I guess it's time...

[skunkangel]

I've been lurking around for a bit, but I'm finally getting around to posting a hello introduction to everyone. My name is Angel, and I live near St. Louis. I've been rehabbing for a couple of years now and I specialize in skunks for the most part. However, I seem to always have squirrels. I'm not even sure how it happens sometimes but people call, and I give in. :) They're cute little critters so it's impossible to say no. Our fall babies are coming in now and our spring kids are already released back to the wild. It will be October before the fall kids start leaving. In the spring this year the clinic that I work with did a total of 150+ baby greys but our fall is much lighter in numbers. Plus we get the oddball squirrel species in the fall. The flyers, the reds, the fox squirrels. We don't see a lot of anything but the greys so we get very excited to see the other species in the fall.

So let's see, as for me, in my years rehabbing I've worked with baby beavers, groundhogs, squirrels, red foxes, coyotes, raccoons, a badger, bunnies galore, opossums, and of course my beloved skunks. Other than that, I have two teenage boys and most days I'd much prefer dealing with the business end of a skunk than the daily drama of them being teens. I recently got a job with the Humane Society here working in their offices (bcz rehab isn't exactly well known for it's stellar salary) and I'm hoping that helps with the formula costs for next year before babies start arriving again.

From what I've seen, this place is a great resource for rehabbers, and I'm glad to be a part of it. It's always good to have a place to bounce questions off of when you're up at 2am with a baby that just isn't thriving. We've all felt that dread and it's nice to find others who can empathize on nights like that. Plus, we've got to have someone to talk to about poop sometimes! None of my non-rehab friends ever want to have long discussions about poop shape/color/type. :) I hope to meet everyone and settle in soon! Thanks for being there.

--Angel

[astra]

:Welcome
Welcome Angel,

Yes, this is a wonderful place for all questions and discussions, including poop!:poop :D
And it's not limited to squirrels only - there are people who rehab raccoons, skunks, bunnies etc etc etc.

[Bravo]

Welcome to TSB! :thumbsup Lots of good people here. And they'll be falling over each other to see any skunk pics/video you may have. :D

[Feeze]

Good to see another rehabber on board.:thumbsup

And no you won't have any trouble getting others to join in your poop discussions, it is quite a common topic in here.:D

I hope you do have pics to share. There is a pretty high demand for them.:tilt

[skunkangel]

Welcome to TSB! :thumbsup Lots of good people here. And they'll be falling over each other to see any skunk pics/video you may have. :D

Let's see if I can figure out how to post them!
Lots of skunks, ...and quite possibly the only thing in the world cuter than a baby skunk.... the baby beaver.

If this works, there are photos attached.

[RiverRock]

Oh mh goodness how wonderful those babies look! I love them all!!

Welcome to TSB by the way..LOL

These pics make me so excited because i took in my first baby squirrel few days ago. He is about 4 weeks old. I have been in animal rescue(cat and dog) for over 10 years but this is my first wild animal. I have been so insoired I am going to be talking to my states fish and wildlife to get my rehabers permit!

I have never seen a baby beaver before, what a doll!

[NaturesGift]

Welcome neighbor and fellow Rehabber :thumbsup

AWESOME pics!!!

[astra]

Awww, great pics!!!! Sweet, sweet, adorable faces!:Love_Icon :thumbsup
I have never seen a baby beaver !:Love_Icon How big/small are they?...
With pics it is almost "one is too many, a thousand is not enough" - more, please!!!:thumbsup

[skunkangel]

Welcome neighbor and fellow Rehabber :thumbsup

AWESOME pics!!!

Well, howdy there neighbor. Nice to see someone else in Missouri doing skunks. MDC doesn't exactly support our love of the stinkers sometimes. :) Do you happen to be south-enough to see some of our spotted variety skunks, or just the striped kits? Either way, nice to 'meet' ya.

[NaturesGift]

im on the border of Douglas and Wright:thumbsup So far I have only been blessed with striped stinkers!

[skunkangel]

im on the border of Douglas and Wright:thumbsup So far I have only been blessed with striped stinkers!

