Apr 15, 2009

Orphaned Beaver, Cottontails, Raccoons, Opossums, Squirrels

We have a beaver! He weighs 566 grams and is less than 2 weeks old. I'm hoping to find a beaver rehabber in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, because a lone beaver is not going to do so good, nor do I have the proper facilities once he gets older. Isn't he absolutely adorable????






nice t-shirt, isn't it??









One of 3 cottontails:



I was going to feed the opossums today and do the daily check. They are outside in a large enclosure and have a dog house packed with old t-shirts to sleep in. When I opened the lid, all I could find was one opossum!

I thought "ohoh, they must have gotten out those little Houdinis", but I couldn't see how. So I got the idea to look into the squirrel house that I had still hanging in there. And this is what I found. It probably reminds them of momma's pouch:



Three orphaned Baby Raccoons





They are about 2 weeks old, eyes still closed. Their mother was run over and a caring lady took the babies in until she found me to take over. All 3 are in good shape and eating and drinking like they are supposed to.

I have given them Dontral, a dewormer, which is extremely important to give to raccoon, because they most likely carry a parasite named Baylisascaris, the raccoon roundworm which can infect humans, dogs, cats, and just about every other mammal.

According to the CDC, Baylisascaris, an intestinal raccoon roundworm, can infect a variety of other animals, including humans. The worms develop to maturity in the raccoon intestine, where they produce millions of eggs that are passed in the feces. Released eggs take 2-4 weeks to become infective to other animals and humans. The eggs are resistant to most environmental conditions and with adequate moisture, can survive for years.