Christina's Critters

30/08/2024

PROPERTY PETS is BACK ! ! !

After two years the game cams are back up on the property.
How many can you Identify?

The last two winters gave us storms that ruined the Coyote den and Bobcat trail. With the river now against the property we didn’t think we were getting any wildlife traffic… Until recently. The cams went back up and here’s what we got so far.

(Because of the new unidentified critter, we are moving the cams around hoping to get footage to confirm what it is…)

28/08/2024

28/08/2024

A few days ago, someone in a group posted about 2 squirrel babies being found needing a rehabber?

Well, I was the first to comment on that post saying I’d take them and I’d message her my info. Which I did. Address included. Some time went by and I hadn’t heard from her but she was still commenting on the post. I reiterated that I messaged her and she responded with a DM and comment saying she was texting me right “now”.

20 minutes later, still nothing but she was still telling people that she needed help. I messaged again to which she responded that I was too far away and she wanted to find someone closer (I’m 25 minutes from her). I said fine and reminded her they needed to go to a permitted rehabber. She continued to post in the group that everyone was full ( I wasn’t).

I later got a message that she found a rehabber and the babies were safe. She also updated the group post. (See screen shot)

But she lied. (imagine that.)

The next day, on my business page, I got a message from someone asking if I could help with 2 baby squirrels. I recognized this person from the comments on that post, so I knew exactly what was going on. I responded with my typical intake questions ‘Where did you find them? What are you feeding them? Where is mom?’
She responded with “backyard, picked them up and have been caring for them…” and added “ I would love to keep them as pets but I know that’s not for them. Mom is deceased.”

At this point I knew she was lying and called her on it saying she needed to stop playing games and start telling me the truth. She replied with she didn’t mean any disrespect. To me, lying is disrespect but to her she didn’t lie because “I never said MY backyard”, referring to where she found them.

The simple truth should have been, she got them from some random lady on Facebook. She continued to defend that she didn’t lie, and I just didn’t have it in me to put up with it.

(Theres more conversation than this but this is the jest of it. I took screen shots before anyone could delete messages)

I went back to the DM with the original poster to let her know I knew she lied about where the babies went, and she blocked me.

I’ve never had a situation like this and I hope to never have one again. Most people are beyond grateful to have me step in.
I absolutely don’t want this to be a witch hunt. (I can do that on my own) but I do need your help.

So many people were on that thread asking to take the babies. None of them were rehabbers. That is mind blowing to me. If you get caught you get slapped with a heavy fine and the babies get euthanized. More, zoonotic diseases are real and terrifying, and I can’t believe you would bring wild babies into your living space, around your kids and pets. If you have an illness or injury with your baby, you don’t have a vet, so does it just suffer until it dies? Puppy and kitten formula is for puppies and kittens, stop giving it to wild animals. 80% of orphan babies will require antibiotics at some point and do you know how to get them ready for release? Do you have an outdoor enclosure? Are you ready to give up spring and summer vacations because you can’t stay out of the house for more than 6 hours?

If you truly want to help, then PLEASE HELP! I need help. Every rehab needs help. Shelters need help. We are at the tail end of baby season with another year starting in a few short months. Now is the time to contact a rehab and get trained, stock up on supplies, figure out what animal(s) you can help with. Do you want to help at a facility, or do you have space in your home? Take a feeding shift and see if this is really want you want to get into.

You can visit The International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council to take an online course. (Most rehabs want you to take this course before you can work from home as a satellite rehabber).

If you want to talk to me further feel free to DM me.

Be nice to wildlife rehabbers. Thanks for reading 🩵.

19/08/2024

Please help us fix the problem.

31/07/2024

Getting so big.

26/07/2024

Humans are the most invasive species of all.

26/07/2024

I don’t know who you are, but I will be forever grateful for your support. 💛

24/07/2024

I don't know who needs to hear this but, these bottles DO NOT come with holes in the ni***es.
You need to cut a hole into it. (Cut, with scissors. Not pop with a knife or safety pin). The size of the hole depends on the speed of flow you need for the size of the baby.

Now you know.

***es

19/07/2024

I know it’s late in the season for a baby shower but I got another baby in last night. I thought the end of baby season was close but it’s clearly not. I’m running low on puppy pads, hammocks, and nutrical.

I need just about everything on the Amazon wishlist but this stuff I need now.

If you’d like to help me help more babies please visit my Amazon Wishlist link below.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

-Christina

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3N61E3SUSGU7Y?ref_=wl_share

19/07/2024

Baby shower time…

I know it’s late in the season for a baby shower but I got another baby in last night. I thought the end of baby season was close but it’s clearly not. I’m running low on puppy pads, hammocks, and nutrical.

