What's in this issue:
- Have Nut--Will Bury
- Keeping Animals Safe from Disease
- Running with the Stars
- How Can I Help?
- 2021 Was a Busy Year
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HAVE NUT -- WILL BURY
Eastern fox squirrels, those reddish guys that scamper through our trees in Central Texas, bury nuts in preparation for winter when food sources are scarce. Our squirrels are scatter hoarders, meaning they bury their nuts in different places. Studies have shown that squirrels are able to retrieve up to 95 percent of their cached nuts telling us that they have really good memories. The nuts that aren’t retrieved will germinate and make more trees. So it's all good.
Since Ozzie, our squirrel ambassador, lives in a building and not a forest and has plenty to eat year-round, he practices the squirrel nut burying ritual instinctively. It is not unusual for us to pull a clean towel off the shelf to find a nut buried inside the fold. When he is not perched on the top of a cage observing the activity in the building or taking his afternoon nap, Ozzie is scampering about burying or re-burying nuts. Whenever we find nuts that he has buried among the towels or cleaning supplies, for example, we give them to him to bury again. It keeps the little guy busy.
Because our wonderful supporters recently supplied us with a bounty of pecans, Ozzie has been in nut-burying heaven. For that reason, we decided to follow Ozzie on one of his adventures.
The first thing that Ozzie does is select a nut. Like his wild colleagues, he practices quality control and digs about in the bin of pecans to select just the right nut.
Having selected the perfect nut, Ozzie sets about to bury it.
His first stop with the nut in mouth was to climb up onto the table where the staff and volunteers eat lunch and take breaks.
(The chairs are tilted to keep Gnocchi, the house rabbit, off the table where he likes to treat himself to the staff's chocolate candy.)
Squirrels in the wild have been known to pretend to bury nuts to throw off other squirrels who might be watching. But the break table is not an acceptable place for a proper nut burial, so Ozzie continues on to a nearby shelf.
One of his favorite nut-hiding places is the big bin full of empty water bottles for the animal enclosures, and he checks out the bin.
But no, this isn’t a satisfactory place either, so Ozzie emerges nut still in mouth. He must know we are watching and taking pictures and is intent on throwing us off so we won’t get his treasure.
Off he goes again, across the floor toward the far side of the building.
He goes into a bank of shelves and actually throws us off. We can’t find him! But alas, he has emerged on the other side of the shelves in the Intensive Care Unit and has found the perfect burial place: Teddy the skunk’s litter box! The litter makes a perfect medium for hiding nuts.
(Unfortunately, Teddy isn’t as enamored with the litter. We’ve had to put heavy rocks to hold the litter pan in place because Teddy likes to move the litter pan out of the way and do his business on the concrete floor underneath.)
Ozzie digs a hole in the litter and makes sure the nut is covered before scampering away so his perfect hiding place won’t be revealed.
Mission accomplished!
Some info on Ozzie’s background. Ozzie was kept as an illegal pet earlier in his life where the well-intended people fed him a diet that was lacking in calcium. His bones got brittle, and one day he fell fracturing his spine. When he came to All Things Wild, he could not move his back legs. But after lots of physical therapy, he has learned to get around the center but can never be released. His upper body is very strong, and, we admit, he has gotten somewhat chunky feasting on the bounty of pecans.
Click here for more information on how squirrels remember where they buried their nuts.
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Keeping Animals Safe from Disease
Raccoons, as cute as they are, are susceptible to diseases.
Certain wildlife species are known as rabies-vector species because they can contract and spread rabies to humans and other animals. This doesn’t mean that they always carry rabies, because the incidence of the rabies virus among wildlife is rare. These species are also susceptible to other serious viruses such as highly-contagious distemper. Raccoons, for example, can get both dog and cat distemper. Ask any Animal Control Officer, and they will tell you that they see distemper often in wildlife. A wild animal with distemper is usually euthanized because, although the animals can occasionally survive distemper, they are physically compromised and cannot survive in the wild.
Because distemper and rabies may not become symptomatic for as much as 10 days after infection, new patients need to be kept from other healthy animals. For this reason, we isolate incoming animals for a period of time to make sure they are super healthy before mixing them with the other healthy animals in the center.
