From Newhouse Wildlife Rescue

They pulled up to the rescue with the porcupine. They had been worried about it for days as it appeared to be limping and was quite lethargic. As I peered into the box to take a looked at it, one of the finders children mentioned “the little one looks much healthier”.

“What little one?” I asked. I immediately had concerns that the one in front of me was a mother. Porcupines aren’t very social creatures so a large one hanging around a smaller one is usually a mother and a baby.

They informed me that the second porcupine was much smaller. This complicated the situation. Now I knew another little one was likely dependent on this injured one.

I brought her into the rehab room and the family that found her followed. Upon examination it was clear - mama had really bad mange. It isn’t always evident in porcupines as mange loves to hide on their bellies - which aren’t often exposed for viewing.

The skin on mama’s belly and limbs were in really rough shape. That’s why she was limping. She had open sores that were making her very uncomfortable.

Now it was clear - we had to capture the baby. Mange is contagious among porcupines and there was no way this baby didn’t have it too.

The finders were able to contain the porcupette that same day and his exam revealed that he too was dealing with a bad case of mange.

These two would not have made it through the winter in this condition. Their faces, limbs and abdomens were badly affected. It was only going to get worse.

They have been treated and now remain in a large quarantine space together while they recover.

There is a whole neighborhood of people in Tyngsboro who have been watching and admiring these porcupines for months. Thanks to those caring souls, these two will very likely survive this ordeal.

We are so grateful 🙏❤️🙏