New Additions

Calypso, Clancy ,and Clementine joined the family two weeks ago. They're gorgeous strawberry hermit crabs but, unfortunately, they came infested with mites. They had to spend their first week and half here in a sterile 10 gallon isolation tank being treated for the mites. Just a couple days ago they got the "all clear" to move into the community tank.

Tail Carrying

For those who don't know, sugar gliders have semi-prehensile tails. That means they can wrap their tails around things but it's not strong enough to support their body weight so they can't hang by their tails alone.

North has been a tail carrier since he was a joey but Nocturne has never managed to figure it out (though not for lack of trying). North picks up an object in his mouth, hangs upside down by his back feet, passes the object along his body to his tail, which he wraps around his chosen treasure. Then he proceeds to make his way to the sleeping pouch in a very determined manner. He pulls the object into the pouch in order to build what he perceives to be a better nest for Nocturne and himself.

North's tail carrying materials of choice are faux leaves, woven palm strips, and dried eucalyptus leaves.

I was lucky enough to once catch North carrying euc leaves with both his tail and mouth.

Wildlife

Above is a downy woodpecker on the suet feeder that hangs outside my window.

Below is picture of a few sparrows at that same suet feeder. Sparrows seem to have a talent for getting themselves in trouble around here. Just last week I had to free one that had gotten her foot stuck in the feeder. Before that a sparrow had actually gotten herself trapped inside one of the feeders and I had to get her out.

Above is one of my favorite birds, a wren, on the seed cake feeder outside my window.

Below in a shot of some of the feeders in the backyard. Included are two sunflower seed feeders, one finch feeder, and some suet. There's a similar setup in the front yard. In the back there's also a couple squirrel feeders where they get dried corn on the cob and peanuts.