It's Squirrel Time!

My son The Arborist is fostering baby squirrels again. In his line of work, animals are sometimes displaced. Years ago he raised several sets of babies, and he has taken many more to Native Animal Rescue, but I will let him speak for himself:

Dear Mother Squirrel,
Hopefully the panic of losing your home and children has  dulled. While I doubt you will ever see me as the rescuer of your babies, please know that as far as Hoomans go, I am a relatively kind and responsible one. The dead tree you constructed your home in would have been removed by someone else if not me. We waited for you to return to collect your littles, but you were rightfully spooked.  Know that if I would have left them there they would have likely frozen, starved or become a chew toy for a larger animal.
Your babies made it through the night just fine. They took to eye droppers of puppy formula quicker than any of the baby squirrels I have raised before. Hoomans like to name things, so I have taken to calling your girl Ixel and your boy, Jet. While they now have names, they will not be pets. I will raise them as squirrels with the goal of them being released as fully self-supporting, independent adult squirrels.
Until then, I make a promise to you to keep them clean, warm, hydrated and fed. They will eat before me and I won’t sleep until they do. I can be trusted to put their needs first. They will be well cared for, and in 13 weeks they will be prepared to venture out into the world to look for mates, and start little squirrel families of their own.
Again, I apologize for the destruction we bring. I will make sure that a new tree will be planted in the same spot as a home for you or one of your relatives.


These creatures are maybe a week old. Their eyes aren't open yet. What really gets me is the size of that little thing next to my son's thumb. The Extras show how relaxed they are after a good meal. I'm sure there will be many more squirrel entries here so you can track their progress.

(If you want to OD on cute squirrel pix, click here.)