Yesterday should have been a very productive work day for me. Instead, it was a very interrupted work day as we tried to figure out what to do with this little fellow.
My husband was doing some weed whacking when he suddenly saw this little ball of fur trying to climb on the weed whacker. Thinking the mother would claim him, my husband left our back yard and started working in the front yard instead, only to discover he was followed. I was summoned outside to help and hence a day of squirrel sitting began, with the head sitter being my daughter.
We tried various things to see if we could get him back to his mom but nobody in the squirrel community around our home seemed to be looking for him. My daughter tried to position "Oliver" (thus named when we discovered he was a "he") close to what we thought was the nest but every time she attempted to leave the area, Oliver came running for her to hop in her lap and sleep.
He appeared very healthy, very energetic, and also unlike any other squirrel we had ever encountered. Neither of us could bear the thought of leaving him outside last evening alone because he did not know how to climb a tree yet and would certainly fall prey to any of the variety of wildlife in our area.
So, after a few phone calls, we ended up on a 50 minute car ride to the closest wildlife preserve where Oliver can spend the rest of his squirrel life with tons of other squirrels who hopefully will teach him how to be exactly what he is - a squirrel and not another member of our family.
I have to admit, though, that he was absolutely adorable and sweet....
11 comments:
Oh my gosh! That is so funny! He really is very cute. :)
And thanks for your sweet comment on my blog and for your prayers. You're right...Olivia was in every way a member of our family. She is missed so much, but we're finding a new normal. God bless you!
Oh, how sweet! As I was looking at this my two youngest children asked if it was Hammy, the squirrel they got to feed and hold when we were camping, in Canada, Northern Canada, two years ago. {sigh} I think they love him! They do think that Oliver is a great name for the squirrel you found, since they now know it isn't Hammy. {big heavy SiGH}
Found you while blog hopping.
He's a lucky little squirrel! Thanks for sharing the photos! Too cute.
Oh my goodness! That is the sweetest little thing! I know you did the right thing taking him to the nature preserve, but I wonder if I could have done it after he curled up and went to sleep like that. I'd be so terribly tempted to keep him. Great photos, Dot!
I have never heard of a squirrel doing that! How sweet are you to drive 50 minutes away? Hopefully Oliver is happy with all the other squirrels now. :)
We found one a few years ago and my neighbor and I took turns caring for him for a couple days until we found a rehabilitation center that took him. I've often wondered what happened to him, if he learned to be a squirrel or if he still lives at the center.
Oh my goodness, that is the cutest thing ever! My kids would have been so thrilled to have a tame squirrel like that show up at our doorstep. :) Super cool!
Thanks for sharing your little visitor with us Dottie!
He is SO cute, you of course did the right thing finding him a home with his own sort at the wildlife center.
What a great day he had with you and Colleen though, he looks like he feels very safe on her lap indeed!
You are such a good person Dot because you know, I would have totally tried to keep it as a pet! How funny that it followed you. That is crazy! Did the wildlife shelter know why it had happened? Very interesting!
Hope the kids have a great first day on Thursday!
You almost had a pet squirrel!! I've never heard of a wild baby that would follow you around. Squirrels freak me out... they remind me too much of rats. ha! But Oliver was pretty cute:-) Great photos!!
Such a delightful creature, and he is very lucky to have found a friend to provide a comfy lap to sit on after a nice snack.
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