Heidi Chronicles: And Baby Makes 5

ever try to fry an egg on the sidewalk??

No, have you?
From the looks of that plastic container, I'm thinking I could do it. The sidewalk is on the South side of the house and in full sun. The container was in the backyard garden on the North side of the house in an area that gets full sun only in the morning with dappled sun/shade the rest of the day.

Goodness, it has been scorching here too. I really enjoyed the videos, and Dennis, what a hoot! I know they don't have you giggling every night, but enough so it makes it worth it!

Glad to hear your pain is down too. Big thumbs up!

Laura

It's been in the low 90's here, too. And humid. Yuk. Amazing how that plastic melted--looks like it was microwaved, lol.
I can't wait until tomorrow--gonna stop by the school and borrow their 'puter to see the videos!

Laura,

I saw on the news that there is a heat wave in the NE right now with temps up to 100F, higher with the heat index. I feel for you folks up there since I realize that many people in northern areas don't have AC (you probably do in VA though) since it doesn't usually get so hot or stay that way for very long. Without AC this kind of weather must be unbearable.

The highs here are running around 97F with night time lows in the 70s. When you figure in the humidity the effective temps can easily top 100F. Late last week (with everything else that has been going on) I noticed that the downstairs temp was reaching 85 and up with the thermostat set on 70F. When I started investigating I found that the upstairs unit was not coming on at all. The entire upstairs was pegging the thermostat at 100+ by mid afternoon. Without the upstairs unit pulling its weight, the downstairs unit is unable to keep up in the hottest part of the day. It runs all day (which can't be good) while steadily loosing ground, then runs all night to catch up. By early morning the temp in the house is back down to 70 (downstairs that is) and the unit gets a brief rest before the temp starts to climb and the whole thing starts over again.

It was a bit unpleasant here over the weekend. By early afternoon the house is stuffy and stays that way until well after bed time. This morning I called the AC folks who said they would be here some time today, so (once again) I took off from work to wait for them. The guy arrived at 3PM, but I was just so happy to see him period. The bad news is the upstairs unit has long since followed the light to that big AC home in the sky. Just under $2k to replace the defective part. Probably better to replace the unit at this point. It's 12yrs old. That means the downstairs unit is probably on its last leg, too, since they are the same age. Funny thing is the downstairs unit works harder. Maybe the upstairs unit just got flabby from lack of exercise.

And it doesn't end there. I took today off because I really, really need the AC fixed in this weather, but the guy only had time and parts to assess the problem today. If I choose to fix it they have to order the part. I have to live w/ my crippled AC until it arrives and take another day off from work to get it installed. To replace it, I have to take time off from work for the owner to come out and look at my system, discuss my options, and assess the prices, then take another day off to get that installed. Either way I'm going to have limited AC for the next week or so and have to take at least one more day off, probably 2.

Arg! But I am trying to remember to be thankful that I have 2 units!

Oh, and glad you enjoyed the videos. Yes, Dennis is hilarious much of the time. Tonight, Dennis was a little sweetie, but it was Trouble (and the hyena one) that had me trying to muffle my laughter. More on this later.

That sure looks like Rupert to me in the "Just Eating" video. You just can't miss that nose!

KyWoods,

Well, you know, the sun is the ultimate nuclear furnace and micro-wave oven.

I was walking through the garden doing some of my winter maintenance when I saw the warped container. I knew it wasn't like that when I put it out there. Just had to get a pic to show you guys.

Glad to hear that you will have a chance to view the videos soon. LMK what you think. I think you will enjoy the steal and the shove, esp Dennis' inept attempts at them.

Today when it got so hot that I was sweating indoor w/o the fan, I sat at my desk w/ fan on me and worked on editing some of the pics I need to post - soon.

Thank you, nanny!

I've been eager to hear your opinions on this. I think that one does show off his large nose. Did you notice him doing the Diva (on mm) stance in the other video I mentioned to Terese? I really do think that has to be Rupert. When time allows I'm eager to go back and dig up some of his old pic and those of his mom Diva for comparison.

Thanks again for the input.

Yikes, I just heard it was 96 today in Wash., D.C. I sure hope you can get your ac fixed soon, as I'll bet those guys are keeping busy these days!

Can't view the videos yet. AAAACK! The weather here continues to be very stormy. DH said that he heard a new report that we have had rain on the average of once every three days for the past month and a half or so. Not just mist or drizzle but real rain storms. When the weather is bad the videos do not work. I do worry about those that farm for a living as what the have planted is probably on the way to rotting and they cannot get into the feilds to plant anything else as the ground is too wet. On the positive side though we have had very few really hot days so the critters do not have to contend with that at least.

