More Animal Tales from Wild Baby Rescue Center

More Animal Tales

by Wild Baby Rescue
our November COTM

nominated by Rebecca of MsBekkahsCorner

Text & Photos courtesy of WBRC

Little Hawk the Squirrel

So You Think You Had A Bad Day?

One day in March a little squirrel fell from a tree. A woman saw him fall and left him for a while hoping that his mom would return and carry him back up to his nest in the tree. She sat at the window to make sure he was alright.

Suddenly a hawk swooped down and picked up the little squirrel. The woman screamed scaring the hawk and the baby squirrel once again plummeted towards the earth. The woman decided to rescue the baby squirrel and bring him inside. As she left her house the neighborhood feral cat grabbed the squirrel and started off with him. The woman was able to get the cat to come to her and drop the baby squirrel. He sustained several injuries including punctures from the cat's teeth, a wound from the hawk's talons and a broken shoulder from one of the falls.

He was given antibiotics and put on small cage rest. The little squirrel had to rest with minimal activity until his shoulder healed but he was very lonely.

Squirrels are very social animals and need the warmth and companionship of other squirrels. A little female was admitted the days later. She was a little younger, very sweet, and made the perfect little sister for Little Hawk. It was love at first sight. We named her Buttercup.

Little Hawk made a complete recovery and the two squirrels were released together.

Fox, Fox, and More Fox,

    

In late April, our first little female fox arrived. She was caught in a window well under a porch. Associated Humane Society in Newark went out on the rescue and brought the tiny kit to Wild Baby Rescue Center. She was about 7 weeks old, scared and dehydrated. She was put in a warm crate, and given food and formula. We named her Aurora.

Next to be admitted was a 6 week old kit we named Mia. She was found on the side of the road and it is suspected that she had been hit or bumped by a car. Although the x-rays were negative, for the first week she refused to walk. We held her and hand fed her to ensure she was getting enough nourishment to help her heal. She would just sit beside us when we cleaned her cage. We were not sure she would ever walk. One day she was placed on the floor for cage cleaning and she got up and followed us all around the room. Sometimes all an animal needs is a little time and supportive care.

    

The third little female we named Cinderella. She was admitted with only two little tuffs of fur left on her body, so sick with mange. Four weeks into her care we found she had broken her leg and required several more weeks of small cage rest. Finally 9 weeks later healthy and ready for "the Ball" she was re-released back to her mother and siblings.

The forth female admitted, also with mange, was little Noel. She was released back to her family and den on New Year's Eve. Little Noel spent extra time at Wild Baby Rescue putting on enough weight for the cold winter months ahead.

    

The last fox is an older male named Bob. He was probably about 24 hours away from death. Luckily his rescuer cared enough to go to great lengths to trap him and get him here for help. He was emaciated and dehydrated, with little fur and many open wounds. Three treatments later, he started gaining weight, his wounds were healing and new fur began to grow. Bob was released 11 weeks after his admission and is now wild and free.

A Word About Mange… Mange is a very treatable condition caused by a tiny mite that infects the animal under its skin. The animal develops sores from scratching, hair loss and becomes dehydrated and emaciated. The animal itches so much, he doesn't hunt. The cycle goes around and becomes sicker and eventually succumbs to a horrible, slow death. Wild Baby Rescue Center treats mange (especially in Fox) very successfully. If you see an animal with mange please call you local Wildlife Rehabilitator.

Last Year's Fawn Shows Her Appreciation

One of our capital improvement is a newly fenced-in field for fawns. The area has electric fencing surrounding it as well. Our first test day went well with the fawns enjoying the extra room to run around. They sunned themselves, played tag and munched on the green grass. All was well, or so we thought.

On the third day one of our little girls, Moonshine, snuck under a low spot in the fencing. We tried everything to get her back into the corral. I even tried to grab her through the fence. Big mistake, she spun out and kicked hard. None of our coaxing worked. We were all very worried about a young fawn on her own. Night fell and there was nothing we could do until morning.

