redhens post about the baby (squirrel? rat?) that fell from her ceiling brings to back a memory of a baby squirrel I raised, and the day my friend, Connie, called ask if I would take it (I have quite the rep. of re-habbing wildlife). Connie said the poor thing had fallen of her roof and landed right next to where she was sitting on her front porch.
I was asking questions, trying to get an idea if the baby really needed human help. ME: "How big is it?", CONNIE: "Oh about the size of my palm." ME: "Does it have hair?", CONNIE: "Yes, but I don't think it should be out of the nest, as it still has part of it's umbilical cord attached." ME: "Are you sure it's a squirrel? If it has hair, it shouln't still have any umbilical." CONNIE: "I'm telling you, it is a squirrel, and it has part of it's umbilical cord." ME:"O.K., bring it over and I'll take a look at it."
So, Connie comes over to my house, and when I answer the door, there she stands holding the baby squirrel out to me, belly first. "See," she says, "here's it's umbilical cord."
"Um, Connie, that's not an umbilical cord, that's his p***s." I couldn't help bursting out in laughter----along with Connie. She was so embarrassed, but I told her anyone could make that mistake.
I kept the baby squirrel (who my son named Jimmy), and did start it out on kitten formula, in an aquarium with a heating pad, but it quickly advanced to eating seeds and nuts. We moved him to an outdoor pen with branches and things to climb on, and would take him out and let him run around a few times a day. Soon, we were letting Jimmy stay out of the cage all day and go back in at night. The neighbors probably thought I was a kook, walking around my yard and calling "Jimmy, Jiiiiimmmmyyyyy" every evening.
Soon, Jimmy didn't need his cage anymore, but stayed in the trees in our yard. He tried making a nest a few times, but couldn't figure out how to get the leaves to stay together. Our nearest and dearest neighbor, a retired school counselor who was like a grandpa to my sons, started feeding Jimmy walnuts from his front porch. Jimmy became good friends with Lou, and Lou even built him a house so Jimmy would have somewhere safe and warm once winter came. Jimmy used the house that winter and at least the next. We moved from that town, but still own our old house, and have been back over there a few times. Two summer's ago, Lou told us he hadn't seen Jimmy around for quite awhile. He wondered if Jimmy was dead or just left. I feared the worst (that he got hit by a car), which is probably what happened, but he had a good life, and brought a lot of happiness to people's lives. RIP Jimmy.
I was asking questions, trying to get an idea if the baby really needed human help. ME: "How big is it?", CONNIE: "Oh about the size of my palm." ME: "Does it have hair?", CONNIE: "Yes, but I don't think it should be out of the nest, as it still has part of it's umbilical cord attached." ME: "Are you sure it's a squirrel? If it has hair, it shouln't still have any umbilical." CONNIE: "I'm telling you, it is a squirrel, and it has part of it's umbilical cord." ME:"O.K., bring it over and I'll take a look at it."
So, Connie comes over to my house, and when I answer the door, there she stands holding the baby squirrel out to me, belly first. "See," she says, "here's it's umbilical cord."
"Um, Connie, that's not an umbilical cord, that's his p***s." I couldn't help bursting out in laughter----along with Connie. She was so embarrassed, but I told her anyone could make that mistake.
I kept the baby squirrel (who my son named Jimmy), and did start it out on kitten formula, in an aquarium with a heating pad, but it quickly advanced to eating seeds and nuts. We moved him to an outdoor pen with branches and things to climb on, and would take him out and let him run around a few times a day. Soon, we were letting Jimmy stay out of the cage all day and go back in at night. The neighbors probably thought I was a kook, walking around my yard and calling "Jimmy, Jiiiiimmmmyyyyy" every evening.
Soon, Jimmy didn't need his cage anymore, but stayed in the trees in our yard. He tried making a nest a few times, but couldn't figure out how to get the leaves to stay together. Our nearest and dearest neighbor, a retired school counselor who was like a grandpa to my sons, started feeding Jimmy walnuts from his front porch. Jimmy became good friends with Lou, and Lou even built him a house so Jimmy would have somewhere safe and warm once winter came. Jimmy used the house that winter and at least the next. We moved from that town, but still own our old house, and have been back over there a few times. Two summer's ago, Lou told us he hadn't seen Jimmy around for quite awhile. He wondered if Jimmy was dead or just left. I feared the worst (that he got hit by a car), which is probably what happened, but he had a good life, and brought a lot of happiness to people's lives. RIP Jimmy.
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