Some time ago I had posted that there was a racoon that seemed to be very comfortable being in close proximity but had not seen it in quite some time. I saw him or her again this weekend during the day calmly eating out of the food dish I leave out for the feral cats. I was able to get fairly close and noticed that it must have had a significant bald patch at the base of the tail that has started to regrow the hair. It was all around the base and was quite large. What would have caused that do you think?

Just a guess--fleas? We have a raccoon that likes to cool off in our bird bath! He just lies down and sprawls out in the water. LOL I will try to get a pic next time--he's done it three times, if it's the same one. Poor babies--I may have to get ours a pool, too. The pond is probably too deep.

Tonight I am determined to get to bed early as I have to go across several cities again to get papers for my new car before I can go to work. After missing today, I don't want to be late tomorrow, so that means getting up extra early. The good news is I get to enjoy that wonderful, slow, winding journey through the 'wilderness' alone again after I get my car pass. It is the kind of delightful journey that feeds the soul and helps to bring things into perspective. I look forward to that.

The AC guy was in the back yard until 5PM or so. He spend much of that time hidden between the unit and the house. At one point I thought he wasn't there only to stumble upon him when I went out to put the hose away. Still, it seems the raccoons had no trouble realizing he was there. Lately, I can't go out after 4PM without Dennis following me around the yard while I work and Blondie and Cissy and sometimes even Heidi showing up eventually, too. Today I went out there after the guy left and again around 7PM when I took Widget out but no raccoons were anywhere to be found. Even Widget was dumbfounded as he stood by the fence looking up into the Heidi tree wondering where everybody had gone.

I didn't see hide nor hair of them until around 9:30PM (after dark) when I put on the outside lights and started scooping up the food. It was only then that I looked out to see Dennis sitting at the door waiting for me. I took out the pack of mini cupcakes I bought the last time I went shopping, and tried my best to remember the camera only to find myself w/o it once I got out there.

Heidi was so spooked by the presence of the man in the yard today that she refused to come down when I called her, something she does everyday just like a beloved pet. As soon as I say "Heidi!" she starts down that limb in a hurry, but not today. Today I called her repeatedly but to no avail. Only after I had put out the food and everyone else was eating did she mosey on down to her dish.

Dennis ate enough mini cupcakes to give him diabetes for sure. Cissy ate several herself. I really missed the photo ops with her. When I held the tiny cupcakes out she took them gently in her mouth then sat upright, grabbed the cupcake with both hands, and sat their eating it just like a little person. Too cute. She did that with every cupcake I gave her. I tossed at least one cupcake to each raccoon who was there at the time, including 1 to the liver colored one who doesn't eat sweets and 1 to Heidi who almost never eats sweets either - but I thought I remembered her showing interest in cupcakes the last time. When Fraidy peeked through the brush I tossed her one. She grabbed it and ran back into the brush.

Heidi's cupcake sat idle for a while as she ate her cat food. Then I looked over and saw her licking frosting off of it. A few minutes later as I was handing out cupcakes to Dennis and Cissy I heard Heidi's signature grumble coming from beside me and looked up to see her standing there, having apparently come for another cupcake. I held one out to her, and she sniffed it but did not take it. I dropped it at her feet and she licked the frosting off of it - to show me where Dennis gets it from. Then, leaving the bare cupcake behind she walked up to the chair beside me, stood upright, and reached up onto the chair to look into my canister. I sat stunned as I watched her. Was I confused? Surely, this must be Dennis? I must have them mixed up in the dark? Then, finding the canister empty and me now without any more cupcakes she gave me her signature grumble once more and got down. For the rest of the night she walked around the ground around my feet picking up the kibble I had dropped there for Dennis and the others - leaving her own dish for Blondie. This was most unlike Heidi, I figured she wanted to be close by (instead of so far away where I had been putting her food to give her space for her kits) in case I found any more cupcakes - or frosting.

Then Trouble showed up, running through the crowd as he usually does. He came right over to me to eat all of the frosting-less cupcakes left there by Heidi and Dennis. He ate them paper and all, even ate the empty papers from Cissy's cupcakes. Hey that makes the cleanup easier on me. He even crept up, smelled my leg, and then ate the papers Dennis had left by my feet. Heidi fussed at him from time to time to be sure he remembered his newly acquired manners.

Finally, when there was not another cupcake crumb nor spec of paper to be found, Trouble went over to where the hyena one was eating from Heidi's usual dish which he had only recently stolen from Blondie. Trouble sat down and started working on his steal. Trouble is pretty good at this and it was going quite well until the mark decided not to give up the loot. That called for The Shove to settle the dispute. I don't think I can adequately describe the lunacy that ensued except to say that I was laughing till I could hardly breath and tears were running down my cheeks. (Hope the neighbors don't see me out there alone acting like a loon.)