Early the next day here comes Moonshine with an adult doe leading the way. Clover, one of our deer from the prior year had adopted the little fawn. From then on Little Moonshine followed Clover where ever she went. A month later the rest of the Fawns were released. Moonshine and Clover come twice a day now for corn feed as do the other five fawns, Lightning, Rainbow, Shamrock, Sunshine and Twister. They have become one little herd led by the Motherly Clover.

Each of WBRC's wildlife patients requires a specialized diet. Injured wildlife often need veterinary care and medication. Food and medical care account for our biggest expenses by far. A donation to Wild Baby Rescue will help cover these important costs. 100% of every donation goes towards animal care. Relying on the kindness of volunteers, we do not employ a staff.

WILD BABY RESCUE

READ EFA's Intro Article
ViSiT their WEBSiTE
LiKE their Facebook

MAKE a DONATiON

SHOP TEAM EFA COTM

- click HERE -

for products that benefit

Charity of the Month

THANK YOU 

for supporting

our COTM Program !

ANiMAL MUNDi: The Incredible Fruit-Eating Lizard of the Philippines by Corinna of TheFrogBag

by Corinna of TheFrogBag

Photos courtesy of Arkive.com

The Incredible Fruit-Eating 

Lizard of the Philippines 

Lizards tend to be carnivores. Small lizards tend to eat small creatures, like bugs. Medium-sized lizards tend to eat bigger creatures, like mice. And big lizards tend to eat large creatures, like rabbits and even goats. But apparently no one told this to monitor lizards in the Philippines, because the bigger they get the more they tend to eat fruit.

When young, the shy arboreal Gray’s monitor (Varnus olivaceus) subsists mostly on insects, snails, and crabs, with a side of fruit now and then. That’s odd enough since fruit is something most monitor lizards would eat only if it happened to already be in the stomach of another animal. But as the lizards grow older they reverse this trend and start eating a more frugivorous diet supplemented by snails and small prey items. Look closely and you can see that they are well adapted for this life style. Their teeth are blunter than those of other monitor lizards and therefore better at grabbing fruit and crushing snails. Their olive green coloration blends into the rain forests that they call home. Each foot sports long, well-developed claws that help them cling to tree limbs and pluck their “prey”. 

Unfortunately, populations of these reptiles are decreasing in the wild. They’re listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a measure of how close we are to losing them entirely. They’re also very difficult to breed in captivity, making their status all the more worrisome. The culprit is mostly habitat destruction, but smuggling is also a concern. 

L.A. Zoo Resident

Fortunately an illegal shipment of Grey’s was intercepted at the Los Angeles airport in 2010 and the lizards taken to the LA Zoo. Too weak to be sent back to the wild, they were nursed to health and now occupy a large enclosure in the zoo’s new reptile house where every effort is being made to get them to mate. If they do, a population can be maintained outside of their native habitat, providing an assurance against extinction of the species. That’s important, because the world really would be a little less marvelous without a 20-pound fruit-eating giant lizard. 

Three Animal Tales by Wild Baby Rescue… our November COTM

Three Animal Tales

by Wild Baby Rescue
our November COTM

nominated by Rebecca of MsBekkahsCorner

Text & Photos courtesy of WBRC

Hagrid the Raccoon
A Gentle Giant

A gentle giant arrived at Wild Baby Rescue Center during Thanksgiving week. He is a raccoon, who at six months old weighs 24.6 pounds, more than double the normal weight of a raccoon his age and clearly has no idea that he is a raccoon. He was kept as a pet. He was fed bags of candy corn and other sweets. He slept in a bed. He was treated like the cat and dog he lived with. He was spoiled with human attention until he grew too big to control and then he was no longer wanted.

Now this gentle giant must become a raccoon. The transition will be sad and difficult for him. His name was Rocky, but in honor of his new life we will call him Hagrid (of the Harry Potter fame).

