On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:31:12 +0000 (UTC), enigma
wrote:

Bob wrote in
:

I just mentioned WNS in another post, but obviously you already
know about it. Yeah, it's tough to stir up sympathy for bats
(squirrels are tough enough, and they're cute and fuzzy). I
hear lots of "let 'em die" from the usual crowd, until they're
informed of the possible consequences. For some, it depends on
which animal you hate worse, so mentioning West Nile/Mosquitos
usually elicits some sympathy for bats. g

well, the "squirrels are cute" line doesn't really work so well
when they're mauling my garden & making off with my hickory nut
crop

Even worse when they have their incisors buried in yer bloody thumb.
There have been many moments when I said "This is it...I'm done", but
I really can't blame them for defense against the big creature with
the syringe. Probably like an alien abduction for them.

i do like squirrels though, mostly because of their most
annoying trait: figuring things out. how *do* you keep a squirrel
in a pen?

Can't turn your back for a microsecond, that's for sure. I had one
that did some kind of amazing contortion...I looked over and he's
standing calmly -in front- of his cage door. I thought I had lapsed,
but the door was locked. Put him back in and watched closely--he did
this amazing twist that somehow got his skull through through a space
just over an inch wide. That was a full-grown adult, too. I had to
thread wire through all the wider gaps in the cages.

and bats are cute and fuzzy too!

Never had a chance to spend much time with one. Seems like fun. They
do have their own type of charm.

it's surprising how many people *hate* possums, i guess because
they look like rats.

First time I saw a big one lumbering through a city park at 2 am, I
admit that he gave me a jolt. You're expecting that movement to be a
rat, so the size is startling.

i wouldn't mess with an adult if i didn't need
to, because they can be pretty nasty, but they don't go out of
their way to attack.

I've rarely seen them any time but very late. I suppose someone could
try to mess with one and pay for his ignorance, but I never saw them
as a problem. Raccoons, maybe a bit more. I assume that you've heard
about increased incidence of Baylisascaris procyon (a nematode). It's
been killing off more small mammals lately. Exotics vets are seeing
more of it.

The damn eggs are so durable and resistant that we were instructed to
use propane torches to disinfect cages.

i have barn cats, who have a heated bed in the winter. one night i
went out to shut the chickens in (they free range) & feed the cats,
and there was a possum curled up in the cat's bed sound asleep. not
exactly what i want in my chicken barn... it was persuaded to
leave, & hasn't returned, but that was weird.
i also have a couple skunks that eat with the cats. they don't
bother the chickens, but they do get a few eggs. shrug they eat
ground nesting yellow jackets, so i'll let them have a couple eggs.
it's a good tradeoff.

Brave little guys, eh. There's a Baylisascaris species that affects
skunks too. It's not procyon...I don't remember the species. Lower
incidence, so probably not as much a threat.

Since you're up on WNS, do you happen to know if there's been
any news re profiling it or its spread?

this is the latest:
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html
lee

Thanks, Lee. Doesn't look good for immediate improvement. I don't
see how it can be contained, so the only short term hope may be
temperature.

There's a video at Cave Biota that may be useful to people who ask
about Bats or WNS:
http://www.cavebiota.com/media/wnsex...cavebiota2.wmv

On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:47:02 -0500, wrote:

Where I was the squirrels were in cages. I wasn't very good at keeping
them in when I was feeding and cleaning. On seveal occasions, one
would run up my arm, over my back and was free! (I wan't good at
catching them either - the squirrels no doubt enjoyed my being there.)

I had to laugh when I read this. One of my very first experiences
years ago: I was able to capture an ailing squirrel easily. Took her
to a specific vet tech who had lots of experience with squirrels--had
even kept and raised a few. As she was reaching for the door, she
said "Stand back...if you don't know what you're doing..." and of
course, right on cue, the squirrel took a flying head butt against the
door, and was past us in a flash. We ended up chasing a ****ed off
squirrel up and down a huge veterinary lab for an hour and a half.
Poor little thing was probably stressed, but she ended up doing well.

Some are so quick that it's like being in a Star Trek time warp...just
running in a different time reference from humans.

What I enjoy most about squirrels is how much they like having fun -
as soon as their eyes are open they're wrestling with each other. As
Cindy Lauper might have sung, Squirrels Just Wanna Have Fun.

Such a joy to see that, isn't it. They do seem to take so much joy in
being alive.

Charlie wrote
BillBilly? Again, I am not clear about what you mean by this. There
have been several Bills posting here over the years, including
currently. Do you include Bill Rosen in the current crop of
BillBilly?



The topic is clearly asking for grasses... but Billy needs new glasses... so
he leapt into the masses thinking it was asking for asses. LOL

Ahahahahahahahahaahha. . . .

