The spouse speaks: Raccoons may be smarter than my husband.

Hi Angela, [snippppp] trendy tiled brekkie bar, want a lodger?

Only kidding Mrs K :-))

Brekkie bar???? Looks like she makes him eat on the floor to me. LOL

Last night it was Pudding-palooza at our house.

I used shelf stable, ready-to-eat vanilla pudding. I did not use chocolate as somebody mentioned that it can be toxic for some animals.

Raccoon Trials

Behavioral Observations:

Interloper Mama ran directly to the open cup and started eating. Apron Strings Baby wanted some too, but Mom wasn't sharing. Eric (Old Softie!) went inside and got Apron Strings Baby his own pudding cup.

The raccoons could only tolerate pudding in small repeated amounts, probably due to the viscous consistency. For example Interloper Mama licked the pudding for about a minute, then drank some water, then returned to the pudding cup, then nosed about the yard for some grapes, then returned to the pudding cup etc. She eventually ate all of her pudding cup and Apron Strings Baby ate most of his.

Here is a picture of Interloper Mama eating shelf stable vanilla pudding.



Human Trial

Behavioral Observations:

Subject popped the top off of the pudding and inserted a spoon. He rather quickly consumed all of the contents.

Linguistic Observations:

Eric: It is very sweet and it tastes artificial.
Angela: (Trying a spoonful) This is absolutely disgusting.
Eric: Chocolate would be better.
Angela: I didn't want to harm my Little Raccoon Friends.
Eric: Those big nasty, snarling beasts outside are NOT your "Little Raccoon Friends."
Angela: Homemade pudding is so much better.
Eric: Oh, without a doubt.
Angela: How can you eat this stuff when homemade is so vastly superior?
Eric: Do you see any homemade pudding here?
Angela: I just made you homemade butterscotch pudding last weekend!
Eric: No, you made your MOTHER homemade butterscotch pudding. I just got to eat some.
Angela: But the point is, you just had the real stuff. So how can you eat this fake stuff now?
Eric: That was then, this is now... Do we have any more of these pudding cups?

[...]

Eric: It is very sweet and it tastes artificial.
Angela: (Trying a spoonful) This is absolutely disgusting.
[...]
Angela: But the point is, you just had the real stuff. So how can you eat this fake stuff now?
Eric: That was then, this is now... Do we have any more of these pudding cups?

Gads, yer bickering like an old couple... :)

But it's ok, Suz and I do that too after only 4 years of marriage.

And yes, Angela, chocolate is bad...

Quoting from the ASPCA site:

Did you know…chocolate can be harmful or even deadly to pets?

Depending on the form involved, chocolate can contain high amounts of fat and caffeine-like substances known as methylxanthines. If ingested in significant amounts, chocolate can potentially produce clinical effects ranging from vomiting and diarrhea to panting, excessive thirst and urination, hyperactivity, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and even death in severe cases.

Typically, the darker the chocolate, the higher the potential for clinical problems from methylxanthine poisoning. White chocolate has the lowest methylxanthine content, while baking chocolate contains the highest. As little as 20 ounces of milk chocolate, or only two ounces of baking chocolate can cause serious problems in a 10-pound dog. While white chocolate may not have the same potential as darker forms to cause a methylxanthine poisoning, the high fat content of lighter chocolates could still lead to vomiting and diarrhea, as well as the possible development of life-threatening pancreatitis, an inflammatory condition of the pancreas.

What??? 20 oz of milk chocolate might cause harm to a 10 lb dog??? Heck, If there were either 20 ozs of chocolate in this house, or some dog that only weighed 10 lbs, then I might get concerned. The lightest dog is 50lbs, so I shouldn't feed it 100 ozs of chocolate....100 ozs???? isn't that like just over 6 lbs???? Heck if I gave my smallest dog (any dog) 6 lbs of anything, I imagine it'd get sick. Or, Imagine what would happen if the wife brought home 6 lbs of chocolate, only to find I'd given it to the dogs. I imagine at that point, I'd likely have a couple health problems. Like the ole "frying pan thrown at the head" disease.

What??? 20 oz of milk chocolate might cause harm to a 10 lb dog??? Heck, If there were either 20 ozs of chocolate in this house, or some dog that only weighed 10 lbs, then I might get concerned. The lightest dog is 50lbs, so I shouldn't feed it 100 ozs of chocolate....100 ozs???? isn't that like just over 6 lbs???? Heck if I gave my smallest dog (any dog) 6 lbs of anything, I imagine it'd get sick. Or, Imagine what would happen if the wife brought home 6 lbs of chocolate, only to find I'd given it to the dogs. I imagine at that point, I'd likely have a couple health problems. Like the ole "frying pan thrown at the head" disease.

... Or, Imagine what would happen if the wife brought home 6 lbs of chocolate, only to find I'd given it to the dogs. I imagine at that point, I'd likely have a couple health problems. Like the ole "frying pan thrown at the head" disease.

Update on the fake-jello cup:

[img]we test a variety of questionable foods. Please suggest items. I will place said items before Eric and before raccoons and keep you updated on the results.

Update on the fake-jello cup:

[img]we test a variety of questionable foods. Please suggest items. I will place said items before Eric and before raccoons and keep you updated on the results.

Ok, I am a firm believer that anything from Taco Bell could be considered a questionable food, the sad part is that while i can admit this, i still love my late night runs through their drive through.

Debates on chocolate are all well and good, but...

It’s been over a week since the last racoon/Dr. K update. How goes the experiment, Ms A?

Debates on chocolate are all well and good, but...

It’s been over a week since the last racoon/Dr. K update. How goes the experiment, Ms A?

We will miss the regular updates Angela, but the holidays with family come first! Take the time to spend with loved ones as they are most important.
____________

Ms Angela,
Happy Holidays to you too. Please don't give up on this post. You could continue this, by providing your extended family the taste of LEFT OVERS, sans the chocolate of course.
____________
Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Cash Donation Specialist