Paws 'N Claws

What's In This Issue:

Squirrel:  "Ozzie's New Year's Resolutions"
Skunks:  "Welcome Willy and Bert"
Great-horned Owl:  "Hissy Hissy Click Click"
Porcupine:  "The First Noelle"

Welcome Willy and Bart

In late December, two adolescent striped skunks named Willy and Bart came to live with us.  They were raised by a home-based rehabilitator who did a great job raising them from little orphans, but when it came time for them to go into an outside enclosure, she didn’t have a suitable place.  She asked ATW to condition them for release in Stinky Town, our new 200 square foot outdoor enclosure especially designed for skunks.
 
In case you don’t know, we love skunks at ATW.  Skeptical volunteers are soon head-over-heels in love with the orphaned babies that arrive in May. Unlike the many myths surrounding skunks, they don’t spray very often, only when they are in danger, and babies can’t really spray until they are a few months old and can’t aim the spray until they are a year old. 
 
Skunks are very near-sighted, seeing only 10 yards in front of them.  If you encounter a skunk, the best thing to do is to slowly back away.  Dogs frequently get sprayed from charging at a skunk.  The best recipe for neutralizing skunk spray is to mix one quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and one teaspoon liquid dish soap.  
 
Read more about skunks here.  
 
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s now a striped skunk emoji!  Yay!
 

 

Hissy-Hissy Click-Click
 

The great-horned owl had been sitting in the bleachers at the Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor for several days when he was captured by the staff and brought to ATW.  His right hand was broken, the part of the wing that would correspond to a hand if the bird had an arm.  Interestingly enough, a bird’s wing structure is very similar to an arm, and parts are referred to as the shoulder, elbow, and hand.

A veterinarian reviewed the break and pronounced it too close to the joint to surgically pin.  We would have to splint the break and hope for the best.

Hissy-Hissy Click-Click was far from a model patient.  He caused wounds on his body from tearing at the bandages.  The break was healing when he tore off all his bandages, flapped frantically in his cage, and broke the bones again, sending his medical treatment back to first base. Every time someone approached his cage, he hissed and hissed and clicked and clicked.

Most owls hiss and click their beaks as part of a threat display.  With those huge yellow owl eyes and all the hissing and clicking, HHCC became a volunteer favorite. He really was cute.  At least we though he was cute until the fracture had  healed, and we put him in a big outside flight cage so he could fly to build up his muscles.  He began attacking people who came into the cage flying at them with those big dangerous talons.  No one was hurt, but it was a daunting task to give him food.  Anyone entering his cage had to wear gloves to fend him off and never take their eyes off of him because owl flight is silent.

On January 5, after being in captivity for almost 12 weeks, HHCC was returned to the area near the Williamson County Expo Center and set free.  Somewhere in the trees of Taylor, there’s a great-horned owl who is really good at hissing and clicking. Learn more about great-horned owls here.

 

 

The First Noelle
 

We often get wild animals from Central Texas Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital on Research Boulevard in Austin.  Over the years, the veterinarians and staff at the clinic have accepted drop-offs of orphaned, sick, and injured wild animals, provided emergency care, and turned the animals over to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.  According to Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Regulations, licensed veterinarians are permitted to treat wild animals and hold them for up to 48 hours before turning them over to a wildlife rehabilitator.
 
On Christmas Eve, the clinic called ATW to report that they had received a porcupine.  The animal had been dropped off for treatment by an animal control officer, who picked her up in a neighborhood in South Austin.  The porcupine was diagnosed with sarcoptic mange, secondary skin infections, and possibly an upper respiratory infection.  The vets at the clinic had provided initial treatment and medication.  Would we like to pick her up?  Of course!!!!
 
Sarcoptic mange is caused by small, microscopic mites that burrow into the skin.  The condition is extremely itchy.  Hair falls out (in the case of the porcupine, quills) and the skin crusts. A similar, but different subspecies mite causes a condition called scabies in humans.
 
Poor porcupine.  After she was asleep under anesthesia, Amber, our wildlife vet tech, worked on her for a couple of hours, carefully softening and removing the many skin crusts especially on her face and tail.  A couple of us got to experience being stuck by quills.  The little quills were like being stuck by a sewing needle with a tiny barb on the end.  We used towels and gloves for protection and were amazed at having an opportunity to be so close to a wild porcupine. 
 
Once she was awake, she received medicine for the mange and antibiotic for the skin and respiratory infections.  Noelle, because it was Christmas Eve and she was ATW’s first porcupine, was placed in an outdoor enclosure with a dog igloo house filled with straw for warmth on cold nights.  After a couple of days, she began emerging from her hiding place and eagerly gnawing away on logs and eating acorns.  She especially liked the large acorns from burr oaks. Every day, Noelle was offered a more varied diet, which she gobbled up with gusto:  corn on the cob, radishes, carrots, beets, squash, greens, and grapes.
 
Porcupines are large rodents. Their teeth are orange from iron oxide in the enamel that makes the teeth strong for gnawing.  And gnawing they do.  Like all rodents, they have to keep their constantly growing teeth worn down.  People are amazed to learn that they live in our area.  Click here to see a range map.  We also read that porcupines are very smart, have good memories, and can live for up to 30 years.
 
Postscript: This article was written on January 3. Currently, Noelle is doing well, eating constantly, and clear of infections and mange. The quills she lost to the mange are re-growing at the rate of one millimeter a day. We are hoping to release her in an appropriate habitat in a couple of weeks. Here’s more reading on porcupines.