Slow Motion Rattlesnake Rattle
A quick video on a couple of prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) we took in today. Enjoy!
Tagged: “wildlife”
Slider Turtles as Pets
We have all seen them. Those cute little red-eared sliders and yellow-bellied sliders being sold either from a roadside stand or one of those gift shops in Florida. Well this is what that cheap little $10 turtle turns into. These are both yellow-bellied turtle (Trachemys scripta scripta). Adult shell vs hatchling. The hatchling was bought and later surrendered, with a second one, when the owner realized how big they get.
Road side sellers love to tell people they will stay small if kept in a small tank. Sure, because they get sick and die before they can reach full suze.
Aquatic turtles need a minimum of 10 gallons of physical water per every inch of shell length. PER TURTLE. The more water the better. Strong filtration is a must to keep their water clean. They also need room to get out of the water and bask, as well as strong UVA/UVB lighting.
So for example, the large one would need a minimum of 160 gallons of water and a 2 foot by 2 foot area to get out and bask.
A varied diet to include live native fish is also a must. Pelleted diets can be lacking the proper nutrition. NO GOLDFISH. They do eat a lot.
Aquatic turtles as a whole can make great display pets. But they must be set up properly. Red-eared sliders and yellow-bellied sliders are the number one surrendered pet to reptile rescues. A lot of rescues have even stopped taking them in due to already having way to many of them. And no, they can not just be returned to the wild or dumped in your neighborhood pond. It is illegal to do so for a few different reasons.
Gray Fox Update
Just wanted to post an update in the young grey fox we took in back in October that was hit by a car and needed the back leg pinned. Great news, the leg looks great and the pin was removed last night. While she was under we did a thorough exam and I cleaned her ears out. Now for some exercise and chasing prey!
The Truth about Wildlife Rehab
Okay I can not believe I even need to talk about this, but, due to recent phone calls and conversations I feel I must.
First off, rehabbing animals is NOT our job. Let me explain. Helping animals is what we do, but nobody pays us to do this. We actually pay for the privilege to help animals. We pay for the permits, food, medical supplies, heating, electricity, water, etc… Saying it’s a job would mean that somebody pays us to do this. There is no reimbursement from the state or feds for what we do. In fact, most rehabbers work a regular job besides rehabbing so that they can continue to rehab animals.
Second, we operate out of our home. Most rehabbers do. We can not afford a big rehab center. Wish we could. Most places that do have had said centers donated to them to operate out of. Operating out of ones home when it comes to caring for sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife has it’s own unique set of challenges.
So to summarize, we operate off of our own back pockets, in kind donations, and sometimes we find small grants and other small projects such as education events to help offset costs.
So next time you call a rehabber and demand they come out to save an animal because “it’s their job”, please remember it’s not a job. It’s a passion to help animals in need due to human interactions. Don’t get mad at the rehabber and start yelling at them about how horrible of a person they are because they can not stop either working a job, helping somebody else with an injured animal, or caring for the animals already in their possession, to come and pick up an injured animal right in front of you.
Pekin at Duck Care
Let’s talk for a second about something that happens throughout the year. But even more so coming up in a few months. Easter and pet ducks. We have taken in a few lately from people that did not realize that ducks do not make good house pets… yes, indoor ducks.
Ducks are messy,
eat a lot, and make noise. They poop a lot and love their water. They have a
varied diet and can not just be fed “bird food”. We see a bunch every
year with what is called “angel wing”.
Angel wing
is caused by improper diet and causes the wings to form misshapen and they
turn at the joint in the wing. This causes the bird to not be able to fly.
Number one food that causes this is bread! Never feed ducks, geese, or other birds
bread.
Yes, we will be the
first to admit that baby ducks are adorable. But what happens a lot is people
get these ducks, realize after a couple of months that it was a bad choice,
then they start frantically looking for a place to take their ducks to. You
know all those nonnative ducks you see at your local parks, ponds, etc…
Yep, those cool
looking Muscovy ducks are not native to the US except for three counties in far
south Texas. Everywhere else they are considered invasive. Pet ducks are to
blame.
Long story short,
get a chocolate duck!
Scentsy Fundraiser
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First Baby Bird of the Season! Great Horned Owl
We told y’all it is baby season. We took in this little guy on Tuesday. Baby great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) approx 7-9 days old in this picture. All charts say this is the point they open their eyes. You can still see the egg tooth that is used to break open the egg when they hatch. Home owner found it Saturday and tried getting it back to mom, but unfortunately that did not work out. Was dehydrated and a touch thin when we got it. Recovering well and devouring food. These owls eat a ton of food as they grow. You can also see the pin feathers starting to come in around the beak and the wing edges.
Red-tailed Hawk Released After Being Shot
We were notified January 7, 2018, of a hawk that was shot. We drove over an hour, late at night, in the rain to meet Hunt County Scanner to pick up the hawk. The bird suffered a broken wing and some tissue and muscle damage. After almost two months of care which included resting the wing so it could heal and physical therapy to get the wing strong again, she was finally ready for release. We drove 90 miles to return the hawk to where she came from so she could be reunited with her mate. This is why we do what we do!
Great Horned Owl 2/23/2018
A great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) that a homeowner found in their yard. Thanks to good friends, Mark and Jennifer, for getting the bird to us.
Red-tailed Hawk Release
Was a happy release this morning. Got to return this adult male red-tailed hawk back where he came from. The homeowners found this guy in their yard and brought him to us on December 8th. He had an injured wing and was thin. The homeowners have been watching this guy and his mate for a few years. At the end of the video you can see the tree he heads to. After we stopped recording, we noticed the female was already in the tree he landed in. A happy reunion!
Meet Mario & Brandi
Mario & Brandi Nickerson have dedicated their lives to the care and well being of all of Nature's creatures. Their tireless efforts go a long way to rehabbing various reptiles and many other types of wildlife.
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