Baby time! 06/27/2010
 3 week old fawn Here's just a quickie between all the various feedings to let everyone know that all at Wild Things is going great and is super busy! The squirrels are all released, but not before eating a few keys off my computer one excuse for not posting sooner!), and the ducklings (the little duck mentioned previously ended up back here with 3 others) have been transferred to places with more extensive facilities, but Wild Things is full of babies: fawns, skunks, raccoons, groundhogs, bunnies, etc.! Here's a cute picture to see you through until my nest, hopefully longer post. This is one of the little White tailed deer fawns growing up at Wild Things. Instead of being shy, this little girl was found repeatedly trying to enter the Ithaca YMCA. It's likely that people were trying to raise her and then put her back outside, as fawns are usually not this social! She is doing really well and has few buddies, but it's tough trying to de-socialize deer. Hopefully after a few months in the Wild Woods she will become more shy with people; an overly social adult deer who weighs 150+lbs is not a good thing. OK, off to feed a bunch of hungry crying babies!  I'm hungry! New spring babies! 05/13/2010
 The little gosling Wild Things is in full swing with spring patients and it's been a busy month! Here are a few of the stories that have been going on at WTS... A couple of weeks ago this little gosling arrived. An Ithaca couple had been watching a pair of Canada Geese sitting on their nest. The babies hatched and within hours a crow had plaucked up one of the little goslings and planned to carry it away for a tasty treat. but oops! The crow dropped this little guy in the couple's yard as it flew away. He was in really bad shape when he arrived. In fact, I thought he was dead as he was stone cold. But after several hours on being sandwiched between heating pads and being tube fed fluids and some food, he revived! (see pictures below) But what do you do with a little gosling that needs parents?? You find it some! Frst of all, I had to make sure the little one didn't see me as within the first few days water fowl "imprint" on whoever they see and decide that is their species. So I always fed him in disguise and made sure he had plenty of mirrors around his cage. He spent many hours sitting in front of the mirrors chirping away! Then I had to find him some parents. I was told there were some geese with babies at the Sapsucker Woods Lab of Ornithology. So when he was strong enough, off we went. After several hours of chasing geese families, wading through water and crawling around on my stomach, he went swimming off with a new family and was last seen sitting under his adopted parents' wings getting warm.      Little duckling A little Mallard Duckling also arrived at Wild Things this past week. It was rescued after a good Samaritan watched it swimming around for a while all on its own with no parents in sight. The little duckling was just as fluffy as the gosling, but about a third of the size. I wanted to find a buddy for this little one so I started calling around. A rehab friend of mine also has a little mallard. Hers was born with bent feet and has little corrective foot wear which should correct the problem soon. So the little Wild Things duckling went to stay with them until they are both ready for release. It makes such a big difference for baby animals to have a buddy of the same species!  Private Ryan, a bit straggly! And there's been lots of other new patients as well. Squirrels, groundhogs, bunnies, bats and opossums. The opossums are a strange case as they are about 4-5 months old, meaning that they were born in January/February...and in this part of the world that just doesn't really happen! To the left is "Private Ryan". He and his 3 brothers arrived and were in a terrible state. They were so starved that their digestive systems had more-or-less shut down. Sadly, 3 of them passed on, but this little guy hung in there and is doing great! He is a little behind developmentally and is a bit bald in places, but he is playing and enjoying his new big sister's company! I've actually received lots of single squirrels and have tried to match them up with others of the same size, so everyone has a snuggle partner. Everyone seems quite happy with their buddy. I love catching all the funny baby wildlife sleeping positions, as seen below!  This Little Brown Bat flew into someone's parked car's windscreen. His rescuer kept him warm until he found WTS. He appears to have bruised a wing, but he is getting plenty of rest and has been attempting short flights, so his recovery looks like it's on a good track! Wild Things has also had lots of cool birds coming to visit this year. See below! Purple finches, Gold finches, Rosebreasted Grosbeaks, Chipping Sparrows, Cowbirds, Redwing Blackbirds (these last two are unusual as Wild Things is deep in the woods and these species are found more in fields and marshes)! There has also been a family of 3 crows that visit all the time, below is a picture of a crow helping herself to an Easter egg! The picture of the Snapping turtle was taken at Sapsucker Woods. I moved it out of the road!  Runty RIP Wild Things also said goodbye to dear little Runty this past month. As reported in the last blog, he had his incisor teeth pulled out due to a bad jaw and tooth infection. The infection spread to his inner ear, and probably throughout his sinuses. But he was running around having fun until the very end, and that is some relief to know he didn't suffer too much. He was a dear little Rascal who was great at making nests and loved playing and saying hello. Go well dear Runty! Updates! 04/20/2010