I need just about everything on the Amazon wishlist but this stuff I need now.

If you’d like to help me help more babies please visit my Amazon Wishlist link below.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

-Christina

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3N61E3SUSGU7Y?ref_=wl_share

16/07/2024

Minerva Molted!

People love to ask what my favorite animal is and I always say ‘a spider’ and leave it at that. If I said a tailless whip scorpion, no one knows what I’m talking about, but this is it.

This is Minerva. She’s not a scorpion as the name suggests. She’s not even a true spider but part of the whip spider family. She’s also not venomous and doesn’t spin a web. All of this is crazy to me as those traits are how true spiders survive.

Backstory:
I ordered Minerva and Astrid, my other whip, 4 years ago. The following year I noticed Minerva was gravid. What an experience. I kept one of her baby's, Nova, who you see in most of my videos.

Molting only happens once a year as adults and less frequent as they get older. Like tarantulas, it will take about 10 days for her new body to harden and her color to come back.

I don't know the true age of Minerva but I do know it’s her first molt since I’ve owned her. 1 molt in 4 years. I’m not sure how much longer I have with her so I thought I’d make sure to introduce you while I can. 🩵

16/07/2024

Happy World Snake Day! Did you know that rattlesnakes, while often misunderstood and feared, are critically important? 🐍👀

Rattlesnakes have an important role in the food web as both a predator and a prey item. Not only do they help control pest populations, but rattlesnakes and other types of snakes are a food source that other animals like birds of prey, wading birds, and even other snakes depend on! 🦅🐁

Rattlesnakes offer ecological benefits, too. One team of researchers from the University of California at Berkeley found that rattlesnakes are seed dispersers who save seeds that would otherwise be lost. This is great news for the birds, bats, bees, and even the small mammals and rodents that depend on the microhabitat that saved seeds help to create. 🌱🌻🐝

Additionally, rattlesnakes remove disease vectors and rodent-bourne illnesses from their environment through their natural predation! One study from the University of Maryland found that a single timber rattlesnake can remove up to 4,500 ticks annually! 😮

Finally, did you know that rattlesnake venom could save your life? Venom is a complex, bioactive substance that is varied from species to species, and even within different populations of the same species. It's composed of countless combinations of enzymes, proteins, peptides, and molecules that are continuously evolving alongside the rest of nature and cannot easily be reproduced in a lab. It's used in research and in medicine! In fact, the life-saving drug Integrilin (Eptifibatide) is made from a protein that was discovered in the venom of the Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake - and it's just one of many treatments available made from venom! 🩺💊💉

15/07/2024

I FOUND A WILD ANIMAL, NOW WHAT?
-If you find a sick, injured or orphaned wild animal, get it into a box with a lid or crate with a door. You can use a towel, sheet, etc., place it over the animal, scoop the whole thing up and place in box/crate.

-Place the animal in a warm, quiet area. If a baby, you can place the box half on/half off of a heating pad set on low.

-Never give food or water to any animal, baby or adult. Think of it this way, if you go to the ER due to illness or injury, they don’t give you food or water until the doctor sees you.

-Please do not play with wild animals. Holding them, petting them, etc. just adds to their stress.

-If you are unsure if an animal needs help, please contact a wildlife rehabilitator for assistance.

-Once animal is contained, contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator immediately at Animal Help Now –

Animal Help Now provides the best wildlife 911 app and helps humans be better neighbors to wildlife. The nonprofit serves the entire United States.

13/07/2024

To my human moms & dads, this is what happens to my paws when you take me out in the scorching sun ☀️ when the pavement is so hot !

Remember I sweat through my paws, so in this heat I can’t get rid of my sweat as my paws are burning. Missing my walk won’t harm me. Please let me just relax indoors and take me out when the sun is down🐾

If you see someone walking their dog on hot pavement, ask them to take off their shoes for the remainder of their walk home. Maybe then they'll understand.

Thank you to 8 Below Husky Rescue for this valuable advice 🙏
Credit: Dolly’s Legacy Animal Rescue

12/07/2024

I can’t help but think she’s beautiful. This girl needs a new tank, her owner passed away and the family sought help. She showed up with a less than adequate tank. If someone has a 40g they want to get rid of or donate, please contact me.
(See previous post for her story)

06/07/2024

Please do better.

05/07/2024

Put their paws in cool water. Cooling their paws helps to cool themselves

02/07/2024

A summer treat to cool off your pets...