Usually the shove is done the way Dennis and Rupert did it, side to side. For some reason Trouble couldn't seem to decide whether he was doing the steal or the shove so he ended up backing his butt into the side of the other raccoon. The pushing and shoving started, and at times it really did look as though they were doing some form of the bump. At one point while Trouble was pushing with his bum, he was reaching over with his mouth and eating the kibble they had spilled on the ground around him. Trouble did eventually prevail.

Oh, they are such unusual creatures. I really never tire of watching them. Even on nights when I'm tired or sick or in pain or whatever. Even when I don't really want to go out there and only talk myself into it by promising to come right back in, if I go out there once I see them I cannot tear myself away. They are so addicting - and as Trois so aptly put it, better than anything on the tube. The funny things like the steal and the shove are just frosting on the cake, but I enjoy them even when they are just eating. I never tire of watching them pic the kibble up with their little hands and watching how they curl their noses up as they chew or how they sit and stand in such adorable positions.

BTW, the liver colored one didn't eat his cupcake, but he kept Trouble or anyone else from getting close enough to get it. A little while later while he was getting a drink from the scoot, Fraidy emerged from the brush once more to snatch it up and run with it. : )

tetleytuna,

So sorry to hear about the terrible weather you guys are having there. I think (because I have issues still with the 'M' states) that you are in that area I spoke of the other day in the middle part of the country where I hear daily reports of floods, storms, and tornadoes. My thoughts and prayers are with you guys out there.

As for the raccoon with the bald spot, I know the answer to this one! She is a nursing mom, guaranteed! I see this every year. Last year Heidi had the bald 'butt' and I was worried that she had been in a bad fight or something. Ruth said it was due to the nursing. It is very hard on the coat, I guess because of the nutrients it takes out of them. Once they ween the kits it grows back. This year Blondie has the bald butt syndrome. I've been meaning to point that out to you guys in the photos and videos. Heidi doesn't have it this year. Her coat still looks wonderful despite nursing 4 kits. I wonder if that might be because of all of the cat food and eggs and such I've been giving her (per Ruth's suggestions) during pregnancy and nursing to maximize her nutrients. Blondie has only recently started coming to dinner on a daily basis. For a long time she didn't trust me and only showed up once or twice a week, so she didn't get the kind of nourishment that Heidi got. Also, I usually (except the other day when I gave one to Blondie) only give eggs to Heidi (and occasionally to Dennis or Cissy).

Keywood,

LOL at your raccoon lounging in the birdbath. Love to see a pic of that! The pool has never lost its popularity. It is the most used item in the yard. I scrub it and put clean water in it one day, and it will have a bunch of sand and dirt in the bottom by morning (still with clean water).

The obvious down sides are: you have to change the water often to keep the mosquitoes from breeding there and to avoid growing algae. I've been planning to put one of those barley rings in there to suppress mosquitoes but am sure that Dennis and the other kids will just play with it until they toss it out or take it away somewhere. Most of the time lately I only fill mine a few inches as that makes it easier to change the water - not so heavy. The only other problem I've found is that of finding space for the pool. It will, of course, kill the grass underneath. Other than that, the pool is well worth the $5 price as the raccoons absolutely love it.

For anyone who doesn't want to get a pool, that kitty litter pan I bought and filled with water is also quite popular. I have seen several kits get in it at one time. Not only do the adults drink from it and bath in it, but every time I go to change the water I find at least one stuffed animal in there. For a while it was the blue dog. Lately it's the hedge hog. Naturally, when I clean it and fill it I leave the toy out, but when I come back there is always a toy in that thing, so clearly they play in it, too.

Cheryl -- glad to hear Fraidy was able to snatch that unattended cupcake... good for her.

Wow, so now I know that if I see a bald-butted raccoon, it's a nursing Mom! Glad it's not due to fleas.

I really was amazed at the "steal". That was so cute to watch and I must comment on how well you described it. You make us feel like we are seeing what you see so much that I feel like I am there with you witnessing the antics. I can't wait for your book to come out and I am able to tell everyone I was "there"with you (even if I don't post much)!

I have the kitty litter box out and also a huge(for Great Dane type dogs)water bowl. I know they use it as it never stays clean!

The temperature is going to be 103 tomorrow so I know the index will be above110. It was a hot one today also. I am planning on staying in the house after I water the plants!

