Seymore Enters Our Life

Seymore has become part of our family, at least for a short period of time until he's old enough to release. The pictures you see are early pictures of Seymore and actually don't look much like the little squirrel we now have three weeks later. They grow rapidly and change almost overnight. While I've always wanted a squirrel, I really didn't want the responsibility of caring for one. Feeding the neighborhood squirrels was quite enough for me. The introduction of Seymore into our lives makes me believe that animals and humans both have guardian angels who look out for their benefit. We've gained as much as Seymore from his presence in our home.
Discovering the Baby
Mike stopped at home during the lunch hour to pick up some supplies for a job that was close to home. When he came in, he told me about an abandoned baby squirrel he found laying in the yard. He said he moved it a few feet for safety at the base of the tree where he knew squirrels nested. I immediately googled baby squirrels to find if his scent would deter the mother from reclaiming her baby. Whew, human scent made no difference to the mother. With that, we both forgot about the baby, at least for the day.

The Next Morning
We had a cold snap that night and the temperatures dropped to the mid-forties. When we sat down to breakfast, almost in unison we spoke our concern for the baby squirrel, wondering if "mama" came for him. Mike went outside to look. He returned with a small dying baby. The body was stiff and the mouth gaped open in the baby's last effort to live. As the heat from Mike's hands warmed the baby, we started to see movement. I knew he hadn't eaten in at least 18 hours so that was the next step.

Rehydration and Food
I immediately called the vet. My almost 21 year old cat had a hyperactive thyroid and I purchased some powdered kitten formula to help maintain his weight. I asked the vet if it was okay to give this to a baby squirrel. They confirmed it was. We picked up a baby bottle from the vet's but later traded that in for an oral syringe as the preferred method of feeding. (Walgreen's pharmacist gave the syringe and an eyedropper to us free.)

At this point, Seymore's guardian angel who led us to pick him up, wasn't done protecting him. When I mixed up the formula, even though I hadn't read anything on first feedings, something told me to thin the formula. It just looked too thick. I added more than double the water necessary. Later I learned that feeding a rescue baby squirrel full strength formula before rehydrating was dangerous and by diluting the formula I had kept him safe while rehydrating him. He was warm, cozy and slept well in Mike's warm hands. We took no pictures of Seymore that first feeding. It seemed too sad to do since he didn't look as though he would make it.

The Second Feeding
I should have been able to feed Seymore, but couldn't. You see, unlike most women that have been mothers, I'm afraid of babies. I'm not afraid they'll hurt me. On the contrary, I'm afraid I'll hurt them. I don't hold newborns and I don't hold animals before they open their eyes. I can write an entire article about my fear of babies, in fact I may, but in Seymore's case, it meant Mike had to come home to feed him.

This feeding, Seymore looked far healthier than the first and we video taped it. You'll find the video by clicking here: YouTube. Seymore looks more like a mouse than a squirrel but I assure you after just three weeks, he's all squirrel, and one with a "tude" to boot.

More Updates
I'll be adding more articles about Seymore, his feeding regimen and how he's growing as well as more YouTube, just click on the highlighted link. I've also added a slide show to may articles on Yahoo/Associated Content. " He's adorable. (Since he opened his eyes, I now feed him and handle him but he's Mike's baby. He loves riding in his pocket and scolds him when it's time to go back to the cage.) Watch for the updates. We even have one called "The Great Escape."