I went upstate this past winter to visit a friend who lives in an old farmhouse. The first night we were there I awoke to fast and furious sounds coming from the bathroom. I went to the bathroom door, I will admit a little bit scared (read: heart racing). I poked my head in and saw a flash of brown. I quickly closed the door again.
A squirrel was locked in the bathroom, what to do? Wait. We waited until 6am and went calling upon the neighbor. Shamefully, I will admit to playing the “girl card,” and knocking on big neighbor man’s door. We have a squirrel in our bathroom, can you help? Big neighbor man said sure, no problem, let’s see what we can do. Big neighbor man went upstairs to the bathroom and pushed the squirrel out the window. Now, I thought this was maybe not the best approach (of course not that I had offered any better course of action). But didn’t the squirrel get into the house some way, and wouldn’t it want to come back?
Friend and I went to the local hardware store. We were instructed to buy what is called a “havahart” squirrel trap and were told that yes the squirrel would most likely come back and yes it is best – once you have squirrel in the trap – to drive over a mile away to release the little guy. Apparently they have a keen sense of direction and are very determined.
Anyway, this is getting a little long-winded, sorry. We set the trap (with peanut butter), squirrel came back that night and was trapped, we drove over a mile away and let the squirrel go. The next morning I took a shower in the now and forever called ‘squirrel bathroom’. I got out of the shower, reached for a towel, and what did I find, three little just-born-baby squirrels bedded in the towels. Have you ever seen a baby squirrel? Well, I hadn’t. And they were not fuzzy and cute. I went running out of that bathroom, leaps hollers and all. Flash forward, hello again big neighbor man will you help us? Neighbor man scooped up the babies in the towel, put them in a basket and we went driving in search of mama squirrel. We left the babies in their basket behind a stone wall, somewhere, I hoped, near where we had left mom. It was really cold out. I still feel badly.
When I was little we had a pet squirrel named petunia. Everyday we would let her out and every night she would come home to sleep in her cage. One night she did not come back.
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A squirrel was locked in the bathroom, what to do? Wait. We waited until 6am and went calling upon the neighbor. Shamefully, I will admit to playing the “girl card,” and knocking on big neighbor man’s door. We have a squirrel in our bathroom, can you help? Big neighbor man said sure, no problem, let’s see what we can do. Big neighbor man went upstairs to the bathroom and pushed the squirrel out the window. Now, I thought this was maybe not the best approach (of course not that I had offered any better course of action). But didn’t the squirrel get into the house some way, and wouldn’t it want to come back?
Friend and I went to the local hardware store. We were instructed to buy what is called a “havahart” squirrel trap and were told that yes the squirrel would most likely come back and yes it is best – once you have squirrel in the trap – to drive over a mile away to release the little guy. Apparently they have a keen sense of direction and are very determined.
Anyway, this is getting a little long-winded, sorry. We set the trap (with peanut butter), squirrel came back that night and was trapped, we drove over a mile away and let the squirrel go. The next morning I took a shower in the now and forever called ‘squirrel bathroom’. I got out of the shower, reached for a towel, and what did I find, three little just-born-baby squirrels bedded in the towels. Have you ever seen a baby squirrel? Well, I hadn’t. And they were not fuzzy and cute. I went running out of that bathroom, leaps hollers and all. Flash forward, hello again big neighbor man will you help us? Neighbor man scooped up the babies in the towel, put them in a basket and we went driving in search of mama squirrel. We left the babies in their basket behind a stone wall, somewhere, I hoped, near where we had left mom. It was really cold out. I still feel badly.
When I was little we had a pet squirrel named petunia. Everyday we would let her out and every night she would come home to sleep in her cage. One night she did not come back.
- selma 8-02-2004 9:07 pm