Terese,

Yeah, I thought Fraidy had left. Forgot how she used to hang out back there in the brush sometimes. When Trouble was looking for more cupcakes (or papers), I tried my best to will him over to that one near the little liver colored one (must find a name for her soon), but he wasn't about to mix it up with her. She's quite the little hellcat that one. Rarely is anyone eager to mess with her. Then when she (the liver one) went over to the scoot for a drink and Fraidy sneaked out to grab that cupcake I was so glad Trouble hadn't gotten it.

The last few nights I've gone against my own rule and have been going back for a few more scoops of food to feed that crowd out there. Tonight when I came back with those extra scoops, I gave a handful to Dennis - who really likes to eat near me (probably to be sure he gets the treats) and is unhappy since I've moved his dish elsewhere lately - and a handful to Blondie and tossed some around on the ground in front of me. Then I saw little Fraidy reemerge once again, so I tossed the rest to her. Most of the raccoons had left by then, so she stayed and ate the food.

KyWoods,

Yes, that bald spot on the butt, usually around the base of the tail or to one side of the tail is a dead give-away. I've seen it several times now, always, always on the nursing moms. I'll bet there is a pic of Heidi somewhere in the threads with the bare spot back when she was nursing the 07 kits. I was very upset. It looked awful. I didn't know what to think, whether she had been in a bad fight or gotten caught on something or had some kind of illness or mange or something or even maybe a parasite. Not only did she have the balding spot at the base of her tail, but the rest of her coat looked so dry and just awful - like she had serious slip ends. I was so sure she was sick. Because I know she is getting on in age, I get very concerned when she looks sick.

What's worse yet, the hair around the base of her tail continued to fall out and the bald spot grew larger for a while before it cleared up. Thankfully, Ruth told me it that was normal for nursing moms, and sure enough as soon as the kids appeared at the buffet Heidi's coat started to look much better and the hair grew back over her bald spot.

This year when I started to see the balding area on Blondie's tush I new just what it was. Blondie has 2 bald spots, one on either side of her tail. The other day when I was working in the garden and she was following me at a little distance down the path, I turned around and spoke to her and she got spooked and ran away. I did my best not to laugh but despite being so young and healthy she looked comical just the same jogging away with that bald butt bouncing up and down. ; )

Thank you so much, Judy!

Thank you for the wonder compliment. I'm so glad to hear that my descriptions help you to feel as though you are there. When I am out there I watch for you as much as for me, always trying to gather as much information as I can, always thinking about how I might convey what I'm seeing. I'm not usually very observant. Because I am looking and listening for all of you, I think I see and hear much more than I would otherwise - because I know I need all the information I can gather in order to convey it to you, because I am constantly questioning how I might bring this or that scene alive for you, how I might make it as meaningful for you as it is for me.

Often though when I get inside and try to express what has happened, especially when it's something I'm very excited about, I feel tremendous frustration at my perceived inability to put what I'm feeling and what I've seen and heard into words. Thank you for letting me know that it is working after all.

Glad to hear that you got the litter box. It makes a great, small pool because it's big enough for an adult to get in. Way, way back when I only put out a few bowls of water, I used to see the raccoons try to see how many feet they could get into the bowls, usually 3 max. Eventually, I realized they really wanted to get in the water as well as drink it. I often find small toys in the shallow copper basins of water on the ground. (These are the actually the base and basin of a large copper birdbath that the raccoons broke years ago by climbing on it back before I started feeding them and providing water. They broke the basin loose from the pedestal, so I disassembled it, tossed the pedestal and kept the basin and the base which I turned upside down to make a second, slightly smaller basin both of which I now put on the ground.) I'll bet you find evidence the raccoons have been playing and sitting in the water bowl as well as the pan.

Oh, my, I do feel for you tomorrow. Glad to hear that you can stay inside under the AC. From what I see on the news looks like you guys up there actually have it worse than us right now due to a heat wave. I think it is supposed to cool down a bit after tomorrow. Hope you get a break with that awful heat. It is only supposed to be 93F here tomorrow but will still be 85 or so in my house when I get home. Today I learned that it is actually cooler down stairs if I leave the upstairs unit set to "off". Over the weekend, I had it set to "on" and 73deg. The compressor never runs, only the inside fan, so apparently that just manages to circulate the hot air from upstairs to downstairs. Luckily, due to the design of my house, my bedroom is always the coolest room in the house. That is really helping a lot right now.

Take care and be careful in that heat.

