Dray fell with babies

[jessijuju]

Runt's dray fell and she had babies in it. By the time i was aware that it fell, she already moved back into her nestbox. I didnt see any babies in yhe nest or on the ground, so Im hoping she was able to get them before the cats did. I gave her some cotton snd she took it over into a tree in the back neighbor's yard, so im assuming she plans on moving. I noticed flies around the entrance to the nestbox 😥 Should i get up there and see if theres a dead or hurt baby in there, or just leave it be until she moves? I dont wanna upset her anymore than she already is. But if I remove it, maybe she wont move into the neighbors tree.

[Chirps]

Poor girl. Flies may not be significant though. My boxes usually have a few flies around. If they're carrion flies going IN the box, that would be concerning.


Any update this morning?

[jessijuju]

Poor girl. Flies may not be significant though. My boxes usually have a few flies around. If they're carrion flies going IN the box, that would be concerning.


Any update this morning?

I tried to reach in and feel last night, but was limited to how far i could reach. I didnt feel anything but it could have been all the way towards the front under the predator guard. It was the shiny green flies going inside he box :( I didnt smell anything dead but it may be too soon.

[Rock Monkey]

Runt's dray fell and she had babies in it. By the time i was aware that it fell, she already moved back into her nestbox. I didnt see any babies in yhe nest or on the ground, so Im hoping she was able to get them before the cats did. I gave her some cotton snd she took it over into a tree in the back neighbor's yard, so im assuming she plans on moving. I noticed flies around the entrance to the nestbox 😥 Should i get up there and see if theres a dead or hurt baby in there, or just leave it be until she moves? I dont wanna upset her anymore than she already is. But if I remove it, maybe she wont move into the neighbors tree.

So sorry to hear this.

The good thing about a drey is that it is a ball, sort of, a flexible ball, various sticks and leaves woven together. So hopefully this means that it wasn't a hard impact, it might have bounced off a few branches on the way down, absorbing some energy and preventing it from gaining too much speed.

If a baby were dead I don't think she would leave it in the box. Your nose will tell you soon enough. Hopefully she will have transferred all of the babies over.

They do sell endoscope cameras on Amazon which can be hooked to your cell phone. This would allow you to look in the nest box, but Mom may not be happy about the intrusion. They don't cost too much.

You might try putting a zip lock filled with water near the entrance. Supposedly, this inhibits flies, the water in the bag. I have never tried it, so I don't know if it actually works. But it is low-tech and simple and I don't think it could hurt to try.

[jessijuju]

So sorry to hear this.

The good thing about a drey is that it is a ball, sort of, a flexible ball, various sticks and leaves woven together. So hopefully this means that it wasn't a hard impact, it might have bounced off a few branches on the way down, absorbing some energy and preventing it from gaining too much speed.

If a baby were dead I don't think she would leave it in the box. Your nose will tell you soon enough. Hopefully she will have transferred all of the babies over.

They do sell endoscope cameras on Amazon which can be hooked to your cell phone. This would allow you to look in the nest box, but Mom may not be happy about the intrusion. They don't cost too much.

You might try putting a zip lock filled with water near the entrance. Supposedly, this inhibits flies, the water in the bag. I have never tried it, so I don't know if it actually works. But it is low-tech and simple and I don't think it could hurt to try.


She has moved out of the box. I would say the cats got her babies before she was able to. She is looking pretty full with milk like she is no longer nursing 😔
I tried using a camera thingy to see in the box and wasnt able to get it turned and twisted around right to see anything. Im going to take the box down and double check it and make it to where the front can be taken off easily if needed.

[Chirps]

I tried to reach in and feel last night, but was limited to how far i could reach. I didnt feel anything but it could have been all the way towards the front under the predator guard. It was the shiny green flies going inside he box :( I didnt smell anything dead but it may be too soon.
Yes, those are the ones. :(

[Chirps]

She has moved out of the box. I would say the cats got her babies before she was able to. She is looking pretty full with milk like she is no longer nursing 😔
I tried using a camera thingy to see in the box and wasnt able to get it turned and twisted around right to see anything. Im going to take the box down and double check it and make it to where the front can be taken off easily if needed.
Sorry to hear that, but hoping for a miracle, like even one survivor.

[Rock Monkey]

She has moved out of the box. I would say the cats got her babies before she was able to. She is looking pretty full with milk like she is no longer nursing 😔
I tried using a camera thingy to see in the box and wasnt able to get it turned and twisted around right to see anything. Im going to take the box down and double check it and make it to where the front can be taken off easily if needed.

Sorry.

