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So sweet!

Our little raccoon came by again last night and was not quite as skittish. She ate some bread and some cheese out of my hand and has learned which way the door opens so she does not get in the way. Hope nothing happens to her as there a several dogs that are allowed to roam free around here. She will come up to the screen in the window right next to SilverLady's chair and she talks to her while I go and get some food for her == the raccoon not SilverLady!

We are all together on this "spaceship Earth!"

V

Believe it or not all these years I have never had a coon close to the house until last week and all it done was turn my trash can over and made a mess. Dog was raising cane in the early morning and I found it hanging from the rafter under the carport. Put the dog back in the house and when I went back outside it was long gone and never been back.

Hopefully the raccoon doesn't have rabies and won't scratch or bite at some point.

Thanks Donna,

No she is not rabid and I am very careful near her. To read about what happens to animals that get rabies, it is so sad and they do suffer! What I read was that they die a very painful death within 3 -4 days but yes, those 3 - 4 days they can be very dangerous!

She has not been by in the past couple of days and I even went out and got some dog food for her if she shows up. She really likes the "pancake muffins" I have fed her lately.

Virginia

It is nice to read stories of wild animals that come to trust us Virginia. Unfortunately we do not have raccoons in Australia and living in suburbia I do not have contact with wild prey to have the same experience.

Yes, V, be very careful with raccoons. I've had personal experience with one who had been fed regularly by a friend of my parents. When I tried to go out the door and didn't have any treats they became very impatient and tried to feed off my legs instead.

All the best,

Rikki

Requal Jo, Welcome aboard! Love hearing from you ladies from "down under."

As for our sometimes furry friends. I would rather deal with what we have here in the States than what you Shelia's have to deal with. I have seen the shows like Steve Irwin's and WOW do you all have some serious animals between the top 3 - 5 most poisonous snakes in the world, the salt water crocks that weight up to what? 2000 - 3000 pounds and 20+ feet long. The spiders, uh no thanks! I learned from Steve that even those cute little duckbill platapus's are dangerous, that that spine they have is poisonous!!

Our raccoon is here right now dining on some chicken bones and dog food with chicken grease poured on it. She seems pretty content. I have not gone out to feed her as all this was in a dish that of course she promptly turned over, so I will wait until the morning to see how much of a mess she left!

Rikki, thanks for the heads-up on the feeding. Guess we will have to carry "treats" from now on!!! They do have an impressive set of dentures!!!

Love,

V

Thanks for the welcome Virginia.

Yes, I agree that we have some very nasty quitters down under. It is how we approach these animals and insects that is important. If we leave them alone, then they will leave us alone.

Unfortunately the media only report the not so good things about these subjects which then gives them the bad name. Realistic, watching them in the wild, from a safe distance, is a beautiful experience.

Hi Requal Jo,

Yes you are quite correct about watching from a distance. When a black bear was on our porch with nothing between me and him but a screen door - yes, just possibly a bit too close and he could have used a breath mint!!!

Last spring as I was driving out I saw a log in the road, so I stopped to move it --' cept it wasn't no log!

It was a timber rattler, at least 7' long with as best I could count 11 rattles. It was slowly making its way across the dirt road. It was in no hurry and just seemed to have an attitude. "I'm old, I own this mountain, I ain't in no hurry, if you got a problem with that come a bit closer and I will explain it to you!" I got fairly close as I really wanted to see him up close and he was stretched out so I knew he would have to coil a lot more to even set to strike. What a beautiful animal!!!

Actually just being in the company, that close to such a magnificent animal is a very humbling experience.

We are all just passengers on this "space ship" earth!

V

I remember when you rescued that turtle who was headed the wrong way, or upside down, as you were bringing me to your lovely home. OK, obviously I only sort of remember. It's wonderful to love animals as you do, but I worry you may get too close (like with the bear). There's a reason the park says "Don't feed the bears". There was only one "Bear whisperer", and I presume you saw what the state of Alaska did to him.

These animals are wild, without benefit of selective breeding. They need their instincts to survive when you stop feeding them. I'm not judging - just saying "A person needs to recognize their limitations". I think even Steve Irwin warned his audiences to not go and try the same things.

Hugs,

Bernice

Another life experience as a teen, we raised a raccoon from a baby. It's mother was hit by a car. We named her Chatters. She loved fried potatoes and butterscotch candy. After she was grown we released her back into the wild but she visited often. She even returned one spring with her youngins. Yes they can be a little moody if you do not have a treat for them. Chatters was a good friend and a good "watchdog" so to speak. She would play with our dog all day long and snuggle up with her and take a nap. She had an obsession with the telephone, knocking it off the hook and playing with the receiver. We often wondered who she was trying to call.