Little Miss Stoaty's last day with us!

Well today is the day she has to leave and a bitter sweet day it is for me. We're off on holiday so, ready or not, she has to go to the wildlife centre to prepare for release, if this is possible. She will be assessed in a few weeks time as to how successful a soft release will be and time will tell.

She is playing happily here in my spare bedroom among the packing for my holidays and having a wonderful time, chittering away to herself non-stop!

I said in the video that she has been with me for 4 months, which is totally wrong (sorry, senior moment!) She has been here for 5 weeks (I meant to say 4 weeks, but that would have been wrong too! LOL!) today.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• orphan
• stoat
• handrearing
• playing
• leaving

[ChristinaR5]

Thank you so much for this video! I have been searching for the vocals of these animals and I finally heard some in your video!

[feorag]

@ChristinaR5 You're very welcome - it's a lovely noise they make!

[CreekValleyCritters]

She is one very healthy looking and happy little stoat, you did a super job with her :)

[feorag]

@CreekValleyCritters Thank you very much - she was an absolute joy, as I'm sure you'll have guessed by all the videos!

[ncolt45gmail]

I've watched the whole series of videos of you raising the little cutey. I don't think I would have had the strength you did, to let her go and live in the wild. I don't think I could have let the cute little fuzzy go.

[feorag]

@ncolt45gmail It certainly wasn't easy to let her go and I would be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind to keep her, but she really needed to be living the life she was born for. LOL if you think it was hard to let her go after 4 weeks imagine how hard it was to let the squirrels go after they'd been with me for 5 months!!!

That was so hard! However, it was the right thing to do and they survived very well in the wild, continuing to return to the garden after release.

[skyferret1]

Though its rightful place is in the wild with other stoats to play and hunt with, I would be so tempted to keep it. Probably because my favorite type of pets are ferrets.

[feorag]

I know that! That's why she was taken to the wildlife sanctuary where I work to have a soft release. She released herself 3 weeks later.

Unfortunately I had no choice regarding having her on her own, as her sister didn't survive and I couldn't go out and 'manufacture' another baby stoat to grow up with her so there was no choice.

[Eazzy555]

She needs to have More Stoats to play with. Thats how they learn to hunt and thats wat it looks like shes trying to do in the video.

[feorag]

I did for ages after she left, but knowing she was living the natural life she should have been made up for it.