Ahh... I know the Lakeside Nature Center folks up in KC. You're much closer to them than me. Actually, two of our beavers last year came from Lakeside. We did eight baby beavers last year, and never again. Boy is it a lot of work. They were 40lbs each before release. They only poo in water and we were basically running a sewage treatment plant towards the end. Plus, they aren't ready for release until 18mos of age. That's a long time! But I did a little over 40 skunks this year, up from 35 last year. I love them, but I'm dying to make friends with someone who sees the spotted guys. They're this perfect mix of skunk and squirrel. if you love squirrels and love skunks, you can't beat a spotted skunk. Weighs two pounds, climbs in trees, and still stomps and has that skunk ego. Do you just do squirrel and skunk, or what else? Are you affiliated with Lakeside, or indy? Not that I'm interrogating.... :)

[NaturesGift]

lol ummm what do I do... well right this second.. I have 11 possies...4 squirrels...1 Bunny...2 fawns..1 coon and 2 skunks:D And thanking heavens I have no birds:jump

LOL im not affiliated with either..tho I believe I tried to recieve training from a place in St Louis or KS and they said I lived to far away:dono

SOOOO the squirrel board surprised me..and flew me to NY for courses came back and got my Permit!!

[skunkangel]

Awww, great pics!!!! Sweet, sweet, adorable faces!:Love_Icon :thumbsup
I have never seen a baby beaver !:Love_Icon How big/small are they?...
With pics it is almost "one is too many, a thousand is not enough" - more, please!!!:thumbsup

The beavers come in early in the year, Feb/March before the squirrels, and they are usually a pound or so when they first arrive. They eat from regular baby bottles and we use Zoologic formulas with them. They are cute kids though. Everyone loves them. I do a lot of fundraising and public relations work and there is nothing more effective in raising money than walking into a business holding a 1-2lb baby beaver. I swear I could walk into the county health department, an ER, or anywhere else with them and people would just "awww" and never yell at me for bringing a wild animal in. The skunks get a much different reaction from the public, as you can imagine. People are stand-offish at first, but they get over it with the skunks and squirrels. Beavers have no wait time, it's immediate gushing. :) I like to call it baby-bait. They helped raised a lot of money. But they cost a TON of money as well. Fun though, once. Probably won't do it again. Too cute. :)

More photos though, no problem. How bout this - you can name the critter....instead of me trying to label them all.

[Hannah]

Welcome, skunkangel.

Nice skunks. :thumbsup

And beaver -- I couldn't figure out what the baby was until I read your description.

[skunkangel]

lol ummm what do I do... well right this second.. I have 11 possies...4 squirrels...1 Bunny...2 fawns..1 coon and 2 skunks:D And thanking heavens I have no birds:jump

LOL im not affiliated with either..tho I believe I tried to recieve training from a place in St Louis or KS and they said I lived to far away:dono

SOOOO the squirrel board surprised me..and flew me to NY for courses came back and got my Permit!!

Very cool. It was probably KC. They decide people live too far...blah blah. Well you've got a full house. I've just got 4 baby squirrels at the moment. It was five, but I lost one Friday. :( We get squirrels sometimes that I call "Auschwitz" kids. They are eyes open, five week old kids, but they weigh nothing (30-40grams) and are all bones, ribs, eyes jutting out and so emaciated. It's terrible to look at, but sometimes they pull through eventually. I had two like that, one died, and the other is a trooper. She's going to be fine. The other three I have are 70-80grams and just now thinking about growing eyeballs. All of my skunks are released at 2lbs, so they're back outdoors doing what skunks do and hopefully eating up lots of bugs! I support any creature that eats bugs. I loathe bugs. Well, kiss the critters for me. Our year is winding down sometime soon...sure seems a while off still.

[skunkangel]

Welcome, skunkangel.

Nice skunks. :thumbsup

And beaver -- I couldn't figure out what the baby was until I read your description.

Aww Peter, thanks. A girl always likes to hear 'nice beaver'. mjs

Kidding, of course. :) Too funny to pass it up.

[wheezer]

:Welcome :Welcome
Great stories and Pics:thumbsup :Love_Icon
You will fit right in here:) :grouphug

[astra]

The beavers come in early in the year, Feb/March before the squirrels, and they are usually a pound or so when they first arrive. They eat from regular baby bottles and we use Zoologic formulas with them. They are cute kids though. Everyone loves them. I do a lot of fundraising and public relations work and there is nothing more effective in raising money than walking into a business holding a 1-2lb baby beaver. I swear I could walk into the county health department, an ER, or anywhere else with them and people would just "awww" and never yell at me for bringing a wild animal in. The skunks get a much different reaction from the public, as you can imagine. People are stand-offish at first, but they get over it with the skunks and squirrels. Beavers have no wait time, it's immediate gushing. :) I like to call it baby-bait. They helped raised a lot of money. But they cost a TON of money as well. Fun though, once. Probably won't do it again. Too cute. :)

