around 2:15 i said a prayer.... "please let this be the night she shows up for him."
as i sat in the dark waiting, listening to his pitiful chatters and calls... suddenly he became very loud and the chatters sped up into a frenzied fit... i slowly made my way over closer to the cage he was in and sure enough, there on the other side of the cage was the momma trying to figure out how to get to him.
As i cautiously approached, she backed off just enough to let me open the cage door, i could hear her making that quiet deep call that i can only describe as a sort of "boom" - a moment later baby found the open door and they were reunited! Momma wasted no time turning around and heading away with her kid. I sat and listened as they made their way off into the darkness... i could hear the little guys chatter trailing off into the night.
That was at 3:30 in the morning... I drank a whole pot of coffee since 1 am... i was afraid i would fall asleep and miss the window of opportunity to open the cage. Needless to say I am completely wired and fried. I wish I could have taken pictures but really did not want to add stress to the situation... ah well, I had a great view and let me tell you it felt good seeing them together.
Oh! and she did not have the rest of the kids with her... or at least not close to her in my line of sight... I'm guessing she has them tucked away in their new home... i sure hope it is not someone else's wall or attic.
I am sooooo relieved... tending to the demands of a baby raccoon really is exhausting - I don't see how on earth a momma raccoon can deal with the average litter of three at a time.
Well... i'm off fer now...Good night!
8 comments:
*crikey* you'r like Michael-Ann "the raccoon huntress", or something.
nice work.
I suppose now it's time to patch the house.
FANTASTIC!!! good on ya, dear!!
I was surprised that the baby accepted you so well - the poor thing must have been unusually mellow for raccoons.
I captured a copy of your picture and will put it up on my blog.
There is two different family groups of raccoons that come to their own separate feeding station - they are about 400 feet apart over at Possum Hollow - I can watch them from a distance but don't even attempt to get them acclimated to my presence. I only give them a little food each night - a bedtime snack - don't want them to become dependent upon the cat food.
Hope you were able to get some sleep after your caffinated late-nighter!!!!
God bless you for all your hard work!!!
I know a Chinese restaurant that'll give me $8 a piece, and I'll cut you in for half.
Call me.
Good news! I hope you and your walls recover.
Michael-Ann you are my hero...You deserve a medal for all your kindness to every living things...In fact, you are my hero :)
My dog caught a baby raccoon in our garage a couple mornings ago. I rescued it and took it to the wildlife center where it was treated. Last night they asked me to help reunite it with its mother, which I was happy to do. I placed it in their box near a tree in my back yard. I just "knew" this morning that Mom had come back for it. But, the center told me that tonight would tell the tale and that I needed to see if it came back here tonight. They also wanted me to look for other raccoons on my premises.
Tonight about dark I took a flashlight to look for shiny little eyes on limbs and branches of nearby trees. After a couple minutes I heard a little rustle of leaves. It was my little baby raccoon! I talked to him and he came down onto a branch and came right out onto my arm!
The Center told me to feed it dog food and to give it water and return it to them in the morning. I have fed and watered him, placed him back in his box outside, and will return him tomorrow to the center, unless his mama comes back tonight.
My concern is that he really was rescued last night but that his mother just was not with him when I went checking around about dark. I fear that I am breaking up a family rather than rescuing an abandoned baby. I know raccoons live around me but I just can't be sure his mother is here. I know my dog will hurt him if he catches him but I can't keep my dog out of the back yard indefinitely although I could do it last night and today.
Does anyone have any insight into my dilemma?
Hi Animal-Lover :) my heart goes out to you... it is difficult for an animal-lover wanting to do the right thing... it sounds like you are doing the best that can be done.
Maybe momma will show up a little later in the night... you mentioned just after dark you checked on the baby, here at our place the raccoons always seem to show up between 1 and 3 in the morning in the summer time... and as early as 11 at night in the winter time.
I hope everything turns out well for you and your orphaned raccoon, hope you come back so we can find out what happened.
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