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Lex
03-27-2018, 08:29 AM
Hi all! I'm not real sure I introduced myself back in 2016 when I joined this forum, but I guess it's better late than never! Right?!? :grin3 This may be a long post, I hope that's alright.
Ok, so back in September of 2016 I was in my kitchen and heard this God awful screeching from outside. I look out our back window to see a black and white cat halfway up an oak tree with a very small animal in its mouth that was just screaming so the whole world could hear! Now, being that it was SUPER humid out that day, I was in my underwear and a tank top, barefoot while doing house work.. :cool: Well, without thinking, I swung my back door open and went running into the woods, screaming at the cat to "drop it!", I also, on the way, grabbed a stick and was swinging it..... My neighbors probably thought I was a total nutcase!! LOL Finally the cat dropped the super small creature and ran off. It was then that I realised it was a baby squirrel! He was still screeching and trying to crawl away. I stood there for a minute not sure if I should pick it up or not. Then looked up and saw the cat lurking in the bushes just waiting for me to walk away so he could return to his meal. Not happening on my watch! I scooped the baby up and brought him down to my back yard. I had no where to put him at the moment, so I closed my chicken coop while my girls were in their pen and put the baby in a nesting box. I went inside, got dressed and came right back out with a small, clean blanket and a box. I put the baby squirrel in the box and waited and waited for a parent to come back to find him. I waited so long, it was dark out. They didn't come to find him. I knew I couldn't leave him out there alone, so the decision was made to bring him inside.
Now, I'll be honest, I have never helped a baby squirrel before but the list of other baby animals I have, is significantly long... Baby rats, baby mice, countless kittens, baby bats, a baby skunk, a baby racoon... I've had LOTS of experience. I was prepared.
What I WASN'T prepared for, however, is how attached he'd become to me and how much I would fall in love with him. :love I planned on rehabbing him and setting him free in the spring of 2017 but he has attached himself to me so much that i can't seem to do that....His name is Una Chi (Una means "to remember" and Chi means "breath of life") He's been with me now for almost 2 years. I wake up everyday and spoil him all day long. He's quite destructive but too cute to be mad at him. I'm so thankful he came into my life. I have a new found love for squirrels that I never had before. So much so that we spend a ton of money feeding the squirrels that live near our home and I also get SUPER upset when I see a squirrel laying in the road... to the point where I have stopped, picked them up and burried them in our yard.
Anyway, that's my story and I will try to attach a photo of my sweet boy so you all can see him. :) Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
Oh, also, I just recently started an Instagram for him so if you have Instagram you can see a TON of videos and pictures there! just search for "Una Chi Squirrel".
Have a great day!!
♡ Lex

TubeDriver
03-27-2018, 09:50 AM
What a cute little fellow, and so good that he is eating salads!:grin2 Welcome back to the TSB!:wave123


We have some great threads about squirrel diet that you may find useful (proper diet is the #1 way to keep him happy and healthy).

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

And of course on just about any other squirrelly topic you can imagine!



PS ...most states are not squirrel friendly (in the sense that pet/NR squirrels are illegal and could be confiscated) so please be cautious when sharing info publicly about Una Chi (cool name, does he have a nickname? :grin2).

Mel1959
03-28-2018, 07:33 AM
Welcome :Welcome. You’ve done an amazing job! Thank you for rescuing this little one! :hug Hes a lucky little fella. :grin2

Lex
03-29-2018, 07:25 AM
What a cute little fellow, and so good that he is eating salads!:grin2 Welcome back to the TSB!:wave123

We have some great threads about squirrel diet that you may find useful (proper diet is the #1 way to keep him happy and healthy).

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

And of course on just about any other squirrelly topic you can imagine!

PS ...most states are not squirrel friendly (in the sense that pet/NR squirrels are illegal and could be confiscated) so please be cautious when sharing info publicly about Una Chi (cool name, does he have a nickname? :grin2).


Thanks TubeDriver :grin2 I saved and printed the diet plan! I know most of it but some I didn't know to avoid...like bell peppers. He loves the bell pepper seeds! He eats a lot of greens and veggies, very little fruit and some nuts here and there. I have blocks but I have a hard time getting him to eat them. He'll eat some and stash the rest so I think he ate it lol sneaky! I also have Squirrel cal and he gets that regularly on his food.
His name is super unique, I know! :grin2 That's because HE is. :) I figured he needed something that stood out. He has several nick names... Swirl, boogerface (because he has an obsession with licking inside my nostrils lol), handsome, Ben (because of the Micheal Jackson song "Ben")...I mean, I could go on and on lol
Anyway, thank you for the advice!! I really appreciate it!
♡Lex

Lex
03-29-2018, 07:35 AM
Welcome :Welcome. You’ve done an amazing job! Thank you for rescuing this little one! :hug Hes a lucky little fella. :grin2

Thank you so much Mel1959! :thankyou
I think him and I are BOTH pretty lucky! :Love_Icon

TubeDriver
03-29-2018, 07:36 AM
He sounds like quite the character!

Most squirrels do not instantly take to blocks. One thing you can do is to feed him blocks first thing in the morning and then give him veggies and other things at a early dinner.

Try different blocks (Henries are the tastiest but more $$$, Oxbow, Kaytee, Harlan Tek 16% are all good).

Worst case, you can grind up blocks (75%) in a blender, grind up almonds (25%), mix abd bind together with apple sauce to make Boo Balls. Keeo refrigerated and give two block sized portions for breakfast.

The blocks are really critical to preventing Metabolic Bone Disease.

BoogerFace!:grin2



Thanks TubeDriver :grin2 I saved and printed the diet plan! I know most of it but some I didn't know to avoid...like bell peppers. He loves the bell pepper seeds! He eats a lot of greens and veggies, very little fruit and some nuts here and there. I have blocks but I have a hard time getting him to eat them. He'll eat some and stash the rest so I think he ate it lol sneaky! I also have Squirrel cal and he gets that regularly on his food.
His name is super unique, I know! :grin2 That's because HE is. :) I figured he needed something that stood out. He has several nick names... Swirl, boogerface (because he has an obsession with licking inside my nostrils lol), handsome, Ben (because of the Micheal Jackson song "Ben")...I mean, I could go on and on lol
Anyway, thank you for the advice!! I really appreciate it!
♡Lex