 Maxie in his nest The baby animals have started arriving at Wild Things! But before I start mentioning a bunch of new characters, I wanted to give a few updates on patients in this post. As previously mentioned, Maxie made a very fine nest for himself in a watering can hanging on my house! I don't think this is his main nest, but he certainly uses it from time to time and it looks very cozy inside! He regularly comes by for snacks, as seen in the pictures below. He has become quite wild and just usually takes a nut and runs for it!    Runty! Runty, seen here with his one snaggletooth hanging out, has had some dental work in the past two weeks. After his teeth and nasal sinuses started getting infected, he had all his incisors taken out. Ouch! Many thanks to Dr. Spindel of Animal Ark Veterinary Hospital in Baldwinsville, NY for performing this surgery. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to return healed animals to the wild. However, sometimes, despite our best efforts, animals end up unreleasable, like Runty. Though some advocate for euthanizing all unreleasable animals, I believe in many cases they can be used as educational animals and can be given a good life with the proper housing, companionship (of their same species) and enrichment. This is my goal for Runt. His teeth were so screwy, and the vet found that both upper and lower jaws were a bit screwy as well, so it was for the best to have this operation performed. He still has his molars and in time he should learn to use them to eat nuts. For now he is happily slurping down delicious squirrel-shakes made out of nuts, veggies, applesauce, and other goodies! He is fighting some infection post-surgery, but is doing very well and is much more active than pre-surgery. Below are some pictures of him playing with a new toy: a pink octopus.  me & Peter say goodbye Peter finally was able to be released to the Wild Woods! He overwintered here while his injuries healed and was super strong and ready to go. Everyone will miss him :)  Peter leaves WTS And what else has been going on as winter turns to spring? Many wild things have been using the Wild Things brush-piles built by volunteers in the Wild Woods (left), and all the squirrels came out in the early spring, despite the snow...   The turkeys have been visiting. And now that the snow has melted, they have been displaying and gobbling to all the little turkey hens. They are so handsome!    And, of course, LilMo, is back and is nursing her 2010 babies!  LilMo grabs a peanut Foxy times at Wild Things 03/31/2010
 Who's this coming through the Wild Things woods? A Red Fox! I have never seen a red fox at Wild Things as red fox really spend more time in fields, or forests along fields, whereas Wild Things is in the woods. I've seen Grey Fox, but not red. (Btw, you can see one of the big brush piles I made for wildlife habitat in the background- the thing that looks like a tepee). I was even more surprised when she got closer and appeared to have a strangely deformed back leg. She looked in good health, so this was either from an old injury (e.g., may have been hit by a car and it healed contracted like this), or a birth deformity. I think that it was probably the latter. This kind of deformity has been observed in domestic farm animals if their mothers are exposed to toxins when they are pregnant. But she was getting along just fine, and stopped for a few moments by my door.  She came like a messenger from the Wild woods!  Baby Red Fox Speaking of Red Fox, a rehab friend near me just got this baby in a few days ago. Apparently he wags his tail when he is suckling on the bottle! Runty's teeth 03/22/2010
 Runty's teeth before trim I did it! I very successfully trimmed Runty's teeth no problem at all with a little help from Valium! A friend had given me some Valium/diazepam in case I ever needed to sedate an animal. Well, I decided to try it! I calculated the appropriate dose, erring on the low side. Runty lapped it up from a syringe. And 20 minutes later, he was "resting" in his food dish while sleepily trying to have breakfast. 5 minutes later the teeth were trimmed and he was all set, running around a short while later ready to eat all his yummy nuts in shells--almonds, pecans, acorns--once more! :) As you can see, he has one upper tooth that grows BEHIND the other one. The one behind does wear down a bit on the bottom ones, and the bottom teeth do not have to be trimmed as much as the upper one. Below is a picture of his teeth AFTER being trimmed. I catch him looking outside through the windows quite often and part of me so wants to release him and just hope that he does OK. The other part of me just knows that a few weeks of fun freedom might condemn him to a death of gradual starvation once his teeth started growing abnormally again. I'm looking for a home for him and hope that he can find a place where he has buddies to play with and places to run, climb, bury nuts and build nests!    Teeth trimming tools and drugs Good Morning Wild Things! 03/07/2010
