Day 2: Started Working with Opossums

May 9th, 2023

6:15 PM CDT

Today, I volunteered at the Wildlife Rehab Department again from 10 AM to 2 PM. First, I watched Maxwell, one of the morning shift technicians, prepare food for the opossums. Then, I helped him prep food for the birds. Since the newer birds must be fed every 15-30 minutes, preparing insects for them is very tedious. I would sit and cut up worms (that I had to drown to kill them) and crickets (these guys are already dead). Every time I finished cutting up portions for a cage, the next one would be empty again! It was a never-ending cycle, but I'm glad I could help make the meticulous bird-feeding job easier for our technicians. I ended up working with the birds most of today, mainly prepping food for them and feeding them as well. My favorite ones to feed are usually the bluejays or the mockingbird. On the other hand, the woodpeckers tend to peck a lot at the food, making it harder to feed.

Apart from working with the birds, I helped place water bowls in the opossum cages. Some opossums were friendly, while others displayed what we would call "spicy" behavior—a term the staffs use to describe their more aggressive nature. Understanding that aggression is a natural trait, we respect their self-defense mechanisms. We would adapt our approach accordingly by deciding who would be most experienced the handle our more aggressive animals.

Throughout the day, I helped maintain the place clean, doing the dishes whenever possible and helping refill insects whenever the containers emptied. 

The day was undoubtedly physically demanding, but the sense of fulfillment made it worthwhile.

After a short break, I did further research on squirrel rehabilitation processes from 4 PM to 7 PM. I also started creating various blank infographics using Canva to help me visualize how I would present my experience and newfound knowledge for the upcoming Senior Project Exhibition.

My day at the Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Department was busy but rewarding. I'm proud of myself for how helpful I was today. Tomorrow will be my first day working a double shift at the center from 10 AM to 6 PM. I'm slowly getting used to the tasks, so I hope to be more of a help soon. I can't wait to gain new experiences with our animals!

Hours today: 7 hours

Total hours: 14 hours