About the importance of persistence and reaching out your hand (or backpack) to those who might need a little extra help getting up…
Life Lessons
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Tag Archives: squirrels
And So It Begins…
I got my first squirrels of the season on Friday. There are three of them—two girls and a boy, all Eastern Greys—and them came in around 45g each, making them probably somewhere between three and four weeks old now.
These guys were found in a nest in someone’s roof when the person was having some work done to it. So they had no injuries, which is good. The arrived at the Center last Sunday and my home-care colleague, Carla, took care of them for the first several days, so they were in good shape when I got them. They’re all eating, peeing, and pooping well, which is about all we can ask at this point in their lives. 🙂
Here are some first pics.
Wish us all luck!
Squirrel Tales
The Animal Care Coordinator at the WCSV sent out a note today announcing that the first baby of the season had been brought in. Not a squirrel—it was a fledgling Anna’s hummingbird. But it’s definitely a harbinger of things to come… soon.
Of course, I know lots of squirrel lovers from my work at the Center. But I’m always thrilled when I find out that my non-rehabber friends also enjoy having the little critters around. Two of my colleagues from an online writing group have shared their squirrel appreciation with me (and their gratitude for the work we do for them), so I’m passing on their stories.
In Memoriam
As we’re about to start a new year, which means only a couple of more months before the first new squirrel babies start arriving at the Center, I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to those furry friends that are no longer with us.
By definition, animals that arrive at the Center are already at risk, whether from injury, illness, losing their mother (and her perfectly nutrionally balanced milk), or simply the stress they experience from us trying to help them. But knowing that doesn’t make it any less difficult when we lose them, no matter how briefly they touched our lives.
Warning: Before reading the rest of this entry, you may want to make sure you have some tissues nearby.
Squirrels Gone Wild
Based on the date of my last post—July 14th—you would probably think that I didn’t have any more squirrels since then… Um, no.
Quite the opposite in fact. We had a major onslaught of squirrels at the Center during this year’s summer season, and I was kept quite busy with my little charges—so busy, in fact, I wasn’t able to post anything about them at the time. And even though I’ve been squirrel-free since the end of September, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to write about them. It seems especially fitting to do so today, since I’m very thankful I’ve had the opportunity to work with these brave little animals over the last two years.
Gone, Gone, Gone… They’ve Been Gone So Long…
Okay, so they’ve only been gone for a week, but it seems like a lot longer!
I took my two not-so-little squirrels to another volunteer’s home last Monday. She has an outdoor enclosure, so she’ll continue feeding them while they strengthen their muscles and skills so they’ll be in prime condition when they are released back into the wild.
They were certainly ready to make the transition. Often when we bring squirrels to an enclosure, they hold back in their carrier or cage for a while and, even once they venture out, it’s not unusual for them to run to one place and “freeze” for a while until they feel comfortable. Not these guys! The minute we opened the carrier door, they SPRANG right out and ran all over the sides of the enclosure. One even jumped from one side to the other, missing my head by about an inch I might add!
In case you’ve forgotten what they looked like, this video has some nice scenes of them thoroughly enjoying the natural foods (e.g. branches, twigs, leaves, weeds, etc. from my backyard) I stock their cage with, which is another sign they’ll soon be ready for life in the great outdoors.
So I’m rodent-free for a while, but I don’t know how much longer that’s going to last, since on Tuesday we got our first babies of summer season into the Center! One of them was too badly injured to save, but the other one is now in the caring hands of one of our other foster moms. Two more came in on Saturday—little pinkies between 20-25g… I’m not sure who’s taking them or if they’ll make it. But I do know they’ll be given every possible chance!
Going Squir Crazy
These guys aren’t going to be with me much longer. It’s not just a matter of their size (over 310g yesterday!), but they’re so obviously ready to move to bigger and better quarters, as you can see by their energetic antics in this video compilation.
Forget Kung Fu Panda
They’re Kung Fu Squirrels!
I love watching these guys playing like this. Not just because it’s entertaining, but because I know they’re building up their muscles and developing important skills so that, when the time comes, they’ll be good and ready for their new lives in the wild.
Sk-doosh!
Foxy Lady
Since we thought that squirrel season was over for the time being (ha!), I had signed up to start working a regular shift at the Center again. So I happened to be there on Friday morning when we got yet another squirrel in that was quite a bit smaller (129g) than should have been out there by this time of the year. And so, of course, I brought her home with me…
Sumo Squirrels
I mentioned last week that I had taken in two stragglers. Well, so far they’ve been doing very well. They have really healthy appetites, they’re peeing and pooping the way they should, and (knock on wood), no one’s come down with any kind of illness. There’s just one thing…
THEY’RE GIGANTIC!