Heidi Chronicles: Raising the Kids

fishing

the one in front has a goldfish in his hands.

more fishing

closer

got one

Ok, I like this one because of that goofy look on Dennis' face. That's him up front, too close to the camera. After he had eaten 15 or more fish, he got out and came over to ask me if I had anything for desert. He got caught in the pic by mistake.

looks like 2 fish caught here

close up 2

I think Heidi (front) may be giving tips to the guy on the far back left. The one on the right got out to pick up the fish he chased over the edge of the pool

more fishing. another one caught up front

Great pictures loved the one of Juliet drinking from the birdbath. Dennis does look a bit goofy. After all those fish I would imagine he felt a bit goofy. Maybe he swallowed some hole and they were swimming in his tummy..........Thanks for taking so much time getting all those great shots to share with everyone.

Judy

This pic shows how the kit eating next to Heidi - this one is a Moma's baby, sticks by Heidi most of the time - is developing the lighter, blonde color. Note also how this kit's face is almost identical to Heidi's at this time.

Thank you, Judy! And you are very welcome. Sorry it took so long to post them. By the time I finished editing I was pooped. I've been trying to get one of those "drinking from the little birdbath" pics for a while. They usually get back down before my camera snaps the pic.


more fishing pics

almost got one

not sure but the one in back (with all 4 feet together) looks like he/she may be about to pounce. Maybe they figured it out after all.

Dennis just tossed his fish over the side.

I'm worried about Rupert too. Not fair to have such a rough shake from the start.

the one in back has a fish

LOL, how cute! They sure do have fun at your place! And they are getting big, too.

summerkid -- I hope I'm wrong, but I have a bad feeling about him. I haven't seen him and Diva for days. Tonight I stayed out extra long hoping to see them if they came by late. There was one raccoon that showed up pretty late. It was dark and I couldn't get a good look at her, but that could have been Diva. If so, she was alone. I wish I'd had marshmallows or some other treat to offer her as that would have let me know for sure. I sure hope I'm wrong and they show up one day together like before. Time will tell.

Both Heidi and Juliet were there tonight with their kids, so I know that they are safe.

KyWoods,

Yes, they really are getting big, aren't they. Heidi's kids are by far the biggest. And, yes, they do have fun, and I really enjoy watching them play. Tonight one kit was sitting down - way back - and sort of digging lightly at the dirt between her legs. I tossed her a treat but she didn't want food. She was playing. After a few minutes of digging, she got up, walked over to get something, came back and sat down holding the little mouse - the one with the microchip for sound, the one they drowned in the pool. It's about the size of a real mouse and is furry. The kit played with it for quite a while right there in front of me. She sat leaning way back and holding it in front of her on the ground, pretending to catch it, repeating that move for a while before she rolled backward on her back holding it with her front paws and 'killing' it with her back feet. She stayed like that for a while, rolled up in a ball on her back, killing the mouse. She looked very similar to a cat a play.

A few minutes later one of the kits started playing with the yogurt cup in the pool - a favorite toy, BTW. (Who was it that told me to try odd shaped containers? Was it you or Debbie? That was a great idea.) She rolled the cup around in the water for a while, rolling it around the pool. Then I heard all this noise - which caused 1/2 the raccoons to run into the veggie patch to hide - which was her wrestling with the yogurt cup to drag it over the side of the pool. She ran across the yard with it taking it over to the fort where I couldn't see what she was doing. Then she washed it in the copper basin before taking it back over to the pool again.

About the time she got back into the pool with it, Dennis started trying to take it away from her. The wrestled for a while before he ended up apparently trying to "ride" her. She had reached the rim of the pool by then, and the both of them fell over the edge of the pool and landed at Heidi's feet. Heidi just looked at them like, "what am i going to do with you 2?" and went on eating.

They seemed most playful tonight. Watching them, I felt quite blessed.

Oh, and the minute they arrived, while Heidi and the other 2 went to the dish to eat, Dennis came directly over to me to see if I'd brought him any treats. I had a large bag of Whisker Lickins cat treats. I also had a few handfuls of candy corn in my pocket. I had just arrived when they rushed over the fence so I hadn't had time to set things up yet, but Dennis was very eager. He didn't understand "wait". I tried to give him a candy corn but it was too small. I dropped it at his feet but he kept reaching for something. I tried again. Still he didn't seem to see it so he kept reaching. I put a few on the edge of the chair beside me so that he could reach up and get them. I put a few more there with some of the cat treats. I turned to put some food on the other side for Fraidy, and when I turned back Dennis was standing on top of the chair beside me and helping himself to my stuff. He is SO cute! They are just adorable at this age.

close up of that last one

here is Dennis (right) when he came back later (alone, his mother's faint calls heard in the background) to finish fishing and found Juliet's kids(left) in 'his' pool. The one kit far left hopped out right away. The other got out a moment later.

Juliet's kids eating the only 2 marshmallows I had with me that night.

Juliet's kids fishing for a few minutes before Dennis returned to chase them out of the pool.

Juliet's kid with fish

last one for now. Juliet's kids. one standing in the small birdbath.

I think the fishing expedition would 'play' better as video but can only do that if the kids come out early enough to have sufficient light. Still, even though it doesn't photograph as well as I'd hoped, I know the kids love it and it's great for them so I'll probably try to do it again this coming weekend.

Even if we never see Rupert again, I guess we need to think about how much more fun & lip-smacking goodness he had with you than otherwise, eh?

Thank you, summerkid. That's a very nice sentiment. I like that and will try to keep it in mind if he doesn't return.

