It was treat time for Alex, Jasper, and Growler, three of Chloe's four youngsters. The kits have grown to nearly adult size though they will not mature for another eighteen months. By now they are pretty well on their own while mom does her own thing. They have just finished a number of treats, mostly in the form of a few tea biscuits, and Milady is telling them she has no more.
Alex (female) is the smallest one sitting comfortably on Milady's lap. Growler (male) is the biggest and is begging for more. Jasper, the light colored sister, is looking on.
Before one tries anything like this there must be a long period of observation, and establishing mutual trust between animal and human. I live in an area that is virtually free of any threat of rabies, and certainly over the last three months no other disease has been observed in the local animal population. The raccoons that have dropped by seeking food have all been wormed, thus taking care of any potetial problem with roundworm infection. (Which can infect other animals, including humans. More on this subject later).
Despite the apparent bond, these animals are not dependant on us for handouts, nor are they so used to human contact as to carelessly approach other people who may not be so kindly disposed to their welfare.
2 comments:
Hi Rusty,
Thanks for this interesting post.
When you say that the raccoons have all been wormed, what do you mean?
Have you treated them yourselves?
Yes, it's a DYI job. Very easy with a very old OTC medication. In liquid form I simply add it to the dog kibble, or sometimes make peanut butter 'fingers' which the coonies love. It's virtually impossable to overdose on this stuff. In fact it's the same as doctors prescribe for kids with pin worm! They should be treated once a month during the summer.
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