My Animals and the departed

A picture of Rusty who has left us. It was hard disposing of his remains. I was so careful. God he was cute.

Rufus after feeding.

Lucky in his poodle costume. Doesn't he look cute with his gloves and face mask. His hair is growing back. He is still one angry possum. Never Never bath a possum they have long long memories. He has issues poor thing but he is still adorable.

I love all my animals I will take photos of my actual house pets to post next time. I think they might be feeling a little bit put out at the moment. Not really they know they are loved. (They get fed and brushed and cuddled.) They are definitely not forgotten they are too noisy.

Household Chores

Seriously who out there enjoys cooking and cleaning. I don't but I seem to spend most of time doing it. I have an issue at the moment. Nobody in my house can cook or clean. I come home from job number one and do the dishes from the night before and then when I return from job number two I get to feed all the animals and clean their cages, then I get to dry and put away all the dishes and cook for everyone and the next day is the same, and I swear nobody in my house showers or uses the bathroom except me because I am the only one who will clean it. I am really over it. Enough of my complaining.

This week has been a busy and sad week ringtail number two Rusty died on the 24th Oct at 6.06am in my hands I tried everything to save him but he just gave up. Our other ringtail Rufus got drowned in tears. I have yet to learn to harden my heart a bit but not to much. (if you can) I doubt it will ever get easy. But as I have said before I won't give up. I have a very stubborn nature. Don't give up unless you absoultely have to. I learn't that through my first marriage. If I wasn't so stubborn our marriage would have ended ten years earlier.

Lucky Update

Well lucky seems to be improving touch wood we will see. I have hopes for him but he still has problems. I don't think he will ever be released but he could become a stud somewhere. Keep the fingers crossed.

Mogwai Update

Mogwai what can you say he is going from strength to strength and I hope he continues down that path. He is eating everything in sight. We may have to move him on soon. ( I can see more tears from me).

Rufus Update

What a cutie loves his milk but he has UTI at the moment have to give him oranges and mandarin to get rid of it and it seems to be working. He is starting to pee normally so we can but hope. I get up to feed him at five and or six in the morning and he is great depends when he starts to cry so to speak possums have their own language . He will move into his next cage soon the preschool room and hopefully he will do well. He will also get a new mate to play with tomorrow. (I hope it survives our rate is not to good at the moment).

Rufus and Steve

Steve with our new addition. Rufus is so tiny. By the way Steve is the one with the grey beard.
Rufus is the brown haired one.

Steve feeding our new addition Rufus.

Henry and Mumma ringtail

It has been a sad week, yesterday we lost Henry and Mumma Ringtail. Life as a carer is harder than what you think. You tend to hope for the best, but it doesn't always work out the way you want. I am having doubts as to my ability and tend to wonder was there something else I could have done. I know there wasn't but it still makes you have doubts. Not that I am going to stop I know there will be a lot more losses but there will be a lot we hopefully will give the chance of survival in their natural environment's.

Mumma Ringtail

The night before she died she got her baby out so that we knew she had a baby and that it was alive. Her baby Rufus is so far doing well he had his milk before and is now asleep in his basket. He weighs 60grams and fits into the palm of my hand. He will be moving on tomorrow as they are an animal that should be kept with his kind so he is off to join another 60gram baby that is with another carer. The picture below is another one of Henry he was pretty tiny as well. My daughter Sarah named them by the way.

Mogwai

Mogwai in his new teenage room. See the cheeky look in his eyes.

Mogwai determined to not let go while he eats. I am trying to tie some new access sticks in his cage. This one lasted about an hour before he knocked it down. He really is a bit of a hooligan.

Mogwai doing what he does best eating.

Animals Everywhere

Well this week I have worked at the vets for three shifts. Last night Steve got home before me and he had cleaned out Lucky's cage and got all of the feed bowls ready, he had fed the cat and the dog and was just about to get some native branches when I arrived home. And guess what I had an injured ringtail possum (a mum with a joey) a car had ran over her tail (we think), it isn't broken but very bloody and sore and she is in shock. So by the time Steve and I had settled her and finished all the other animals we were happy to sit and have a drink.