Billy wrote in

t.au:

You weren't worried about Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris)?

no. i have a vet that used to be a zoo vet. she's quite up on care &
treatment of "exotics" (which is any non-domestic animal, although
she specializes in reptiles & birds). raccoons can be given
anthelmintics with no problem. besides, internal parasites like
roundworms aren't passed prenatally. these guys were less than 24
hours old when i got them from a guy who shot the mother, and was too
much a wuss to deal with the babies.
i had permission from Fish & Game to keep them, on the condition
they not be caged.
lee

On Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:02:50 +0000 (UTC), enigma
wrote:

wrote in
:

We had a possum that would hiss and make threatening gestures
towards everyone. I discovered he was a sucker for vanilla
wafers and I would lure him out of his cage and let him roam the
room while I cleaned and then I'd lure him back in when I was
done.

looking evil can keep one out of fights. opposums have that down
to an artform
i just wish they had more road smarts... looking evil at a car
doesn't work.

Cars haven't been around long enough for possums to evolve to deal
with them, I think.

i have barn cats, who have a heated bed in the winter. one
night i
went out to shut the chickens in (they free range) & feed the
cats, and there was a possum curled up in the cat's bed sound
asleep. not exactly what i want in my chicken barn... it was
persuaded to leave, & hasn't returned, but that was weird.

I came upon a raccoon in a cat's bed once. The cat didn't seem
to mind so I left it to it's snoring.

i had a pair of baby raccoons once. the cats were a bit unsure at
first, but once they were getting weaned & moving around, the cats
explained the use of litterboxes to them.

lol - more scooping for you!

What's with cats and skunks? I came home one day to find 2 cats
and 2 skunks chasing each other in the backyard. I backed up and
parked in the front.

my barn cats are black & white. maybe they figure the skunks are
smelly, near-sighted cats? the smaller skunk is a lot twitchier
than our old skunk (he was around for nearly 6 years, so i think
age caught up with him). i think it's fairly young. we have to be
sure that one knows we're about to go into the barn, & it'll leave.
the mostly white one is almost as laid back as the old skunk...
good thing because we found it sleeping in our basement when we
moved a board. oops. he didn't even stamp though, so no problem. we
put the board back & left the door open. it left.
have you ever seen red & white skunks?

lee

i've never even heard of red and white skunks. Are they common where
you are?

Kate

On Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:34:22 -0400, Bob wrote:

On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:47:02 -0500, wrote:

Where I was the squirrels were in cages. I wasn't very good at keeping
them in when I was feeding and cleaning. On seveal occasions, one
would run up my arm, over my back and was free! (I wan't good at
catching them either - the squirrels no doubt enjoyed my being there.)

I had to laugh when I read this. One of my very first experiences
years ago: I was able to capture an ailing squirrel easily. Took her
to a specific vet tech who had lots of experience with squirrels--had
even kept and raised a few. As she was reaching for the door, she
said "Stand back...if you don't know what you're doing..." and of
course, right on cue, the squirrel took a flying head butt against the
door, and was past us in a flash. We ended up chasing a ****ed off
squirrel up and down a huge veterinary lab for an hour and a half.
Poor little thing was probably stressed, but she ended up doing well.

Some are so quick that it's like being in a Star Trek time warp...just
running in a different time reference from humans.

What I enjoy most about squirrels is how much they like having fun -
as soon as their eyes are open they're wrestling with each other. As
Cindy Lauper might have sung, Squirrels Just Wanna Have Fun.

Such a joy to see that, isn't it. They do seem to take so much joy in
being alive.

Yes, I think we humans can learn a lot from squirrels. My dog loved to
chase squirrels in his younger days and the squirrels seems to equally
enjoy it. They had a route they would follow every day. I think it's
all about living in the moment.

Kate

In article ,
Bob wrote:

I assume that you've heard
about increased incidence of Baylisascaris procyon (a nematode). It's
been killing off more small mammals lately. Exotics vets are seeing
more of it.

The damn eggs are so durable and resistant that we were instructed to
use propane torches to disinfect cages.

Isn't that right on schedule.
Billy: June 24, 10:13PM
Mengle : June 25, 1:23 AM
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn

In article ,
enigma wrote:

Billy wrote in

t.au:

You weren't worried about Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris)?

no. i have a vet that used to be a zoo vet. she's quite up on care &
treatment of "exotics" (which is any non-domestic animal, although
she specializes in reptiles & birds). raccoons can be given
anthelmintics with no problem. besides, internal parasites like
roundworms aren't passed prenatally. these guys were less than 24
hours old when i got them from a guy who shot the mother, and was too
much a wuss to deal with the babies.
i had permission from Fish & Game to keep them, on the condition
they not be caged.
lee

Apparently, they can come from contact with environment contaminated by
the adults, firewood for example, and possibly nests. All's well, what
ends well. We had a young squirrel for a couple of months. Tried to
leave it in an apple tree but it started screaming when we left it.
We ran a curtain rod from our bedroom out to a tree, and the squirrel
came and went as it pleased until mating season. We went to the local
vet to get it a rabies shot.
--

- Billy

There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who
learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and
find out for themselves.
Will Rogers

http://green-house.tv/video/the-spring-garden-tour
http://www.tomdispatch.com/p/zinn