Raccoons

[Melody]

Well I'm sort of bummed out tonight. Two baby raccoons have wandered into our basement window wells and we don't know whether they climbed in out of curiosity and then the mom couldn't get them out and she abandoned them or whether they climbed in for shelter and can get out but mom's gone so they don't know where to go. It's odd that their mom is nowhere around. They're still small enough to need her. We're not even sure how long they've been there but they don't seem to be very active.

The local wildlife refuge said they aren't taking any more raccoons and our local humane shelter said if they came out and picked them up they'd just euthanize them due to the potential problem with round worm and rabies. At this point, having them euthanized is a much better option than letting them starve to death though.

We're going to pull them out of the window well and put them in a box....and hope the mom comes back after dark to get them.

Sometimes life sucks.

 

[dawny0826]

That does suck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you guys...that Mommy will return. Poor little guys.

 

[evearael]

Good luck with all of the animals that seem to be flocking to you.

 

[Melody]

Well after talking with with several wildlife refuge places and calling a list of phone numbers they gave us, we found a woman in the next county who takes in baby raccoons, raises them to the point where they can care for themself and then releases them back into the wild. This woman, God bless her, had 36 raccoons in cages in her garage and kitchen!

Our poor babies were given a quick once over where it was discovered they were covered in ticks, which this woman calmly proceeded to remove, one by one. I get grossed out when I'm removing them from my son, the tick magnet. When she tried to feed them, the larger of the two (and the more active) dove face first into the dish of milk and cat food. The other one didn't move. I hope she makes it.

Anyway, that's the news that's fit to print from the local animal maternity acreage here in Michigan.

 

[Buttercup]

So do you think it was unlikely the mom would have returned? Do you think this was the proverbial dropping the baby off at the doorstop routine by her? Did you snap a pic while you had them by chance? Glad to hear it worked out well.

 

[Melody]

So do you think it was unlikely the mom would have returned? Do you think this was the proverbial dropping the baby off at the doorstop routine by her? Did you snap a pic while you had them by chance? Glad to hear it worked out well.

No, I didn't take a pic. I was afraid of scaring them more than they already were. Yes, based on the condition of the kits (?), they were pretty dehydrated by the time we got them to the foster mom. She thought perhaps they wouldn't have lasted much longer so it was good we didn't wait through the night. As it is, she's not sure the one little girl is going to make it.

I'll know in a month or so. We live in Jackson County and this woman is in Calhoun County. The law says (because of rabies, etc.) that you can't release a raccoon anywhere but back into the county it came from. Since we live in the country on 2 acres and my mother'in-law is behind us with 25 acres and there's another 100 acres of wetlands behind her (that can't legally be developed), we're just going to pick them up when they're ready and release them back there.

 

[Valjean]

What luck that there was a raccoon rehab lady nearby -- and that they chanced to be discovered by a compassionate person!

As for the mother, likely as not she was killed on the road, by a dog, or shot.

When I lived in Maryland I ended up fostering four baby 'coons after their mother was hit by a car. They were loads of laughs but couldn't be given the run of the house unsupervised, (raccoons make terrible pets).
Eventually we released them into the wild.

 

[Melody]

What luck that there was a raccoon rehab lady nearby -- and that they chanced to be discovered by a compassionate person!

My husband says that animals see a neon flashing sign on my forehead that says "SUCKER". So we're not telling him about the check I wrote to the rehab lady to help cover her food bill with all her raccoons because he would *never* understand.

My son wants to do his high school volunteer work with her (cleaning cages, hosing down the garage, helping her feed them, etc.) but at the price of gas, a 1-1/2 hour round trip seems a bit dismaying. Unfortunately, we don't have something like that close around here. Hmmmmmm........

 

[kreeden]

It sounds as if you saved at least one , and I have hope for the other .

No doubt that flashing neon sign is the same one that first attracted your husband . I'm happy for you and the Raccoons .

 

[Melody]

It sounds as if you saved at least one , and I have hope for the other .

No doubt that flashing neon sign is the same one that first attracted your husband . I'm happy for you and the Raccoons .

roflmao! ooooo....I'm going to tell him that one when he gets home!