Please note: Humans can get rabies but not distemper. Rabies is usually passed from the bite of a rabid animal. The incidence of rabies in humans in the US is extremely rare and can be treated successfully if addressed immediately after exposure. There was one case last year of a man in Illinois who was bitten by an infected bat while sleeping. He refused treatment and died from rabies. Click here to read the newspaper article. However, because dogs and cats are susceptible to both rabies and distemper, it is important that they are vaccinated.
Rabies-vector species in the wild, who are also susceptible to distemper, include raccoons, foxes, skunks, ringtails, bobcats, coyotes, and bats. You might note that squirrels, opossums, and rabbits are not on this list as the incidence of rabies in these species is extremely rare. Birds and reptiles are immune to both rabies and distemper.
Ever since we opened our center in 2019, we have been quarantining the rabies-vector species in our Intensive Care Unit; however, we needed a better place to ensure that only trained, knowledgeable staff work with these animals until the quarantine period is completed and the animals are pronounced healthy.
The new Quarantine Unit is in the process of being assembled.
With help from Blake Dilks, CEO of ATX Solar, we bought an 8- x 12.5-foot garden shed that we assembled on our back patio. Because the back patio faces west and the setting sun, it gets incredibly hot in summer, so we insulated the shed really well and included an air conditioner that also provides heat in the winter. In the shed, we added electricity and running water along with an overhead light, outlets, and a sink. The shed, now called the Quarantine Unit, is completely self-sufficient and isolated from the rest of the center.
Skilled workers from Austin Build Right added insulation, water, and electricity.
The first animals to inhabit the new unit were three doves with very contagious (to other birds) avian pox. They are doing really well and should be finishing their rehabilitation soon. To date, we have also put an injured raccoon and skunk in the quarantine unit. In the spring when most wild babies are born, we expect the unit to be full of baby raccoons and skunks, with occasional foxes and ringtails, just to make sure that their moms haven’t passed on distemper to them. (Any bats that come in to All Things Wild are transferred to Austin Bat Refuge.)
The new Quarantine Unit includes a sink, caging, and supplies separate from the main building.
With the new Quarantine Unit, we will ensure that only healthy animals are mixed with the general population in the center. This way, every wild animal has a chance to return to the wild.
A huge thank you to Blake Dilks and ATX Solar for the building and air conditioner. And thanks to you, our wonderful donors, for everything else.
Click here to read a fact sheet about raccoons with distemper.
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Running with the Stars
It’s well known among wildlife rehabilitators that young opossums like to run on exercise wheels. But we never knew why and wondered if it was only animals in captivity who ran on exercise wheels. We found a study on the Internet where some scientists put a couple of small exercise wheels in nature and then videoed whenever a wild animal approached. They found that numerous species climbed on the exercise wheel, and some waited nearby for their turn at the wheel. The conclusion was that animals run on an exercise wheel simply for fun.
Betelgeuse (pronounced like Beetle Juice) came to us as a baby opossum blind from birth. However, regardless of his disability, as a little tyke, he would seek out and run on the small exercise wheel in his cage. Eventually, he got too big for the small wheel, and his days of wheel running seemed to be over.
Betelgeuse is the name of a red supergiant, a star in the Orion Constellation. In Greek Mythology, Orion was a great hunter who was always running after something, like a woman or a rabbit. We think it is fitting that opossum Betelgeuse is living up to his celestial namesake in the Orion Constellation by being a runner.
After an unfortunate sojourn with some other opossums his same age who gnawed on his tail, Betelgeuse was elevated to the rank of ambassador and placed in the opossum ambassador suite, which he shares with our other ambassador opossum Penelope. Penelope has never been able to run on an exercise wheel. She arrived in rehabilitation with a deformed front limb that makes it difficult for her to walk.
A super supporter, who is also a wildlife rehabilitator, gave the All Things Wild opossums a giant exercise wheel for Christmas. We put it in the ambassador suite with Betelgeuse who took to it immediately. Everyday rain or shine, we hear a rhythmic thumping as Betelgeuse runs on his big boy wheel. Because he is blind, he doesn’t know day from night so, unlike sighted opossums who are nocturnal, Betelgeuse is active during daylight hours. Sometimes he runs clockwise and sometimes counter-clockwise.
