This week had an extracurricular activity and LOTS of hotline phone calls
But first, cute baby photos
Of course!
That little kid is super excited about milk that he’s putting his whole body into slurping it down.
5 new babies enjoy their Timothy hay filled nest, soft and sweet-smelling.
Photos in this post are taken by myself, Krista deVries and Tabitha Lin.
Although they may look alike, each is unique in their own precious way
I have 6 groups of 6 babies, (plus one of 4) all around the same age and size. They are grouped by weight, not by litter as size can vary in a litter. This helps me attend to their changing diet and enrichment needs.
Some groups are more social than others, clamoring for attention when I open the cage door.
Others are shy and hide in their bed- even so there is always a bolder one who comes out to say hi.
Tinies and Bunnies
The smallest opossums are still in the incubator because temperatures fluctuate too much in the rehab room, and I don’t actually have space for another cage!
They have started eating fresh fruit and veggies and tiny pieces of kibble specifically formulated for opossums.
These two bunnies have opened their eyes and have started eating clover and grass, and drinking milk out of a little dish.
They are in my other incubator as there’s no space left for them. I keep all my rehabilitation animals and supplies in a separate room. I try not to let it overflow into the “Suzie” part of the house, although their laundry often does, and dirty dishes…
Bats in Bridges Training
On Thursday, May 4th, I attended a “Bats in Bridges” training through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, led by Maggie Hunt. It was attended by biologists, conservation consulting firm employees, and Department of Transportation employees.
We suited up with our very bright safety vests since we were traveling alongside sometimes busy roadways to get to particular bridges and culverts that had bat roosting activity.
We learned how to tell if a roost had been used for a long time by the amount of guano present, if it was used by a few bats as a stop over, or if it housed multiple species.
The first photo shows a Mexican Free tail bat, the second a Big Brown bat. We also observed a very cute Tri-colored bat in a hole in a long, dark culvert.
Spotlight on the adults
Lewis
Lewis is an older male, maybe 2 to 2 and a half years old. He was found by a kind-hearted Demorest woman who had seen him struggling in her yard.
Lewis has terrible ulcers on his feet, a large abscess on his tail, and it appears part of his tail had been shaved off to the bone.
He’s getting lots of good food and comfort and is a gentle giant.
I have high hopes that once healed he will be able to be returned to the wild.
Mama
Poor Mama, she came here with her 7 fat babies and painful ulcers on her feet.
Her feet healed, her babies grew, and all seemed well.
The babies decided, however, that it would be fun to chew on the tip of their mother’s tail and ate off the end, exposing the bone.
Because of the size of the enclosure they were in, she couldn’t get away from the marauding minis.
I found them all snuggled together the next morning like nothing had happened!
Mama had surgery to repair her tail tip and is back inside in a hospital cage while it heals.
Isn’t she beautiful?
Lilo
Little old lady Lilo was seen by a sharp-eyed passerby defending herself against vultures. I was able to quickly arrive at the scene and scoop her up.
She’s feeling great and looks so healthy for having been making her way-blind-through the wild. You can see she’s suffered some wounds from attacks or frostbite on her ears, and her teeth are really bad.
She’s not altogether appreciating the care here, she’d like to be back out on her own, but her blindness means her future is a bit unknown.
Daniel
Daniel had been raised as a house pet after his mother and siblings were killed by the owner of the property where he was found.
At some point in his early life they decided to place him in a dog enclosure outside with no protection from sun or freezing temperatures.
It’s a marvel he isn’t in worse shape.
His ears have been damaged from frostbite and he has eye damage consistent with solar burns.
My vet and I have been working with various eye medications to help improve his vision. Right now he can see shadows, it seems.
Daniel has his own large outdoor enclosure to safely enjoy nature while being protected from the elements he was so callously subjected to.
Daniel owes his life to Tammy and Brynn, who rescued him.
Sweet Pea
Sweet Pea spends a lot of time sleeping, typical of an opossum with a head injury.
She was found this past winter in a suburban neighborhood, bleeding from a head injury likely caused by a collision with a vehicle- one that didn’t bother to stop and check on her.
Because of the trauma to her brain, she walks in circles. Other rehabbers have had great luck building mazes for head trauma animals to walk through to retrain their brains from automatically turning in one direction.
I’m hoping that same contraption will work for her.
Mama’s seven
The seven babies that came in with their injured Mama are off on their own out in a wonderful, woodland spot by a stream.
You can see one kid has already discovered a hole, but another doesn’t want to leave his blanket.
Phone Hotline
The heavy winds from last week brought a lot of baby bird calls.
One gentleman in Greensboro found a baby bluebird blown from it’s nest. He was able to make a temporary nest to house the baby for it’s parents to continue caring for it.
Another caller found a cardinal baby that had been blown out of it’s nest. With instructions on how to build and attach a substitute nest, he was able to reunite the family.
Susie in Griffin called about a Canada goose with a beverage cup top stuck on it’s face. There are very few waterfowl rehabbers in the state, and DNR was unable to send a ranger to help her.
I was able to connect her with USFWS and they worked with her to resolve this poor goose’s issue.
A pair of wrens built their nest in a mailbox- they like building in manmade structures like hanging baskets, door wreaths, mailboxes, bags of mulch, car engines…you name it.
One of the parents was hit by a car and the other parent wasn’t able to keep up with the demands of single parenting. Wild Nest Bird Rehab in Decatur coordinated their care.
A vulture was seen staying in one area for several days, by himself. It was determined the bird had sustained damage to his wing and leg, probably from being hit by a car.
When they are eating roadkill, they view the oncoming traffic as a threat to their dinner, and will often wait until the last minute to get out of the way.
I sent the caller my “Raptor Capture” playlist and directed her to take the bird to the University of Georgia Wildlife Clinic.
Joan in Athens had been delighting in watching a family of bluebirds bring their babies to her feeder.
One of the juveniles flew into her window, much to her horror, and was unable to fly.
Often this indicates a break to their corocoid process, which is very much like our collarbone. They need that to be able to get lift to fly.
His wings are fine, and his mood seems good. I’m hoping an anti-inflammatory and cage rest will help his body heal from this injury.
