Critter Xmas

Ya'all gonna either think I am nuts or done stopped on one of the mangrove Islands to smoke the plants but here goes........

Hey what I re-posted for Kimmy yesterday brings to mind the fact that we have more animals than just the ones in shelters to think about this holiday season. Someone pointed out to me a few hours later that there are other homeless animals out there too...
Now we already feed every critter, its brother and whichever ones of their cousins are visiting that week..... Thing is even the animals know it is the holiday season. They are no dumber or less communicative with other animals than we as humans are with humans. I truly believe they all have very real feelings, very real emotions and whoever tells you a dog wont remember something or someone a couple of years from now...uh uh they do remember.
We always throw something extra out on Xmas day for alll the critters that come up to and in the house (OK so the shed just does not seem to be to coonies taste....). I dont mean just more peanuts for the squirrels, I mean across the board treat foods for all of them.
Anyway here are some holiday treat suggestions you can give to your favorite furry friends.

Squirrels -- Man hit em up with a bowl of unsalted, still in the shell mixed nuts. They love dried any kind of fruit but cherries and apricots seem to be the best. - It is nest making time here in Florida well into N Georgia too, take a shoebox and fill it with a bag of cotton balls, leave one end open they will only steal a few but there will be a warmer family of squirrels out there.

Birdies ---take a good sized glob of peanut butter, mix in some Honey (but not too much just enough to make it smotth, easily digestable - not runny) add in a couple of handfuls of whatever cereal you got - and crumple up some crackers to put in there too. now glob it all together using the peanut butter/honey mix as your binder. at the end I take a small styrofoam plate, tie a dowel or pencil to the end of the string, run that sucker up through the plate, up through the goo, tie your pencil as a cross bar under the plate and hang it from the string. Put one out Xmas eve morning and one out xmas morning and by xmas dinner you should have a really nice crowd to stare at.

Coons and Neighborhood cats--- If you have coons anyway, may as well make friends - take an old pie tin and leave them a bunch of mixed hard cat or dog food and cut a 5 gallon bucket in 1/2 so you can give them some water they can get to.

Opossum and some coons -- leave out a big bowl of fruit. You might get a couple of armadillos coming up with them but hey it is Xmas - let them.

Bigger birds - take an old cake pan and leave them out a cheap tray of fish - talipia is cheap or some sardines - non pickled (kippured is ok) herring.. etc.

Manatees --- hey it is Xmas take that water hose out to the end of your dock and leave it on for them ALL DAY. wont cost you more than what you spend watering your lawn with all them fancy sprinklers and there are enough babies around right now you may find yourself with the priveledge of getting a picture of one. Remember it is unlawful to feed them but they consider plain old head cabbage a treat (head lettuce does not work as well). It is Xmas chances are pretty good Fish and Wildlife aint gonna be looking at your docks till the 26th.

Gators --- hey if you dont know how to handle a gator - dont do it! But if you are a child of the South and love our indigenous species of lovable big green puppy dogs.......make sure the Gator is far enough away when you drop them hunks of scrap meat down for him/her. - Use extreme caution in the Venice/Englewood/Grove city area as we have at least 5 saltwater crocks and they DO have more babies in the inter coastal again. Crocs are VERY protective of their young. For those of you who have been tormenting the gators in the still ponds with hams hanging from ropes - drop the damn ropes - it is mean anyway and after all that trying, they dserve the treat + you should give them some fresh as well . - and yes I am the asshole who keeps cutting your ropes - you are going to get some kid killed doing that stuff.

ALL CRITTERS - hey home depot, Lowes, all your better pet stores, farm supplies carry these waterer things for dogs that hook right to your hose bib - GET ONE for at least one of your hose outlets, install it and you can still use your hose and you are providing water to all of the local larger wildlife in just days. cheapies (plastic assed fall apart in 3 month crap) are usually around 30 bucks but spend 60 or 70 or whatever and get a good stainless or aluminium unit so that your furry friends can have water at your place for years to come - if you have to justify it to the wife, just tell her your friend (pick one out of thin air) would drink that much in beer in a weekend ---- and he missed a couple of weekends so you are spending on your furry buddies)

Fishies ---- bigger ones - dont sweat 'em give em some shrimp if you must but they are eating good right now anyway. Smallies, get you a couple cans of Flake fish food (prime reef brine shrimp plus, tetra min etc. its xmas dont be a cheap ass) plotch 1/2 can at the end of your dock. go back in about 15 minutes or so and give them another 1/2 a can. Wait another 15 minutes or so and you should be able to go down and see different fish with every palmfull you throw in to them. our inter-coastal fish (especially finger mullet) love Hikari brand Ciclid pellets (the floating ones) and Prime reef Formula One pellets. - be smart there is a spot around every dock where the little guys hang out - that is the spot to start your feed. If you are a little more advanced, I saw Lost Reef up on 41 still had a couple of month long automatic feeders and a couple of 2 week feeders - set 'em up off the side of your dock and start feeding your little fish buddies all year round, gives the fish something nice and give you something nice to watch at your dock.

ALL critters.....set your mower deck up 1/2" higher or more - this will allow the grass to be a bit higher which will provide cleaner air. If you have an extra 30 or 40 bucks laying around get a Florida (or whtever state you live in) native species of coral from the petstore. make sure you get one that is attached to a rock. Float it in properly in whatever rocks you know of in a waterway so it can propogate and grow onto plenty more rocks. This will filter out a lot of the harmful things we have in our waters and make it prettier again for your grand-kids --- remember Native species only. Put them in the waterways and they will eventually re-populate the gulf - plotch them in the gulf and they stand a lot less chance of survival.


Anyway just some random thoughts on how to make the critter xmas better. They know its a special day, they might not know why but they have been watching us for as long as we have been watching them and they do indeed know there is some sort of meaning to the day.

I read something once about dolphins rescuing folks - it was written in the 1800's - It said that of dolphins rescuiing people, more rescues were of children than adults - With the exception of Dec 24th and 25th - Coincidence?

Tags: critter, critters, xmas, x-mas, christmas, animal, raccoon, opossum, gator, manatee

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