The Heidi Chronicles: The Story Continues

This one's a bit difficult to make out, but the one in back is taking a break from eating to play with the hedgehog back at the sandbox. (Multicolor rope between hedgehog head and foot. kit is reaching for foot.)

This close up on an action shot isn't so great either but it shows the kit in front playing with the keys. See the yellow ring out of the water in front of him? (Not a great pic but just wanted to show you that they really are playing with the toys - a lot)

Here the one on the right is playing with the frog. This went on for a while. He kept biting and tugging at it so hard you could hear the sound of the rubber snapping - the frog won't last long at this rate.

This little fella is having a grape. Now as you can see from the direction of this shot, he came right over to me, walked up to my feet as though I were part of the family. (George, it seems you were right. For them to be so at ease with me already, Heidi must be conveying a lot of confidence. I feel very honored.)

here's another shot of that one guy biting and tearing at the frog. Note the movement in the water. He was giving the thing heck.

Mom, these grapes really are yummy!

Look at the size of that tail. I read that the tail is used to store fat. Looks like the little fellas are healthy. My work is done.

Family shot.

Oh, there are 4 - so far - but one only shows up for a minute and then runs back up the tree.(There's a Trouble and a Fraidy in every group.)

Edited to clarify that the photo shows Heidi with 3 kits. The 4th kit never stays on the ground for more than a few minutes before returning to the safety of the nursery in the tree.

This message was edited Aug 18, 2007 11:11 AM

check out the guy in the back left

The pool is like a convenient playpen to keep the kids safe while mom eats.

pool party

The kids played and ate and played and ate and played some more. Everybody enjoyed the party, so much so, in fact, that when Mom left these 2 wise guys stayed behind. I mean when you have cat food, grapes, a pool, and toys who would want to leave? Now, of course, Heidi didn't just run off and forget them. She was in the tree calling them, making all kind of strange bird calls, the Native American thing, and the sound a dove makes when frightened. I tried to tell them that Mom had left, and they were going to be in trouble, but they didn't seem to care. Heidi seems to trust me, so I guess she knew they were safe; seemed like calling them from the tree was part of their ongoing training.

Still ignoring Mom. Oh, these guys are going to be in Time Out for a while.

(Check out those pudgy tails. Healthy, huh?)

Uh, oh, I think Mom is really getting mad. Better go.

Since an awful lot of work was done in the "sandbox" after I left last night - building "sand castles" and forts - and since all of the toys were moved across the yard to the sandbox, also after I (and the kits) left, it actually looks like Heidi may be bringing the little tykes here in the middle of the night just to play. When I left there was no food left except maybe a handful of kibble in the grass. I'm sure the late night diners had long since cleaned up every crumb before she got back. Fraidy was foraging when I left. To make such dramatic changes in the "sandbox" they had to stay a while, so they didn't just stop by, see that there was no food, and leave.

It's incredible the way things have unfolded. When I bought the pool I had no idea how many purposes it would serve for them and how popular it would be. When I left the straw/compost there I had never invisioned it becoming a play area. In fact, every time I saw it obscuring a photo of Heidi or Juliet, I scolded myself for not moving it. Even when I put the toys out, I was just hoping the kits would play with them. I had no idea they would enjoy them this much. Most of all, I never would have imagined that wild animals might come here after the food was gone just to play. It's very touching, I think.

Last night I went through Widget's toys and pulled out that treat cube, along with several other treat dispenser toys, a rubber chicken (they seem to like the rubber toys and Widget does not), a stuffed dog made of canvas with vinyl trim, some other "hard" toys with string things, rubber teething/chew bones, etc. I'll take them out there tomorrow. BTW, I've never found that soft teething ball with multi textured string. It disappeared the 1st night. Looks like someone actually took it with them. I guess they need toys back at the den, too.

If I were to visit, I am sure that after a couple of nights I would be inviting kits onto my lap. There would be no way that I could resist having them climb over me.

There fur seems to shed water rather quickly. Many animals would spend a lot of time grooming after they get wet. Maybe after they are back at their den they groom. At the buffet/play area they are having way too much fun to worry about appearance.

