Animal of the Month
This story appears as an on-going series in the "Gilroy Dispatch", "Morgan Hill Times" and "Hollister Freelance".
Long-Tailed Weasel
May, 2013
By Colleen Grzan
Long-Tailed Weasel
May, 2013
By Colleen Grzan
Since 2005, I've been writing monthly tales about the wild animals that have been cared for at the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill. Multiple eagles, owls, hawks, falcons, song and water birds, opossums, bobcats, rabbits, turkey vultures, and snakes have been featured. But it took all these years to have a repeat of the very first "Animal of the Month"-a long-tailed weasel. The original was a healthy but hungry 6-inch long orphan found abandoned in a San Juan Bautista driveway, and later released where it had been found. WERC's latest arrival had a much more inauspicious circumstance-it was caught by a cat in a Gilroy resident's backyard, and suffered nasty puncture wounds on his head. It was feared that the tussle might have caused grave trauma to the weasel's spinal cord, possibly paralyzing the back legs.
The rescuer immediatelybrought the weasel to Dr. Suzanne Colbert (Princevalle Pet Hospital, Gilroy) who gave the 10-inch-long-from chocolate-brown face to the black tail tip -critter a thorough examination under anesthesia (a necessary precaution because of the weasel's needle-sharp teeth), and treated him with antibiotics and flea medication. For the next 3 days at WERC, the weasel appeared to be recovering well, and he was a curious, active little animal with a hearty appetite. But soon, he began developing a large, painful lump behind his left ear and was holding his head at an angle. At the veterinary hospital, Dr. Colbert lanced the abscess and staff at WERC are providing twice daily medication (including for giardia-an intestinal parasite) and wound care to ensure that the weasel heals well and quickly. The weasel is one slippery and spry animal-he requires extra careful handling with a firm but gentle grasp while wearing leather gloves, and that's after finally getting a hold of him. An extra "benefit" noticed by staff giving him treatment is the distinctive aroma of musk that the weasel emits from his scent glands when he's frightened or agitated.
Once the weasel is out of critical care, he will be transferred to an outdoor enclosure that will be specially modified to mimic the idiosyncrasies of the weasel's native habitat: Tunnels to run through, dirt mounds to dig into, and rock piles to clamber over. He will be fed a natural diet including small rodents and quail. When he is about 12 weeks old and reaches his adult length of 14-16 inches, he will be released back near his native habitat, as required by state laws for mammals.
The long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), can be found in most of the United States, Southern Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. The carnivorous animal is a fearless, aggressive, and voracious hunter and a valuable natural asset in controlling populations of rodents. Using scent and sound to track its prey, the solitary weasel forages day and night for mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, shrews, moles, small birds, reptiles, and rabbits. Small in-ground, tree-dwelling, and aquatic animals are not safe-the weasel can shimmy down burrows, climb trees, and is an excellent swimmer. But it's a prey-eat-prey world out there in the wilderness: Hawks, owls, cats, foxes, and snakes pursue the weasel. Humans hunt it, too, although its fur isn't considered particularly valuable.
The long-tailed weasel is a habitat generalist, living in a wide variety of environments including woodlands, brushlands, grasslands, open areas, farmland, and suburban backyards-almost anywhere there is an abundance of prey, ample cover, and a good water source. It lives in the abandoned burrows of mammals such as chipmunks, in rotting logs, or under tree roots or rocks.
While everyone at WERC has fallen in love with this "cute" critter, we're all looking forward to the day we see him scampering off to freedom in the wilds. Though weasels appear similar to domesticated ferrets, the weasels DO NOT make good pets (besides being illegal in California to keep one). As with all wildlife, unless they are in imminent danger or obviously injured, leave them alone and contact your local wildlife rehabilitation facility for advice.
Once the weasel is out of critical care, he will be transferred to an outdoor enclosure that will be specially modified to mimic the idiosyncrasies of the weasel's native habitat: Tunnels to run through, dirt mounds to dig into, and rock piles to clamber over. He will be fed a natural diet including small rodents and quail. When he is about 12 weeks old and reaches his adult length of 14-16 inches, he will be released back near his native habitat, as required by state laws for mammals.
The long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), can be found in most of the United States, Southern Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. The carnivorous animal is a fearless, aggressive, and voracious hunter and a valuable natural asset in controlling populations of rodents. Using scent and sound to track its prey, the solitary weasel forages day and night for mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, shrews, moles, small birds, reptiles, and rabbits. Small in-ground, tree-dwelling, and aquatic animals are not safe-the weasel can shimmy down burrows, climb trees, and is an excellent swimmer. But it's a prey-eat-prey world out there in the wilderness: Hawks, owls, cats, foxes, and snakes pursue the weasel. Humans hunt it, too, although its fur isn't considered particularly valuable.
The long-tailed weasel is a habitat generalist, living in a wide variety of environments including woodlands, brushlands, grasslands, open areas, farmland, and suburban backyards-almost anywhere there is an abundance of prey, ample cover, and a good water source. It lives in the abandoned burrows of mammals such as chipmunks, in rotting logs, or under tree roots or rocks.
While everyone at WERC has fallen in love with this "cute" critter, we're all looking forward to the day we see him scampering off to freedom in the wilds. Though weasels appear similar to domesticated ferrets, the weasels DO NOT make good pets (besides being illegal in California to keep one). As with all wildlife, unless they are in imminent danger or obviously injured, leave them alone and contact your local wildlife rehabilitation facility for advice.
Colleen Grzan
WERC, the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, provides the community with rehabilitation services for orphaned, injured and sick native wildlife. It is supported solely by donations from businesses and the public.
WERC, the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, provides the community with rehabilitation services for orphaned, injured and sick native wildlife. It is supported solely by donations from businesses and the public.