Well, we have a big treat today! As I mentioned earlier, my squirrels were already about 3-4 weeks old when I got them. Because this is my first time as a home-care volunteer, I wasn’t ready to take on the extra challenges involved with caring for the really tiny ones. So I wasn’t able to show you any pictures of the “pinkies.”

But two of the more experienced volunteers who do look after the wee ones have given me permission to post their pictures so you can all see what these guys look like at that age.

This first picture comes from Connie Devine, who’s been working with the squirrels for almost ten years, so she’s a real expert with them. This is a photo of the 9 (yes, 9!) young’uns she had in her care all at the same time.

I love this picture because it shows a real range of levels of development, even when they’re only within a few days of each other in age. Notice how the colour changes as they get older. The darker ones are at the “five o’clock shadow” stage.

That tiny thing in the bottom right that looks a bit like a large pink kidney bean was only 15 grams when she came in. By contrast, mine were between 65-80 grams when I got them (and now the largest one is 120 grams!). Unfortunately, the little girl didn’t make it, but at least she wasn’t alone, and she was warm and cared for before she went. Sometimes that’s the best we can do, especially when they’re that small.

This next set of photos comes from Carla de Mos, who just started with the program last year, but is already one of the senior volunteers. She’s the one who’s been helping me so much since I started. This series shows the development of one guy she was caring for from 2 days old to 8 weeks. I think it’s fascinating to see the massive changes in that short amount of time.

Two days:

Five days:

Two weeks:

Four weeks:

Eight weeks:

Thank you SO much Connie and Carla for allowing me to share these wonderful photos with my readers!

And as for my own little troupe? Well, I just finished their last feeding and… we had a diarrhea-free day! Yay!