Not sure if we are facing a new fad here (similar to when little starlets like Paris Hilton would buy tiny dogs and then carry them around in their purse) but 2 of my friends in the past week have taken in baby Squirrels!

“Peanut”

“Bubba”

In both cases, they said the little nut eaters were just hanging out looking at them and trying to crawl up their legs.  They also both felt that they were motherless and needed help.  In any case, I just found it odd that days apart from each other, they both were taking care of Squirrels.  I would say “I smell a rat here”, but that may offend the Squirrel.  But I digress…

They both gave names to them.  Friend #1 named his “Bubba” and Friend #2 named hers “Peanut”.  They both gave them shelter, food, blankets and most importantly, love.  Yes, they love their little furry friends.  Both have had playtime with them, held them close, let them fall asleep while holding them and I’m sure told them many stories of the crazy world we live in and how you should look twice before crossing the street.

1 of my friends is going to school to be a therapist of some sort, so I’m sure she told hers to be good and surround herself (or himself I guess as we don’t know the sex of the squirrel’s) with positive little squirrel friends and don’t cave into any squirrel pressure.  My other friend probably taught his about business, hard work and how to get a perfect tan.  Both gave their squirrels a great foundation to build their little lives with.

It reminded me of the time last year when I met Twiggy the waterskiing squirrel.  Yes, you read that correct.  Twiggy is a real squirrel and can waterski better than I could ever imagine too.  Here is a quick video I shot with the little guy:

What amazed me about him was how calm he was.  He just wanted to eat, perform and then chill.  Oh, and how could I forget, “relieve” himself on my head.  I was actually a bit nervous at 1st when he looked at me with those big round eyes and made a little noise.  I had never been so close to a squirrel before so I didn’t know what to expect.  In the end, me and Twiggy became good friends and to this day still exchange text messages.  But back to my 2 friends….

Sad news with my friend who was caring for Bubba.  After a couple days of being cared for, Bubba passed on to Squirrel heaven.  While waiting for the wildlife people to show up and take over the care mission, Bubba must have just been too sad to know he was leaving my friend and the pain was too much for him to take.  He loved his new life, the people he met and the music that played in the background.  He also loved his nuts and milk.  He just couldn’t face returning to the life he came from.  Never knowing where your next meal would come from, where you would sleep and dealing with angry badgers.  RIP Bubba.

“Bubba” enjoying some milk and nuts.

As for Peanut, he/she is doing fine and should be picked up by the wildlife peeps tomorrow.  I have a feeling though that my friend will not want to let Peanut go as they have developed a close little bond.  It pains her to be away from Peanut and she is finding herself not being able to even go to the gym without rushing home to cuddle with her little pal.  She even went as far as to buy Peanut some sort of puppy milk from the pet store and special food.  Peanut loves his new dog carrier bedroom and the blankets that come with it.  I’m sure wherever Peanut goes, it will not be getting this 5 star treatment.

So that wraps up this little blog.  I’m not sure if you learned anything or if I even had a point.  The web boss called and needed me to post a blog, and well, this was something I wanted to share.

And if you find a squirrel looking at you with sad eyes that say “take me in…feed me…give me shelter…hold me and play with me”, well, it just may be better to hold back the tears, turnaround and walk away.  After all, it is illegal to have one as a pet without a permit and it will just cause them heartache when they have to go back to the wild.  I’m sure my friend will have a hard time tonight watching Peanut have her last little bit of puppy milk knowing tomorrow, it is back to rain water.  But I’m sure Bubba will be looking down on Peanut and will keep a close big round eye on her/him.  Good luck Peanut!