Sis, the Red Squirrel

 

Have you ever wondered why baby animals need help and what happens to them later on?  This is the story of one little squirrel who needed help, and her name is Sis.

 

Sis and her brother lived with their mother in a nest in the eaves of an apartment building.  They weren't very well hidden, and one rainy day their nest was attacked by blackbirds.

 

A woman in the apartment building heard something scream.  She looked outside and saw a tiny, drenched squirrel clinging to the screen of the sliding glass door. 

 

The lady picked up the squirrel, and suddenly another squirrel fell to the ground.  It was Sis' brother.  The woman could see that they were hurt and that they were very young.  Sis had one eye open and one eye closed, and the base of her tail was badly torn.

 

The woman was very smart and very caring.  She took the little squirrels to a veterinarian and he cleaned the injuries and gave little Sis some medicine to help her get well.  It was April 5^th.

 

A few days later, the woman found the name and number of a wildlife rehabilitator and she called her to help with the squirrels.  That rehabber was me!  My name is Nonda, and I take care of all kinds of wild animals in Ohio.

 

Sis and her brother Bubby needed a lot of care, but pretty soon they were growing and learning to jump and climb.  Sis' torn tail healed, but she grew a funny tuft of fur underneath her tail where the injury had been.

 

On June 19^th, Sis and Bubby were able to take care of themselves and the door of their release pen was opened.  They claimed the area as their own and were very territorial, as young as they were.  To this day, Sis is the queen of my yard!

 

In the New Year, we noticed that Sis had taken up residence in a nest box in a tall tree.  In March, she gave birth to her first litter.  We enjoyed watching her from afar, and one day we watched her move two babies from one nest box to another.  Even though she had been raised by humans, Sis knew just what to do and she was a very good mother.  Eventually, her two babies grew up and became independent. 

 

This spring, one of Sis' babies had a litter of her own in the very nest box she grew up in.  She had three babies, while Sis herself gave birth to a litter of two.  In July, both Sis and her daughter gave birth to a second litter, and mother and daughter had three babies each.

 

Even though she isn't very old, little Sis is a grandmother!  When people ask me if it's possible for rehabilitators to raise injured or orphaned baby squirrels and whether they grow up to lead normal squirrel lives, I always tell them the story of Sis.  She's living proof.