It’s been a fairly uneventful week, so this update’s a bit brief. I could elaborate on almost every aspect of it, I suppose, but you deserve a break from my prattling every now and then, and I have a massive editing load to manage over the next few days, so…short and sweet this week so I can get my nose back to the editing grindstone more quickly!
After some debate as to location, we finally decided on the perfect spot for the raptor flight pen and have begun clearing off the area. It’s on a natural rise and is fairly level, so that will reduce some of the “landscaping” aspects of the construction. It also gets the morning sun, midday dappled sunlight and evening shade—perfect!
After some debate as to location, we finally decided on the perfect spot for the raptor flight pen and have begun clearing off the area. It’s on a natural rise and is fairly level, so that will reduce some of the “landscaping” aspects of the construction. It also gets the morning sun, midday dappled sunlight and evening shade—perfect!
The little flying squirrel with the abscess healed beautifully by midweek and was able to rejoin his sibs. Unfortunately, within a six-hour span on Friday, he went from alert, active and greedy to rapidly losing body temperature, lethargic and refusing to eat. Two hours later, he died. I have no clue. The site of the abscess was marked only by a small scab; his sibs welcomed him back with no problems; his appetite was excellent; he was energetic; he was still on antibiotics…and then he was dead. This is the stuff rehabbers’ nightmares are made of.
The other three flyers are growing apace and were moved just today into a larger pen with a proper nest box. They haven’t explored the remainder of the pen—probably won’t see that action till tonight—but the nest box meets with their approval.
This isn’t a great “mast” year for squirrels of any species in my neck of the woods. Last year we had a bumper crop of mast— acorns, pecans, etc.—but this is an “off” year. Why is this significant? Since there won’t be an ample supply of winter fodder out there, I’ll be overwintering these little rascals, to give them the best possible chance at survival when they’re released next spring.
The other three flyers are growing apace and were moved just today into a larger pen with a proper nest box. They haven’t explored the remainder of the pen—probably won’t see that action till tonight—but the nest box meets with their approval.
This isn’t a great “mast” year for squirrels of any species in my neck of the woods. Last year we had a bumper crop of mast— acorns, pecans, etc.—but this is an “off” year. Why is this significant? Since there won’t be an ample supply of winter fodder out there, I’ll be overwintering these little rascals, to give them the best possible chance at survival when they’re released next spring.
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