More photos though, no problem. How bout this - you can name the critter....instead of me trying to label them all.

yes, I could see people gushing over a baby beaver (how could one not?). But must be a lot of work dealing with a 40# thing as it grows.;-)
Great pics! So much personality is captured in each animal!:thumbsup
So, let's see, critters. The only one I am not sure about is the 1st - who is that?... The rest: coons, fox, baby squirrel, skunks, baby beaver (?), so who is the 1st one? Is it a baby fox or coyote?...:thinking

[skunkangel]

yes, I could see people gushing over a baby beaver (how could one not?). But must be a lot of work dealing with a 40# thing as it grows.;-)
Great pics! So much personality is captured in each animal!:thumbsup
So, let's see, critters. The only one I am not sure about is the 1st - who is that?... The rest: coons, fox, baby squirrel, skunks, baby beaver (?), so who is the 1st one? Is it a baby fox or coyote?...:thinking

1- Coyote pup
2- Raccoon
3- Raccoon
4- Squirrel, Grey
5- Fox, Red
6- American Badger
7- Skunk
8- Lots of 'possums
9- baby beavers
10- more skunks

[skunkangel]

yes, I could see people gushing over a baby beaver (how could one not?). But must be a lot of work dealing with a 40# thing as it grows.;-)
Great pics! So much personality is captured in each animal!:thumbsup
So, let's see, critters. The only one I am not sure about is the 1st - who is that?... The rest: coons, fox, baby squirrel, skunks, baby beaver (?), so who is the 1st one? Is it a baby fox or coyote?...:thinking

Yep, you're right...just imagine a 40# squirrel. Yikes! Beavers are the largest in the rodentia family, same family as the squirrels. Cute when they're kids, but large and in charge later. And I agree with you - when the coyotes are little, they're harder to tell from foxes. People call all the time about a fox that turns out to be a coyote or vice versa. It's really strange when someone calls about a raccoon that turns out to be a squirrel or an opossum though!

[Bravo]

Amazing pics! Skunks have a unique cuteness, but so many different small faces with their own personalities. It sounds like you have a great deal of experience... and no end of baby-bait. :D

[SquirrelLove]

Great photos in this thread! Love all the little critters :-)
Hugs,
Joanne in Jax

[Chickenlegs]

Welcome welcome welcome! You're gonna be right at home here! Thanks for all the pix. An overdose of cuteness is always appreciated!

[astra]

Y It's really strange when someone calls about a raccoon that turns out to be a squirrel or an opossum though!
:D :D

[Hannah]

Thanks for posting more cute pictures, skunkangle. Wasn't sure about the coyote at first. :)


Yep, you're right...just imagine a 40# squirrel. Yikes! Beavers are the largest in the rodentia family, same family as the squirrels. Cute when they're kids, but large and in charge later.
I'll bet beavers could give squirrels a run for their money when it comes to being destructive. :D

40 skunks...that sounds crazy. It's got to be a lot of work.

And it's interesting that the spotted skunks behaved differently than the striped skunks.

Nature ran a show on skunks awhile back, just thought I'd link in case you're interested.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/is-that-skunk/video-full-episode/4581/

(p.s. rodentia is an order; beavers are 2nd largest. Sorry, nit picking on details, I know.)

[astra]

Thanks for posting more cute pictures, skunkangle. Wasn't sure about the coyote at first. :)

Nature ran a show on skunks awhile back, just thought I'd link in case you're interested.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/is-that-skunk/video-full-episode/4581/

(p.s. rodentia is an order; beavers are 2nd largest. Sorry, nit picking on details, I know.)
Thanks for the link Peter! Enjoyed it very much:thumbsup :thankyou

[michelle7749]

awww I luv the little possum pic! I raised a baby one when I was a teenager. I've also had two skunks but they weren't babies. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a baby skunk without the hair I mean...really cool pics!
Thanks for sharing :thankyou

[Wonkawillie]

OK, so how on earth do you rehab a baby skunk without getting prayed? Even if they are young and friendly, they must still be a bit stinky????

[nnmaru1]

amazing pics! you are very fortunate to get to know all these critters.

never seen a baby beaver eaither.... awwww :heart

[Ultra Peepi]

:Welcome great pics!