Dan&Sofia
11-06-2011, 11:40 PM
Venus and her brother Earl needed our help. He was lying in the garden, she was near-by at the base of a big oak tree. Earl was hurt and couldn't run away. Venus was fine, but came to me as if asking for help. We gave them some shelter outside, under that big old oak, but their mother never came to get them. By the end of the day it was apparent that we were taking them in.
We kept them warm with a heating pad, nurished with a feeding syringe and special formula, and secure with a lined plastic bin. Venus loved the formula, but Earl was having trouble. They both loved the warmth of the heating pad, Earl on his belly and Venus stretched out on her back. Baby squirrels were new to us (they were about 5 weeks old), and we read everything we could find on the internet to figure out how to rehab them.
Unfortunately Earl died overnight, and we were quite sad. So we buried him in the backyard garden, and focused on our baby girl squirrel.
A few days later we got her a beautiful cage and customized it to her liking. We bought her various nuts in an effort to find what she liked. Initially it was pine nuts and granola, along with formula; then she preferred raisins, sliced almonds, and walnuts. We gave her grapes, carrots, and sliced pears too, but she rarely nibbled on them. She stopped taking formula and quickly discovered her water bottle strapped to the side of the cage. She was getting very used to us, allowing us to pet her and play. Over the next few weeks she was getting quite acrobatic inside the cage, jumping between platforms and climbing on the bars on all sides (even upsidedown on the ceiling). At about that point we found we could open her cage and she would climb around on the outside of it as well, but had no interest in exploring beyond the sanctuary of her cage. We loved our baby squirrel, and thoroughly enjoyed her.
Next we bought her an outdoor cage so she could start to experience the outdoors a little. Ultimately we hoped to release her, and this new cage could be the place where she would leave from. But for now we would just put her there for some hours during the weekend while we did yard work. Our baby was maturing, and began exploring beyond her indoor cage, pitter-pattering around the living room, dining room and kitchen. She also started eating chestnuts, hazelnuts, and even acorns that I brought in from the outside.
Venus was happy and thriving, getting bigger and bolder, and was a big part of lives (we really weren't going out anymore so we could be with her). She got plenty of alone time while we were at work, so we really indulged her (and ourselves) on the weeekends.
And then, as suddenly and unexpectedly as she came into our lives, she fell ill and passed away. We found her lying in the wood shavings in the bottom of her indoor cage, and she was lethargic. We removed her and wrapped her in a towel. She started crying out some, and then started having small convulsions. We called a wildlife rehab hospital, and drove her to their emergency room. But she died enroute, leaving us devasted.
We miss her so much, and don't understand what happened. The animal hospital couldn't say withoug doing an autopsy, but we decided to take her home.
We kept them warm with a heating pad, nurished with a feeding syringe and special formula, and secure with a lined plastic bin. Venus loved the formula, but Earl was having trouble. They both loved the warmth of the heating pad, Earl on his belly and Venus stretched out on her back. Baby squirrels were new to us (they were about 5 weeks old), and we read everything we could find on the internet to figure out how to rehab them.
Unfortunately Earl died overnight, and we were quite sad. So we buried him in the backyard garden, and focused on our baby girl squirrel.
A few days later we got her a beautiful cage and customized it to her liking. We bought her various nuts in an effort to find what she liked. Initially it was pine nuts and granola, along with formula; then she preferred raisins, sliced almonds, and walnuts. We gave her grapes, carrots, and sliced pears too, but she rarely nibbled on them. She stopped taking formula and quickly discovered her water bottle strapped to the side of the cage. She was getting very used to us, allowing us to pet her and play. Over the next few weeks she was getting quite acrobatic inside the cage, jumping between platforms and climbing on the bars on all sides (even upsidedown on the ceiling). At about that point we found we could open her cage and she would climb around on the outside of it as well, but had no interest in exploring beyond the sanctuary of her cage. We loved our baby squirrel, and thoroughly enjoyed her.
Next we bought her an outdoor cage so she could start to experience the outdoors a little. Ultimately we hoped to release her, and this new cage could be the place where she would leave from. But for now we would just put her there for some hours during the weekend while we did yard work. Our baby was maturing, and began exploring beyond her indoor cage, pitter-pattering around the living room, dining room and kitchen. She also started eating chestnuts, hazelnuts, and even acorns that I brought in from the outside.
Venus was happy and thriving, getting bigger and bolder, and was a big part of lives (we really weren't going out anymore so we could be with her). She got plenty of alone time while we were at work, so we really indulged her (and ourselves) on the weeekends.
And then, as suddenly and unexpectedly as she came into our lives, she fell ill and passed away. We found her lying in the wood shavings in the bottom of her indoor cage, and she was lethargic. We removed her and wrapped her in a towel. She started crying out some, and then started having small convulsions. We called a wildlife rehab hospital, and drove her to their emergency room. But she died enroute, leaving us devasted.
We miss her so much, and don't understand what happened. The animal hospital couldn't say withoug doing an autopsy, but we decided to take her home.