The first order of business will be to get him on a natural healthy diet and to reduce his weight with exercise. He will spend the winter in a large enclosure in the barn with a bed of hay and lots of tree limbs to climb on. We will also create diversions to keep him from becoming bored and keep him active. Paper towel tubes, cut in pieces and stuffed with natural treats (grapes, banana slices, acorns and dried apricots) will give his hands, and taste buds something new to experience. Rubbing those tubes with spices (mint, cinnamon and allspice) will keep his nose interested and increase his experience with different scents. Pinecones, fur tree branches, and dried corn in husks will add to his wild schooling. One and a half years later, this Gentle Giant was released wild and free.

There is no greater disservice one can inflict on a wild animal than to keep it as a pet. The greatest gift you can give a wild animal is its freedom.

Snickers' Story

Many times well intentioned people find an orphaned wild baby animal and raise it in their homes. More often than not they get attached to the animal and decide to keep it as a pet. Unfortunately, most wildlife are not fed the correct diet and become destructive and dangerous when kept in captive, home environments. That was Snickers the Groundhog's story.

Snickers came to Wild Baby Rescue Center after the family who had her moved to Arizona. She had eaten the woodwork and destroyed the floors. Snickers had been fed cat chow, instead of the greens, fruit and grains that her species needs to grow healthy and strong. She was enormous. Her teeth were overgrown and so were her nails. She had never had the opportunity to dig and tunnel, play in the fresh air, or munch on tasty dandelions.

The weather was warm so she was put in our outside Groundhog enclosure. She immediately got into our digging box and dug her first tunnel. A student at Centenary College made a large enclosed box filled with dirt as enrichment for our Groundhogs.

Snickers was weaned off of cat chow in favor of Romaine lettuce, carrots, corn on the cob, dandelion leaves, strawberries, peanuts and apples. After two months of rehab and a bit of weight loss, Snickers was released and free to enjoy her wild life.

Flower the Eastern Cottontail
Flower Power!

Flower came to Wild Baby Rescue when she was found lying in the snow in early March. She was about three days old. She was warmed and then fed a rehydration formula. She had a small puncture wound that was probably made by a cat. Taking no chances the wound was cleansed and she was started on an antibiotic.

She was given formula three times daily and seven days later she opened her eyes. Leafy greens, apple and pear was added to her diet and at twelve days old she was weaned off her formula and eating lots of solid food. By the time she was three weeks old she was eating a head of red leaf lettuce, ¼ of a pear and ¼ of an apple each day.

She was released at six weeks old to a place where she will have plenty of green grass and clover and hopefully live a long, good life and have many baby bunnies of her own.

Each of WBRC's wildlife patients requires a specialized diet. Injured wildlife often need veterinary care and medication. Food and medical care account for our biggest expenses by far. A donation to Wild Baby Rescue will help cover these important costs. 100% of every donation goes towards animal care. Relying on the kindness of volunteers, we do not employ a staff.

WILD BABY RESCUE

READ EFA's Intro Article
ViSiT their WEBSiTE
LiKE their Facebook

MAKE a DONATiON

SHOP TEAM EFA COTM

- click HERE -

for products that benefit

Charity of the Month

THANK YOU 

for supporting

our COTM Program !

ANiMAL PETiTiONS CORNER by Alicia of WoodsEdge

Presented by Alicia of WoodsEdge

1. Ask Two Governors to Support Greyhounds

Greyhound decoupling is expected to be on the legislative agenda in Iowa and Florida next year. As it stands, greyhound racing is required in order for other types of gambling to run, which means even if businesses wanted to shut it down they couldn't. If decoupling is supported it could help end greyhound racing. 

Please sign the petition urging the governors of Iowa and Florida to support greyhound decoupling. 

