For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue

Tate the gray fox is now a big boy— he’s SO big and can clearly rip your throat out— so he has been moved from his indoor nursery cage to his outdoor transitional pen. He still hates me with every fiber of his being and hides under his shelter when he notices any hint that I may be approaching. He’s very unhappy that I can use the magical appendages called opposable thumbs to lift it up and check on him anyway.

This fierce little devil will do great on the wild one day. It’s always so wonderful when they hate us!

[Description: a baby gray fox weighing about a pound, underneath a wooden shelter that has been partially lifted. He is looking toward the camera and is mouth is open as he barks and growls.]

I love them. But I feel cheated.

The best part of raising baby skunks is that they go neefneefneef. Baby skunk noises are my absolute favorite thing in the world. They are up there with treating nasty turtle shell injuries and sarcoptic mange. They make the bad parts of my job worth it.

I waited *months* to hear the neef. I usually have too many neefs by the end of April and have to turn them away by May. Somehow May came and went without a single skunk call from this corner of Tennessee. My skunk cages just sat empty and neefless.

Our friends in other parts of the state had lots and lots of skunks, so I offered to ease the load by taking a transfer. As I packed up the babies for the long car ride, I expected to hear some neefing. They told me that this is a quiet litter that doesn’t make much noise.

Now here I am with a litter of baby skunks and I’m not hearing a single neef. Not when they eat. Not when they’re startled. Not when they’re playing together.

Don’t get me wrong; they’re cute anyway and I love them and I’m delighted to care for them. But having skunks that don’t go neefneefneef is like having coffee without creamer. It’s like having peanut butter without jelly. It’s like a cake without icing. It’s like removing a wet-to-dry bandage on a turtle shell and not getting any brown gunk off with it.

Please join me in welcoming Jade, Jasper, and Ruby to For Fox Sake. They are adorable and perfect even without the neefneef.