Yeah, a good occasion to clean out the box and make it easier to get into. Also a good occasion to make any repairs or improvements if need be.

If possible you might also see if it can be mounted higher up, if you can do so safely. If it is pretty low to the ground squirrels may find it to be not safe enough. Being higher gives a wider field of view when the poke their heads out and being higher above the ground makes it harder for ground predators to catch a scent.

I would also expect Runt to have more than two homes. There may be one or two more in reserve. They do so for just such occasions.

[Rock Monkey]

If Runt did loose all of her babies, which I hope she didn't, she may go into heat again.

[jessijuju]

Sorry.

Yeah, a good occasion to clean out the box and make it easier to get into. Also a good occasion to make any repairs or improvements if need be.

If possible you might also see if it can be mounted higher up, if you can do so safely. If it is pretty low to the ground squirrels may find it to be not safe enough. Being higher gives a wider field of view when the poke their heads out and being higher above the ground makes it harder for ground predators to catch a scent.

I would also expect Runt to have more than two homes. There may be one or two more in reserve. They do so for just such occasions.



Its as hi up as i can get it. I have to climb up the "steps" goin up to her feeder & take the feeder roof down to climb up past it & into the fork of the tree. Then reach as far as i can to hang box. Its quite the chore. Im actually not sure where shes staying now. Theres way too many spiders up in the woods right now to be following her everywhere. 🕷😳

[jessijuju]

If Runt did loose all of her babies, which I hope she didn't, she may go into heat again.


I think this is her second litter already. Not positive but pretty sure she had a litter a few months ago and lost them pretty quick. Then she came back in heat. I kept track this time and her babies wldv been 5 wks old today.

[Rock Monkey]

I think this is her second litter already. Not positive but pretty sure she had a litter a few months ago and lost them pretty quick. Then she came back in heat. I kept track this time and her babies wldv been 5 wks old today.

Damn.

Did you find anything in her box?

Does Runt come when whistle?

[jessijuju]

Damn.

Did you find anything in her box?

Does Runt come when whistle?



I havnt had a chance to check yet. I work 2nd shift so finding a time when my bf is also here to help is difficult. Im off tomorrow, so i will get it down & check then for sure.

Yes Runt "usually" comes when i whistle. Sometimes shes sleeping too good and doesnt hear me. If its too cold, or hot, or she doesnt feel like dealing with me (lol) she will hop out of nest and clean herself so that i see her, and then go back to bed. Then theres her occasional "asshole" moments when she will be laying on a branch motionless just watching me whistling and looking for her.

[Rock Monkey]

Yes Runt "usually" comes when i whistle. Sometimes shes sleeping too good and doesnt hear me. If its too cold, or hot, or she doesnt feel like dealing with me (lol) she will hop out of nest and clean herself so that i see her, and then go back to bed. Then theres her occasional "asshole" moments when she will be laying on a branch motionless just watching me whistling and looking for her.

Lol.

If you do decide you want to look/explore into the woods with the spiders, one trick I have learned is to hold a pole out in front of me to clear the invisible cob webs. (A broom handle or rake will do the trick.) At least where I live, the only truly poisonous spider are brown recluses and black widows. The recluse is unlikely to be found in the open and the black widow self advertises.

I am glad to hear that you get help when retrieving the nest box.

[jessijuju]

Lol.

If you do decide you want to look/explore into the woods with the spiders, one trick I have learned is to hold a pole out in front of me to clear the invisible cob webs. (A broom handle or rake will do the trick.) At least where I live, the only truly poisonous spider are brown recluses and black widows. The recluse is unlikely to be found in the open and the black widow self advertises.

I am glad to hear that you get help when retrieving the nest box.

Ya i do the stick trick if i must go in the woods. But then sometimes i have to throw the stick when a spider runs up it. And it never fails that i somehow miss a web, and then im doing karate moves that i didnt even know i could do. It is definitely a cardio workout. Lmao. Her woods are only a little speck of woods, not even the size of a city block. In the winter you can see through them from one side to the other. In the summer though, its so thick that you cant even see most of the dreys. There are areas where the weeds are above my waist. I worry about the cats hiding in them. I would weed-eat it if it was my property. Lol

[jessijuju]

I think i jinxed myself by saying Runt comes when i whistle. I havent seen her at all today, and her nuts are still there from last night 😭 I pray that she was busy building a drey all morning and is resting and trying to stay cool this evening. It is hot 🥵

[Rock Monkey]

There are areas where the weeds are above my waist. I worry about the cats hiding in them. I would weed-eat it if it was my property. Lol

You might ask the owner if they would mind if you would weed-eat through there. They probably wouldn't care.

