What a happy family with those happy puppy noises!
May 28, 2009
Raccoons Raccoons Raccoons
I finally have a few minutes to update this blog.
Pumkin has moved to the outside enclosure and has started to play. Unfortunately she is still alone, so I spend a fair amount of time playing with her:
Sad news about Peanut (who's a girl after all!). She has neurological problems and has no control over certain movements of her body, such as her head. Thankfully, Jani at the Breezy's Place in South Texas has offered to come and pick her up. She will get the best treatment possible which I cannot afford at this time. If she is not releasable, she will have a permanent home there too. Thank you, Jani and Katt!!
Then I have 3 new additions of about 10 days old, 2 girls and a boy. I named Abi, Lena, and Ian, based on the town they originated from, Abilene that is. All 3 are doing good, even though they are on antibiotics due to previous aspiration:
Coco says Hi too:
Pumkin has moved to the outside enclosure and has started to play. Unfortunately she is still alone, so I spend a fair amount of time playing with her:
Sad news about Peanut (who's a girl after all!). She has neurological problems and has no control over certain movements of her body, such as her head. Thankfully, Jani at the Breezy's Place in South Texas has offered to come and pick her up. She will get the best treatment possible which I cannot afford at this time. If she is not releasable, she will have a permanent home there too. Thank you, Jani and Katt!!
Then I have 3 new additions of about 10 days old, 2 girls and a boy. I named Abi, Lena, and Ian, based on the town they originated from, Abilene that is. All 3 are doing good, even though they are on antibiotics due to previous aspiration:
Coco says Hi too:
May 24, 2009
Coco has 6 healthy Puppies
Coco Banana finally had her pups! Six of them! They all look healthy and they all look like mom.
May 22, 2009
Raccoons, birds and a rehabber
Today Pumkin was introduced to a larger pool. I had gone to the Dollar Store and bought tons of colorful toys I to play with.
The first thing Pumkin did when I placed her into the pool was to tinkle into the water LOL. After that...well, see for yourself!
Afterward we had a good meal:
The birds also benefited from the trip to the Dollar Store. They got new baskets. Below you see 2 mourning doves and 3 phoebes:
An injured great-horned owl that spent a night here before she was picked by the avian rehabber:
The first thing Pumkin did when I placed her into the pool was to tinkle into the water LOL. After that...well, see for yourself!
Afterward we had a good meal:
The birds also benefited from the trip to the Dollar Store. They got new baskets. Below you see 2 mourning doves and 3 phoebes:
An injured great-horned owl that spent a night here before she was picked by the avian rehabber:
May 20, 2009
Peanut and Pumkin, orphaned raccoon babies
Here they are, my pride and joy of this year's spring season:
Peanut:
Pumkin:
lil Peanut after his bottle.
And lil Pumkin on her first day outside in the enclosure:
Peanut:
Pumkin:
lil Peanut after his bottle.
