The Heidi Chronicles: They're Here at Last!

duct tape. thanks.

Too cute for words!!!

Yes, she is adorable--great shot!

Hi, Everyone!

Murmur, I'm really looking forward to reading the book and to having it as part of my collection. Amazon had a number of x-library copies, and I've found that libraries are inclined to purchase some of the best books.

George, Your knowledge and love of animals are so clear as is the joy of your life on the farm and among them. I don't want to risk frightening them away right now, but will keep these ideas in mind.

Oh, Terese, that is an adorable pic! Squirrels are such comedians, aren't they, but rarely is one actually able to capture their antics in a photo as you have done. Thanks for sharing it with us.

I know that everyone is eager to see more pics of those adorable babies, but to be honest this is my favorite shot of the night.This is Fraidy in her little corner, my arm on bottom left, the tractor scoot on the right. She is, of course, enjoying a marshmallow. Isn't that a sweet little face?!

Diva having just popped the last of the marshmallow into her mouth.

Tonight as you can see, I broke out those marshmallows again. Heidi and the kids and later Diva and her baby were all there. Everybody, except Heidi who has such incredible self discipline, loved the marshmallows, but Diva turned into that "drunk" at the party who just can't stop with a few "drinks" - or in this case marshmallows - and ends up making a @#$! of themselves. Here is Diva after she had eaten quite a few marshmallows (at her position to my right), had developed a sugar high, and had been "cut off" for the night. She has been going all over the area trying to find or get just one more fix. Here she is close in front of me looking for that one last marshmallow which she seems to know I have - but which I plan to give to Fraidy.

Here's "M-o-m, Sissy has a marshmallow. Make her share!"

Here's Diva getting a fix earlier in the evening before she was cut off. See that look of momentary demonic possession - of the sugar adict? That's the baby next to her, of course.

Terese, Loved the squirrel story and pic!

Just trying to hurry up and get some pics posted and get to bed - hopefully earlier tonight than last night.

Juliet posing for "Raccoons Gone Wild".

I call this one "Oh, Sweet Mystery of Life, At Last I've Found You!"

This is, of course, one of the kits enjoying a marshmallow.

Par-ty!

Love these fluffy things

LOL, that must be sooo much fun watching them eat those squishy treats!

For those concerned about nutrition, 2 nights ago we had fresh, free range, brown chicken eggs - raw. Heidi really is a very good Mom. I don't know where she found eggs, or how she managed to teach them how to eat eggs so soon, but when I rolled an egg (with dented tip) over to the group one of the kits snatched it up and started eating it right away. He/she was partially obscured by weeds so I couldn't see everything but the kit ate the whole egg and seemed to do so with a fair degree of ease.

For the past few days I've been enjoying this incredible opportunity to watch Heidi interact with, communicate with, and teach the kids. The 1st night back after our TimeOut, she held a number of what looked like drills - I gather these were designed to make sure they were now listening and would follow properly in an emergency. Everybody would be eating and then she would just walk quickly toward the veggie patch or over the fence (each time in a different location). There were no scarey sounds, and her demeanor showed no indication of fear, so I really think she was conducting test drills, especially since 2 of them had failed to follow her when she left the last time they were here. This time, as soon as she left, the kits would fall in line behind her (holding hands) and go too. After each drill, the entire group returned a minute later.

When they finally left for good, the more assertive of the kits headed up the fence on his own. Heidi called him down and then the group went up in a different location farther down the fence. I had the impression that this was also part of training him to follow (at his young age) not lead - lest he climb up the fence to the waiting mouth of a predator next time.

