Sabrina's House~~The Rescue

[ra7751]

This group is one of the most aggressive cottontails we have ever seen. There were three in this group...and a single has been added to them. They came in as "pinkies"....no fur and eyes shut. They were pulled from their nest by a dog. The issues with dog encounters are crush injuries from being picked up in the dog's mouth. This is the "Ring Leader" and he is the first to take a run at me when it's feeding time. These are also the first cottontails that have ever bitten me....and they know how to use those tiny incisors. If the weather is good during the upcoming weekend, they will be released.

Randy

 

[ra7751]

This little guy is a hatchling wood duck. This bird needs some healing vibes. Wood ducks live in trees....and this guy was found all alone. That usually means something is wrong with him and his mother pushed him out of the clutch. Since that usually means a bit of a fall, these birds generally don't survive as they suffer neurological injuries. And this one is showing some neurological deficiencies. He is fighting. But he is so small....only 23g. We are going to do everything we can to help him. I usually take birds to the regional wildlife center but have decided to keep this one....at least for the time being....to spare him the stress of the long road trip to the hosptial.

Randy

 

[Bunnicula]

What cuties all your recent rescues are! The little attack bunny story makes me chuckle. I am glad to know that you could help.

We are still in the process of trying to gain the confidence of the "freed" pet bunny who has taken up residence in our yard. I am only hoping to be able to catch him or her before a similar injury occurs.

Thanks for all you do!

~Mary Ellen

 

[Bo B Bunny]

When I woke up this morning and turned my calendar and saw the little sweet baby cottontail digging for some goodies in her salad....... it made me smile! I remember sweet little Clover when she was that age and so cute ......

and then I read about ATTACK BUNNY! :laughsmiley:I know it's not funny when they bite but it sure gave me a giggle. Tough little guy isn't he!?

That duckling is adorable I hope he does ok!

 

[ra7751]

Duckling-->:rainbow:

:bigtears:

We see this all too often with these delicate little wild animals. It is why the successes areso sweet.

And some cottontails will be taking their place in the world early on Wednesday morning and more will be released during the upcoming weekend. Squirrels out on soft release for the upcoming weekend if the weather cooperates.

Randy

 

[Bo B Bunny]

It's so hard to see them. I feel so bad but you know he wasn't out in the cold on the ground and alone. You gave him comfort in his last hours.

Yesterday Lexi got so angry with me because there was a bird sitting on a fence with an injured wing. I told her that it would probably stress it out or even kill it to try to catch it. It might try to do something it shouldn't and we might get pecked or anything. It's sad but nature does happen. We can only try to step in and help sometimes with the little ones and the endangered ones. She hated me for the day *sigh*

 

[Bunnicula]

Sorry about the duckling. ray:

 

[ra7751]

Well...wildlife season is here....like it ever stopped. It's been very busy for us and for all of our friends in battle. We are swapping animals between us to make sure we get the best coverage and best treatment for the animals. Had over 20 admissions over the past weekend. I needed to take a short break so I thought I would share some pictures.

Randy

 

[naturestee]

BABIES!!!:inlove:

What kind of bird is that? And I'm so sorry you lost the wood duck. They're beautiful little critters.

 

[trailsend]

Randy - I just read through your blog and I so enjoyed it and I learned a lot! You do such great work and a lot of it, and I loved reading all the stories about the many critters you have cared for and do. Those babies are some kind of cute!

 

[ra7751]

Hi Naturestee....we think the bird is a Barred Owl. It doesn't show in the picture but it's face is "framed" so that leads me to think it's a Barred Owl. I am thinking maybe about 3 weeks old or so.

Hi Trailsend...Glad you enjoyed our blog. It's an amazing feeling to have these tiny creatures in your hands and know that their very life rides on the decisions we make. For the cottontails in the picture....it's "showtime" for them. It is still difficult to let them go....but if the weather improves, they will take their place in the world tomorrow morning.

The little guy being fed is a 12g female Southern Flying Squirrel. She was blown out of her tree over the weekend by a nasty thunderstorm. She aspirated rain water into those tiny lungs. And the people that found her tried to feed her...and to make things even worse they fed her whole milk. That is not good and she had a really messed up gut but she is stabilizing. What you can't see in the picture is that she is being fed thru a flexible catheter that is placed directly into her stomach. That not only makes sure she gets the right amount of formula (the correct formula) but it prevents additional fluid issues in the lungs. If all goes well with her, she will clear emergency care by the weekend and I will transfer her to a rehabber that has a colony of flyers so she can learn to be a flyer and not a human.

Randy

 

[Bo B Bunny]

OMG Little cloverbunnies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hearts:

THey all look really healthy! Good work! :hug:

 

[LuvaBun]

Woah, 20 in a weekend - I guess you are going to have a busy season!

That owl has such a disapproving look . And that poor squirrel. It just goes to show that, even with the best intentions, you can do more harm than good when you don't know what you're doing.

Good luck with all your new arrivals

Jan

 

[TreasuredFriend]

First time I'm catching your blog Randy. Man, missed a lot. Will add Sabrina's blog to RO bookmarks so I can hop in more often. Thanks for the images. Golly, i need catch-up time. Please keep up your fabulous rehabilitation devotion ~ you are a mentor.

When I picked dandelions and greens for several hours in drought season one summer, enough to fill three 2 gallon plastic bags and was traveling to wooded parks to find enough lush nibbles for cottontails, ... well, it stretches your back and finger muscles. Then they eat it all in 48 hours. :biggrin2: Love to your patients...

 

[ra7751]

Our numbers just increased by 7. These are Virginia Opossums. They are the only marsupial native to North America. This was a "pouch dive" rescue. This is something most people won't do because you actually have to reach inside the pouch and extract the babies. These babies are not in good shape. They are about 40g. They were hypothermic...just got them warm. Very dehydrated. A "pouch dive" rescue opossum is a rare success story since they have usually continued to nurse on the dead mother.....and that means that many times the milk is spoiled. Most of these guys are lost to liver failure. And we usually use Lactated Ringers in most animals but that solution is too strong for these guys....so I am doing something I rarely do....I am giving plain water sub-q. Send them healing vibes....they really have a challenge in the days ahead.

As you can see...this guy doesn't look well at all....and his litter mates are all just like this one.

Randy

 

[Bo B Bunny]

OMG! I would help if I could - he's adorable!

My daughter's friend saved a cottontail last week. I guess a baby was grabbed by a hawk but it was dropped. It had an injury so they took it to a vet who cared for it and will release it when it's all better.

 

[tundrakatiebean]

ray:I hope they make it! He looks so cute :biggrin2:

 

[Bunnicula]

Hey Randy!

I loooooove the opossum pic. Am sending positive thoughts their way. Looks like the forecast is good for the weekend, so that should bode well for the cottontail release.

Just returned home to find a squirrel tail on the street in front of our driveway. Don't know where the rest of the squirrel is...not sure I want to. It looks clean (no blood, no carcass, no entrails, etc), so I guess I am headed to the yard to do an all-out search.

I'm glad you share your wildlife tales, but I'm looking forward to an update on the buns (hint-hint). Snuggles to Yoshi, Danny, and the rest of the gang.

~Mary Ellen

 

[ra7751]

Some of today's rescues

And here is a face only a mother could love.

Randy

 

[Bunnicula]

The baby birds are so sweet. Bet they are keeping you busy, though.