Guys, it's the middle of summer, we're right in our busy season and we just got a really big surprise!
( ♪ Intro)
So, we got a call that an animal needed help, like, right then, and we weren't prepared,
but, we said, "Yes". And we said, "Well, we'll do what we can for this animal."
And... he's sleeping right now, but let's meet him.
Hi, sleepy boy.
What do you think?
How's it going?
Wanna come say, "hi"?
There you go.
Guys, it's a baby beaver.
He is incredibly, densely furred. Very soft, actually, to the touch.
His tail feels kinda like leather, I don't know, like a belt a little bit.
He has a, almost like a sweet, musty odor.
And he's very food-oriented, so I am going to get his mid-day meal ready for him
and make him a happy little guy.
We think that he's around 5 weeks old, which is still young enough that he needs to have milk.
He should be being nursed by his mother, but he has neurological damage,
and is unable to be raised by his mother.
So, we are giving him some TLC, and I've got some formula just for him.
I love how well he takes this, and you can see that he's holding on to the syringe,
and he keeps moving his little hands around which is a normal behavior that he would do
(Beaver noise) while he's nursing with his mother.
And, these guys are very vocal when they eat, too.
He's eating four times a day now, and that's the formula,
and on top of that, he's also started eating some fresh produce, some starter foods,
and that's a really good sign that he's strong, and healthy and doing what he should do.
We're also offering him a variety of different kinds of soft woods.
But when we first put 'em in, he was not interested at all,
So, what I did was, I got really close to him, and I took the branch between my fingers,
and pretended to use my fingers like teeth, and chew on it, and then he's like,
"Ooh, what're you doing over there?". Then he came over and started mimicking.
So, because these guys are so social, using mimicry like that is a great way for them to
experience and try new things.
Alright, he has eaten the entire syringe,
and he's not gonna be happy when I take it away.
(Beaver makes protesting noises) (Jessi laughs) Sorry, buddy.
Alright, let's wash you up, huh? What do you think?
(More beaver protesting noises) Tell me about it.
(Beaver noises) It's alright. Alright. It's alright.
(Beaver noises)
That is a little beaver temper tantrum.
Alright, now that he's finished, he has to go to the bathroom,
and beavers go to the bathroom in the water,
so I'm gonna put him in his little pool of water here, and let him go poo.
Good job, buddy.
Alright, all done? Come on out. Oh, nicely done!
He is getting so much better at that.
It's a great sign that he's getting stronger.
He can get out of his tub. For a while there, he was struggling a little bit,
but he's getting stronger and stronger, which makes me so happy.
OK, this tub of water is pretty dirty now,
so I'm gonna ahead and change that. There you go, fresh and clean!
So, this is not a permanent set-up for the beaver.
He's going to get huge, like, up to 50 pounds and 3 feet long, huge.
So, there's no way that he's going to be able to live in a kiddie pool forever.
Um, this is just our temporary set-up.
We were surprised to get a beaver, and so as he grows, our accommodations for him
will also need to grow.
So, that's an adventure that we're going on right now.
For now, it's crucial that he gets a ton of socialization.
These guys are very social in the wild. They usually spend up to two years with their parents,
and their family groups, before they move on to their own territory.
So, right now he has stuffed animals to cuddle with, lots of soft blankets,
things to hide in so he can feel secure.
But we also just hang out in the little kiddie pool with him and snuggle.
You can see that he's pretty tuckered out right now. He's just snoozing away.
And there's two reasons for that:
Beavers are nocturnal, so he wouldn't be awake during the day very much anyway.
And also, he just ate a big meal, so he's resting and digesting.
Doing what we do, taking in displaced exotic animals and providing them a lifelong home,
is challenging because we can't always prepare for the unexpected
and sometimes, a lot of unexpected things happen.
But, we do like to be flexible enough so that we're ready to take on the surprises,
like getting a baby beaver.
So, we're pretty excited to take on this challenge.
Well this has been fun! I'm so glad that I get to introduce you to our newest animal.
(To beaver) You are being a terrible co-host. You fell asleep at your own party.
He doesn't have a name yet. So, if you guys would like to suggest a name, leave it down in the comments below.
And if you'd like to go on an adventure with us every week,
subscribe to our YouTube channel, AnimalWondersMontana
Thanks! I'll see you next week!
[ ♪ Outro ]