Biscuits the squirrel. From rescue to friend.

[Locut0s]

http://www.viralnova.com/biscuits-the-squirrel/

[earthbot1]

1. awesome!

I have some living in my too shed, but they are not very social. I used to have a very friendly one, she
would eat out of my hand.

[840high]

2. Amazing.

[Morwen_Madrigal]

3. Absolutely wonderful.

[fizzgig]

4. i have a fat little squirrel friend at out apartment

i leave peanuts out for him and it's to the point where he's waiting for me most mornings. i bet i could get him to eat out of my hand but i'm not so sure i want to try.

[ailsagirl]

5. That is so touching-- brings tears to my eyes

Thank you for posting!!!!!

[MissDeeds]

18. Same here

Happy tears - great story! Thank goodness for people like this guy!

[ailsagirl]

22. I sometimes get so down...

over things I read, then I'll see something beautiful like this, and my faith is restored.

[passiveporcupine]

6. Flying squirrels are the most beautiful creatures

I'd never heard of anyone raising one from a baby before. That is just wonderful.

[madrchsod]

7. squirrel`s are cool...

i have one in the backyard and he has friends in a couple trees over. they all meet outside my door for thier breakfast.

[IrishAyes]

8. I am, pardon the phrase, a squirrel nut. Love 'em beyond reason.

Before I had to have a rotten old oak tree in the front yard cut down, we had scads of squirrels. They'd taunt the chows and play chicken with them all the time. All my windows reach almost to the floor, so the chows could easily see outside, and sometimes a squirrel, knowing he was safe, would run up and down the porch rail, chattering and challenging all of us to a fight. The dogs would have fits. Shamefully, I'd enter into the game a little now and then by making squirrel noises back at the little devil. That really made him mad, to be sassed by a human! But we had fun. Eventually the chows would get into such a frenzy that they'd nearly break the door down, so I had to let them out. The squirrel would wait until the last second to turn tail and run.

[Skittles]

13. I like squirrels too

they are so smart and SO entertaining

[IrishAyes]

16. I can't PROVE this

but from that oak tree, which was Squirrel Central, those acorns would fall on my head with undue force. I always wondered if the little divils were up there throwing them at me.

[Skittles]

23. they chased my cat from his favorite tree and taunted him

they did it several times until he permanently vacated the tree, and then the squirrels had a family

[Curmudgeoness]

9. Very cute. Amazing that he knew what to do

with an infant squirrel, but good for him.

But I hate to drop a turd in the punch bowl, but this squirrel should now be released into the wild again. You raise them, then you have to let them have their own life.

[catbyte]

11. That little squirrel wouldn't survive if he did that. He would have to take her to a

wildlife rehab center where they could teach her how to survive in the wild. You can't hand raise a little creature like that then just cut her loose. That would be a death sentence. She doesn't know how to be a wild squirrel now. She needs to be taught.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. Well, then, he should take the squirrel to a rehab center.

As a former wildlife rehabber, I can say that it is the only fair thing to do. When this squirrel gets to adulthood, and has nothing to mate with, I feel sorry for it.

[maddiemom]

20. Right. The "releasing them back to the wild" thing is much more complicated, and usually a death

sentence to any wild animal that's been domesticated. Many well-intentioned, but inexperienced animal lovers don't realize that. Thankfully there are groups in most areas who specialize in dealing with these animals, but they are often well known. Local ASPCAs or Forest Service people can usually provide help.

[maddiemom]

21. Sorry. Often NOT well known until you search them out. You guys who responded as experienced in

this type of rescue don't advertize much: a newspaper article once or twice a year is the most publicity you get. The average well-meaning citizen who rescues a wild animal needs to know who to contact for advice.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. How did he do it? What did he feed her?

[Tanuki]

12. Great story...what a sweet guy, you can see what a kick

he gets out of carrying the squirrel in his shirt pocket, making it a little paper hat, putting it on its own little skateboard, etc. Thanks for posting this!

[Helen Borg]

15. I have had a terrible experience

With squirrels since a family of them chewed through the side of my house and took over the attic a while back. Had to call specialists to take care of the situation (they just put a door that opens only on the way out, so the squirrels cannot come back, and then fixed the holes with metal mesh that cannot be chewed through). I think they are cute-looking, but they insist on living in the city!

[MADem]

28. You don't need a specialist. Really.

For under twenty bucks, buy some COYOTE URINE.

You can buy it at feed stores, on Amazon, at pet supply stores.

Put some on a cloth and toss it where the squirrels are nesting--they will SCRAMBLE to get the hell out of your attic; so fast that you will laugh.

Then cover the hole, get rid of any branches leading to your roof, and periodically put a spray of coyote urine here or there where you think your squirrelly little friends might be crawling up to your roofline.

They will learn to avoid your home--they HATE coyotes...!

[adirondacker]

29. hmm, squirrels or a house full of howling coyotes?

