June 2024
Baby 'Guzzle'......
Baby 'Guzzle' was rescued after being found all alone by the side of a country lane in Hambleton. She is around four weeks old so should still be with her Mum so my guess is she has wandered from the nursery nest and got lost. Despite the warm weather she was icy cold on admission and so distressed she was squealing, so she has spent the afternoon on the settee wrapped up with a warm hot water bottle and snuggled up with a small soft toy for company. She is taking her milk formula very well - what an appetite she's got, which is brilliant!
Melissa......
This is 'Melissa' the Mum to the four babies keeping an eye on me while I am cleaning out. She was rescued with her four babies from a barn in Garstang. She's got a really bad tummy so is receiving treatment accordingly. Just like her babies she has infected wounds on her legs and feet, so my guess is that rats could be the culprit. She's a good Mum and has done well to raise her young in difficult circumstances.
Update: Melissa's wounds healed well and has now been released back to her area in Garstang.
Melissa's babies......
Melissa and her four babies were rescued from inside a barn in Garstang. The finder had noticed flies around where the babies were nesting which would indicate there was something wrong. One of the babies did not survive. The other three had fly strike and had lots of infected wounds mainly on their legs and feet. I thought at first that it could indicate there was a bully amongst them and the culprit could be the one nearest the camera who was a lot bigger than the others. So to prevent any more injuries I split them all up into separate cages. But having examined Melissa, she also had similar wounds to her legs and feet so now I am thinking they could have been attacked by rats. All are eating which is a good sign. But keeping leg and feet wounds clean when the little beggars sit in their dinner to eat it is a job and a half.
Big Dave......
This is big 'Dave' rescued after he was trapped down a drain filled with water. It isn't known how long he had been down there. On admission he was icy cold and wet through, barely able to stand without wobbling uncontrollably from side to side. He's a big lad weighing nearly a kilo! After he was dried off I had him on a hot water bottle at first to try and get him warm, then transferred him to an incubator. Hopefully will recover but need to monitor his breathing in case he has water in his lungs. The drain has now been covered up.
Update: Dave recovered well and was released into a safe release area on 19th June.