You can find the owner by looking at the county's GIS website. You can just pull up the local map and see who the owner of record is. If you are improving their property, most owners don't mind. If they are totally absent, well, they won't even know.

Hopefully you will see Runt today.

When the drey came down, was it a windy day? If it wasn't, the other possibility is that some predator picked it apart.

[Rock Monkey]

Does Runt's house have predator guards? If not she might be more inclined to stay in their if it did. Your maintenance inspection would be a good time to add them if they are lacking.

[jessijuju]

You might ask the owner if they would mind if you would weed-eat through there. They probably wouldn't care.

You can find the owner by looking at the county's GIS website. You can just pull up the local map and see who the owner of record is. If you are improving their property, most owners don't mind. If they are totally absent, well, they won't even know.

Hopefully you will see Runt today.

When the drey came down, was it a windy day? If it wasn't, the other possibility is that some predator picked it apart.


The owner is a "nice asshole". He is nice enough to allow us on his property. Last winter after the ice storm, i started piling up all the branches to clean it up some and apparently that was a No No. He got all pissy about it. So i just try to avoid him altogether now and stay at edge of woods and whistle if possible.

It wasnt very windy. But it had been looking like it was gonna fall for awhile. Looked like it was hanging way over the branch. When i looked at it with binoculars though, it didnt seem to move any when Runt would go in and out. When i found it, it seemed together still pretty good.

Still no sign of Runt today. Im trying to tell myself she just moved to bigger, safer woods. But i know it was probably a cat or possibly a hawk. 😢

[jessijuju]

Does Runt's house have predator guards? If not she might be more inclined to stay in their if it did. Your maintenance inspection would be a good time to add them if they are lacking.

Yes it has predator guards. That was what was stopping me from being able to reach in and feel everywhere for the babies. Plus the small opening that i could barely get my arm in.

[jessijuju]

Runt is ALIVE!!! 😍🥰😁 She was across the street 🙁 I told her she better look both ways before crossing! And then she ran back across street & is now home. Shooooo. Its ridiculous how sad a squirrel can make you!

[Rock Monkey]

Runt is ALIVE!!! 😍🥰😁 She was across the street 🙁 I told her she better look both ways before crossing! And then she ran back across street & is now home. Shooooo. Its ridiculous how sad a squirrel can make you!

That is totally awesome news!

Yes, they own our hearts and are great at giving grey hairs. We sit there sifting through the sparsest of evidence trying to figure out what is going on.

Yeah, cars suck! Squirrels don't deal well with them at all.

[jessijuju]

Damn.

Did you find anything in her box?

Does Runt come when whistle?



I finally got brave and battled the spiders and got the box down.... (which had 3 scary ones inside it!)
There was one dead baby in there & few dead green flies. Assuming the spiders had them for a snack. Really wish i would have taken it down that day. With the flies already there though, and it not moving at all when i was feeling for it, and Runt not going back inside it the next day, id say it was already gone.
Runt tried though. Im proud of her!

[jessijuju]

If Runt did loose all of her babies, which I hope she didn't, she may go into heat again.


So Runt gave us another scare about 4 wks ago. We didnt see her for 5 days! The longest she had been missing yet. And of course, the red shouldered hawk is still hanging around hollering his presence 😳
On the late afternoon of day 6, we went out for runt's routine supper, hopin for a miracle that we would see her. I checked the road beside us as he headed towards the woods. Then he hollered for me to hurry over there. There was Runt! ... coming across the lot (where cats can easily get her). We followed her, as she was clearly on a mission. She climbed up me & then back off quickly, and then I seen it.... she had a baby in her mouth! She took it up and put it in the nest box in the tree in our yard that we had made for the fox squirrel injured from the cat. Then she took off back over towards the woods, looking back at us as if sayn 'come on'. She went up in a tree in the fence row that we had never seen her go in before. Up in a nest and got another baby. Then back across the lot and up in our tree. After 1 more trip, but no more babies, she hurried up and gathered leaves for the box, as it was almost dark. I gave her some cotton that she gladly took. So for about 3½ wks now, our Runt Runt is livin in our tree in our yard 😍 It gets quite scary though as the road is only about 8 ft away.

After looking into it, she lost her last baby right towards the end of breeding season. So hopefully she has better luck this time around. I just wonder why she moved them anyways. Do you think maybe one died so she moved the live ones? Or maybe she was just home sick. Lol

Anyone else have experience with releases having babies? Do you think she will teach them to come to me when they get older or will she be jealous and attack them or possibly me if they get close to me? Im excited to hopefully at least watch em grow up.