This seems to be telling me that domestication can occur rather rapidly. Heidi was an unusual individual in that she was not frightened by your early attempts to run her off. Now, the second litter has both inherited her trusting nature and is learning to trust from their mother and father if HRH interacts with them at all. All of the scientific wisdom derives from a society that has a scarce food supply. In this case food is not an issue and so HRH has been allowed to stay in contact with Heidi and her offspring. If food were scarce Heidi would work hard at driving him off from the area where she and her kits would be foraging.

A while back I read a paper that made the claim that cats cannot taste sweet and DNA was used as proof. Yet I have one cat that given the choice of sweet and not sweet always chooses sweet even when it is an artificial sweetener. Others do indeed seem to not sense sweet. The one that prefers sweet very definitely wants to share our food. Another prefers his water from my mug. It has to do with my scent because a mug that has been washed or that I have not drunk from will not interest him. When he came to us her was very weak, down to about half his normal weight. He waanted milk but it gave him terrible diarrhea. So I got him lactose free milk. After a time he wanted regular milk and by then his system had acquired the flora that digested the milk sugar and he is now OK with regular milk.

He has not been drinking milk and lately I noticed that he was having trouble jumping onto the counter. I took him to the vet and he was down a pound. After offering him a little milk each day for a few days he is now jumping up. OK ,enough rambling.

I do shudder a bit at the population issues. With the plentiful food Heidi is successful at raising all of each litter. With scarce food Fraidy would never have survived. In the group picture I seem to see quite a size difference which would indicate that in a scarce food situation the smallest would likely not survive. If there is a birth control food then you should look into it and allow only an occasional litter. And that reminds me there was talk about rabies immunization that could be fed. Please do some research and hopefully you can protect this colony. Then there are fleas. I wonder if a flea medication could be diluted so that one could use a spray bottle to occasionally squirt this tribe and help to rid them of another scourge.

OK, I am ready to go to bed. Glad that I have some three hours head start on you.

This group just makes me all mushy!

Scutler, I have sat here looking at each photo and grinning from ear to ear! I had absolutely no idea that the racoon babies would play with toys - I am just astounded!! They are precious beyond words and I am so glad you are enjoying them so much (and vice versa!). Keep those photos comin'!!!!

Squirting them with anything would surely frighten them away and destroy their trust, George, but I understand that you would wish to protect them. I know there were sugar cubes impregnanted with rabies vaccine that were dropped into the woods somewhere in the past. Don't know if you could help with fleas, though--have you noticed any scratching, Cheryl?

Thank you so much for this thread. I am always learning things I did not know about racoons, of course I did not know a lot to start with. Who would have guessed that the kits would be act like little ring tailed puppies and have such a good time just playing with toys! I would have thought it would be all about survival and they would not have a clue what "playing" was. But in this case, since there is a realiable food source they have that opportunity. But making their own little "sand box" really surpised me. I would have thought they might drag something around a little but not make a playing area like that. I had wondered about the fourth kit. All of your posts after the first one mentioned three. I was relieved to see that this baby was just shy and had not been taken by a predator.

Hi George,

I can see that you really love your cats and take great care of them. I'm sure you would like the raccoon babies as they remind me of cats in a lot of ways and look a bit like chubby brindle kittens with masks. Not only is it very tempting to touch them, but sometimes after spending so much time around the raccoons I am tempted to forget that they aren't my domestic pets. I could imagine me reaching out to touch one without thinking.

I don't know about a birth control food for raccoons. That rabies medicine that people have been talking about is part of a drop program by the federal government to try to prevent the spread of rabies. Unfortunately, it is not being distributed throughout effected areas but rather only around the perimeter of the effected region. The idea is to "write off" areas such as mine where rabies is endemic and just concentrate on holding it back at the border to protect uninfested areas. Consequently, my area is not part of the program, and the product is not available to me. (The idea that our raccoons are being written off infuriates me, BTW) You can view the map of areas in which the US gov is dispensing the rabies treatment on the web.

Below is a cropped and enlarged piece cut from one of the pics above. I didn't see this right away, but note that the kit has a green grape in his mouth.

LOL, priceless picture! All of them are--it will be difficult to decide which ones to include in your upcoming bestseller....