To communicate with them she uses something of a high pitched "Whii-oop! Whii-ooop!" sound sound that makes me think of a combination of those Native American calls and part of the Wipperwill (sp?) sound. She also uses a "Cuuuuu" sound with a soft "c" and a rolling, repetative, resonating, vibrating "uuuu" sound almost like a purr. I have difficulty articulating that sound. It's not part of the set of sounds we typically make, at least not in English. It might be better represented as "cu-cu-cu-cu" (not limited to 4 or 5 sylables BTW), although I don't think the c is repeated that way. It's a sound that repeats like a boat motor or something like that. It appears to come from deep in the throat. Anyhow, these 2 sounds seem to make up most of the warning and calling dialogue between mother and kids.

Tonight when the kids 1st came down, we heard what sounded like a dog bark - but was actually one of the other raccoons as it came from the back corner of my yard where there is no dog. Heidi stayed. She clearly knew it wasn't a dog, but the kits ran back up the fence and into the safety of the tree. Heidi ate for quite a while. I had begun to fear that the kids would not be back. I started asking her to please let the kids come down (knowing, of course, that my words were rhetorical). A few mintues later she left, climbed up into the tree, made the Wooop, woooop,cuuuuuu cuuuuu sounds and then the kids came down followed a minute or so later by Heidi.

The more assertive kit (this year's Trouble) came over to me again as he does every night. This time he reached out and (gently) grabbed my entire foot (mostly shoe) with both paws, embraced it for a moment, and then turned to walk away. It's funny, this thing he does. The same thing every night - walk up to my foot, touch it, each time going a bit farther, and then leave. It's almost like, "Thank you for the food and toys".

Heidi is ultra protective of the kits at this stage so I am incredibly honored that she permits him to come over to me, that it doesn't seem to phase her at all.

Ok, I'm off to see Abraham Lincoln and the Hedgehog (that's an allusion to a recent tv commerical for a sleep aid) - or is that a beaver?

Edited to fix multiple typos

This message was edited Aug 22, 2007 12:19 AM

Hi KyWoods,

Yes, it really is an incredible and fun opportunity!

Cheryl,

OUTSTANDING photos!!! so clear. and i love the captions.

seeing Fraidy and her 'mellow... i hadn't realized how small she actually is.

well -- i'm off to bed to.

hope you kept your date with "Abe" and the beaver/hedgehog.

That is incredible how the baby grabs your foot and Mom lets him! What fun! And it's fascinating to hear about all her different sounds used to communicate to them. Thanks for describing them, even though it's a challenge to figure out how to tell us what they sound like. LOL

This morning while I was out I noticed that they have moved all of the toys, new and old around all over the place. Oh, and just like kids, somebody made a "boo-booh" in the sandbox. This would seem to explain why they aren't playing there lately.

While at the grocery store I picked up a set of 3 balls for cats and a fuzzy rat for cats. The balls are 2-2.5in D with something inside that rattles around. They are fuzzy on the outside with bright colors. Fraidy showed interest in the ball when she arrived - still don't know if she's just curious about new stuff or actually interested in playing. Unfortunately, Widget found the rat (in the house) before I got around to giving it to the kits. He's been playing with it for a few days,and now I hate to take it from him.

This year you are going to touch a raccoon, whether you have discipline or not. This new trouble is taking matters into his own hands. He is the one who will one day climb up into your lap. Rather amazingly Heidi is in someway letting this brood know that it is OK to be close to the fairy godmother.

Wow: can't believe how much I've missed, thanks to the cable company's new depths of customer service. Glad to hear they've come up with a diagnosis and treatment that's helping, Cheryl; life is just plain miserable without proper rest and sleep.

The babies are gorgeous and Heidi looks gloriously healthy; we know she has some years on her, but she's in gorgeous condition now that the lactation stress is mostly over. I suspect there are some local birds whose nests have been raided to teach the kids those egg-sucking skills.

Raccoons are always, as you noted, impeccably neat eaters. Ironically, this is what gets them in the most trouble with farmers. When they raid a field of sweet corn, they'll eat a perfectly straight row or two off of many ears of corn, making them all unsaleable, of course.

