Hello To All From SC

[treeman]

Hello everyone!

The name says 'treeman' but its really the treeman's wife...I'll probably end up changing that. I had to use his email because mine wouldn't let the registration email through to the inbox.

We live in Charleston, SC and have a tree care business. We encounter baby squirrels from time to time on the job. I raised two babies not too long ago and this message board was an excellent resource.

Happily, I was able to raise and release them with no problems. Unfortunately, the little girl was assassinated by the neighbor's cat. However, her brother had better luck and has done well. He has his own little 'condo' in a giant live oak with a food/water station and the cat is no longer a threat!

So, I'd like to give a big 'thank you' for all your help with his success and for those to come! As I learn more about the squirrels, I hope I can also contribute a little bit along the way :)

[treeman]

Thank you, 4skwerlz! Yes, we're definately a pair of 'softies' when it comes to the wildlife that gets disrupted from the trees that are cut down. We have a pet racoon too! She actually came from a nuisance-wildlife guy that removed her litter from an attic....but, goes to show that there really are people out there with a heart :Love_Icon :alright.gif

[lilidukes]

:Welcome To TSB. Glad you found us!

[stepnstone]

:Welcome and :thankyou for caring about our wildlife!

[Jackie in Tampa]

:Welcome :wave123

[cam]

:Welcome

Would love to see any pics of the little ones if you have any, and of the tame racoon, i love racoons, wish we had them over here :)

[treeman]

Thanks everyone! Here are some pics of the racoon (Baby-Boo). She is 7yrs old and spayed. **I DO NOT advice anyone getting a pet racoon unless you are well-informed and willing to take on an animal has the temperment a rabid two-year-old child with HANDS, BIG TEETH, BIG CLAWS, and Huge Mood Swings!! Squirrels can do some damage but it's nothing like an angry 30lb racoon that is not scared of you or anything else! They are also very difficult to release so once you get a baby you should be prepared to put up with it for a while (like years). If it 'returns' to the wild (and lives), it will likely visit and WILL try break into your house (and likely succeed). If you keep it, it must be sterilized if you want to keep your face and it must have a whole bedroom of its own. A fat, happy, sterile coon is like a cuddly teddybear most of the time....until you and it have a disagreement like 'get out of the refrigerator' or 'those are my keys, not yours'!

[JakesLittlePrincess]

Love the raccoon!! :Welcome to TSB

[cam]

Wow, Boo is gorgeous :Love_Icon

sounds like a lot of fun looking after a racoon :D

[treeman]

LoL! She's actually pretty mellow now at this age. Racoons are not very gregarious and are perfectly happy (and prefer) to be left alone most of the time. She likes attention in 20 min spurts but looses interest pretty quickly and it wont hurt her feelings to not see you for a few days except to eat and change her 'toilet' (most racoons like to use a chamber-pot or litter box). Baby is the only captive racoon I know of in my area that will be picked up, sit on the sofa like a lap dog, groom, kiss, snuggle, and be polite to visitors. Racoons have little hands and can undo any latch or lock and are very strong. Baby can turn her doorknob and escape if she wanted to, but for whatever reason she doesn't...she'd rather push the dresser around LoL! A two-yr-old child is the best description...cute and sweet when she's good but Lord help the soul that trys to take her 'toy'!

[Lulu2010]

:Welcome So excited to find a new member close to home! I am in Summerville SC which is only about 30 minutes from Downtown (in case you are not familiar). We are practically neighbors! :wahoo I love those pics! Such a gorgeous raccoon. :Love_Icon I am not sure if you are familiar with Keeper of the Wild, but they are a non-profit organization located in St. George SC and I do some fostering for them. I only really do squirrels but they take in just about anything you can think of. They have a few non-releasable raccoons. My favorite is Sissy which is a blonde raccoon. If you ever feel like getting involved or just one day get in over your head with raccoons, squirrels or other wildlife, just get in touch with Janet. She is amazing. They also have a facebook page. They recently rescued a raccoon who had part of its arm damaged by a chainsaw. They did emergency surgery and she now has a cast but is expected to heal fine and still have a chance at a life in the wild. Let me know if you ever need anything since we are so close. I will do all I can to help you in any way. :)

[treeman]

WoW Lulu, you are close!! Thank you so very much. Yes, I know Keepers of The Wild. I've brought them squirrels before and made a donation. I don't know Ms. Janet personally, but she does great things. I saw in the Post & Courier that she was having a rough go of it lately because donations have dropped off :( We keep her number in our phones to contact if we run across something that's injured badly or we cant handle. I dont think we;d make the best fosters most of time but I do have acreage with swamp on Wadmalaw that can be used as a release site. Lots of predators so most suitable for racoons and carnivores.