Interesting tactic though!

I've only had porcupine problems on my place (chewing siding). I found out that Apple Bitter works for wildlife as well as pets.

[MADem]

30. I've used it in coyote country, and they have their own "areas."

They aren't going to come in your house and start looking in your attic!

I have never seen any animal, in any situation, run like hell as I have squirrels from coyote urine.

We had a family of 'em settled in under the eaves; they packed up, moved out, and left a huge stash of pine cones behind, in the space of MINUTES. Never came back, either!

Coyote urine--the ultimate Squirrel Eviction Notice! Way cheaper than a "pest specialist" too!

[adirondacker]

32. I'm amused and tempted to give it a try on some obnoxious red squirrels that are acting like

republicans around the bird feeders. I swear they'll clean out several pounds of feed in a day by gorging, pilfering and stashing if I don't occasionally go out and throw snowballs at them. I also have a flying squirrel that visits the thistle seed feeder at night. He's quite docile and let's me get as close as a couple feet from him before it jumps into the tree. He's a light eater and doesn't rake out the feed like it's Mardi Gras like his red cousins.

I built my cottage quite tight and put icynene (spray foam) insulation in the ceiling and floors, so it's fairly rodent proof. I left the place for 8 months last year with dry food in the kitchen and nothing came in.

I'm familiar with coyotes and there are plenty around here. They used to come as close to the edge of the lawn at the house I grew up in. They're usually quite skiddish at the sight, smell, or sound of any humans.

Good on you for figuring out how to eliminate pests without harming them. I felt bad for the porcupine, since I "rescued" a young
one in the middle of winter by feeding it apples. I did mind they had a taste for anything plywood and were in the works of destructing my construction. I was familiar with Bitter Apple from a previous puppy that liked to chew on furniture, so I figured I had nothing to lose trying it out on porkies. I actually heard it cry after it took a taste of the Bitter Apple. He left and hasn't returned to feast in what has been three years now.

[MADem]

33. There are often easier ways to get rid of pests without poisoning, I've found.

I don't know if it's possible to find anything that will work with the sturdy cockroach (I haven't seen those since I lived in a very urban area, fortunately), but the coyote wee always did the trick for my squirrel neighbors.

I also know from experience that mice HATE peppermint--they hate it!! Peppermint oil drives 'em mad--plants planted round the foundation will keep them away. No idea why they hate it, but I think it's a grand solution. Cayenne pepper works, too.

If I can make a critter go away without having to kill it, that's generally my preference. Of course, if you have terriers they also do a good job of chasing off small stuff, and if they catch it, it's shake-snap-dead in the wink of an eye! Years ago, I had a cat that was the best mouser on the planet--that cat was a mouse-killing machine.

[heaven05]

17. great story

[maddiemom]

19. We had flying squirrels in our attic, when I was a kid (mid-fifties). They'd gotten in somehow from

a tree outside. One was especially social and my parents named him "PeeWee." They would make their way in when they could and "spy" on us. Although my Dad was a hunter, and had shot a few red and gray squirrels as a kid, the flying squirrels were adopted and protected, even though they were doing some minor damage where they got in. Finally my dad had to find a way to,seal them out, but wouldn't have considered harming them in any way. " Rocky" came along shortly thereafter, and always made me think of "our" flying squirrels.

[Plucketeer]

24. This brought back GREAT memories!

I too adopted a young flying squirrel when I was a young teen. You can't BELIEVE how that little rodent bonded to me! I named my guy Orville after Orville Wright. And I had to teach him to fly once he was old enough. Orville wanted to be with me 24/7. He didn't mind if I handed him off to someone else, but if I did so, his primary aim was to find his way back to me.
At night, he'd curl up right next to me. If I moved or rolled over as I slept, he always avoided being smashed - and he NEVER pooped on me or anyone else - especially in the house. He had one small corner of my desk as his rest stop - and even if he was three rooms away, he'd make his way back to his rest area to do his business.
Then there was the day I took him to school in my shirt pocket. No one but a few friends knew Orville was with me.... that is until he woke up in the middle of one class and stuck his head out to see what was goin' on. THAT was the end of class that day!

[Iwillnevergiveup]

26. The OP and your story

are really great! Even though I know squirrels are capable of damage, if they are blockaded away from attics, etc., I believe that's the route to go. I never considered them as rodents and I love putting out apples (with skin removed:chuckle and peanut butter on crackers. They come around and put on quite a show.

The sound they make is called "chortling," right?

[Plucketeer]

27. I honestly can't recall Orville ever making any noise at all.

I'm sure he could have if he'd wanted to, but I never did hear anything from him. There were many great times with Orville, but he was stolen from me after I'd had him about a year and a half. As you might imagine, I was devastated - my whole family was.

[awoke_in_2003]

25. Classic (pre-GE) Letterman

http://m.

[SunSeeker]

31. K & R