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-cruel-dog-racing-mandates

2. Save Beagle Puppies from Cruel Rabies Experiment

The Taiwanese Council of Agriculture is planning to test how infectious a new strain of rabies is by injecting it into at least 14 beagle puppies, even though we already know what rabies does and how it is spread. 

Please send a letter to Taiwan’s premier Jiang Yi-huah asking that this senseless experiment be stopped and efforts be focused instead on studying the effectiveness of current vaccinations.  

https://secure2.convio.net/pcrm/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=665

3. Stop Dangerous King Amendment From Passing

Lawmakers are working on the Farm Bill and the King Amendment is still in there. This amendment could take away state's rights to decide welfare practices and could jeopardize a wide range of progressive moves from cracking down on puppy mills to banning gestation crates. 

Please send a letter to your representative asking that they oppose this amendment. 

http://www.capwiz.com/aspca/issues/alert/?alertid=62973516&type=TA

PLEASE 
TAKE 1-2-3 ACTiONS 

ON BEHALF OF

THE ANiMALS TODAY

THANK YOU !

ANiMAL PETiTiONS CORNER by Alicia of WoodsEdge

Presented by Alicia of WoodsEdge

1. Get Justice for Innocent Fawn

This summer animal advocates spoke out when the Department of Natural Resources raided an animal shelter and seized a fawn named Giggles. Through the Freedom of Information Act, IDA discovered that not only was Giggles killed inhumanely by wildlife officials one day before she was scheduled to be moved to a rehabilitation facility, but that the ones who killed her had joked about it. 

Please send a letter to the the governor demanding the removal of Wisconsin DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp, along with all others involved in this innocent fawns death, for acting both callously and unprofessionally. 

https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2541

2. Keep Yellowstone's Grizzly Bears Protected

Yellowstone's iconic grizzly bears are one step closer to losing protection under the Endangered Species Act, despite conflicting opinions about how well they're doing and the threats they face.  They've already lost a critical food source –whitebark pine trees – and continue to face threats from a small gene pool and conflicts with humans and livestock. 

Please sign the petition asking the Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure their future survival by opposing delisting them. 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/998/747/800/keep-yellowstones-grizzly-bears-protected/

3. Oppose Horse Slaughter in the U.S.

At the beginning of the month a federal judge cleared the way for horse slaughter to resume in the U.S. It's been temporarily stopped again by an emergency injunction, but a greedy few are determined to get this predatory industry up and running again. It's more urgent than ever to get a federal ban in place that will shut this down for good. 

Please send a letter to your representative asking them to support the SAFE Act, which will ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S., in addition to banning their export abroad for that purpose. 

http://www.capwiz.com/aspca/issues/alert/?alertid=62752306&type=CO

PLEASE 
TAKE 1-2-3 ACTiONS 

ON BEHALF OF

THE ANiMALS TODAY

THANK YOU !

ANiMAL MUNDi: Who Needs a Dorsal Fin? by Corinna of TheFrogBag

by Corinna of TheFrogBag

Photos courtesy of Arkive.com

Who Needs a Dorsal Fin?

So what if dorsal fins are all the rage among seagoing critters? The Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) certainly doesn’t care. This marine mammal is on the small side compared to most, measuring just seven feet long for a true giant of the species, and as its name suggests it doesn’t look much like other porpoises either. In fact, you might mistake it for a very slender manatee if you didn’t look too closely for its blowhole. 

Most aquatic animals use their dorsal fins as stabilizers against rolling when they make sharp turns. Picture a killer whale, hunting agile fish and sea lions. Finless porpoises are carnivores too, but they chase more sedate prey such as shrimp and prawns as well as various cephalopods. They haven’t opted for an entirely smooth back though. A ridge runs from their shoulder girdle to their tails, studded randomly with small tubercles that are rich with nerve endings. These rough bumps were once thought to act as a slip-resistant way for mother porpoises to carry their young. In fact that is probably of secondary importance to their use as sensory organs. 