I would be very very careful about talking to vets or government agencies about your adventures. In a rabies-endemic area like yours (or mine), "harboring" raccoons without a rehabilitator's license is severely frowned upon and could bring trouble to both you and the raccoons. I doubt that private vets have access to the oral rabies vaccine being used by the government, and I know from sad experience that most vets will not treat adult wildlife, especially of high-risk rabies vector species. [And if they, and/or their staff members, are not vaccinated for rabies, this is only sensible: and you still should get yourself vaccinated.] From what I've read, I think the oral vaccine is carried on a really really strongly fish-flavored bait: frankly, your kids are so accustomed to fine dining that they'd probably turn up their noses at it. You are doing all you can (and much much more than most folks would do) to ensure that the raccoons have a great diet and a safe and fun environment; this alone helps to strengthen their immune systems and protect them from disease. We all have to accept that there are limits to what one can do for wildlife in the wild. Providing veterinary care and vaccinations is just not practical, and trying to capture them would damage/destroy their trust, possibly beyond repair. It's hard to accept the thought of losing creatures to whom we've all become attached, but we can only do so much to help nature. IMHO, I respect that you are doing all this for the raccoons while respecting and preserving their wild nature.

What a priceless gift to be able to watch Heidi's babies playing! Some of my fondest memoriest from working with the rehabbers was of seeing the coon babies playing, but how much more special to have this opportunity with wild babies, not orphans you've been raising...

Great detective work to figure out that it was Diva who attacked HRH; and it makes perfect sense, given her personality. I do hope her baby is male; would hate to think of a female learning such wretched mothering behavior. It does look like HRH's wound is healing, BTW; remember that healing takes a long time in the wild, without benefit of antibiotics and hygienic conditions.

Sounds like Heidi did/does an excellent job of controlling the populace before bringing her kids to the diner. Fascinating, and makes sense, that HRH has been forced to learn a new access route. I'm rather surprised she hasn't driven him out altogether, but clearly she's decided he poses no real threat to the kids as long as he keeps at proper distance. He becomes ever more endearing as the story progresses, and the photos of him are purely adorable.

I've read the same stuff you've read, BTW, about raccoon tails being used for food storage, but am not sure I believe it. I've seen some really ill and debilitated raccoons with fat tails, so think it may be more genetics than condition. Coat condition, on the other hand, does have much to do with diet and overall condition (when not thrown for a loop by lactation or pregnancy, of course); and your guys have glorious coats.

Glad to hear that Fraidy is still allowed in the yard, at least on the periphery; she is undoubtedly your greatest success story to date, and such a sweet creature.

Thanks for a couple wonderful hours catching up on all I'd missed!

This message was edited Aug 22, 2007 5:10 AM

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has a program for air-dropping rabies vaccine for raccoons. A leaflet was delivered to my mailbox recently, advising that vaccine may be dropped in my area. I checked out the MNR website - rabies.mnr.gov.on.ca - and learned that the bait ingredients include marshmallow flavour! The website also has a "contact us" tab, Cheryl, so you could e-mail and ask if the MNR would export some vaccine to you. I know that the MNR has sent vaccine baits to New York State, so I assume the ingredients must be acceptable to US authorities.

Scutler, as usual I am thoroughly enjoying your story - if you could see/hear me literally laughing out loud, you would know what a successful storyteller you are! I am in awe of how trusting the raccoons have become of you - says a great deal for your gentle inner spirit that they obviously can detect.

The photos are great, too - I really can't say enough about how much I love this thread! And I appreciate all the input by so many DGers about rehabbers, vaccines, etc. This is truly one of my favorite places to stop!

Marshmallow flavored coon vaccines....LOL, perfect!

Cheryl -- in those last batch of images... was it still light out?? or they were that close, or you have a really good flash?

that one of Diva is priceless.... the way her lil hands are still up in the air after popping it in....

Hi Ruth!

