A: Goodevening readers! I told you we would be back. Squirrels, critical patients, endless phone calls and babies can't keep us from informing you all about ins and outs of wildlife rehabilitation. The days since we last wrote have been just as hectic and interesting as the days prior and we can't wait to tell you about them.

B: So, we left off with last Wednesday evening. The next day, oh the next day started off so well with Super Frank the Squirrel Enthusiast taking the remaining outdoor squirrels away to their new home. We also released an American Crow and a House Finch. One of our over-wintered box turtles was taken back to his home by the caring citizen who found him. Then began the back-breaking labor of cleaning outdoor squirrel cages and repopulating them with squirrels from our Side Porch.

A: Though Thursday started out with nothing but happy events, it quickly deteriorated into another busy, running-around sort of day. After a number of songbird intakes, and several baby squirrel feedings, Britt and I finally packed up our take-home babies and headed for the door. Only to find an injured adult squirrel trying to score a free meal inside one of our empty outdoor cages. He had one eye swollen shut and a bleeding paw- enough for us to know that we needed to net him and bring him in ASAP. Turns out his injuries were still fairly mild (though he would have been in real trouble had we not found him) and he is now healing quite nicely in our Front Room.

B: Though he is not enjoying his every-other-day medication shots, he is enjoying all the free groceries he can score. Now, finally able to go home (again), Alicia and I walked blearily to our cars, shouted our goodnights and were able to escape. Or so we thought. I get about a half mile away, Alicia a little further, when we both started: "I forgot squirrel formula!" I made a quick U-ie, Alicia turned around and we raced back to the Center. I beat her to the drive and then freaked out when I noticed headlights following me down the driveway. On top of everything, I had to check in another patient?!

A: While I kept chanting, "Who is that? Who is driving up our driveway ahead of me now?" I had never been so happy to recognize Britt's bumper before.

B: I laughed when I got out of my car and saw Alicia getting out of hers. "SO! You forgot squirrel formula too!"

A: I shouted back "We are both equal amounts of stupid!" How poetic that we should meet again so soon... Having retrieved our formula, we both scurried back to our cars and drove home.

B: Just in time to feed our squirrels again. Woot. And Friday brought in more baby squirrels, these ousted from a telephone box and scooped up by concerned citizens who unfortunately did not give mom enough time to retrieve her babies to one of her secondary nest sites.

A: Those babies live with Britt now, while mine are now big enough to leave at the Center overnight. Lucky me. My original four are quite big and one even opened an eye today! My reprieve only lasted a day though; it looks like I will be taking three of my babies back home with me tonight as they have failed to gain significant amounts of weight. Woe is me. It was so nice having a squirrel free bedroom.

B: Woe indeed as Friday also brought in our first baby Cottontail. Though high stress, Cottontails are relatively easy to manage as they are fed fewer times during the day than all other mammals. Mom rabbit only visits the nest two to three times a day to let her young suckle her high fat, high protein milk.

A: Though they will suckle quite happily in the wild, here at the Center we tube feed them in order to minimize the amount of time we have to hold them. They grow up nice and fast, able to be weaned within two weeks and eating completely independently by three weeks of age. In the wild, they would be on their own by three and a half weeks old and we release them when they reach four to five weeks. Rabbits achieve sexual maturity by eight weeks old!

B: Odd since studies show that most Cottontails do not breed in their first year. Saturday came with not many phone calls and much fewer intakes, giving Alicia and I a little (but much needed) down-time between endless squirrel feedings. But now, that week is behind us and most of our staff has returned, though one is most unfortunately out sick and our boss ditched us for a week in Cancun with her sister.

A: Regardless of their absenses, we are still chugging along quite nicely, checking in new babies, tending to injured adults and trying desperately to keep awake long enough to perform our midnight feedings. You will find us here next week...

B: Hopefully more rested. Though I doubt it. TTFN.