[Lulu2010]

Yes they have sadly been having a rough time. They had to turn animals away from individuals and even while turning away, they were still taking 50 animals in a week. Yikes! But they are working really hard to get things back on track. I do what I can to help them because Lord knows I do not want them to shut the doors permanently. I don't think we have enough TSB members in SC to handle that rush of babies of all kinds. :shakehead Normally they take in 3,500-4,000 animals a season before the financial crisis.
You should definitely let her know about your property. She is always looking for new release sites. Be sure to let her know about the predators that are around your property so she will know what animals will do best out there. She is such a wonderful lady with such a huge heart. I guarantee you will like her. The phone calls get sent to her cell phone so she will be the one to answer. You will possibly go to voicemail but just leave a message and she is great about returning calls. Let her know on the message that you are calling to see if she is interested in using your property as a release site.
Completely off topic but do you know if it was your husband that came out and saved a kitten that was stuck in a tree in summerville/Ladson area about a year or so ago? Just curious. We called a random company from the internet to save a kitten stuck in a tree for 3 days (no one else would help and ran out of options) and the guy drove from charleston somewhere and came out first thing the next morning and rescued the cat free of charge. It was such a kind thing to do.

[Skul]

Cooners are coocoo.
Have to agree, never try to care for one as a pet.
Been there, done that.
Requires extra special care, understanding and tolerance.

[2ndHandRanchRescue]

Hello Mrs. Treeman!!! I am so happy to meet you. In my real job I work with tree services (Invasive species program for the green industry) but on the side I'm always giving them my business card for rehabbing baby squirrels - to see a squirrel loving tree service!!! I wanna give you a big hug! I'm a rehabber of squirrels and raccoons and I love raccoons too - so thank you for saying what ya did about them as pets. We have a petstore starting to sell them locally for $325 from out of state - and I fear they will end up with me. I have 2 pets here now overwintering - love the photos and thank you for joining us!!!
:Welcome

[treeman]

Good Grief, LuLu! I don't know how Ms. Janet does it!! Because she's about the only rehab resource game in town: our philosophy is to make every attempt to get babies back to Momma; take responsibility for the ones we can or find someone else that can rear them; and if we have to call Keepers, we will donate as much as we can to fund their care. I'll try to get in contact with her about the property and I'll PM you the info in case you talk to her and so you can get with me too if needed. No, that wasn't him with the cat, but that's just like what he'd do. He actually did that a few days ago! A lot of the local tree-care guys are great people like that :)

Skul, it's lookin' like everyone on TSB is a little Nutz! Maybe some a bit more than others...coons will make you squirrely LoL! :D :D

Thank you, 2ndHandRanchRescue. Yeah, the Tree Guys just look tough but most are big softies! I'm VERY surprised that a local petstore can sell racoons legally. In SC, one must be a licensed furrier to buy, sell, or breed racoons and the interstate sale of non-domesticated's also has requirements. Especially in light of what recently happened in Ohio! If it IS legal, I would present a letter with sourced research and a petition the your state legislator to get the law changed. I would also ask your state Fish & Game/Dept of Natural Resources about it. Little Known Fact: Your local Game Warden has as about as much police-power as the FBI and they ultimately fall under the USDA and Dept of Interior. I love my BabyBooCoon very much, but coons are NOT domesticated animals and should NOT be sold as safe pets!!! Such a thing is sure to end badly for the coon and/or someone's kid!

[2ndHandRanchRescue]

Yep - I'm shocked too! Totally big time illegal to keep wildlife in Illinois, but then I was at Petsmart and there was a baby coonie in a harness on a shoulder of a guy and the sales kid was advising raccoon care!!!- I freaked (being an investigator and a licensed rehabber) got the pet shops name (its in Chicagoland) then tracked down my Conservation Police - he was upset too, as we know how if in the wrong hands - not good - so he gave me the skinny for Illinois. If you buy native wildlife it must be purchased out of state or from an out of state breeder and have a USDA health certificate - Then you get a 'fur bearers permit at Walmart' they are really advertising - I dread the outcome..... This one petstore in Chicagoland has all over their website coonies!!! Love them to death, but you know....:D

[MiriamS]

:Welcome :thankyou Tree-couple. :D I've come across a number of tree service people that are quite caring about squirrels. I greatly appreciate it and your dedication to these little animals. Keep up the great work and please please do take a photo of your raccoon in the fridge :rotfl

[Lulu2010]

I think that is great that you do what you can to raise them or try other alternatives when possible. I have been doing my best to take some weight off of Keeper of the Wild. As long as the person is open to raising the baby(ies), I will give them all the info I can to start them on the right foot and then I give them my phone number, TSB website, and henryspets website to order the formula and supplies. A lot of times I will even donate supplies to start with. I always hope that they will enjoy it so much that they want to volunteer to help. But, we normally stay in touch until the babies are ready for release. I guess raising squirrels isn't as addicting to everyone. :dono
It would have been awesome if that was your husband that saved the kitten. But it is good to hear that there are many out there who would step up to the plate. We kept the kitty and named her Pine after the tree she was stuck in. :)
Well, definitely let me know if you need me and especially if you can't get in touch with Janet. I will be sure to talk to her for you if I need to. Again, it is wonderful to see another local member! :thumbsup