It's SO great to have you back! Years ago I got fed up with the appalling behavior of the cable company and told them to get their equipment out of my house and that I'd read a book before I'd put up with them one more day. Now I have satellite TV and DSL. I would probably prefer cable Internet connection but I love the satellite TV company - very customer friendly. However, with DSL as you likely know distance from the relay station makes a big difference. For me this is not an issue.

I can't tell you how happy I am to see Heidi looking so healthy. For a while there I was preparing for the worse. Heidi has such excellent eating habits. I wonder if that might also help to keep her young. Last night when everyone else was scarfing down every marshmallow they could get, Heidi refused to take even a bite. Although she has a few indulgences (like nectar) Heidi rarely eats anything except dog/cat food, eggs, peanuts, and the occasional grape and a bit of yogurt.

When I first saw the kits playing with the toys, I knew that I was seeing something very special, something few people get to see. That pool just keeps on giving and giving. Now it's a playpen to keep the kits corralled while Heidi eats. I've added a number of additional toys to the pool. It seems as though Heidi is bringing them back in the wee hours of the night/morning just to play. Most mornings I find the toys scattered all about the lawn area around the pool. (BTW, I envy you the opportunity to handle and play with the orphan babies in rehab.)

Glad you had a chance to view the latest closeup of HRH's wound. My biggest concern now is that although it does appear to be healing quite nicely, it looks like the raw edges of his mouth wound are healing separately but (lacking stitches to hold them together) are not mending back together. I guess he can get by with that though. I haven't seen him in several days so he may be gone (for now).

Remember when we were concerned about how things would work out with so many other adults around this year? Lately only Juliet is allowed out when Heidi is there. Diva has sneaked around the side once or twice but mostly comes after Heidi leaves. Fraidy sneaks out when Heidi is gone. HRH shows up then too. The others appear to be gone. I'm feeling better about the population issues now.

Juliet's behavior around the kits is the most incredible thing. If Juliet is eating from the dish by the "sandbox" when Heidi's kits arrive, she will quickly leave the dish to them. Even if the kits walk up to Juliet while she is eating, she doesn't even dare growl at them. Lately, she runs from them - as if in fear that she will get into trouble for being too close to them. Even Diva did not snarl at the kit that stuck his nose up to her the other day when she was in the pool. Yes, Heidi has things very well in hand. We worried for nothing. No one has the nerve to mess with Heidi's babies.

About that tail myth, it's just as well since in some photos (not yet posted) the kits' tails are as big as they are. I was getting concerned that they might be too fat. LOL.

When I called the local health department, I was ready to schedule my rabies vaccine that very day. I was shocked to hear they don't do it anymore. In my pursuit of answers for my recent health issues, I changed doctors. My new doctor came highly recommended. Her practice is in a very high end area on one of the barrier islands. I meant to ask her if she could get the vaccine for me, but by the time I got there I was in terrible shape. Staying awake - and alive - suddenly took precedence. She's still titrating my dosage, etc. I have to go back in a few weeks and will ask her then.

(Thanks, Ruth)


This is my photo of the day. I call it "Like Mother, Like Daughter". Check out the extent to which the kit is emulating the parent, in this case Diva.

Good information, June. It would certainly be worth looking in to, and we know that marshmallow is a very popular flavor with the group.

Thanks, Murmur,

Although I can't see/hear your reaction, you sure did a great job of describing it. Now I'm smiling ear to ear. Thank you very, very much!

: D

Hi Terese,

Thank you so much for the compliments RE the photos. It was totally dark outside when those photos were taken, such that I could not even see an image on the LCD or through the view finder. After taking so many photos out there in the dark, I was bound to improve a smidgen just from all the trial and error and practice. I am starting to learn a little more about how to use the night photo features, IR light, etc. Although the camera is a few years old and is "broken" right now, it's a high end camera, the abilities of which extend far beyond my skills. It has a number of different flash options. The one that I'm using right now is a series of some 4 or 5 seperate flashes in quick succession.

Most of all,for those photos, I think my photography secret was the marshmallows. The raccoons were quite close in many of the pics. Everyone wanted more of the sweet, white puff balls.

