Day 5
Only a brief report but a GOOD one !!
Today has been a bit of a madhouse at Chez Wombat Bend with one thing & another, so I only managed a phone conversation with Porscha tonight. She was very tired and so was I, so my plan of visiting has been postponed to tomorrow evening, I hope.
Porscha told me that Forrest had slept a good bit of the day (remember, Wombats are nocturnal) but had taken his bottles well, and was quite alert during each feed. He simply went back to sleep in his burrow-basket immediately afterwards. She had him at work (she is the fulltime Manager of an animal shelter) with her, so he was monitored all day, and the staff are all in love with him.
However, during last night (his daytime) he was quite a busy boy in his playpen, waking her up for his three-hourly feeds, and jumping about quite energetically, she said. She had given him some clumps of grass to play with, which he thought were good toys, in fact nicely-edible toys, another healthy sign.
She did say, however, that his weight is of serious concern. His little ribs and backbone are awfully obvious when she holds him, and getting weight onto his frame is a priority, of course.
The nasty wound is still progressing well, with no pus apparent, but the antibiotics will continue; he sees the vet tomorrow (was to have been today, but Anzac Day means most business is closed, other than for emergency).
So, right at this moment, half after midnight in southern Oz, I imagine Little Master Forrest is cuddled up with Porscha for his midnight feed, she half asleep and he wide awake.
Interestingly, she has assured me that in due course, he will slightly readjust his nocturnal to her diurnal wishes, and that means more sleep for her. Something of a priority, you will agree, I am sure.
Anyway, this Wombat auntie is heading off to her burrow, and once again, thank you all for even more wonderful donations and mountains of Wombat-shaped AireZen for our Little Forrest Wombat.
He progresses.
Tuesday's news . . .
I got some fabulous photos this morning. I went down the creek for an hour . . . just to use up the film. There was a
beautiful Wombatgirl sitting outside her burrow; she didn't bother with me or the camera clicking at her.
I crept to the edge of the cliff overlooking our creek,
Then I walked up the creek to Forrest's Mummy's burrow but of course, nobody is at home any more . . .
This is Forrest's Mummy's burrow . . . nobody at home now.
The entrance to the burrow. You can see the powerful claw markings on the sides,
He's doing well, I fed him tonight . . . and we had a little game together.
Day 6, or 7:
I didn't manage to deliver my update on Forrest, our little Womdale/Airebat last night, so I'm hoping you all figured that no news was automatically good news.
Well, it is looking that way, for sure. (I still have a note of caution in my voice; it's very early days to be judging the future of Forrest's recovery.)
I visited Forrest & Porscha last night, just on dusk, with the full moon rising over the hills of our valley & the soft mist delivering a little chill in the aire. Just the sort of night that Wombats love best.
Do please come in . . .
He was tucked up asleep in the arms of Porscha's partner, Neil - quite a cute sight, with a long lanky bloke cradling a tiny bunny-rugged bundle of Wombat, while he watched the Simpsons on TV!! We chatted about Forrest's day with her at work, and Porscha then showed me her meticulous notes on Forrest, recorded almost by the hour since first she took charge of him.
The single two most critical issues are, of course, the infection site on his back and the concern over his very fragile weight. Fortunately, the level of infection appears to be subsiding, with less smell & less pus oozing from the still-gaping wound.
His weight, however, is featherlight compared to what he should normally be. Porscha is now estimating his age at rather more than six months, a guesstimate based on certain characteristics that are a kind of Wombat signpost. For instance, the darker patches of colour on his little feet are an indicator of aging - a baby will have pink soles to his feet up to around five months. Forrest's adorable little paws look a bit like he's been paddling in soot, putting him at certainly more than six months, possibly eight or nine.
Although when unwrapped from his soft blankets, he looks chubby enough, it is not till you hold him closely that his boniness becomes quite apparent. Backbone & ribs are very evident to the finger touch. But gradually, he will put back the flesh that will allow him then to regulate his body heat better - right now, he has to be well-wrapped, and sleep on a heat pad to ensure he does not get chilled and develop pneumonia. He is coughing a bit too, but that is an indicator that things are loosening up in his chest.
Not long after I arrived, he woke up and was happy to snuggle in my arms for a while. Then one little paw was extended, and a nose was lifted, snuffling with a little chittering that pretty much said, well, what about my dinner. It's all very well you lot chattering away and saying what a lovely boy I am, when hey, I am HUNGRY!
Porscha of course had his bottle ready, and yeah . . . you guessed it. I got lucky. It's been a lifelong dream of mine to feed a Wombat baby. He sucked away, eyes partly closed, little paws flexing & closing, and not a drop was spilled. I held him close as he finished, & he nodded back to sleep for a while. He needs such a lot of sleep, to help repair the debilitation brought about by stress & isolation, so his feeding patterns still reflect that need as well. Ultimately, he will progress to four-hourly feeds, but it may be a few weeks yet.
But Wombats are nothing if not surprising. In ten minutes, he was wide awake and wriggling free of his wrappings. We let him clamber around the couch we were sitting on, and got a fit of the giggles as he proceeded to play BashTheCushion, & BurrowTheCouch, & a bit of Biteyface with my fist.
I could have sat & watched him, enthralled, for hours. You know how it is with our AirePuppies? WomPuppies are just the same. You can never get enough of them.
So there we are again. Another day of progress for Little Forrest Wombat.
Even more Forrest dollars have arrived in the mail & by cybermagic today. We say our heartfelt thanks again & again. Your generosity is beyond words, and the power of your AireZen is infinite.
Forrest sends his love to you all, and a big bundle of snuffles ---
Sue, the mighty proud Airebat Auntie of Aus
and saw Forrest's auntie taking some fresh air at the entrance to her home.
These burrows are handed (pawed?) on from generation to generation,
and this one would be many, many years old.
evidence of a Wombat's ability to move vast amounts of soil.
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