About 3 weeks ago this squirrel fell out of the neighbor’s tree. Actually he was one of 4 squirrels that fell and the only survivor. I’ve been feeding him dog milk and he’s just beginning to eat peanuts and peaches. I’ve built him a squirrel house out of 2 hanging baskets.
I’m not sure what I’m eventually going to do with him as he grows up. I rescued him again last night from the jaws of a cat. So I’m definitely his hero today. His name is Ganesha after the Hindu elephant god. I want him to have an important name. My complete collection of pictures can be found here.
Good for you! Finally some good news on Dvorak.org/blog
I think I’m the only one here who writes original content.
I think I’m the only one here who rides an original car.
I’m guessing you don’t have a vegetable garden.
#4 I’m a Mark making fun of a Marc…
Only thing that grew well this year, in astounding numbers, are the cherry tomatoes.
(45th parallel)
#4 I’m a Mark making fun of a Marc…
Only thing that grew well this year, in astounding numbers, are the cherry tomatoes.
(45th parallel)
The squirrels don’t eat them. They should.
In at least some states, it’s illegal to keep a wild animal without a special permit. Better check into that with your local fish and game department or the equivalent.
Decades ago when I lived in the Midwest, I kept a male baby raccoon whose mother had died. Our family took care of the baby for 4 months, then gave it to a farmer we knew that had a big woodlot. According to the farmer he was seen a few months later with a lady raccoon, and apparently lived out his days in that woodlot.
#5 Mark.
Next year try growing yardlong beans =3
We’ll see how it goes. He’s not yet ready for the wild and my yard as far as I’m concerned is the wild. He’s not going to be a house squirrel.
Marc, you *so* have to submit some pics to icanhascheezburger.com
Thumbnails would be nice on an html page.
I found a pink squirrel baby after a bad storm… Trouble is I live in NYC. I took him home, fed him goats milk for for 3 months and then nuts and fruit. Keep him ‘outside’ because they are absolutely insane when they grow up. He chewed on everything in my place. I had to let him go, and I tried to introduce him to the world slowly but I still think he prolly died cause he was used to being fed. At least he had a good few months tho. Good luck and do it right, they are extremely intelligent and loving little guys!
I’ve been letting him spend time in the peach tree so that he’s used to being outside. I don’t think he’s going to starve around here. Just need to get him old enough to fend off the cats.
If it was rat, you’d kill it. But it has a fluffy tail, so you feed it.
Let nature take it’s course: next week a dog (wolf, coyote, – depends where you live) will eat it.
Nice pictures, Marc. Let us know how it goes.
You know that squirrels are basically rats with fluffy tails, right?
We had a similar squirrel orphan years ago; my cat had just had a litter of kittens and agreed to raise “Morris”. They stayed inside until he began chewing, then the whole litter was moved outside to a shed. He grew up playing with his litter mates, avoiding other cats, and always friendly to us – his favorite trick was to leap on your head from a tree. We fed him nuts, and eventually he met another squirrel and began leaving for longer and longer times. One day he didn’t come back – and we were happy, because that tree thing was getting old!
I understand that they don’t do well at all in cages long-term…they start biting.
Aw, that’s a cute little fucker.
Hopefully you can train him.
he is so cute… i think they should let people have pet squirrels! hehe
Coolness.
#18 – Mark Derail
Yeah, hopefully he’ll train hard… then Marc can quit the ungrateful job as dvorak.org/blog’s techie (especially after getting booed at after presenting a new design) and become full-time soccer manager…
Hey squirrels are a good eat!
Generous of you to offer this creature assistance, though I question your motives. Squirels don’t domesticate well, I wouldn’t recommend turning it into a pet. Keep it healthy, don’t play with it, feed it. The day will arrive that you could set it loose and with a little help it might have half a chance at survival. Sooner or later it’ll take off anyways.
BTW my cat agrees with bud, you could fatten him up good and serve him for dinner.
We rescued a baby flying squirrel when I was a teenager, and we bottle-fed and raised it into adulthood.
Unfortunately, there’s no releasing them into the wild. Once they’re tame, they’re tame for good. (Supposedly, if you release it, it will meet you back at your front door)
My mother built an enclosure in the backyard (about 10′ by 5′) for the squirrel, where she lived out her days. I’ll have to ask my mother, but I think she lived about 10-12 years.
Her name was Harold (probably should have changed it after we found out he was a she, but who cares?), and she stayed tame and able to be handled throughout her life.
Have fun!
#24, Flying squirrels do make good pets. When I was growing up, I had a few friends who had them. The local Wal-Mart used to get them in from time to time and they would “fly” off the shelves.
You’re a good man Marc Perkel. Like you and others, I have “saved” an animal in need. One stray cat more or less adopted me after I gave it some food and water. I’m a soft touch for sure but he was a good-natured cat who had seen better days (e.g., one ear was missing).
After about a year of stopping by and hanging out on the back porch, one day he showed up after being beaten up pretty badly by another cat. I knew he was in bad shape when he let me tend to his wounds without a fuss. I’ll never forget the vet at the animal hospital saying it looked touch and go (although the vet and her assistants admitted being fascinated by his gross condition which I thought was odd but then dealing with pathology was never an interest of mine).
Anyway, after a trip to the animal hospital (that was a first) and a much lighter wallet, I’m happy to report that he’s on the mend and staying in the garage. Oh yah, the garage is now air conditioned thanks to the window unit I installed (I justified it as upgrading my workshop, why not?).
I’m sure that all of this sounds excessive, particularly to those who aren’t fond of pets but so be it. You have to do what you think is right and be able to look yourself in the mirror at the end of the day.
Thanks for the good news Marc. I’d thought I’d share mine.
He’s cute.
He’s also a rodent and they have to chew on things to keep those teeth worn down. When it starts biting you are going to want to “free” it.
Having been nailed more than once by various cousins of your pet I can tell you in advance it will hurt but they seem to heal okay.
Personally I prefer ground squirrels as pets but they also bit. Been there and done that. Against the law anyway.
Oh, you do need to know that rodent fleas can carry the plague and some of them carry other fatal diseases.
#22 is right.
They make a tasty stew or just fry them like you would fried chicken. You can also use them like you would chicken in chicken and dumplings. They have a gamier taste than chicken but are perfectly fine on the dinner table.
Of course you’ll want to feed him well so he gets nice and fat. And if possible invite a few of his friends along to join in the fun cause one just isn’t enough.
Not to piss on anyone’s Cheerios, but I’d have let the cat take the squirrel. Squirrels are like pidgins: an infestation. I’ve had too many packs ripped into by nazi squirrels to have any love of them. They do fly nicely when given the proper propulsion. He’s to hope that a clever chef finds a recipe that turns a squirrel into a delicacy.