Hope you get your AC fixed soon! It's supposed to cool down to the low 80s here in So Virginia tomorrow. I am in the Hampton Roads area, which includes Norfolk Virginia, Hampton, and the surrounding cities and counties. We are just above the North Carolina border at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay if you look on the map.

i've had some curious happenings in my back yard and wonder if it's squirrels, or racoons that are the culprits. I thought it was a cat, but it seems to be too specific. I have an yard that is fenced only on one neighbor's side, and the opposite side is a busy street. I have a picnic table back there and lots of containers of plants. Well, I had a newly potted plant that had soil dug out of it and flung several feet away one day. Then the next, some of my hosta seedlings are taken off the benches and top of the picnic table and knocked over. I blamed a cat about the soil, figuring it was burying its business, but there was a LOT of soil out of that planter, and it's a tall one. The seedlings are in small pots and one or two at a time get knocked off the table onto the ground...most frustrating. I know the squirrels have pulled out the plant markers in the past, but knocking over the plants seems to be something new.

Laura

Thanks for the answer to my bald butt raccoon question! I am so glad that it was not some kind of skin disease or something that the other critters could catch. Looks like a have a nursing mom. I will have to keep a closer eye on the feral feeding area to see how comfortable she is around there. I doubt she will bring her kids with the cats and my three dogs likely to come charging out at unknown times. Nice to know I am helping a struggling mom out though.

Saw this strange light in the sky today, took a while to figure out what it was until I remembered that was where the sun used to be. LOL Perhaps the weather will finally cooperate and I can see those videos. The suspense is just killin' me!

Laura,

Glad to hear that it's going to cool down a bit where you are. Looks like I'm going to need a new AC unit. The salesman came by today to discuss. The can install the unit next week. Now all I have to do is figure out how to pay for it. Looks like I might need to tighten the old belt a little. Might have to put Dennis on a diet, too. ; )
If I agree to buy the unit they will come by each day in the mean time to gas up the defective/leaking unit to keep me going. Since I have enough AC to keep from dying, I think I will decline that, however, out of concern and respect for the environment. It's good to know that would be an option if I were in dire straights, but given that it's not dangerously hot in my house (just uncomfortably so at times), I don't think I can in all good conscience spill all that freon into the atmosphere for my personal comfort.

I have lots and lots (too many) of plants both potted and otherwise. 99.999% of the time the raccoons don't mess with or harm the plants in any way. There are a even a number of potted plants in the area back there around the feeding area, none of which have ever been touched. With all of the raccoons I have here nightly and have had for years now, I've only had 2 incidents in which the raccoons have bothered plants, in both case potted plants. In once case, I had a large pot of very loose compost on the back patio into which I stuck a bunch of iris fans I had purchased and needed to plant quickly before they expired. For some reason, Dennis developed a fascination for those iris fans in the loose dirt. Almost daily i would find an iris lying on the patio floor, its new roots exposed. I would put it back into the pot and he would pull it out again and again and again. Once they developed sufficient roots to hold them firmly in place he stopped. I don't know why he did this. I do know that squirrels love to find freshly dug dirt (like all that loose compost) because it makes a great place to hide acorns and such. It's possible that the squirrels were actually digging the iris up, and then Dennis just happened to get caught playing with them.

The other incident occurred when the 07 kits starting digging the dirt out from under and around some of the smaller pots back in the feeding area. I have problems here with Japanese Beetles and resulting grubs. It looked like the kits were digging for grubs which can often be found on the surface of the soil below items like potted plants, the pool, etc. We theorized at the time that Heidi may even have taken the opportunity to teach 'grub digging 101' back there. One plant in particular kept being turned over as they dirt was excavated from beneath it. It was hot and dry back there at the time and much of the dirt spilled out of the pot and the plant eventually died.

Other than those 2 incidents, the raccoons haven't bothered plants, but they, esp the young ones, will sometimes climb on tables just to investigate and may knock things over/down. They, esp the younger ones, are extremely curious about everything and love to play. Dennis, for instance, considers everything a potential toy.

If the pots have a lot of fairly loose soil exposed, squirrels are a definite possibility. If there could be any kind of grubs, earth worms, etc in the pots then either raccoons or opossums are a possibility.

tetleytuna,

Yep, you are helping a struggling mom all right. : )

...and helping all those kits to get the nourishment they need to grow up strong and healthy.

I know just what you mean about wondering if it will spread to the others, etc. The bare spots look bad at the time as does the entire coat. When the kits start eating some solid food, her hair will grow back quickly - and you will know the relative age of the kits. Blondie's hair is filling in now. Just last week the spots were quite bare. Now they are almost gone. Who knows, she may bring her kits to see us soon. Often the young moms are less 'picky' than Heidi who has to wait until everything is just right.

LOL, you had me going. I was expecting UFO's when you started talking about something strange in the sky. LOL, the sun, something you haven't seen in ages, I guess. Glad your weather seems to be looking better now, too. Hang in there.

