PP&M

So I've been posting about three infant squirrels that I brought home Sunday. They are #17, 18 and 19 of my at home rehabs -- not supposed to name them. The feeling is, they aren't pets... They're wild, and since they will return to the wild you don't want to hamper them by imprinting your human-beingness on them too much.

(You want them to be afraid of humans, because too many of them do things like shooting them for sport or stew, running them over with their cars or feeding them things that aren't good for them. Stepping off soap box now)

However, for the sake of my stories, I shall hereby refer to these two little boys and a girl as Peter, Paul and Mary.

Here is a little movie of typical behavior. No matter that they can barely crawl, these babies have the strongest snouts! They like to push their noses under something -- a piece of fabric, a sibling's body, my neck or hair... Other behavior this shows is how they jerk while deeply asleep. We do this sometimes but these guys do it all the time. Amazing they don't wake themselves up.
(We shall not cackle that Mary is smashing her little nose past her brother's privates for a sec).

(I put my finger in there so you can judge their size)
My theory is that their little nervous systems are wired so tightly this is what happens. Just today I saw a little gray sitting in someone's driveway and he leapt straight up in the air. It wasn't because he was starting to run off somewhere. He was just sitting there, minding his own business when his body leapt straight up.

Here's an example of the little ones doing more of that. Like a little bowl of popcorn.. They look like peaceful and still - at first. One pops, then another (and that other, on the right, if you look really closely, seems to be dreaming of drinking milk... Watch her little mouth.)


Endless source of amusement!

Sleeping, Growing, Eating

In that order. Even though these three are probably about 3 1/2 weeks old, they do nothing but sleep and grow. I have to wake them up to eat and strangely, the bigger male has the least appetite. I'm experimenting with how far apart I feed this trio so they are truly hungry and yet getting enough nutrients to support the important work their little cells are doing.

Some baby animals are born fully furred, with eyes open, able to eat even solid foods. Squirrels are born as neonates --without hair, ears pinned back, eyes not yet developed... completely helpless. You'd think at this age they'd be walking around or have their eyes open, but they are clearly still developing, maybe like those other species do while still in the womb. When I watch them, they seem an awful lot like they're doing just that. They seem happiest when intertwined in a very snug, warm, soft space.

These photos are what made me think of how they must look -- and manage to all fit-- in the womb. It's hard to snap good photos of them, because they constantly jump in their sleep. I can barely get the lid of their tank up without losing the shot I saw that I wanted just seconds before. When I saw the below, all three spooning with each's arm draped around the other, it was so cute I tried to get the pic. Alas, the blanket is in the way at this angle but you get the drift.
(Notice remnant milk on the corner of the mouth!)

Within seconds the little one on the end had shifted position but look at his little legs in the second picture... crunched up and gripping the other one's haunches. Even more womb-like.

More to come.

You should be able to enlarge any of these pics by clicking on them.