But today I went to work at the vets again and I have just bought home an abandoned noisy minor baby. So I now have to go and get a cage for it as all the ones we have are to big. I am going to have to try to restrain myself from taking all the injured native animals home as I don't think our house will be big enough. Our menagerie at the moment consists of a dog, cat, cockatiel, four chooks, a pond full of fish, snake, blue tongue, two baby brushtail possums, a ringtail and her joey and a noisy minor.

Lucky Update

Lucky is doing better but still has a long road ahead of him, his scabs are nearly all gone and he really looks like a poodle. He is also getting out of his drey more which means he is feeling better so I hope he keeps improving but the next hurdle will be when he has to moved into his teenage room (the big bird aviary). That can be stressful and that is not what he needs. We will have to keep our fingers crossed it all goes smoothly.

Mogwai Update

On the other hand mogwai is doing really well and making lots of noise in his teenage room. He has a habit now of when you go near the cage at night of launching himself on to the mesh in front of your face and scaring the hell out of you. I think he quiet enjoys scaring us. He most probably sits in his drey the next day and has a good laugh. He is missing the attention though, we are weaning him off us but we have to get in his cage to clean it and feed him and he just has to get out of his drey for a cuddle, he got me again the other night but this time on the cheek (roughly a two inch scratch) which he tried to make up for by grooming my hair. He is one cheeky possum.


All our animals are great, I have one more shift this week at the vets I hope no injured wildlife comes in because if I say yes again I think Steve might lose it. Not really he loves them all to.

New Second Job

Well it has been an interesting couple of weeks I have now a second job at a vet's so trying to juggle two jobs and a home and our wildlife and our domestic animals is great.

This week I did three shifts at the vets, talk about full on trying to learn everything and deal with all the clients pretty mind boggling. My first shift I got to bring home a baby pee wee abandoned by it parents (being a wildlife carer has it advantages for both me and the vet). Second shift they had an injured snake but it was pretty badly injured so the best thing for it was to put it into a deep sleep (which was sad). My next shift was so busy and heaps of animals I am so loving it (even the smells Maybe) one poor dog had a tick anybody dealing with an animal with a tick you have to keep it quiet but the poor thing had lost its bodily functions due to paralysis but hopefully he will make a full recovery ( I got to clean his cage boy did it smell). At one stage this week I went to the vet's and then on to my other job and the adrenalin was pumping (stuff getting high etc who needs that when you enjoy what you are doing). Maybe if some of the young people of today went out of their way to find something they enjoy doing we wouldn't have the problem with the young society they could get high on their jobs or their hobbies. I could say Ha Ha, but it is no laughing matter.

I have obviously made some sort of impression on the vet job as after only two and half shifts they want me to fly solo (scary).

On a different note I am so looking forward to our trip to England, Steve and I have been looking at all the brochures and on the net lots to see and not much time but I think it will be great. We were going to book big tours like 12 day ones but all our trips that we have taken recently we have flown by the seat of our pants so to speak just see where we land next and hope for the best. We have had some great holidays like that, arrive in a town and find somewhere to sleep and then explore so I think that is what we will do again (too much planning and you have no freedom to explore what you want to do).

Lucky Update

Lucky is not doing well. We will see. I don't think he will survive in the wild but I am not giving up yet he is still eating but he looks like he has done 10 rounds in a boxing ring poor baby. He still hates us.

Mogwai update

I may not have mentioned our other little brushtail but he is doing so well to the point he has moved into his teenage room. Boy is he enjoying the freedom. I got into the big cage last night with him to make sure he was settling in (and because he is so cute) I shouldn't say that though as a carer, and got a face full of a brushtail. I now have an extra hole in my nose (very painfull) and tonight while changing his water etc he got out of his drey and started to groom my hair all things we have to make him not do as now he needs to become feral for the wild.


Life in my Forties just fantastic.