Raccoon Free Back Yard

It is a sad day here at the family home. The raccoons are gone. We took them to a rehab & release program north of town. It's been a hard, sad day.
I know many will scoff at this. Raccoons are pests. raccoons are varmints. Raccoons carry diseases like rabies. Raccoons eat chickens. Whatever.
We loved our raccoons. We bottle fed them 'round the clock, taught them to climb and got them accustomed to water. They came when we called them. They showed moods and emotions. If there had been a practical way to do it, I would have kept them.
We knew, though, that they are wild animals. We knew that as they grew they would become neighborhood nusiances and nobody wants that. We learned how much they love to climb, forage and generally goof around in the bushes, so there was no way we could in good conscience confine them to a cage.
They spoke to me as I surrended custody to the nice lady at the facility, who by the way was caring for about eight more raccoons. Some were older, some were younger and she promised to take good care of our little varmint friends.
Now that's it's all behind us, I can say that the little ringtail visitors made spring 2009 memorable. Watching them grow and develop was one of the most fascinating things we've done.
Honesly, I don't know if I'd do it again. As stupid as it may sound to some, right now it stings too badly to even think about it.

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The Coon Caper Continues

The time to rid ourselves of the raccoons may be drawing near. The little creatures seem be alarmingly self-aware. They're certainly not self conscious, as you can see.
All of this personal exploration took place in the presence of many witnesses with really nice lighting.
Yes, the raccoons had an outing. It was a return engagement to the historic studio of legendary Shreveport photographer Neil Johnson, who has a notion about creating any number of art and publishng pieces featuring our coons' cutness.
They cooperated well and Neil was plased with the raw materials he captured. The little guys created quite a stir as they always do. The whole Johnson gang was there: photographer, wife, son, daughter and a friend or two...all there to corral coons and keep them in the spotlight.
Meanwhile my wife, proud as punch of her little furry friends, beamed in the background.
As for the raccoons, they've more than doubled in size since we rescued them from certain death several weeks ago. We remain fascinated with their development. We have agreed that this entire episode has been rewardingly fun. We also know that the fun to hassle ratio is about to tilt in favor of the denominator.
In the meantime, we'll keep feeding them and letting them run around the back yard or climb the trees. It might be easier to relesae them into the wild now that they've been properly immortalized.

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Developmental Milestones

Let's start with something we've learned from rescuing baby raccoons from the clutches of death a few weeks ago: When you have baby raccoons in your back yard, you can't enjoy a good book on your patio without uninvited help. I'm hoping as you read this you're thinking, "Good to know." I mean, I wish someone had told me. Sometimes, you learn life's little lessons the hard way. Glad to be of assistance.
We've settled into raccoon routine, but there has been a break in the monotony. Finally, they've started the transition to solid food. Just like any babies, they're wearing it as much as eating it, but their intake technique is improving by the day.The little guys have doubled in size since we brought them here and they seem to be actually cuter than they originally were. Their climbing skills have kind of reached a plateau, but that's okay. One milestone at a time, I suppose.
They're a little easier to tell apart now because one has a lighter-colored tail than the other. There are behavioral differences, too. One runs faster and the other just can't seem to stay away from the patio furniture.Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Am I right?

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Sibling Adventures, Raccoon Style

A significant portion of Mothers' Day has been spent in the back yard. The mother of my children continues to be endlessly entertained by the baby raccoons. She actually took a break from her coonfest to prepare lunch for her mother. After a nice midday family meal, the ladies retired to the patio to watch the animals romp in the back yard.
There are encouraging coon signs from one of our pair. It has found the shrubbery and likes to root around in there. This morning, it climbed into a bush and moments after this image was captured, fell quietly to sleep.
The sibling raccoon isn't quite so advanced. It followed the other into the bushes, but couldn't climb the branches. This youngster seems to enjoy life's finer things, like lawn furniture. The round-the-clock feedings are getting tiresome, but it's interesting to watch these little guys grow. The fun to trouble ratio is still tilted in their favor, so they may be around a little while longer.