 Goodmorning Peter! Goodmorning Peter! This is how I find Peter most mornings. Somehow he finds a hole in his double layer bedding, crawls inside and uses it as a cozy sleeping bag! Peter is doing really well. He is walking as if he didn't have a massively funkily-healed back leg, eating as if he still had all his canine teeth, and his tummy bed-sores are all healed as well (thank you Joshua for helping shave his belly!). Plus, after getting a bit chubby, he is down to 4.6kg from 5.5kg, so he's lost about 2lbs and is running around quite fast with his svelte new form! Below is a picture of him helping me prepare breakfast for all the Wild Things patients.  Peter helps prepare breakfast for other patients  Donation from HSUS 'Coats for Cubs' And look what else arrived at Wild Thing: a box full of donated fur pieces thanks to the Humane Society of the United State's Coats for Cubs program! Fur hats from 5th Avenue furriers, fur collars, stoles, and even a chain of Pine Martins linked together to be worn around the shoulders. These will be such a comfort to all the little babies soon to come to WTS this spring and summer. A big thank you to all who donate to this program!  Max's home I found where Max the squirrel has made his home... in this watering can hanging from the side of my house (I stuck it up there for the winter)! I'm so proud of his innovation and he has stuffed it full of all the toilet paper I gave him (see posts below), and other cozy things that he has come across. I was wondering how he always appeared so soon after I open the back doors...I thought he might be living in the drainpipe, but no, the watering can! :) He still comes by for breakfast as well (see picture below). In other news, Runty is doing well. Tomorrow I am going to try to cut his teeth after trying a new sedative. Stay tuned....  Help yourself to cashews Maxie! Bare Bones update: Maxie & Peter 01/22/2010
 Max helping me email Max has been doing great out in the wilds and comes by every few days for a hello and a nut. But just when I thought I wouldn't have to worry about Max anymore, he turned up limping. A toe appeared badly broken. I kept an eye on him for a few days every time he came to visit. The foot was getting more swollen and after a few days he wasn't even using it. I lured him into a carrier and took him to the vet, this is what they found...  3 crushed toes ... 3 crushed toes! With lots of swollen soft tissue surrounding the joints.  Ouch!!  This is a really weird injury. What could have snapped/crushed off the ends of 3 toes?? All 3 toes had to be amputated. As you know, squirrels really need their back toes to go down trees (plus they love to hang on by their back legs and stretch!). I hope, hope, HOPE that this won't impede Max living in the wild. He has to stay with me for at least 2-3 weeks, and I hope that both Max and I won't go crazy. Even though he grew up with me, he is wild and gives very hard bites when he gets unexpectedly annoyed and even in "play." Meanwhile Runt is so happy he's back, but they can't play together yet. So, lots of very pissed off energy in the animal room at Wild Things at present!  And then there is sweet Peter the Opossum (named by my Dad, seen here with Peter at Thanksgiving). Peter has been at Wild Things for over 2 months. He was hit by a car, suffered a terribly displaced fracture of the leg that was not reset well by the initial vet, several cracked teeth, and now is dealing with various skin sores. All the while he has been such a good, sweet patient and seems very happy at Wild Things, where he is allowed to walk around as much as he wants for physical therapy (though usually he likes to walk over to the stacks of towels and blankets and find a good place to go to sleep!).  November 2009, 2 views initial Xrays  Slightly reset, 2nd Xrays  January 2010, 3rd set Xrays As you can see, the leg kinda realigned, but basically the tibia appears to have fused with the fibula and then a whole callous is forming around the whole area. In the meantime, he's had his bad teeth pulled and now we are dealing with his tummy sores. Egad! But he is so energetic and loves sticking his nose near the crack in the door to smell the wild that is waiting for him. Once he heals (and I hope he does) he will be returned to the area where he came, up by Syracuse, but only once it is warmer.  hello! Finally, a hello from one of the wild visitors, a 1st year White tailed deer, from the Wild Things woods! Double Trouble at the Sanctuary! 01/14/2010
