Thursday, August 13, 2009

Squirrel Rehab..it's something natural

Over the years we have rehabilitated and released a number of squirrels successfully back into the wild. We have learned how to feed them, what to feed them, and how to make them go potty without violating them or us! Yesterday my husband came home and told me he brought me a present. I have to admit I was eager to hang up the phone and see what it was he had for me. Now don't get me wrong I wasn't expecting to look outside and find the newest edition Mercedes Benz or anything extravagant... but he does know how much I like junk so I was thinking he had found me something exciting for the deck or front steps perhaps. Honestly, I really couldn't imagine, as John is not one to often "surprise" me with anything.
Before I could hang up I saw the kids scurrying around a glove sitting on the ledge near the stairs to the basement so I take a gander over to see what the fuss is about...there wrapped in the dirty work glove is the smallest pink baby squirrel I have ever seen. My jaw must've dropped.
I am finally off the phone and I turn to my dear dear husband and say "its going to die!". We have never rehabbed a squirrel this small or furless. Even Frankie Boulevard, as small as he was came to me with a considerable amount of fur already covering his tiny body and days later his bulging eyes were open.
This little squirrel is skinny, he's clearly dehydrated, and he is SMALL, with nary a fur covering his tiny pink belly or legs!
After some quick research we are able to estimate his age about 3 weeks...which does make me feel slightly better. Originally I was thinking he could not have been more than 1 week old. We get out our rehab supplies, warm up the heating pad and get our little fella's body temp up.
He'd been out of his nest all day long and tucked safely into john's truck after John's boss swung a tree branch down from one of the tree's they were cutting and flung that poor little boy out of his nest. John could hear his screams from the ground and he was quick to retrieve him...he said to me "i couldn't just leave him here".
I let John know that it would have been better to leave him where he lay and let his momma squirrel come back and get him, but truth be told she may not have returned and he may not have been alive if she had. They were working that land all day long and any number of things could have happened to little "Buddy". But I have to admit, as small as he is I'm not sure he will fare any better here.
With our formula concoction of Scalded Milk and Vitamin E, as well as the initial servings of pedialyte...we will do what we can to save this little guy but for now my outlook does remain bleak.
If he makes it 72 hours I will then post the photo's I have taken, but today I am not up for jinxing him and I feel that by posting photo's I am putting his little life at risk~making him real will make him go away. I'm very superstitious and don't want to compromise him right now.

1 comment:

  1. ooh. a pinkie squirrel. i want to see. but i understand the jinxing part.

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