The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1893-05-04
AWHITE WOODCHUCK
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF AN EXTREME
LY INTERESTING PET.

A wild Little Creature That Became Do |
mesticated by Kindness-His Long Pc
riods of Sleep and How He Looked Dur
ing Them-His Awakening.
Some years ago in the spring, while
travelling on the Belfast Branch railroad,
lust before arriving at Brook Station,
CHANGED to be looking out of the car
window and saw a curious looking ami
NAL run under pile Of brush in gravel
pit near the track. concluded at once
that it must be an albino woodchuck, as
my husband had told me one had been
seen in that vicinity. At the station
hastily procured q basket, and securing
the assistance of two boys proceeded
without loss of time to the gravel pit,
and overhauling some of the brush soon
found the prize. AS had conjectured,
it was an albino woodchuck about two
thirds grown, pure white, with pink
eyes, and as saucy little fellow as one
would care to handle. Without much
difficulty dropped my basket over him.
and securing him returned to the sta
ton, boxed him up and expressed him
home to my husband, with instructions
to keep him on a milk diet until my re-
turn week later.
On returning home found my pet en-
sconced in nest of cotton, purring away
like a contented kitten. He seemed quite
reconciled to the restraints of captivity,
had already become so tame as to allow
his beautiful snow white coat to be
stroked, and seemed especially to enjoy
gentle stroking about the face, which l
think is a characteristic of most wild
animals, and one of the ways of estab-
fishing confidential relations with them.
For the first year his food consisted prln-
cipally of bread and milk, with an oc-
casional handful of plantain leaves. A
most interesting sight was to watch him
while being fed. He would sit up like a
squirrel, holding his food in his paws.
He soon learned to take his milk from
spoon. Grasping it near the bowl, he
would hold it very gracefully until the
milk was all Tapped out; then, with lit
tie assistance, would return it to the cuI
to be filled, and repeat the operation until
his appetite was satisfied. Then he wouic
90 into his nest, roll himself up like
kitten and take nap of several hours
With one exception he never showed hi
wild, savage nature during the two year
of his life in confinement.
Early in the fall the disposition to hi
bernate began to show itself by his lacl
of activity, and he remained in his mes
most Of the time, his sleep becoming 81
profound that he could be taken from
the nest without awaking. About Nov
1 his sleep for the winter began. Il
was placed in the cellar, where the TEN
perature was very even-Just ABOVE Tn
freezing point-and here he rename
without being disturbed until the mic
die of March.
During all this time his body RENAME
cold, and to all outward appearances lift
less. About the time Of his awakenin
in March, upon visiting him and placin
my hand on his body, found it to
quite warm, and after rubbing him II
q few moments he began to yawn an
stretch, but did not get upon his fee
The next day l took him into a war
room in order to watch the process
awakening, rubbing his body and le'
for an hour or more. He seemed qul
Indifferent to my solicitude on his
half, but gradually awakened, open
his eyes, chartered his teeth, and ga
that peculiar whicker SO characterls'
of disturbed woodchuck.
His efforts to stand upon his feet we
for some hours Intellectual. He seem
TO have lost the use of them. iowa
night, however, he seemed to regain fl
control of all his faculties and parto
of little milk. l was surprised to
tice but little loss of fat during the 10
period of sleep. He had become
cessively fat before going into his W
ter sleep, and expected that would
absorbed during that period. His
had become long and of a beautiful
very gloss-so white and silky that
was q pleasure to stroke and pet him.
Upon his first awakening and TO
day or two he seemed to have forgot
his friends and manifested his wild
ture so much as to make himself "
disagreeable. He ate with voraci
appetite and began to grow thin. Il
few days he became mere skeleton
his former self, and for several week
until June did not begin to take
fiesh. He now displayed more acti,
than at any other time during the "
The following winter his sleep was
terrupted once in two weeks. This
done by wrapping him in warm fam
and placing him in warm room.
partook of but little food, and dui
the period of two days of broken res
seemed very uneasy. About the las
March, when he should have awake
to activity, he was taken sick and
in convulsions after q sickness OF
days. now have him nicely mou'
in my collection, among which
several albinos, but none so perfec
my beautiful pet. : Cor. Forest
Stream
Rather Unreasonable.
Titt1a Cir1--T don't see why teRcl