Bullet on day 7 after coming back home. He has a hearty appetite and has gained a lot of condition while his wound is looking good. Thank you all for your many lovely comments and thoughtful questions.
I’m glad he is doing so well! Choose the best leaves, Bullet! (How did he get the leaves he needed while he was in the hospital- or did he get a different diet while he was there?)
@paul10@salza@merrelyn thanks for your concern - he was probably bitten by a dog back in May. It began as a tiny puncture that I did not notice, but going back in photos I could see it. The puncture caused a large abscess to form which blew out and suddenly there was a huge open wound. This nearly always happens as dog mouths are so dirty and even a tiny wound often ends up killing them.
So I caught him and he just spent nearly 2 full months in a wildlife hospital and is now back home :)
@kchuk great question - it is a huge task to feed them in hospital. They have large plantations and have to cut branches from trees to supply the leaf. Each branch needs to be around a metre in length, so keeping up a supply means being able to access a lot of trees indeed.
The hospital enclosures then have log structures for the koala to move about on, and long pots to hold the branches so that it feels like a tree. Sadly we can't pick just leave and put it in a bowl for them to eat from - that would be so much easier as we could just take the tops off plantation trees!
GREAT question :)
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So I caught him and he just spent nearly 2 full months in a wildlife hospital and is now back home :)
this shows the story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGouGyQk-JQ
The hospital enclosures then have log structures for the koala to move about on, and long pots to hold the branches so that it feels like a tree. Sadly we can't pick just leave and put it in a bowl for them to eat from - that would be so much easier as we could just take the tops off plantation trees!
GREAT question :)