Despite having gone to bed early last night I was still wide awake at 3AM this morning. Needless to say, I did not get up early. At the pass office I got hassled for not having proof of insurance for the car I just bought and had to wait for my agent to fax the info over to them. Then, already late, when I arrived at the gate they turned me around and sent me back to the pass office for more [minor] hassles, but I finally made it to work and even before lunch. After work I saw the Dr and met with the AC sales guy. Then I 'passed out' from sleep deficit. By the time I awoke and quickly called a friend to ask about the AC situation, it was almost 11PM, and I still hadn't fed the raccoons. Went to the back door, turned on the light, and guess who was sitting there? Dennis, of course.

Now that I know (and the guy showed me the rusted out part still on the unit) what's wrong with the AC unit, I can divulge that one of my big fears since the AC died was that the technician would say, "Mam, it looks like you might have raccoon damage. Something chewed through all of the wires back here." The AC units are right beside the shrub where Dennis often hangs out while waiting for me. So far the raccoons have never damaged the house or other property, but I keep hearing/reading that they will chew wires (although I'm not so sure I believe that) and I know how much Dennis likes to play with things. Thankfully, Dennis has been cleared of all wrong doing in this case. The AC unit is just plain old, has endured years of searing heat and humidity plus our 52+ inches of rain annually, and the damaged part is completely encased within the metal housing. ...but I'm sure Dennis is guilty of something else I just haven't found yet. : )

Starting to be a little concerned, BTW, as I've not seen our cuddly, old HRH in a while. He may be find; after all, he tends to come and go. For a month or so I've been feeding them almost exclusively around 5PM or so. Not seeing HRH out at that our didn't worry me especially since Trouble didn't tend to venture out so early either. Recently, however, I've been out late several nights during which I often see Trouble but never HRH. Hope the big teddy bear is just out tom catting around, seeing the sites, etc. Or maybe he just got out of the habit of dropping by since the others were eating up all of the food long before dark.

Cheryl, I've never known raccoons to chew wires; mice and esp. rats are another story, don't get me started on that. Glad to hear relief in on the way with your AC, though it could be a long week waiting.

Laura, I always put newly purchased plants on the porch to acclimate to local climate before planting them. Lost several to squirrels and chipmunks digging in their soil. Now I routinely spray the soil and foliage with Ropel before putting them on the porch, and that has stopped the damage. Ropel is a non-toxic taste repellent; won't hurt the critters but will keep them away. Of course, it's our own fault; we have a boatload of bird and squirrel feeders, and the little buggers just makes themselves at home. Then there are the rabbits who regard echinacea plants as their equivalent of marshmallows for raccoons... Just once I'd like to have an intact echinacea, without chew marks; I never know when the Ropel is wearing off established plants before the rabbits do...

Squirrels are known for chewing wires, too, for the same reason as rats do. They've done some damage at our place.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_Squirrels_chew_branches

Thanks, Ruth, KyWoods,

I did know that both rats and squirrels chew wires and that they might also be the culprit behind my AC problem but because I invite the raccoons to my house on a daily basis in defiance of the recommendations of others, there is always a little part of me that worries that they may do some serious damage. Knowing that Dennis was hanging out right beside the AC unit on a regular basis made me just a little concerned that the technician might come in and show me some kind of 'bed' Dennis had carved out for himself in the AC unit or something. Of course, nothing of the kind happened. There are no damaged wires in or around the unit, just a very old, rusted out accumulator (or something like that) inside of it.

I have read that squirrels are very, very bad about chewing wires and often get into attics where they damage the wiring of houses leaving the houses in need of extensive rewiring or worse in danger of fire. As for rats, a year or so back a rat built a nest under the hood of my car, chewed up a wiring harness, and shorted out and damaged the onboard computer among other things.

As for raccoons, it seems to me that knowing so little about raccoons, humans have chosen to fill that void with a vast assortment of misinformation that often masquerades as fact. I keep seeing information from seemingly legitimate sources which indicate that raccoons routinely chew wires, also, but I've never seen anything that would indicate this is true.

So far (fingers crossed), despite the amount of time Dennis (in particular) spends hanging around the house waiting for his dinner, he hasn't damaged anything as far as I can tell. I do worry that one day he may decide to try to "open" the back door. (LOL, that will surely not be funny.)

Coon proof locks? LOL I bought a small coon pool today! It's actually a small pond section, nine gallons. I put it on the other side of the birdbath. I hope they find it!

I finally got caught up with the last week of excitement. Your videos are great! Poor silly Dennis - he's the cutest little guy. I just love his steal moves. You sure named him appropriately! Glad to hear he wasn't the cause of your AC problems.

