Normally I would describe this as the quiet season, but it's been anything but the last week. Birds and bats and opossums coming and going and exciting facility developments.
David Crowie arrived after being found dragging a wing and generally acting weak. He’s on anti-inflammatories and a good diet, and is improving! Hopefully he will be able to return to his family soon.
A cat caught this adult Carolina wren but the owner rescued it. I’m so glad she found me and brought the bird out soon after capture. After a week of antibiotics, and lots of mealworms, I released him or her back to their home location. The homeowner reported a lot of joyous birdsong soon afterwards!
Little Miss Myotis
My first Southeastern myotis bat came from the loading dock of an Aldi grocery store. Jenny noticed she had been in the same place on the brick wall for three days. After donning protective gloves, she carefully transferred her to a box and brought her to me. Always wear gloves when helping bats, and keep another layer of protection between you and them, like a towel. This is for their safety as much as yours! Miss Myotis was very hungry and thirsty but uninjured. I waited until the weather improved and released her back to her home location. Bat biologist Maggie Hunt assisted in identification and thinks her colony may be in a nearby culvert.
So many trauma cases 🙁
Paraplegic baby
This little boy weighs less than half a pound and was seen dragging himself across the finder’s lawn when they opened their door. His injuries are consistent with a cat attack. He has puncture wounds on either side of his spine. Cats tend to grab and squeeze their prey, breaking backs or causing nerve damage. Dogs tend to grab and shake. While he appreciates the tasty baby food I offer him, he does not really like me very much! I have him on an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, and perform physical therapy twice a day. I gently exercise his legs and also apply a cold laser for 5 minutes. He is showing improved movement and strength in his legs but still drags himself around the incubator.
Victimized by humans
Joining cat attack boy in the incubator is a joey who was victimized by humans. John rescued him after seeing him being beaten. The men beating him provided no reason for their actions. I’m so thankful for John’s bravery- who knows what those men could have been capable of. This little guy, less than a pound, will likely lose his right eye. I immediately applied honey to the gash across his face and it miraculously has started healing already. In an ideal situation the wound would already be stitched up and the eye covered. But this all happened on a Friday evening. He will hopefully get into the vet Monday.
Yonah
A car hit Yonah and he languished by the side of the road until kind Nevaeh picked him up and contacted me. It was obvious he had a broken arm- it turned out he had a dislocated shoulder and broken elbow. My vet splinted both and sent him home in a lovely purple cast. Unfortunately, additional injuries to his jaw weren’t immediately noticed. Due to the severity of them, he had to be euthanized. I hate this part of what I do, but I am glad I can provide them freedom from suffering.
Dog attack
In yet another trauma, a dog attacked and shook this sub-adult female, causing at least 8 puncture wounds to both sides of her body. The finders felt terrible their dog had hurt the opossum and brought her straight to me. My volunteer Dawn and I gently bathed her, located the wounds and clipped the fur around them. I’m keeping them clean and she’s on an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. She doesn’t feel well enough to eat yet and is probably still very frightened, so I am syringe feeding her baby food and administering subcutaneous fluids.
Onward to some good news!
Pigeons
The two racing pigeons that came in at different times and became friends went to a retired racing pigeon colony where they will live in luxury and safety. These birds both came in injured and thin. Using the information on their bands, I located their owners, but neither owner wanted the bird back. I am lucky to know someone who has a dovecote of retired pigeons: thank you, Guy!
Rich Bergins
Rich and his ditch! Volunteer Rich Bergins, who has built wheels, nest boxes, and climbing platforms, who has helped set up my big storage shelter, and been instrumental in so many ways here at Primarily ‘Possums, dug a 19 foot long trench! This trench is 7″ wide, 12″ deep and extends from my shed to the corner of the new enclosure. Why, you may ask? So electric could be run to two of the enclosures to keep the overwintering opossums warm, safely! Too many years of extension cords and anxiety over fire danger led me to allocate donations for this.
Thanks to Blue Moon Electric in Athens, who donated their time and materials, I have the fanciest outdoor power supplies I’ve ever seen. One line was also run to the carport where the quail (who lay eggs for the opossums) and mid-size cages are located. Thank you, Ed and Blue Moon! Their generosity really touched me. Please call them if you need electrical work done in the Athens area!
Every 2 weeks, the overwintering opossums move into a different one of the 4 outside enclosures. This keeps them alert and challenged, and active! Big Brother practiced his acrobat skills and Blossom checked out a new-to-her sleeping spot. Meanwhile, Victoria felt safer checking it all out from inside a carpeted cat tube.
