meet percy

Critters Crossing

In the course of my work in the field of animal rescue, I come across all kinds of critters in need. This past Spring, a litter of newborn rats otherwise known as "pinkies" came into my life. I fed them formula through a tiny 1 cc syringe fitted with a canula on the end. Their mouths were so small it was very difficult. I did the best I could to feed them without aspirating but they only survived about 10 days and then began gasping for breath as a result of pneumonia. I hope they found their way to the great Critter Heaven in the sky.

Meet Percy

A short time later, Percy the squirrel came into my life. Percy came to me crippled without use of his front legs. He was found in a gutter by the side of the road. I don't know how this happened but the underneath of his right leg had a nasty cut. I did my best to treat the wound and keep it from becoming infected. Meanwhile, Percy learned to move around without using his front legs and would lean on his chin while pushing with his back legs. He's a sweet little guy and is now healthy and much stronger. He can even hold his food up with his

hands in the manner in which a squirrel is supposed to, but sometimes is a little bit off balance because of some permanent weakness in his right leg. I will probably not release Percy, but under ordinary circumstances I do not necessarily condone the keeping of a squirrel as a "pet". As I have learned the hard way, they are difficult to maintain and need a lot of attention.

Meanwhile, Percy lives the life of Riley. He is housed in his own 3-level "condo" that sits atop a table next to my bed. He has a hammock inside the condo in which to sleep and a large variety of foods to eat. Being a California squirrel he does love his California avocados. At night after work I open the condo door and let him loose in my apartment. He doesn't go far and goes back inside the condo on his own after about an hour. He gets along OK with my cats who don't much care about him or what he does.

About Squirrels

These cute and very intelligent bushy-tailed animals are in the rodent family with strong teeth that just love to chew their way through wood and plastic feeders. They will store their food away, burying nuts in the leaves on the forest floor or in cavities of trees as do jays and some woodpeckers. Look in a dense forest full of squirrels and realize that many of those new trees sprouting may have been planted by a squirrel.

What do squirrels eat?

They are primarily vegetarians, living on seeds, nuts, fruits, fungi, lichens, buds, mushrooms, roots, pine cones, leaves, twigs and bark. They do not normally eat meat. However, if faced with hunger they have been known to eat bird eggs, snakes and insects

How long do squirrels live?

The maximum longevity in the wild is somewhere around 12 years. However, most don't live that long due to the many predators that they fall victim to, due to the lack of food in the wild and for city squirrels being hit by cars shortens their lives. In the wild, many will not live past their third year. However, in captivity squirrels have been known to live to be twenty years old.

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