Hmmm, sounds like squirrels are my likely culprit from all your descriptions.

I have a funny story to share about chewed wires. I lived in Germany for five years. I woke up one morning and tried to start my little truck with no avail. I don't remember how, but I managed to get it to a little shop nearby, and when I spoke to the mechanic in his broken English, and my limited German to ask what was wrong, I was told that I needed a new starter. He pointed to the wires on top, and said "Tier" and said it ate the wires. I'm trying to translate the word in my head, and thinking Tier...what is a tier? It was a new word to me, so I thought it was probably the most similar sounder word..."Deer". Then I sort of got confused...how the heck did a deer get it's head into my truck and chew on those wires? About a half hour later, I got to my office in my "rent a wreck", and looked up "tier" in the German--English dictionary. It meant "animal"...probably some sort of rodent, but...not a deer!

Laura

KyWoods,

My real fear is that he will try to dismantle the door rather than pic the lock.

In this heat they will surely be in that pool, wading, playing, drinking, and squabbling in no time flat.

goldfinch,

Thanks! Dennis really is a sweetie - mostly. (LOL as we have had our moments.) Yeah, me to; I would hate to have to choose between Dennis and AC.

LOL..at the picture of Dennis taking apart your door!!! LOL

Maybe he was trying to rig the ac so it would cool the outside air, lol.

This message was edited Jun 11, 2008 11:08 PM

Hi Laura,

LOL at the image of a deer trying to sneak his head under that hood. The language barrier must have made for many an amusing - and frustrating - moment.

Don't know if you were with us back when the rat did my car in. For 17 years now I've been driving used cars and using the same mechanic as I met him when I took the 1st used car to the dealership for a pre-purchase assessment. Once I get a car I drive it until it starts to give me serious or frequent problems. With Hondas that means long after the body has begun to look a little ragged. Nonetheless, I have all repairs and maintenance done at the Honda dealership where I drive up in my old jalopy with head held high as though I think I'm the queen of some small country and don't realize my car is a wreck (even as I suspect they might prefer I didn't soil their lovely building with my old beater) and laugh inwardly as they go through the motions of covering everything from seat to steering wheel to floor with protective covering so as not to damage anything. I especially love it when they wash it and wax it before returning it to me. Near the end of the 'life' of a given car, the wax job really brings out the shine in those areas of primer peaking through the faded paint. ; )

On this particular day I had taken the car in because the AC wasn't working and had gently insinuated that my beloved mechanic of 17 years may have accidentally let the freon leak out when I was in the week before for maintenance. Expecting that I might be there for a while, I had taken my laptop along and had set up my mini office in one of the wifi spaces they provide for that purpose. I was sitting there in my serious, grey pin striped, business suit with my laptop, docking station, and such...and then my mechanic walked up and asked me to come with him to see the giant rat's nest under my hood. Total embarrassment. I might have preferred a language barrier at that moment.

Great story! I'm a new convert to Hondas, but a little bit newer vintage than you are brave enough, and smart enough to go for. I can only hope for a mechanic like yours as I on. I've been pleasantly surprised that my truck has actually cost less to maintain in its first two years than my previous vehicles at the same age (a Volkswagon and a Jeep).

The language barrier did bring many laughs while we were there.

Hope the kits go swimming for you in the days ahead.

Laura

Tonight, again, I was running late. It was after 9PM when I headed for the back door to get the food together. Naturally, Dennis was sitting at the door waiting. This time he had Cissy with him across the patio and Heidi just beyond - fussing as usual. (Heidi missed dinner altogether the night before, so I imagine she was pretty hungry). I went out in the dark with my hands full and somehow managed to step on Dennis' tail! By the time I realized my mistake, I was standing on that foot with the other one in the air, so it took a few seconds for me to get in a position from which to move off of his tail. Not surprisingly he got a little excited during that brief interval. I could feel him grabbing my leg with both 'hands', no doubt trying to free himself; yet quite amazingly he didn't scratch me or bite me. Even as he grabbed my leg his touch was frenzied yet gentle, no claws engaged. I know at such a moment one has no time to think; one just acts, so I am very impressed that Dennis' reaction was not to fight me, not to try to hurt me, and apparently not to interpret the situation as an attack on my part.

Later...

Last night that snarly, little liver colored one ate at Heidi's spot (as she was not there). Tonight when I went to put out the food, starting, of course, with Heidi's dish, both Dennis (as usual) and the liver colored one followed me to Heidi's dish (along with Heidi). When I walked away, I called Dennis and he followed me over to the next dish, but the other raccoon stayed over there eating from Heidi's dish. He and Heidi had a fight. Heidi was coughing and wheezing badly and had to give up to move aside for one such coughing attack. (We had a pollen warning today, and I even had a killer sinus 'attack' at work so I suspect she's having allergy issues).