Unlike some of their more gregarious cetacean cousins, little is known about how and when finless porpoises breed. Their shy demeanor makes them difficult to study, as does their tendency to seldom form groups of more than two individuals at a time. When they are spotted it’s usually in the waters off China, Japan, and Indonesia, in shallow bays and estuaries. There’s even a population that lives in the fresh water Yangtze River in China. 

Given the fact that they reside so close to humans it’s no surprise that habitat loss is the biggest threat facing these charming creatures. Shrimp farms, near-shore pollution, and deforestation of mangrove swamps are contributing factors to the steep decline of their populations. Fortunately, conservation organizations like the World Wildlife Fund are stepping in to help. With an intellect that is said to rival that of the gorilla, finless porpoises will hopefully continue to ply the waters of Asia for years to come. 

ANiMAL PETiTiONS CORNER by Alicia of WoodsEdge

Presented by Alicia of WoodsEdge

1. Support Funding for Retired Research Chimps

Following a long battle for their freedom, chimpanzees suffering in labs got a victory when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) formally announced it would be retiring most of the ones it owns or funds. However, the cap on the $30 million that was allocated for their care at the time will be hit this month and once it is reached the NIH won't have the necessary funds to move retired chimps to sanctuaries or care for the ones who are already there. 

Please sign the petition urging your representative to support legislation that will lift the cap on spending so these chimps can go to sanctuaries and live out their days in peace. 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/346/398/557/support-funding-for-retired-research-chimps/

2. Stop the Slaughter – Speak Up for Wolves

In just 16 days, 181 wolves have been killed in Wisconsin – making the death toll higher than it was in all of 2012. Some believe the scales have been tipped with an unbalanced Wolf Advisory Committee, which is responsible for making management recommendations. The committee is made up largely of those with interests in livestock, hunting and trapping, while scientists have been removed and only one pro-wolf group is represented. 

Please send a letter to the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to ensure balance and fairness in the committee.  

https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2659

3. Tell the USDA to Protect Baby Wild Animals 

Exhibitors often use baby animals to draw crowds, but once these babies grow older their cuteness wears off and they can become dangerous to handle. Unfortunately, once they're no longer profitable for their owners they can end up in a number of bad situations. 

Please sign the petition urging the USDA to create a rule that bans public contact with big cats, bears and primates.   

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/246/513/436/

PLEASE 
TAKE 1-2-3 ACTiONS 

ON BEHALF OF

THE ANiMALS TODAY

THANK YOU !

EFA MEMBER iNTERViEW… ScrappyRat by Rebecca of KneeDeepOriginals

MEET VERONICA of SCRAPPY RAT… 

Writer and Animal Advocate 

by Rebecca of KneeDeepOriginals

Veronica Noechel is a writer and a former dog trainer before her spine “melted (luck of the genetic draw”), as she says. 

So far, her books have all been collections of poetry. Gone, published by Foothills Press, is her most recent and is for sale in her Etsy shop. Animal imagery is core to her writing, and this book, as implied by the name, was composed after some pretty devastating, rapid-fire losses. Veronica says that Foothills did a beautiful job with the book, complete with hand-stitched bindings.

Gone, A Book of Poetry

Veronica also wrote a cook book called Yummy for Dogs that features nearly 100 pages of homemade dog treat and special occasion recipes. "I had a lot of help from my own dogs and the willing taste-testers at the vet clinic kennel where I worked at the time." 