And lil Pumkin on her first day outside in the enclosure:
May 18, 2009
Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News
2009
Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Opossum
Published: Monday, March 30, 2009 - Empire Tribune
 | Among the mix of Erath County wildlife is an unassuming creature that once roamed with the dinosaurs 70 million years ago. |
| Read the entire article HERE >>>> |
Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Squirrel
Published: Monday, February 17, 2009 - Empire Tribune
 | Some folks in Erath County may call her a nut, but when it comes to squirrel rescue, Birgit Sommer knows her stuff. As a licensed rehabilitator and founder of Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, Sommer has worked with dozens of squirrels endangered by natural disaster... |
| Read the entire article HERE >>>> |
Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Cottontail Rabbit
Published: Monday, March 2, 2009 - Empire Tribune
 | Most folks living in Erath County have encountered rabbits. Coexisting with these furry, fertile creatures is not difficult once you understand them. |
| Read the entire article HERE >>>> |
Leave the Mothering to Nature
Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care
By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
 | Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife. Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned. Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case. |
| Read the entire article HERE >>>> |
Honey and Trinity Success Story
How two dogs can create a lot of human winners
Published: Sunday, April 5, 2009 - Empire Tribune
 | Not everybody in Erath County knows about the Humane Society Animal Shelter and its adoptable pets. A few of the people that do know about it have the wrong impression. They often think of it as dog pound-hell. Maybe after reading the following story of the combined efforts of many people to make happy endings happen, they will change their minds and convince more pet lovers to adopt a pet instead of purchasing one from a pet store or a breeder. |
| Read the entire article HERE >>>> |
2008
Orphaned squirrels find refuge in Stephenville
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:07 AM CDT
 | When natural disasters strike, a mobilization of relief workers from various agencies such as the Red Cross, National Guard, and FEMA are ready to respond, bringing in food and water, working to restore power, and setting up temporary shelter to assist in returning the disaster zone and the lives of those within it back to normal. |
| Read the entire article HERE >>>> |
Locals build ‘homes’ for orphaned squirrels
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 9:06 AM CDT
 | The gray baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike now have a cozier place to play - and sleep - while temporarily residing in Erath County. Volunteers spent the better part of Saturday building a mesh enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Center in Stephenville so the little ones will have room to move around until they can be taken back to the coast. |
| Read the entire article HERE >>>> |
Rescuing Animals
Published: Sunday, May 2, 2008
| One local woman works to save abandoned and mistreated pets Birgit Sommer has been a Stephenville resident since 1991. She was born in Germany and just last month, after passing a test correct answering questions covering U.S. government and history, she took an oath before officials and became a naturalized citizen of the United States. "It just feels great to become a citizen of this country," Bridget said. "I studied hard in order to pass the test and now I can vote in this important election." | |
| Birgit didn't wait to become a registered voter before taking the responsibility of foster care of homes and abandoned animals in Erath County. Having a great love for animals, she was attracted to the animal shelter maintained by the Erath County Humane Society, shortly after becoming a resident in Stephenville. During the past few years she has given loving, expert care to hundreds of dogs and cats including entire litters of puppies and kittens. | |
| |
| Read the entire article HERE >>> | |
Stephenville woman takes in 'squirrely' hurricane victims
Published: Monday, September 22, 2008
STEPHENVILLE -- Appropriately nicknamed "Miss Doolittle" when she was just 5 years old, Birgit Sommer is taking in orphans from Hurricane Ike. Not the human kind. The small, furry kind. Infant gray squirrels were found everywhere after Ike moved through the Houston area, blowing down their nests, and residents were desperate to help them. | |
Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said before Ike had even moved out of the Gulf area, her phone began ringing off the wall and the e-mails started piling up. People were contacting her to see if she could help. | |
| Read the entire article HERE >>> | |
Donations helping baby squirrels left orphaned by Hurricane Ike
Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008
STEPHENVILLE -- Several volunteers were busy Saturday building a mesh wire enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue center in Stephenville to provide shelter for additional gray squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike. Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said members of the Tarleton State University Student Wildlife Society collected $62 in donations and are soliciting area businesses for materials needed to build shelters for the squirrels. | |
She said she has also received a check for $500 from a Buffalo Gap resident, lumber from Barns and McCullough in Stephenville and numerous smaller donations. | |
| Read the entire article HERE >>> | |
May 17, 2009
Pumkin and Peanut the baby raccoons
Pumkin and Peanut, the orphaned raccoon babies:
This is Peanut. He came to the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue yesterday. He's about 2 weeks old:
Peanut with a full belly...
and very tired:
Below is Pumkin, our little girl and only survivor of a litter of 3. She's now 7 weeks old and loves to explore new things every day:
We also have baby birds, 1 sparrow, 3 wrens, a grackle, a white winged dove and an Inca dove:
This is Peanut. He came to the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue yesterday. He's about 2 weeks old:
Peanut with a full belly...
and very tired:
Below is Pumkin, our little girl and only survivor of a litter of 3. She's now 7 weeks old and loves to explore new things every day:
We also have baby birds, 1 sparrow, 3 wrens, a grackle, a white winged dove and an Inca dove:
May 13, 2009
Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News - Wildlife
Abilene Reporter News: http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/feb/17/leave-the-mothering-to-nature/
Empire Tribune (FREE subscription only): http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2009/02/17/news/doc499979185e5e6763148526.txt
Leave the mothering to nature
Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care
By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife.
Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned.
Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.
"Mother Nature has a way of taking care if itself," Johnson said. "If you see a fawn, I promise you the mama has not abandoned it. She will come back and take care of it."
He said the same is true for other animals.
Johnson said the exception is when someone sees a dead mother. The fawn will not leave it, and in that case, the fawn should be taken to a licensed rehabilitator -- but those are hard to find.
"There are no rehabilitators in Abilene. The closest is Breckenridge or Baird," Johnson said. "I've encouraged four people to get a license, but they don't follow through because it is extremely difficult to obtain and it's at their own expense."
Johnson said to find someone in the area, go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us -- but be prepared to drive to them or to meet them somewhere.
Sometimes, he said, fawns can be seen lying on or near the road. To keep them from being injured, they can be moved and placed over a fence.
"It's a rumor that a deer won't come back to its baby once it's been touched by humans," Johnson said. "That's not true."
Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Erath County, said the same is true for most animals. The human touch myth is "just an old wives' tale." And if a baby is found, it's best to try and reunite with the mother if possible.
Sommer specializes in caring for squirrels, but also cares for other wild critters and all kinds of domesticated animals.
She said February is the time of year when young squirrels are often knocked out of their nests. The best policy she said is to place the baby squirrel in a shoe box at the base of the tree where it was found. Because they chill easily, a plastic bottle can be filled with warm water and wrapped in a T-shirt to keep the young animal warm. Sommer said to avoid using terry cloth in the box because the tiny claws will become snagged.
If the baby squirrel could be in danger from predators, such as dogs, tie a basket to the tree.
Most likely, the mother will come back for her offspring if she feels safe to do so; it is best to observe from a distance.
It's a different matter for baby squirrels found during the evening hours.
"Squirrel mothers will not come back at night, so try putting it out first thing in the morning," Sommer said.
Squirrel feeding is difficult, so it's best to take the young to a trained professional because they aspirate easily, she said.
Sommer also has raised opossums successfully. She noted that opossums often are often struck and killed by automobiles.
She said that if an animal is hit, it's good to check the pouch for surviving babies.
"These are the only marsupials in North America and often times, the infants will still be alive -- protected by the pouch," Sommer said. "And they are not known to carry rabies, either."
Baby birds
Young birds are commonly found on the ground, she said.
"Fledglings may look like they are unable to be on their own, but the parents are still caring for these fledglings and keep track of where they are. So the baby bird you see may be a fledgling that is being taken care of by its parents still."
Sommer said that if the bird is not fully feathered, the best thing to do is to put it back into the nest.
"A baby bird might need to eat every 20 minutes in daylight hours depending on its age and species," Sommer said. "The parents can take care of it so much better than you can."
Sommer cautions that if people find wild baby bunnies during the day, "leave them alone." Many folks think they have been abandoned and most times they have not, she said.
Rabbits don't feed their young very often and usually only nurse for about five minutes a day, returning to the nest only once or twice in a 24-hour period.
"If the babies' bellies look plump, then they've been fed," Sommer said. "If a nest has been destroyed, you can rebuild it within 10 feet of its original spot."
Sommer said that if you know for certain that the mother rabbit is dead, locate a rehabilitator because infant rabbits have a high mortality rate, especially cottontails.
Following the law
Johnson, the game warden, said it is against the law to keep any live game animal and that should be considered when someone is contemplating keeping a baby animal they've found.
Before she gained her license, Sommer said, the Erath County game warden fined her $150 for caring for baby squirrels and the action prevented her from obtaining the license for one year.
She said the licensing process is incredibly difficult and because of the expense of buying formula and building shelters, etc., she believes this is why there are so few licensed rehabilitators.