I don't think that photo of Fraidy shows here size properly relative to my arm or the scooter. Up close like that, cameras are prone to distort reality such that the closer items (my arm, the scoot) appear abnormally large. Fraidy is snall compared to Heidi but is still much larger than the kits.

Thanks again for the compliments!

Thanks, KyWoods

A speech pathologist or musician/singer - someone with formal knowledge of vocals - could no doubt do a much better job of describing the strange sounds the raccoons make - but I try. : )

Hi George,

The little fella that comes over to me (only once) each night is quite adorable, and I enjoy his daily approach. You are right that Heidi makes all the difference here. Diva's kit keeps his distance from me. Tonight I was tempting him with carmel rice cakes when Diva signalled for him to get back. She doesn't share Heidi's trust in me, and she is conveying her discomfort to the kit (for his benefit, of course).

Hi KyWoods,

Based on my experience with feeding the puffy, white treats to the raccoons last night, I don't think the Canadian officials could have found a better flavor for the vaccine.

This message was edited Aug 23, 2007 12:47 AM

"Would you happen to have any more of those marshmallows with you there?"

My 1st chance to see Diva's kit playing with the toys.

Note that he is farther away that the coons last night. I can't focus the camera in the dark. It's all hit and miss, especially at that distance. I can use the red light to determine when the subject is mostly centered in the lens, but when taking photos in total darkness, everything else is a toss up. I just can't see anything. The LCD is just totally black, so I can't do any focusing. I'm learning how to do a better job of centering the subject via the IR light but am still struggling with focusing at a distance in darkness.

That must be one of the youngsters. What an adorable look on its face.

I was so happy to hear that Heidi has Juliet well in hand; had no doubts the others were manageable, but Juliet seemed the wild card in the bunch. We shouldn't have worried; Heidi is a true pro.

It's awesome that she brings the kids back late at night for a play session. And makes sense; once hunger is satisfied, she needs something to keep them busy - and now there's a playground for them! And they do learn lots of skills in play that will be critical to survival later on.

I saw the separation you're talking about in HRH's face wound, and it is nasty-looking; but as you say, pretty much inevitable without stitches. The important thing is that the wound isn't hugely swollen or inflamed or oozing, i.e. obviously infected; from the way it looks, it will heal in time, though he will have quite an impressive scar line. He clearly seems to have been acting normally, eating normally, not visibly losing weight, so I'm not inclined to worry about him; a studly boy of his maturity has probably been wounded before, and he's a survivor.

The marshmallow photos are priceless, as are the ones of the pool-as-playpen while Heidi forages. Many human mothers could take lessons from her, no?

I've so much enjoyed this thread. Not only do you take care of critters, you also spin a very good story. Do you ever do things like go to children's hospitals and tell them of your adventures? A library in our area has local story tellers to visit and tell stories to whomever wants to listen.

Again, thank you for taking the time to care for the critters and to let us be part of your adventure.

Judy

See, Cheryl? Your fans await that bestseller about your coon capers.... :)

Ohhh... i could see "aunt cheryl" now... at the local children's ward at the hosp telling her tales of Heidi and her family.... hand puppets and all.

if only........ she had the time.

Hi, Everyone!

It's so great to hear from each of you! Unfortunately, I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow to respond to your posts. I really, really hate it when that happens because I do so love to hear from you and were it not for that icky work thing I'd love to sit up now and post responses. I was up a bit late last night and must get to bed ASAP tonight.

On a similiar note, my time tonight with the raccoons was anything but boring, but, again, as I must get my 6hrs sleep to function well, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to tell you about it. Drat! It's SO difficult to keep a secret that long...

Below is Diva's baby playing with the pink ball in the pool.

Now I believe Abe, the beaver, and I have a hand of poker to finish...

Maybe this weekend Rascal II (or is it Rascal Squared) will hop onto your lap! That wanting to make physical contact is going such a long way.