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Pet or Pest, Or In Between?

stand-up raccoon
Originally uploaded by Darrell

This image sums up the current relationship between my wife and the baby raccoons I rescued one week ago today. It's fair to say the the little critters have dominated our lives since last Friday. There have been round-the-clock feedings, visits from friends and neighbors and photo shoots. It's like having a baby in the house, except you know the commitment is short-term.
The reaction is across the board, too. Many people are urging us to find a way to keep them while more are strongly advising us to get rid of them as quickly as possible before we regret having them around.
Look at the little guy holding the hand that's feeding him! I suppose there's a real danger that eventually he will bite it.
Maybe we have received a sign from a higher power. The Great and Powerful Google has placed an ad on the top of the Daddy D page:
What are they trying to say?

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Reclining Raccoon

It was a hard day in the yard for the varmint babies, who earned a moment of rest.
They're getting stronger every day, thanks to the devoted care of their bottle feeder. They're learning how to walk and they're getting the concept of climbing. The only thng is, they like to climb on the person who has been feeding them.
Admittedly, it's kind of creepy, but it's cute, too. They know who has the food. They know her voice and they have begun to make little raccoon noises when they hear it.
While my wife is nurturing them, I am challenging them. Hey, if they can climb a leg, they can climb a tree. Right? So, I've been been trying to teach them to find their way up a trunk. Our research tells us it's too early for that, but at least one of these raccoons is special. I mean, there's some cosmic reason we have baby raccons. There must be. I stuck close, though, because they just aren't strong enough yet to reliably cling to the tree.
It's all perfectly silly and borderline irresponsible, but it's been fun. My wife is finally openly admitting that she's really enjoying caring for the baby raccoons.
The raccoon rescue is still all the rage. Today at work as I walked the halls at least four people asked about them. It's been a fun ride so far...kind of like hopping onto a foot on your way to being fed.

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Raccoon Boon

It's Day Two of the Raccoon Rescue and not suprisingly our little ringtail visitors have names. Happy Couple II and some visitors spent quality time with the furry refugees, doing the late-night bottle feeding. The group engaged in a spirited debate about whether to give them names and if so what names to give them. Somehow, they settled on Cory and Topanga. I couldn't tell you which one is which.
Nocturnal by nature, Cory and Topanga apparently had an active night in the kitty carrier which is their temporary home. In the morning light, we let them wallow around in the grass. As best they could with their developing legs, they tried to follow us around.
One is obviously sronger than the other. Interestingly, the "weaker" of the pair is the better eater.
It's not every day you see baby raccoons, so they're all the rage for now. The cat got all worked up about it, as you might imagine. The dog showed only a passing interest. A couple of sniffs, followed by a conclusion that she would not be allowed to eat them and they couldn't play with her, she just walked away.
The raccoons will get cuter by the day. I know at some point they must go away. The longer they stick around, the harder it will be to make that happen.

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Babies Wearing Masks

Unexpectedly, we are caring for babies at our house. I stumbled across a pest control crew doing what they do, but they weren't dealing with rats or roaches. They were relocating some baby raccons. By "relocating," I mean they were going to take them somewhere and "control" the "pests." By "control," I mean something slightly more permanent. It's not a coincidence that another term to describe a pest control crew is "exterminators."
I just couldn't live with the idea that these fine professionals would lop off their little heads or something, so I made a snap decision. I had no idea what I would do with baby raccoons. I just knew I had to save their little lives. So, I took them home.
The family sprang into action, running off to the pet store to get tiny bottles and kitten food. Then, I went to the Facebook family for advice, posting a status update which said "I just rescued baby raccoons from certain death. Now what?" The reponse was immediate. There were many productive ideas. Here's what seems to be working out: a local petting zoo said they will take them, raise them and then release them. In fact, they are working with two raccoon babies now, and they said "What's two more?"
So, another day or so of bottle feeding and then the little masked refugees are off to the care of professionals. Here's hoping they keep their heads.

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