Hapi doesn't mind his temporary upstairs tenants as they deliver things to him from all over the house. I find things in his cage all the time that couldn't have gotten there on their own -- pens, pencils (a Quaker fave), 35mm slides, credit cards, mail, earrings, and as we learned this week, currency. They must provide interest and mental stimulation for him. I even found a full CD with plastic case in there once. I would have LOVED to see that flying by.
Last night though, as Hap hung out on Kizzy's cage top, as he likes to do, Boncuk went close to him and behaved in the obnoxious and challenging manner that only Quakers can pull off. Spring hormones. Ugh. Hapi reacted normally, Using his beak to tell him to back off. Jukes didn't. As I came into the room to address the squabble, Hapi was holding on to Juke's toe in his beak. Jukes was making a cry that went beyond annoyance and went straight to my heart -- the "Uh,oh this isn't funny anymore -- MOMMY!!!!" one," Time slowed down to slo-mo as I ran to them telling Hap to let him go. He did. Then Jukes flew around wildly looking for a place to land where I wouldn't be able to get him and he could lick his wound. I managed to get him and see it was a bad cut in a bad place, and I thought his toe was broken because it seemed limp. Off to the vet we went.
By the time we arrived it was apparent that Jukes would be ok, that he wasn't bleeding out or in shock. So the little brat waited until Carol had time to look at him. She was very, very busy. Three itsy bitsy baby raccoons, squealing for food despite just being fed. One was cold so I held her against a heating pad for a while. There is nothing like holding one of these tinies, eyes barely open, as it tries to suckle on your fingers. Thy smell bad, but are so, so precious. One baby hedgehoggie thing. A fleet of ducklings, A great horned owl. A hawk. Another precious baby owl, with cataracts, being evaluated by a visiting opthamologist. It must be spring! How she manages all of these little wanderers is beyond me. There is also a lovely male sulphur crested cockatoo looking for a home now that she has taken in, should anyone be interested (no, I am not! Really!) Carol then took her precious time with my fella. cleaning the wound and sealing it with glue to keep it from opening up again. He (thankfully) will live to shred more currency in the future for sure. Love that little pistol of a parrot!
So, the exciting plans I had for Friday night (cleaning my house in preparation for classes today) were interrupted. Time to get going now as they "kids" and I have done an exceptional job on the place this week and there is a lot to be done before 10am. Cheers!
No art link today, just a photo (from the Internet) of a baby raccoon so you can appreciate how precious they are :) The ones under Carol's care right now are a bit younger than this. I hope they make it without their momma. Carol was asked to take them from an officer in N. NH who said three babies were found in a truck that had made a four day journey from Canada. Poor little things. Thank GOD there are people like Carol in this world who think more about the outcome of the work they do than the financial reward it could deliver. Too many veterinarians don't think that way and it shows. I also thank Carol for becoming a special friend and letting my rabies-vaccinated self see all of her wildlife treasures. Like I said, life is never boring, and in this highly technical, virtual age, coming home with a shirt reeking of baby raccoon is truly a gift.