 Runty (L) & Maxie (R) OK, I know I've been the worst blogger ever. I have a bunch of pictures from last year that i never got around to posting, so I'll try to put those up soon! But for now.... Meet Runty & Maxie! They are about a week apart and came to Wild Things separately. Max kept crashing some people's party after the repeatedly put him back in the woods and it was determined that his mother was no where in sight and he was hungry and lonely at about 7 weeks old. Runt came to me via another rehabilitator. I don't have all the details on him, but he suffered from something called "Kitten Fur Syndrome," which is a symptom of a lack of calcium and may indicate the dreaded metabolic bone disease. Runt also appeared allergic to formula. When he got to WTS at about 12 weeks old he started putting on good weight and all his bald spots disappeared. The only thing that couldn't be repaired were his misaligned teeth, which can happen when baby squirrels don't get enough good nutrients at a young age. Sadly this makes him unreleasable as the teeth will have to be trimmed throughout his life so he will be able to eat.   Max (L) at about 2 months old. Max always looks like he is smiling, he is such a cheerful little fellow! And Runt is to the right at about 4 months old. You can see how is upper and lower jaws are slightly misaligned.  Runt & Max love to play!  Max on the wheelbarrow in the snow I released Max before Christmas. The weather was quite nice, but before long we got lots of snow. It might seem a bit mean to release a little one in the cold, but he was ready- tearing up WTS and so excited to get outside. And he is doing quite well out the wild. Below he collect toilet paper for a nest he built in my drainpipe (!) and to the right he is burying a nut in a pile of hay.   Max still comes back inside sometimes to play with Runt. They have so much fun and make a total mess of the sanctuary! It is really bittersweet and sad for me that Runt will never be able to join him. Runty is superb at building nests; he has an enormous nest in my office that he built out of any piece of paper he can lay his paws onto! He is also a good nut bury-ier. (I let him run around my office a lot as he doesn't like being in his cage all the time- you can see where he wore away some fur on his nose from trying nibbling on the bars and wanting to get out!) I think that I have found Runt a permanent sanctuary to go to live out his life. It is sad that these two will have to be separated, but I hope that they both live happy, healthy lives.  Max comes back for a visit! And while we're on the subject of squirrels...guess who else is back after several months out int he woods??? LilMo!  LIlMo, January 2010 Deer vs. petunias?! 11/09/2009
 White tailed deer are always welcome visitors to the Wild Things woods (seen here in January 09). But other nearby Ithaca neighborhoods are not so welcoming. The Village of Cayuga Heights has a very high concentration of deer, and the residents want to do something about it. They are upset about deer eating their gardens, worried that deer bring ticks that spread Lyme Disease, tired of having near-misses when driving, and often intimidated when the animals stand their ground when met face-to-face. They have formed a Deer Remediation Advisory Committee. This committee has made a plan to surgically sterilize 20-40 does and kill the rest of the 200+ deer using sharpshooters. I went to the recent town meeting and voiced my thoughts. The Advisory Board was interested in my comments and asked me to send my comments. You can read them here: 
 Danny & Daisy raid the carrots Who can forget the naughty groundhog sisters, Danny and Daisy? They were released a few months ago and I wanted to give their fans an update on their story. It is really hard to find a place to release groundhogs as so many people think that they are a nuisance and will trap and kill them. Lucky for me I have a great friend, Joshua, who knew a place on state land far away from any roads and people's gardens. Not only did Joshua find a great place for the girls, but he and his friend Matt helped me carry them about a mile to a quiet spot where we let them go. This was no small feat as they were weighing in at about 3kilos each, so with the kennel it was about 20lbs to carry!  Joshua & Matt carry the girls to their new home! I was definitely a bit sad to see them go and left lots of carrots and yummies for them. I also worry so much when I do a "hard release," which is when you release animals directly into the wild and they can't come and go back to their cage as they wish until they are ready to live out in the wilds on their own. But they had gotten so big and healthy that I think they will do great!   One last hug! I want to point out here that Joshua and Matt are both hunters. All too often animal lovers bash hunters and what they do. However I have come across few people who have as much knowledge and respect for animals as Joshua; and he hunts with this same knowledge and respect. He has been a great resource for me in these kinds of situations where I am looking for locations for the Wild Things' babies to live. I have a lot of admiration for him and his fellow responsible hunters. They eat what they kill and they kill fast and clean without causing the animal any undo pain, harm or fear. I've told him that the only meat I could think about eating was something that he brought to the table as I know that that animal lived and died well and never suffered the indignity, emotional nor physical pain that goes on with so much of animal farming. Thank you Joshua!  Clockwise from top right: stealing dandelion greens out of the shopping bag, finishing off a Dunkin Doughnuts iced coffee, plying with a shiny toy, eating delicious kale, stealing carrots, sneaking into the bag of dog food for a snack, sneaking around the piles of towels after some formula (you can see the milk moustache!), enjoying baby carrots together  Goodbye girls & enjoy your new home! We miss you!! | CategoriesAll | ||
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