Hi Murmur,

Glad you are enjoying the pics. I, too, am surprised at their reaction to the toys. This morning when I went out I found that all of the toys had again been moved - to a drastically different location that where the kits left them last night - indicating that Heidi probably brought them back again later to play. When they left last night the keys and frog were still in the pool and the hedgehog was on the sandbox. This morning both the keys and frog were out of the pool and some distance away. I had to search a bit to find the hedgehog as it was over in the weeds behind the veggie patch. The latter doesn't sound like Heidi's kits actually. It sounds more like either Diva's baby or Fraidy or possibly Juliet's kids which, although I've yet to see them, might be coming out after hours.

Fraidy had shown some interest in the hedgehog the 1st night I put it out. I've never seen Diva's baby play at all, but he does hang out over in that weeded area some.

They are adorable. I wish that they would come out early enough for me to get video of them playing, but Heidi doesn't seem comfortable allowing them out before dark yet.

Below is another shot of Heidi and the kids - the full shot where the one kit is playing with the keys. I don't understand this, but in the photos they look almost the size of Heidi, but in reality they are much smaller. An illusion due to the "furriness" maybe? Anyhow, note how the kit on the left is watching the one with the keys. Sometimes the 2nd one will jump in and join the game.

Hi KyWoods,

I agree with you that they wouldn't be likely to understand spraying or to see it as a friendly act. Even domestic pets are often leary of such things. Actually, perhaps because of tougher skin or denser coat or something I really don't see any sign that they are suffering the ravages of flea and tick infestation as a domestic dog or cat would in the same environment.

To give you an idea of how minor this issue seems for them, in all the time I've been around them, I've probably seen Heidi scratch behind her ear very briefly 2 or 3 times tops, none of that digging and digging and scratching and scratching and chewing you might see with a dog or cat. (If Widget gets just one flea on him he will scratch his hair out until it's removed.) When she does, it's so brief that I have a hard time getting the camera shutter to close before she's done. I've never seen any of her babies scratch. Diva's baby scratched that one time I caught in the picture. Juliet never scratches but she does bat her ears with her front paws from time to time like maybe gnats or mosquitos are bothering her a bit; still she doesn't look like it's a serious problem. Of hand, I don't recall seeing the others scratch.

...my upcoming bestseller. I like the sound of that! LOL
Maybe I'll do an appendix with some extra pics. (Thanks)

You are very welcome, tetleytuna. Thank you for being there. Readers, participants, comments, etc are essential to the life of the thread, so you guys are an important part of the story. I may type the words up, but you guys make it possible.

I know from nature shows that wild animals (young ones) do play. Play is a serious and vital element of learning. It a safe and fun way to learn much needed adult skills. Mock fighting and pretending to kill mock prey provide practice before they have to try these things for real.

I just didn't expect them to recognize toys as such. Often when we introduce them to our pets we squeeze the toy and bounce it around and toss it, etc to give them the idea. I didn't expect a wild animal to walk past a stuffed animal and go "oh, that would be fun to play with". But last year when the other kits were a good bit older, I left one of Widget's toys out on the patio table. The next morning I found it yards away on the lawn. That's when Ruth told us that rehabbers buy toys for the young raccoons - but the toys have very short lives due to those teeth and nails.

I think what they like about the sandbox is the large amount of loose "soil" that they can dig in - just like human kids. Remember how much fun it was to climb on piles of dirt or sand, dig holes, build structures, etc? I was most pleasantly surprised (and had to smile) when I 1st saw the "work" they had done in the sandbox overnight. Below is a close up of the front (almost) of the old bale of pine straw in front of the sandbox. This appeared in many pics over the past year but was always square and flat on top. See the darker area where they dug a trench through it - perhaps learning some den making skills or how to dig up ground dwelling prey or something. If they continue at this pace it will be flat soon. I'll need to find a replacement. Sand, maybe? I do have several bags of finished compost that I could put there as well. I have another bale of straw but not one as nearly decomposed as that one.

That the only spot of loose, bare dirt, compost, and decomposed straw on the entire property just happened to be located directly behind Heidi's dish was pure serendipity! (Maybe that's why Juliet was so quick to give up Heidi's dish the other night. She knows that's were Heidi's kids play and she's probably been reprimanded for going near that area before when I wasn't around.)

