Apparently I have 5 kits in the barn. They are in some old ground hog holes I guess…or mama dug under the barn… they have been popping out in the empty storage stalls and watch me while I feed and clean stalls. They are tiny tiny and so flipping adorable!
How long will they stay? I think I need to work on filling in those dens when they are gone… or are they going to live there as they get older or will they try to return? I really don’t want all of them to stay, but for now they are there…
You didn’t take pictures?
A friend had one come by her barn, tiny tiny is what she said.
She raised it like an orphan kitty and acted like one, stayed around for a couple years, then disappeared for a bit, would show up again, for a couple more years, long gone now.
Her vet gave it some cat vaccines, mostly worried about rabies, is endemic here in skunks and foxes.
You may want to ask your vet and local game wardens about what the laws for wildlife are where you are.
They may have some advice for you, in the best interest of everyone, you, your barn and critters and the wildlife around you.
Rabies is definitely a concern. I agree with Bluey, contact the Wildlife folks near you and make sure your horses and other critters are up to date on their vaccinations.
We had 8! kits last year under our shed. I think there were at least 4 entrance/exits.
I just loved watching them come out to play. I could get fairly close before they scampered away.
They stayed through most of the summer and then slowly drifted off. DH covered the holes so none have come back which makes me sad but we thought our shed would collapse!
You did right to keep them away.
Our game wardens always warn everyone that, for our and the wildlife’s sake, we need to keep disturbing them and making them move on.
That depends on the wildlife and situation/location/region, why asking them about any such is always a good idea.
If wildlife gets too comfortable around humans, some of them may eventually cause problems.
Then it is the wildlife who suffers when needing to stress/trap/displace/eliminate them.
Not all wildlife, our barn owl is an asset to us, welcome pest control on the fly.
Owls don’t reproduce rapidly and become a problem themselves.
Is better to keep everything around us clean and without places for many species of wildlife to make themselves at home, but many sure are irresistible, are they.
