Can you picture returning home from a hard day to discover a mother squirrel had built a nest on your bed out of twigs, dried pine needles, and branches and had placed two young squirrels inside? What reaction would you have?
For one individual, calling Christina and Michael, a local couple skilled in animal rescue and rehabilitation, seemed the logical solution. No one could have predicted how the narrative would end, but it turned out to be one of the greatest options for such tiny, delicate animals.
The couple’s first objective was to reconnect the infants with their mother, but it soon became apparent that she had no interest in carrying the children anywhere as she would come and leave. According to reports, neighboring building damaged her previous nest…
The narrative then takes a crazy turn when the mother squirrel eventually stopped seeing her young altogether.
One of the infants perished without its mother. Consequently, Christina and Michael had the infant that had survived examined by a wildlife veterinarian, who likewise concluded that baby would probably not live.
Michael and Christina made the decision to raise the infant who survived.
They adopted her, gave her the name Thumbelina, and took care of her until she was healed. Thumbelina was a unique instance, they claimed, adding that “virtually all squirrels we take in are rehabilitated and returned into the wild.”
Thumbalina’s case was undoubtedly exceptional.
She was born at an odd season, and losing her sister meant she would miss out on crucial opportunities to interact with other squirrels.
Baby squirrels are known as kits or kittens, and they are “born blind,” according to Live Science.
Mother squirrels often have 2 to 8 kittens at a time, and the young rely on their moms for 2-4 months after birth. Additionally, before being weaned, babies often rely on their mother’s milk for 7 to 8 weeks. Then, because they are omnivores, they consume a variety of foods. They will consume anything, including eggs, tiny insects, caterpillars, baby snakes, and other small creatures, in addition to mushrooms, nuts, seeds, and fruit.
The couple undergoing therapy had a difficult time replacing mother’s milk.
Her human caregivers fed her using syringes and bottles.
An Eastern Grey Squirrel, Thumbelina is.
Her narrative has a lot to teach us now about the animals in our immediate surroundings.
In actuality, Thumbalina’s human caregivers have done a lot of good with the duty of rearing her.
Thumbalina was distinctive in other ways from the beginning as well.
However, her human caregivers did make an effort to integrate her with other gray squirrels.
Though the initial intention was for Thumbalina to survive in the wild, she never really showed that she was capable of doing so.
Thumbelina now spends her days playing, cuddling, and—most of the time—getting into mischief with her parents.
Thumbelina has always followed a stringent diet that is only meant for non-releasable squirrels.
The voyage of Thumbalina has not been without its highs and lows. Despite following a certain diet, she struggled for a very long period to control her weight. They eventually found out she had hormone imbalances:
It’s certainly not a squirrel, whatever she believes she is.
Thumbalina was “back to her cheerful, loving, lively little self” following surgery.
Although release is always a possibility, she still has a long way to go right now.
“We hope that Thumbelina may disseminate the adage, “Each small life is big to the one living it,” and help people realize how crucial it is to respect and be nice to all creatures.
Whether Thumbelina ever receives official rehabilitation or spends her entire life in captivity, she will always be adored.
