keygoddess
10-14-2016, 10:45 AM
:hello
My husband found Happy at the base of a palm tree right off our back porch. We have a great wildlife rehab place not far from where we live, but they have been inundated with orphans and injured animals from recent floods all around us. We struggled with whether to try to rehab her ourselves or take her to them, but decided to go it on our own. I know that they release them back to the wild NEAR where they were found, but her family is in our back yard, so we wanted to keep her close. I found rehab instructions on the web (how to hydrate and what to feed and how to keep her warm) and we have successfully kept her alive and healthy since August 18th. I don't know exactly how old she was when found, but her ears were still sealed and we had her a little longer than 2 weeks when she finally opened her eyes. She had no real hair on her tail and her belly was pretty bald still too. Now, almost 2 months later, she is fully 'furred' and has a glorious bushy tail. My husband and I have scratches all over our bodies, but we have really enjoyed helping her grow up. She is pretty much finished with 'the bottle' at this point. But she LOVES her fruits and veggies. She even seems to like the high protein rodent block I give her, along with nuts of just about every kind. She also enjoys a club cracker now and then. I think she is probably around 11 to 12 weeks old at this point, so I am curious about what age the females get to be 'in heat' as in ready to breed. I take her outside most days (when it isn't raining) and put her in a big tree outside my kitchen window so I can keep an eye on her and check on her every half hour or so. When she has been out a few hours, I go out and call her and she comes down to me. We go in and have food and then it is back in the cage - for her own protection. You see, we have 6 rescued cats and a lab-mix dog. All of them are mature adults at this point. (My husband hasn't come across an orphan in a while.) Anyway ... I am building her a nest box so that she can have a place to sleep outside in the event she decides to do it. It is mid-October here in South Texas and we are still enduring 90+ degree days. We have had only a few nights so far slightly under 60. It usually doesn't get too cold here. I don't know if she will decide to stay in the nest box or stay with us in the house, even if she becomes pregnant. I am curious if anyone else has had this experience and how you dealt with it. All responses are welcome, but please don't hate me because I am keeping her along with my cats and dog. Thank you in advance.
My husband found Happy at the base of a palm tree right off our back porch. We have a great wildlife rehab place not far from where we live, but they have been inundated with orphans and injured animals from recent floods all around us. We struggled with whether to try to rehab her ourselves or take her to them, but decided to go it on our own. I know that they release them back to the wild NEAR where they were found, but her family is in our back yard, so we wanted to keep her close. I found rehab instructions on the web (how to hydrate and what to feed and how to keep her warm) and we have successfully kept her alive and healthy since August 18th. I don't know exactly how old she was when found, but her ears were still sealed and we had her a little longer than 2 weeks when she finally opened her eyes. She had no real hair on her tail and her belly was pretty bald still too. Now, almost 2 months later, she is fully 'furred' and has a glorious bushy tail. My husband and I have scratches all over our bodies, but we have really enjoyed helping her grow up. She is pretty much finished with 'the bottle' at this point. But she LOVES her fruits and veggies. She even seems to like the high protein rodent block I give her, along with nuts of just about every kind. She also enjoys a club cracker now and then. I think she is probably around 11 to 12 weeks old at this point, so I am curious about what age the females get to be 'in heat' as in ready to breed. I take her outside most days (when it isn't raining) and put her in a big tree outside my kitchen window so I can keep an eye on her and check on her every half hour or so. When she has been out a few hours, I go out and call her and she comes down to me. We go in and have food and then it is back in the cage - for her own protection. You see, we have 6 rescued cats and a lab-mix dog. All of them are mature adults at this point. (My husband hasn't come across an orphan in a while.) Anyway ... I am building her a nest box so that she can have a place to sleep outside in the event she decides to do it. It is mid-October here in South Texas and we are still enduring 90+ degree days. We have had only a few nights so far slightly under 60. It usually doesn't get too cold here. I don't know if she will decide to stay in the nest box or stay with us in the house, even if she becomes pregnant. I am curious if anyone else has had this experience and how you dealt with it. All responses are welcome, but please don't hate me because I am keeping her along with my cats and dog. Thank you in advance.