5 consecutive toes looks SO odd that I had to count them twice to convince myself she didn't have a 6th toe somewhere. The front of the foot is wider than "normal" to accomodate the extra toe. As I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, I tried not to laugh.

She was sitting sideways in front of me which gave me an awesome view of her teeth. Wow! The 4 front fangs alone, a set each top and bottom, make dog's teeth look almost harmless. As I watched her open peanut shells, I decided just those 4 teeth alone would be sufficient to rip flesh from bone. You really wouldn't want to have a physical encounter with those teeth. I was reminded of a program I'd seen about the saber-tooth tiger; Fraidy's mouth seemed equiped much like a miniature saber-tooth.

Given the opportunity to watch her shell peanuts up close and in daylight, I was all the more impressed at her incredible dexterity. Some of the nuts would fall from the shell into the grass and seperate into 2 halves. She had no trouble at all picking up those peanut halves with her paws even the ones that were buried in the grass. In fact, in the time it took for me to withdraw my hand, reach back into my pocket, find and retrieve another peanut, and toss it to her, she had finished shelling and eating the prior peanut. It was impressive to watch.

After Fraidy had eaten a handful of peanuts she suddently ran back to the fence (but in an area well removed from the Heidi tree where she had entered), climbed the post, and sat on the top beam with her head over the fence such that it was clear she was looking down at the ground on the other side of the fence. I've seen her do this a few times before. It always signals the arrival of one of the others. Even though Fraidy now stays out in the yard eating near the others, she still seems to be anxious about their approach, particularly about having them come down the fence and find her eating from one of "their" dishes. Once they arrive she either eats by me or eats from a spare dish if there is one that no one else wants.

HRH, Juliet, and finally Heidi showed up. HRH behaved a little better tonight. He did take Juliet's food, but he was more of a gentleman about it. Heidi parked in front of her dish of kitten food and chowed down. NO ONE even tasted the chicken! Heidi sniffed it, and walked away. When Fraidy 1st saw it there was a momentary look of exilaration before she realized that she preferred peanuts.

About 1/2 way through the meal Snowball appeared at his end of the fence where he sat waiting for his turn. I suspect that he enjoyed a fine chicken dinner once the raccoons left. I think some of the fighting I hear on the other side of the fence lately actually involves Snowball as his arrival seems oddly conincidental to the incidence of bickering.

After the other's arrived and settled in, Fraidy came back to sit beside me and eat the rest of the peanuts. When I ran out of peanuts she kept looking for more. It's as if she thinks I grow them in my pocket and have an endless supply in there. She kept sniffing my feet and nosing around, gently, just trying to see if I'd give her another one.

I checked both pockets just to be sure. In my other pocket i had 2 hard, mint, candies. You know the white ones with the red swirls. My dog has eaten one of those on occasion, so I pulled one out, removed the wrapper, and tossed it to Fraidy. After all, Fraidy has a huge sweet tooth, and I certainly didn't doubt her ability to chew the mint with those fangs I'd seen. She ended up eating both mints, and looking for more. Now don't worry, I'm not going to start feeding her candy on a regular basis. It was an emergency. I had run out of treats, and I couldn't resist that cute little face. : )

When Heidi finished all of the kitten food, she looked at me to see if I had anything else she might like - or more kitten food. I had nothing left to offer her but didn't feel too bad since she was standing beside all that perfectly good chicken. She walked right up to me, sniffed the empty containers beside my bench, then promptly turned and left.

At 1 point earlier during the meal, some kids were making a lot of noise out at the street. Dispite my efforts to reassure everybody with the usual "it's ok", HRH, Heidi, and Juliet all ran back over the fence. Ironically, Fraidy, the timid one, stayed at my feet eating peanuts.

Tonight was a good night.

tetleytuna, ROTFLOL!!!

>>Tonight was a good night.

Yes, sounds like a grand night... especially since you get the "quiet time" with Fraidy.
How precious.
[glad I checked back before i was off to bed.]

The swtories of Heidi are so interesting! My dad had a pet racoon when we were young. What a clown!
They like to eat bananas too.

Mickey

Joey,

Why wasn't the Forum popping up? Did you accidentally unwatch? Anyhow, glad you are back!

It is a shame (for us, not the kits) that we have to wait so long now to see the little furballs, but I can tell you from my experience last year that it is well worth the wait. For years Heidi and I fought over the bird feeder. It's not just that she can eat a 3-tube feeder dry in 2-3 days, but she destroys them pretty fast, and at $40ea it gets costly. When I saw the little gremlins dangling from the feeder my heart melted. I was ready to GIVE them the feeder. I can still remember the magic of that 1st siting last year.

The other thing from last year that I remember fondly and missed all winter was the way the kits would wait for me on the other side of the fence. I could go out almost anytime and call them. An absolutely adorable little head would pop up over the fence to confirm my identity. Then the whole lot of them (except Fraidy) would pour over the fence like water. I really miss that.

Oh, now you've got me started. I can't wait! ;-)

Terese -- Yes, I really enjoyed interacting with Fraidy tonight. The kids from last year basically grew up with me so in some ways they are more comfortable around me than Heidi is. Freidy has become like a little dog. She like grapes and peanuts, so lately I try to have one or the other of them with me. She's learned to expect that I will have treats for her, and that if the others chase her away from the food she can come and sit beside me and I'll toss her all the food she wants.

Oh, another bit of news I left out earlier. You might recall that in the past Heidi has sometimes been unwilling to share the water with the others, and Fraidy, in particular, has been the brunt of the water wars a few times. Well now she has found her own private water "bowl" pictured here: http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2714275. Right now it's "parked" just behind the spot where she sits when she eats beside my bench. Due to the drought, I've been running the automatic sprinklers. As a result, the bottom tray fills with water. I drilled holes in my other 2 so water won't collect there but never got around to fixing this one. Now it's Fraidy's private water supply.

She is SO cute!

Ah, Terese, now you won't have anything to read with your morning coffee.

Mickey -- a pet raccoon, wow, you were so lucky. They are adorable clowns, aren't they? And so endlessly entertaining. Glad you are enjoying the thread. Thanks for the compliment and for reminging me about the bananas. There is a store near me that sells bags (2-3 bunches) of over ripe ones for 50cents. I need to stop by there and pick some up. I'll do that this week.