I stood there looking for a minute as Heidi stood by her dish while the other raccoon ate. Normally, I try to stay out of these matters lately, but with the kits on the way (someday, hopefully), I just couldn't let the other raccoon take over Heidi's spot by the pool. I spoke to Heidi calling her name as I went back over and ousted him from her spot. He and I had a few rounds. He left the 1st time I approached but then quickly returned when I backed away. Determined, I advanced again, this time using the plastic bucket (I was using to carry cat food) to bump him lightly and push him away. Amazingly, Heidi and I have reached the point in our relationship that she stood there calmly while I advanced on him (and thus her) several times and even pushed him away with the bucket even as he was standing only a foot from her. When I had reclaimed her spot for her, I backed away and she stepped over to the dish to eat. Over the years I've done some version of this several times, and it almost seems as though she now understands what I'm doing and that I am helping her to get her dish back [and hence is not threatened].

Tonight I took out a large bag of jumbo peanuts, roasted this time. I tossed them about liberally and to everyone. Dennis was at my feet as usual. I put a handful on the ground for him in front of the chair just to one side, but he didn't take them. He continued to sit at my feet, rubbing my leg with his paws to ask politely for a treat. At 1st I thought maybe he didn't like the roasted peanuts. I held one out to him, and he took it and ate it, then 'asked' for another. It actually seemed as though he wanted to be 'babied', wanted the attention along with the food, something I hadn't expected. I continued to give him peanuts (as he was behaving quite nicely) and he continued to take them and eat them while ignoring the ones beside him on the ground. After he had eaten a few handfuls that way, he then ate the ones from the ground beside him and went off wandering and eating in his usual manner.

Heidi ate at her position most of the night and I was careful to keep her well stocked with peanuts over there, but eventually she decided to join the rest of us. She left her dish and walked over to pick up kibble from the ground in front of me. At some point, Dennis got the bright idea to try his steal technique on Heidi (snicker, snicker). He sat down at a decent distance and started to scoot back a little. This time he didn't look quite so obvious. In fact, I didn't see him look over his shoulder at all, but I could tell, nonetheless, that Heidi was on to him from the start. Still she quasi ignored him even as she monitored his progress. About that time Trouble went over near her to pick up a peanut and she issued a stern warning to him (Trouble). Hearing that warning and unable to see what was going on behind him, Dennis immediately scooted forward again, clearly thinking Heidi was talking to him. Soon after he abandoned that attempt.

Rupert was there. He was walking around the perimeter of the area looking for food. All of the dishes were taken already. I tossed a handful of peanuts some distance behind me and to one side - an area where I felt he would be safe from the others. He ate there for the duration of the evening. Fraidy showed up a bit late again. Lately, I've started tossing the last serving or two of kibble in an arc about the lawn to make it available to more raccoons. This seems to work out well for Fraidy. Often she gets to eat some food from a dish as well, but it seems like the 1st tier raccoons are more likely to leave before taking the time to hunt for every bit of kibble in the grass. Fraidy walked around me eating the kibble and the remaining peanuts. At times she came up to within maybe 6in or so of me as she searched for bits of food around my chair and feet. She seemed quite comfortable around me, more so that Cissy or Blondie.

Everyone was there except for HRH and the kits. Sure hope the big guy is baby sitting. : (

Cheryl, it's amazing how they trust you and I'm sitting here laughing about your waiting dinner crowd. So glad you didn't get hurt, whew. Please do careful, they're adorable but their still wild critters. That Dennis is such a piece of work! LOL

Hi doccat,

I usually try to keep track of where Dennis is when I'm walking, but tonight I was holding an extra large plate with the remains of a cantaloupe on it along with the large bag of peanuts in the shell and the bucket of cat food. I couldn't see my own feet let alone anything else immediately in front of me. After it happened I felt a mixture of fear at the realization of how differently that could have gone and amazement at how well Dennis had handled the situation. Aside from the obvious fact that having me stand on the end of his tail couldn't have felt very good, there is the more subtle reality that for those brief seconds I was 'holding' him captive. While I can now pet Dennis quite freely, I have never, ever attempted to restrain him in any way. When I stepped on his tail, for that brief moment, I was essentially holding him by the tail, something which probably should have set off all manner of alarm bells in his head. Even now I remain deeply and thoroughly impressed by his response.

I am also very thankful that things went as well as they did. I will be sure to watch more carefully in the future. I think Dennis with his unique 'tameness' around me is the only one I could possibly step on, and while I will be watching more carefully in the future, I suspect that he will, too.