Yummy for Dogs, a Recipe Book

Veronica is a strong animal advocate and fosters small animals for an area rescue organization, Carolina Pet Rescue, “so I usually have a few rodents around the house to inspire my work.” At the moment, it's a pair of hairless rats, if anyone is looking for a pair of sweet, albeit funny-looking, companions to adopt. www.cpr-nc.org

PETS & ANIMAL CHARITIES

When asked if she owns any pets, Veronica’s response is rather humorous.  She says, “Of course! How could I not, after working in rescue for so many years? Sooner or later, a foster or two (or three...) will insist upon staying for good.” Currently, she has in permanent residence at her home:

Two cats… Toulouse and Violet.  Both born to feral mothers, they nonetheless evolved into some startlingly cuddly cats. Toulouse is enormous and orange, Violet petite and mackerel tabby. Violet was found under a shed by the dog when she was just four weeks old, so she has a few residual mommy issues, despite being an adult. When she's tired she will suck on her toe like little kids suck their thumbs, and she'll make tiny kitten noises to let Veronica know she needs cuddling to sleep. Veronica admits that it's pretty darn adorable.

One dog… Usagi is a rat terrier someone dumped on a highway about 15 years ago. She's “our little White Buffalo” since she will never go around something if she can plow right through it.

Chinchilla Rescue Pendant

One chinchilla… Pelt came from the city pound about 10 years ago. She used to go with Veronica to do anti-fur talks and the like, hence her name. Veronica explains about the plight of chinchillas: “Fur chinchillas are taken from the same breeding mills as pet ones, so the fact that she's here with me, vs. anally electrocuted years ago, is totally luck of the draw. It's some brutal stuff to think about.” Pelt loves to play "trick-the-dumb-human" and get into anything she's not supposed to, so Veronica has to keep everything in her room chin-proofed for her safety.

Two turtles (also rescues)… Walter  and Jebediah. Walter is a yellow-bellied slider, found by Veronica’s dad when she was a little girl. Walter has been with her for about 35 years now. Veronica explains that this type of turtle is aquatic and often can be bought at the beach. She says, “I wish they'd stop selling these animals completely. People are rarely prepared to take care of such a long-lived animal with its special needs.”  Veronica’s other turtle, Jebediah, came from the animal shelter. He was an adult when he was found abandoned in an apartment when the tenants ran out on their rent. He loves to eat and has quite the eclectic palate for a turtle. He loves treats from radicchio to apple slices to bits of tofu pups. He gets all excited any time he hears the cutting board being pulled out, knowing a fruit or veggie snack is on its way.

Veronica also has degus, which are sometimes called 'Chilean Squirrels'. They look a bit like a cross between an overgrown gerbil and a guinea pig, and are more wild animal than pet. There is very little reliable information out there regarding proper care. They're a long-lived rodent, extremely difficult to identify by sex (so it's easy to end up with "oops" litters), they need a lot of space and aren't super interested in humans (though some are more than others). Proper diets aren't easy to find for them, and they absolutely must be kept in groups or they will self-mutilate. Veronica has created a degutopia for her because she has ended up adopting many of them over the years since it's hard to place them in appropriate homes. Though Veronica wishes these animals weren’t sold as pets (believing, first-hand experience, of course, that they benefit much from being kept as pets), she says that one thing they do that is absolutely beyond cute is the way they "talk" all the time. They make these beeping and booping sounds to each other.

WOW!  That’s a lot of pets… and a huge variety too!  This is, actually, the fewest animals Veronica has had in many years, but she says, “Since my back fell to bits, I've had to limit myself and not adopt more when they pass on. I have a good number now for my abilities (with the generous help of my husband), and knowing your limits is an important part of being a responsible guardian.”

Veronica also tries to use her writing to educate and advocate for animals. “Yes,” she explains, “I am one of those nuts who writes to their legislators on a regular basis.” She makes an effort to stay on top of the issues so she can write letters to the editor and contact companies that need a push in the right direction. She also gives at least 10% of her profits from her Etsy shop to  EFA’s Charity of the Month and has several 100% charity donation items in her store, including her cook book. Many of her Etsy listings have a pro-animal and animal advocacy message as well.