When he is not eating or sleeping, Betelgeuse is on his wheel. Run Betelgeuse run! The sky is the limit!
Click here to read an article about wild animals and exercise wheels.
Click here to read an article about the red supergiant star Betelgeuse.
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How Can I Help?
Our rehabilitation center in last winter's snow.
Spring is coming, and our rehabilitation center will again be filled with orphaned babies. We need help now to prepare for the flood of wee ones.
DONATE BY CREDIT CARD, CHECK, OR CASH: Donations are always wonderful for us and tax deductible for you.
- Credit cards. You can donate on Facebook (look for a post with a donation button at the bottom) or at our website allthingswildrehab.org/donate. Even though our website donation button is linked to Paypal, you do not have to have a Paypal account to donate.
- Checks. Mail checks to All Things Wild Rehabilitation, PO Box 995, Georgetown, TX 78626. It helps us if you will include your email address.
- Cash. The safest way to donate with cash is in person at our center; however, you can give your donation to any member of the board of directors or employee.
- Donations in honor or in memory of another person. We are happy to notify the honored person or the family of the deceased person of your donation. Please make sure we have the information we need to notify the proper person. You can email us the information at allthingswildrehab@gmail.com.
- Donation receipts. The IRS has ruled that a copy of your credit card statement or canceled check is sufficient documentation to support charitable contributions under $250. However, the IRS requires a receipt or all donations of $250+ that we will supply.
Don’t forget, all donations to ATW are tax deductible.
ADD ATW TO YOUR AMAZON SMILE ACCOUNT. If you designate us as your charity on Amazon Smile, we will receive 0.5% of your purchase at no additional cost to you. Here’s a link to a You Tube video showing you how to do this.
RANDALL’S GOOD NEIGHBOR PROGRAM. Every time you shop at Randall’s and show your Randall’s card, we get a percentage of the total. There is no cost to you. Simply fill out this form and take it to the Courtesy Booth at the store. Our group is number 13341.
SUPPLIES:
- Cleaning supplies and paper products. We always need cleaning supplies such as clothes washing soap, bleach, floor cleaner such as Fabuloso, glass cleaner, 409, and more. Paper products include tissues, paper towels, and toilet paper. Supplies can be dropped off at our center. Please call first 512-897-0806.
- Amazon Wish List. We have a wish list on Amazon that lists rehabilitation products that we need. We keep it updated so that the products listed are what we currently need. Here’s a link to our Amazon Wish List. If you lose this link, you can always find a link in the bottom right corner of the home page of our website http://www.allthingswildrehab.org/
- Website Wish List. There is also a wish list on our web site at https://allthingswildrehab.org/wish-list/. Please call first to check with our staff before purchasing anything and to plan a delivery. 512-897-0806
- Tax Deductions. You can take a tax deduction for the value of your in-kind donations too. We can supply a receipt for your donation.
PURCHASE MERCHANDISE. All Things Wild has merchandise to sell on our website or at our center. Currently, we have 2022 calendars, ATW t-shirts, ATW sweatshirts, and animal-themed socks. Send us an email if you have questions about buying merchandise mailto:allthingswildrehab@gmail.com
VOLUNTEER. The volunteer application for 2022 will be available at our website on February 15. There will be more information in our February newsletter.
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2021 Was a Busy Year
Orphaned cottontail rabbits snuggle in a crocheted nest in an incubator.
As we prepare to submit our year-end report to Texas Parks and Wildlife, the final numbers from 2021 are beginning to emerge.
Our center has been open for 3 years and each year, we have taken in more animals than the preceding year. In 2019, the first year our rehabilitation center was open, we took almost 1,000 animals. In 2020, although Covid stopped people, the animals poured into rehabilitation—a little over 2,000.
This year 2021, we helped 2,909 animals from 127 species. The top five were:
- 612 cottontail rabbits
- 283 Virginia opossums
- 223 eastern fox squirrels
- 200 white-winged doves
- 160 raccoons
Included in the total count of 2,909 were over 1,000 birds, which included songbirds, raptors, and water birds.
We send heartfelt thanks to all the kind people who rescued the animals and birds to give them a second chance to return to the wild. Thanks also go to our wonderful hardworking staff and dedicated volunteers. It truly was a very busy year!
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