Buddy's Teeth

[Buddy]

I saw a few posts talking about teeth and just wanted to post a few pictures of Buddy's teeth. I think they look fine, but I'd feel much better to get a confirmation. I'll post a few pictures. He is acting all crazy active today so I couldn't get better pictures.

[Buddy]

[Buddy]

[Buddy]

[Rock Monkey]

Buddy is a pretty mellow fellow. Helen would never let me hold her head like that, but since the beginning I established the policy that there would only be contact between us if she choose to come to me.

Pulling down the lower lip always make the lower teeth seem too long.

[Buddy]

He definitely tolerates me!

So I assume his teeth are looking okay, right? I did google search, but all kinds of teeth photos and comments came out.

[Rock Monkey]

Also, the backs of your hands are remarkably free of scratches.

Being a foster parent to squirrels it seems like there is always something to worry about, as we try to catch any problems early. There is so much to know and each squirrel an individual, as are their foster parents, producing unique dynamics.

[Buddy]

Not only my hands are usually like this, but my arms, legs, back and whole body too. I don't mind though.

He definitely gets crazy and use my body as a tree trunk and circles around.

[Buddy]

You can see the white tracks (earlier rounds that were already healed) and some new ones...

[Buddy]

I love playing with him though... I usually wear a sweater or something, but sometimes, it's not enough. When he is in a playful mood, he zooms around, jumps on me, circles around me...

He's been really good and avoiding my face, some neck causalities once in a while, but hey...

[Charley Chuckles]

I suit up in militay ripstop pants and jacket, neck and face are another story 😆

[Buddy]

I suit up in militay ripstop pants and jacket, neck and face are another story ��

Yes, that's wise. I don't have the time or patience.

Actually, my legs are much worse than my arms because usually I have thicker top/sweat jacket etc. but I wear leggings or something much thinner as pants, so my legs are a bloody crime scene...

[Buddy]

One look at his sweet face and all forgiven!

[Rock Monkey]

One look at his sweet face and all forgiven!

Lol.

In the summer, when I was wearing shorts I was able to train Helen to leap up to my shorts. I would call her and pat my leg where the shorts began, most of my shorts are long. She quickly learned and would leap of her own accord. It took a little more training to get her to leap off, instead of scrambling down.

I am always the most warmly dressed person in the room so that is useful as a squirrel caretaker.

Turtle Fur makes neck gators which are great for keeping warm, especially when going outside when it is cold. It prevents the body's core heat from venting out the collar. It is much less trouble trying to keep a scarf in place.

[Buddy]

I don't think I was able to train Buddy on anything particular but he seems to understand his name, he understands "No" or just the tone of my firm voice.

We play a lot and I think we have a strong bond. Like my dog; I never think of my dog or Buddy not being able to talk; because I can totally sense and understand most of what they've been trying to tell.

The other day I gave an almond to Buddy and 5 min. later, I see him running around the wooden box; I was like "I wonder if he dropped the almond there and now he cannot get to it". Sure enough, that was the case.

They have many ways of communicating; even if it's not via the words.

[Rock Monkey]

They have many ways of communicating; even if it's not via the words.

Very true.

It would be nice if they could understand words, but they can't. They do understand the emotion though.

As I try to remind myself when a particular behavior isn't making sense, I telly myself: "Think like a squirrel." Eventually, when I am able to do that it makes sense and that goes a long way to defusing things.

[Tinkerbelle]

I feel SO much better hearing and seeing the 'sports injuries' other squirrel foster parents have. My kids are always giving me a bad time about keeping an 'attack squirrel'. It doesn't help that she doesn't react well to people visiting (er, I mean intruding) in her HER house. I wear furry boots when she's loose in the house, but the little stinker goes to the top of the boot, sticks her head down inside and bites me anyway! That's only when she's being naughty. I know she knows better, because if I stop and take the time to bend down and tell her 'don't do that', or even just reach down gently, she stops and moves away. I also have a water bottle and sometimes give her a quick squirt when she attacks my feet.

Then there was this morning. I went in and sat down in her room under a quilt with my coffee and morning prayers, as usual. She came over to attack my boots. Then a minute later she crawled under the quilt and up onto my lap, curled up and went to sleep! It was the most precious thing! She was the most cuddly of the litter as a baby, but it's been a long time since we've had such a sweet snuggle. She ended up belly up, toes in the air, mouth hanging open as I gently 'groomed' her with my fingertips. If I had had my nippers I probably could have trimmed her teeth and toenails right then and there! Eventually she woke up, yawned and stretched, and then proceeded to groom my hands, gently licking and nibbling scabs off the scratches she had just given me a few days ago.

So, like you say, the scratches are just part of the deal when you've given your home and heart to one of these amazing little creatures!

[Tinkerbelle]

OOps, meant to respond about Buddy's teeth. They look good to me from the picture - top and bottom, nice and straight. Just so he has plenty of things to chew on and keep them in proportion. The bottom ones typically look longer than the top. Diagrams show them overlapping just a little, with the bottom teeth resting just behind the top when the mouth is closed.

Tinkerbelle is missing one top tooth, and the one she has grows a little crooked and is very short as it is continually worn down by her bottom ones. If I don't trim them regularly they actually will touch the roof of her mouth and begin to create a small round wound there - it looked like a little crater. So as long as you don't begin to see that kind of thing develop with Buddy I think you are okay.

The yellow color is normal too.

[Buddy]

I feel SO much better hearing and seeing the 'sports injuries' other squirrel foster parents have. My kids are always giving me a bad time about keeping an 'attack squirrel'. It doesn't help that she doesn't react well to people visiting (er, I mean intruding) in her HER house. I wear furry boots when she's loose in the house, but the little stinker goes to the top of the boot, sticks her head down inside and bites me anyway! That's only when she's being naughty. I know she knows better, because if I stop and take the time to bend down and tell her 'don't do that', or even just reach down gently, she stops and moves away. I also have a water bottle and sometimes give her a quick squirt when she attacks my feet.

Then there was this morning. I went in and sat down in her room under a quilt with my coffee and morning prayers, as usual. She came over to attack my boots. Then a minute later she crawled under the quilt and up onto my lap, curled up and went to sleep! It was the most precious thing! She was the most cuddly of the litter as a baby, but it's been a long time since we've had such a sweet snuggle. She ended up belly up, toes in the air, mouth hanging open as I gently 'groomed' her with my fingertips. If I had had my nippers I probably could have trimmed her teeth and toenails right then and there! Eventually she woke up, yawned and stretched, and then proceeded to groom my hands, gently licking and nibbling scabs off the scratches she had just given me a few days ago.

So, like you say, the scratches are just part of the deal when you've given your home and heart to one of these amazing little creatures!

Buddy would "attack" me too, but I think it's just a way of them showing that they would like to play. He starts a mini "attack" and then I gently push him away to the other side with a playful attitude, he runs that way for a few seconds, and comes back running and "attacking" me again, gently biting and wrestling... I do the same, push him to the other side, he runs away and then turns back, jumps, attacks... It's my favorite thing to do with him!

He is a singleton, so I am / we are not only his care takers but also family and friends. So, I think it's only natural that he likes to play/wrestle.

And yes, when he is cuddly in the evening, that's also super precious!

[Buddy]

Thank you for your comments on his teeth as well. He has plenty of things to chew and I'll definitely keep an eye.