Give a Dog a Bone, a Colorful Pin

FAVORITE ANIMAL? Well, if you couldn’t guess from Veronica’s shop name, she is partial to rats, but it’s understandable, because she was born under the Year of the Rat. And, Veronica says, “the Newberry award winning book that year was Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, and the movie Ben came out then, too. Lousy movie, but with the sweetest song about a rat, ever. So I think I'm somewhat destined to identify with them. They're social, they're clever, they're survivors. I'd like to think some of that has rubbed off on me. They're also jumpy and nervous, which I know I got a healthy (er..unhealthy) dose of.”

Happy Rat Matchbook Cards

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ETSY SHOP

Scrappy Rat Designs “is the perfect place to find something special for the animal nut in your life, like your friend who takes her dog absolutely *everywhere*, or your vegan in-laws, your pet sitter who always goes above and beyond, the trainer who taught your dog to stop standing on the dining room table, your favorite vet who's always got a pocket full of cat treats, your sister who feeds a feral cat colony, or your boyfriend whose spare bedroom doubles as a shelter for the foster rats he picks up from the pound to find a special home for each and every one.”

Grey2K Charity Item

As mentioned earlier, Veronica support EFA’s Charity of the Month, but she also makes special greyhound-themed pins, and she donates all proceeds to Grey2K. She states that “the greyhound racing industry is abusive and exploitative by nature. There's really no way they can do what they do, and turn a profit, and treat the dogs like, well, dogs. It's an industry that treats dogs like a disposable by-product, leading to a glut of animals being poured into a rescue system that already can't help all the dogs who need lifesaving adoptions.”  Etsy for Animals was proud to support Grey2K as our COTM in September, standing with them in their fight to bring an end to this racing industry.

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT IN YOUR SHOP RIGHT NOW? “Oh wow, well, with the holidays upcoming, I get a lot of custom orders for collaged pet designs as wall-hangings and cards featuring clients' animals. It's busy, but it's fun, too. I love getting to know their pets through photos and the details they provide about their animals' personalities.”

Large ShadowBox Collage

FAVORITE PIECE OF WORK? “That's a tough question, because I try to only make things I would want to purchase if I was shopping in my store. Added bonus: if it doesn't sell, I get to keep it! Whoo hoo!  I go through phases where I'm more inspired to create items featuring one species or another, and right now I'm on a bit of a cat kick. It works well though, since our COTM in October was Alley Cat Allies." Right now, I'm particularly fond of this card set: 

Playful Cats, a Set of Cards

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT ON ETSY?

“I'm a writer, so I work on my poems and fiction projects. Here's a link to my writing page, although it's currently undergoing major renovations, so don't judge me too harshly. :)" www.evnoechel.com

"I'm currently torturing myself with the Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) novel-in-a-month challenge. I don't know if I'll get the whole thing done in a month, but it's worth trying." nanowrimo.org/participants/ratgirl You can watch my progress through that link. It's a historical fiction zombie novel tentatively called, "Quiet Sickness". Keep an eye on the site for more to come.

"I also help screen potential charities for the Etsy for Animals COTM program to make sure they're on the up-and-up, so to speak. It's important, with a whole team working together to help these groups, that our efforts don't go to waste." Thank you for being our COTM Co-Leader, Veronica !

Veronica is EFA's COTM Co-Leader !

To learn even more about what Veronica is up to, you can follow these links to find her elsewhere online.

http://scrappyrat.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/scrappyratdesigns

http://www.evnoechel.com

http://evnoechelwriter.blogspot.com

ANY TIPS FOR OTHER ETSY SELLERS & EFA MEMBERS?

“Just keep creating. The more you add to your shop, the more interest you'll draw. Find your niche and work it and make what you love. If you do all that, the sales will happen, and even when they don't, you'll still have had a good day working.”  Excellent advice, Veronica!  Thanks for sharing it, especially that last part…. It’s a good reminder when the sales are slow!

ANY ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO OFFER FOR US?

“Knowledge leads to compassion, leads to a better world for all beings. Learn all you can. Help all you can. And be gentle with yourself. You're a being who deserves compassion, too.”

Visit Scrappy Rat Shop !