For more information on animals or guidance in acquiring a license, contact Sommer at www.rainbowwildlife.com.
Empire Tribune (FREE subscription only): http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2009/02/17/news/doc499979185e5e6763148526.txt
Leave the mothering to nature
Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care
By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife.
Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned.
Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.
"Mother Nature has a way of taking care if itself," Johnson said. "If you see a fawn, I promise you the mama has not abandoned it. She will come back and take care of it."
He said the same is true for other animals.
Johnson said the exception is when someone sees a dead mother. The fawn will not leave it, and in that case, the fawn should be taken to a licensed rehabilitator -- but those are hard to find.
"There are no rehabilitators in Abilene. The closest is Breckenridge or Baird," Johnson said. "I've encouraged four people to get a license, but they don't follow through because it is extremely difficult to obtain and it's at their own expense."
Johnson said to find someone in the area, go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us -- but be prepared to drive to them or to meet them somewhere.
Sometimes, he said, fawns can be seen lying on or near the road. To keep them from being injured, they can be moved and placed over a fence.
"It's a rumor that a deer won't come back to its baby once it's been touched by humans," Johnson said. "That's not true."
Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Erath County, said the same is true for most animals. The human touch myth is "just an old wives' tale." And if a baby is found, it's best to try and reunite with the mother if possible.
Sommer specializes in caring for squirrels, but also cares for other wild critters and all kinds of domesticated animals.
She said February is the time of year when young squirrels are often knocked out of their nests. The best policy she said is to place the baby squirrel in a shoe box at the base of the tree where it was found. Because they chill easily, a plastic bottle can be filled with warm water and wrapped in a T-shirt to keep the young animal warm. Sommer said to avoid using terry cloth in the box because the tiny claws will become snagged.
If the baby squirrel could be in danger from predators, such as dogs, tie a basket to the tree.
Most likely, the mother will come back for her offspring if she feels safe to do so; it is best to observe from a distance.
It's a different matter for baby squirrels found during the evening hours.
"Squirrel mothers will not come back at night, so try putting it out first thing in the morning," Sommer said.
Squirrel feeding is difficult, so it's best to take the young to a trained professional because they aspirate easily, she said.
Sommer also has raised opossums successfully. She noted that opossums often are often struck and killed by automobiles.
She said that if an animal is hit, it's good to check the pouch for surviving babies.
"These are the only marsupials in North America and often times, the infants will still be alive -- protected by the pouch," Sommer said. "And they are not known to carry rabies, either."
Baby birds
Young birds are commonly found on the ground, she said.
"Fledglings may look like they are unable to be on their own, but the parents are still caring for these fledglings and keep track of where they are. So the baby bird you see may be a fledgling that is being taken care of by its parents still."
Sommer said that if the bird is not fully feathered, the best thing to do is to put it back into the nest.
"A baby bird might need to eat every 20 minutes in daylight hours depending on its age and species," Sommer said. "The parents can take care of it so much better than you can."
Sommer cautions that if people find wild baby bunnies during the day, "leave them alone." Many folks think they have been abandoned and most times they have not, she said.
Rabbits don't feed their young very often and usually only nurse for about five minutes a day, returning to the nest only once or twice in a 24-hour period.
"If the babies' bellies look plump, then they've been fed," Sommer said. "If a nest has been destroyed, you can rebuild it within 10 feet of its original spot."
Sommer said that if you know for certain that the mother rabbit is dead, locate a rehabilitator because infant rabbits have a high mortality rate, especially cottontails.
Following the law
Johnson, the game warden, said it is against the law to keep any live game animal and that should be considered when someone is contemplating keeping a baby animal they've found.
Before she gained her license, Sommer said, the Erath County game warden fined her $150 for caring for baby squirrels and the action prevented her from obtaining the license for one year.
She said the licensing process is incredibly difficult and because of the expense of buying formula and building shelters, etc., she believes this is why there are so few licensed rehabilitators.
For more information on animals or guidance in acquiring a license, contact Sommer at www.rainbowwildlife.com.
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