BTW, forgot to mention but sometimes I think I may live in the dumbest place on earth. Friday I called my new Dr's office to ask about the rabies shots. The receptionist gave me the number for the health department saying that's where they refer people who ask about this. Of course, I had already called the health department some time back and had been told that they no longer do it either. Just to make sure, I called the health department again and got the same answer. Then I realized that since my Dr is not actually in Charleston but on one of the islands, I called the number she gave me. It was for a different health department so I asked them about the shots. They said they don't give them. Scream!

We live in an area with a high incidence of rabies but we don't give pre-exposure shots. Worse, people are asking for them and doctors are referring those people to the health departments - who also don't give those shots. Arggggh! What century is this? Oh, they did say they could give me regular rabies treatment if I was exposed. Super!

Next time I have some time - since I generally have to do this at work - I'll call the lady who gave me advice about Heidi. She runs a rehab center so she will probably know. Surely someone around here must give these shots. If only I could just find them.

Just have someone bite you really hard, let a mosquito REALLY git you, then smear it all over your arm & scream bloody murder that you've BEEN EXPOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome photos, Cheryl! Heidi's kits really are growing; they look great as does Heidi and all the rest of the crew. I do hope Rupert shows up soon; this is about the time I figured Diva would kick him out, so his absence is worrisome. It's true, though, that the time in your yard is the best time he's had; so if he doesn't return, at least he knew some fun and happiness thanks to you.

If memory serves, the same vaccine is used for both pre-exposure and post-exposure rabies series; so it's truly absurd that they won't do pre-exposure if they have the vaccine on hand. Glad to hear you're trying to get it done, and it's a great idea to call the rehabber with whom you originally spoke about Heidi. Surely she is vaccinated, and should know who does it these days. It really is pathetic that the vaccine is so hard to find in an area like yours where raccoon rabies is pretty common.

The soggy weather could make it hard to hunt for grubs and other below-ground goodies; but I'd think the berries, bird eggs, and above-ground bugs would be as available as always. I'd say that the crew is just getting spoiled; but the fact that Heidi's kits had some idea how to approach eggs says that she is teaching them foraging skills. But you know, food always tastes better when someone else cooks it!

I think it's partly the whole playground atmosphere that they like, too. Foraging for grubs just can't be as much fun as fighting over a yogurt container in your own private pool!

Amen, summerkid!

When I had the shots, I had to go to an emergency room and they had to call several people in the hospital before they could find someone who even knew how to give the shots! So it may not just be that it's not available. I agree, call a rehabber, because they have to have them, so they'll know where to send you.

I seem to remember that when I was in college, there was someone out on Longboat Key (FL) who had a playground for the racoons in the area. He had a lot of rope swings, and I remember hearing that the kids loved them.

Could you throw a climbing rope over the Heidi branch, Cheryl?

Julie

summerkid -- If I get exposed or just manage to convince them I've been exposed, as Ruth pointed out some time back, the authorities are going to want to kill a raccoon. Some raccoon will need to be sacrificed and tested for rabies. We can't have that.

Looks like everyone had a great time fishing. In addition to being amusing you are actually teaching them some great life skills without the normal risk involved. I sure hope Rupert is OK.........

Ruth
Thanks, both for the compliment on the photos and for consoling me about Rupert. I feel extra bad since he showed up missing around the time I missed a night feeding them - not really sure if he was there the last day or so before that - and the kit on the road showed up 2 days after. I didn't go out the day after so it may have been there then, but I rather doubt it. The city was quick to remove the carcass. It was there early Monday morning when I left for work but was gone by the time I returned home that day. I started thinking the worst, like maybe he was out looking for food, or maybe the lack of food pushed Diva to run him off. But, honestly, I'm not sure if Diva has been around lately either. Tonight it was only Heidi and her 3, Diva and her 2, and HRH, no sign of Diva.

The last few weeks before he disappeared Rupert had begun to act a lot like Fraidy. He lacked confidence and would run and hide if he heard the slightest sound or if any of the others got near him. Then he'd sneak back out when he though the coast was clear. Oddly, considering her behavior, Rupert seemed to draw courage from Diva's presence. When he was on his own, even maybe 10-15 ft from her, his demeanor was like Fraidy's. When he was at her side, say in the pool, for instance, he would become like her, suddenly acting almost 'cocky' and striking out at any of the others that happened to come too close to the pool.

I continue to be amazed at the reaction of medical authorities when I ask about the vaccine. I'm starting to wonder IF it is even available her at all and even IF we have any raccoon rehabber in the immediate area. I say that not only because of the responses I've gotten but because: (1) the 1st time I asked the health dept about this and pushed the issue, I ended up talking to someone in epidemiology who told me about a Dr on a nearby island who is trying to order the stuff because he's getting so many requests for it; and (2) last night I remembered that the lady who 1st gave me advice about Heidi is actually in Georgetown which is closer to Myrtle Beach. I ended up talking to her because that's where my local vet's office transferred me when I asked to talk to someone about a problem with raccoons. Then more recently when I was searching for help with the hummingbird, I called the local veterinary ER and they gave me the number for the same lady in Georgetown who then helped me to find someone in my area who could help with the bird. It seems odd that all of the local vet's are directing me to this lady in Georgetown, especially for the raccoon question. Also, at the time when we talked about Heidi, she indicated that she mentioned the possibility that Heidi's friendliness might indicate that she was raised by people, either a rehabber or one of the many people who steal baby raccoons from the wild and let them go when they get to old to handle anymore. She went on to say, and I thought it odd at the time, that she gets a lot of raccoons from my area that are either orphaned because people relocated the Mom's or are unable to take care of themselves because of people who steal them from their moms so they never get trained.

Oh, it's definitely soggy here and has been for some time now, so if that will make it difficult for them to feed themselves, that explains everything. LOL