George -- I forgot to comment on the effect of water on the raccoon's coats. The water doesn't seem to penetrate their coats easily. They get out of the pool looking almost dry. In all of the pictures except the very 1st one they've already been in the pool, probably many times yet they don't look wet - and they don't preen when they get out. They have water-resistant suits - not water proof because I recall seeing Heidi looking like a drowned rat once when she came to dinner during a storm.

OMG! I've got a great idea. I think. (What? I'm trying to avoid cleaning the house again. Oh, great now I'm having a conversation with myself) Anyhow, I was trying to think of other play things. I figure they'll be growing out of some of this playfulness all too soon, so I have to act fast. Then I remembered that last week I almost bought one of those collapsible tunnel things made for cats, except at the time I thought "don't be silly, they won't play with that", but now that I've watched them, I think they would. Also, I was thinking one of those climbing cat condo things would be fun. I could "build" a whole raccoon playground back there. LOL

Scutler, save your paper towel rolls and stuff them full of food treats also. Strange shaped containers can also provide entertainment.

Be careful if you get the tunnel, those guys might be too big and get stuck in it! My heavier cat Dexter, who is about 17 lbs barely fits through one of them.

Watch for kids play toys out by the road, I happened to get a great climbing toy for my kids when little out there. Also, garage/yard sales come in handy for those type things also. Just don't tell the people what it is for! LOL I can just see a little playschool slide on the edge of the pool for some summer fun! LOL

I am enjoying the pictures, and would have trouble not reaching for some cuddling.....They are adorable. The little bandits have all stolen our hearts!

Debbie

Scutler I am sure that we would all be in thrall if you started a thread about housecleaning. You are not likely to go to heaven for dying with a clean house. On the other hand your discovering the true nature of raccoons may have profound effects on many people.

Skip the housecleaning until winter when the raccoons migrate.

LOL Cheryl, I played a hand of solitaire while this thread was loading...hint, hint...

Ok, KyWoods, play another hand of solitaire, and I'll start a new thread after I do responses. ; )

It seems like all the photos take a while to load even when they are just thumbnails. When I was 1/2 through posting the baby pics I suddenly realized that I should have used them to start the new thread but by that time it was too late.

Lots of great ideas, Debbie! Thanks.

Heidi's kits are very small. I know that for some strange reason they look almost as big as Heidi in the pics but Widget weights 4.5lbs and they aren't even 1/2 his size. Their hair seems to stand up/out like med long haired kittens so I'm wondering if it's the hair that makes them "read" as larger in the pics. Check out the pic below where the kit is trying to climb over the edge of the pool. You can see that he's barely as high as the pool. You can just see part of his left hind leg showing below his tail and see that he's having to struggle a bit to get that foot up there. Heidi and the other adults just walk right over the edge. The adults probably won't fit well through the tube, but it's the kits that are running around all full of curiosity, exploring things and looking for fun.

Oh, I just love the "picture" of the playschool slide! I must look for that.

Thanks, George

About the housekeeping allusion, I was joking around a bit because a week or so back when I suddenly started posting a lot one Saturday after having been silent for days, Terese commented about me being unusually chatty that day to which I replied that I was posting a lot as an excuse to avoid house work. I do, however, like your idea about waiting until winter.

A slide would be soooo much fun! For the coons, too....LOL I'll bet you can get a used one cheap at a yard sale, or in the classifieds.

KyWoods,

this is precious:

Ok, alas it seems it's time for us to move on to a crisp, clean, shiny new thread as this one is getting a bit thread-bare (thanks KyWoods).

Our brand new thread is here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/761408/

Look forward to seeing all of you there! : )

OK, I'm anxiously awaiting to catch up with you and I know its going to be a while...so...I have to ask..I have noticed in the last couple of threads that Lib(something) I believe her name was karen has not committed it quite a while...I know she had been sick ...is she okay?...is she still with you?....

jeani

I did a quick search.... is it "liebran" ?

she doesnt seem to be following the thread... but she's still on Daves.

Found a thread in the hosta forum from this past week,

Thank You, tcs...I was just concerned just I handnt seen her and I know she had been saying she was sick...thnks again

Jeani

Jeani, Terese,

Thanks for the info. I, too, had been worried about Karen/Liebran. Many time after she 1st disappeared I looked for any signs of activity from her and found none. I was afraid the worst had happened, so it is great to hear that she is still active one DG even if not following the thread anymore.