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An orphaned fox squirrel with an unusual black under belly is fully grown and about ready to release at the Witter Widlife Refuge.
Photo by Author
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
DID YOU KNOW?
All the animals in our care are doing great. Other than a twenty minute game of squirel hide and seek with one of two new baby squirrel arrivals things have been pretty quiet around here this past week.
The two young Bobcats are settled in, eating well and making friends with the dogs and cats that visit their cage. The opossum army is equally well behaved and comfortable in their winter quarters. The two young fawns now have their winter coats and happily graze around the house. The wolves are more active enjoying the cool weather and the three squirrels are all fatening up for the winter.
Since we made it through an entire week without any humorous or caotic adventures to write about I thought I’d share a few interesting bits of information with you.
Did you know dried corn is not good for deer? Deer are Rumens, like cows and goats they have multiple stomachs. They eat primarily leafy vegetable matter, acorns, twigs, buds and bark while browsing or grazing which goes into their first stomach. They later regurgitate and re-chew their “cud” at which time prior to it being processed through their other stomachs. Although they will eat dried corn it is not good for them and too much can make them very sick as it does not process easily.
The also have trouble with sweet grain. The molasses in the grain contains too much sugar and can also seriously upset their stomach.
If you feed deer the best food for them is a mixture of Rolled Oats, Rolled Corn (much easier to digest) and Barley. It is available locally at the Farmers Co-op in Fayetteville.
There are also “Deer Chow” mixes available that are pellets that contain a balanced diet of processed food for deer. It is available at local fed stores but be careful to check the label to make sure it is not simply dried corn often sold to Hunters to bait deer. The deer chow mixes will generally have many other ingredients.
Did you know that too many nuts can give squirrels brain seizures? Squirrels love nuts but in the wild they comprise only a portion of their diet. They eat bark, leaves, seeds, fruit, berries and acorns in addition to nuts. If a squirrel gets too much protein in their diet they can have brain seizures which can be fatal. Sunflower seeds and nuts both contain high amounts of protein and should comprise only a portion of a squirrels diet.
If you like to feed squirrels try to include dried corn is better for them than sunflower seeds. Acorns are better than nuts. They will also eat fruit, bread, berries, spinach, apples and grapes.
Did you know opossums can become cannibalistic? It is not uncommon for opossum babies to nibble on each other if they do not get enough protein. Their is a fine line in rehabilitating opossums between too much and too little protein in their diet. They can get a metabolic bone disease if they get too much and they might turn on each other if they get too little.
In the wild protein comprises only a portion of an opossum's diet. They will eat almost anything.
A study authored by David D. Hopkins and Richard B. Forbes performed on road-killed opossums. showed their diet was 27% mammals, 11% leaf litter, 10% fruit, seeds, bulbs, etc., 10% gastropods, 9% garbage, 9% earthworms, 9% pet food, 8% grass and green leaves, 8% insects, 3% birds, and 1% misc. animal tissue.
Another study conducted in New York State in 1951 analyzed the stomach contents of 187 opossums. The study was conducted by W.J. Hamilton, Jr. and published the The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 15, No. 3. It found Fruit 18.0%, Amphibia 17.2%, Mammals 14.2%, Insects 13.4%, Grasses 6.6%, Worms 5.4%, Reptiles 5.3%, Birds 5.0%, Carrion 4.8%, and misc. or Undetermined 6.7%
Did you Know Opossums rarely live beyond 1 year in the wild? They are killed by predators: humans (and cars), dogs, cats, owls, an larger wildlife. They also have trouble surviving harsh winter weather. In captivity there are rare reports of living 5 to 10 years.
Did you know a small songbird in the wild has less than a 50% chance of surviving more than two years? As a general rule, larger birds tend to live longer. Parrots in captivity have been known to live over 80 years!
In the interest of getting a little more upbeat here are some of the records for bird longevity from wildbirds.com. These are not normal life expectancies,but the all time records! These figures are based on the recapture of banded birds.
Great Blue Heron 23, Canada Goose 28, Mallard 26, Red-tailed Hawk 25, Great Horned Owl 27, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 9, Downy Woodpecker 11, Blue Jay 17, American Crow 14, Purple Martin 13, American Robin 13, Song Sparrow 11, Northern Cardinal 15, Red-winged Blackbird 15, and House Sparrow 13
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
