This story originally appeared at American Web Media.
It seemed like a regular weekday morning, until the young man found a tiny animal snuggled up in his covers. At first, the man had no idea how the walnut-sized critter made it into his 10th floor apartment, but later surmised it may have been left by its mother as their nest was destroyed by ongoing construction.
The man eventually called for wildlife rescue, who nursed the baby back to health and named it Thumbelina. The rescuers, Christina and Michael, sought to reunite the baby with its mother, but they couldn’t find her anywhere. So the couple welcomed the orphaned critter into their own home.
Thumbelina would eventually grow into a playful, curious squirrel, but for the moment this minuscule animal needed round-the-clock care. The couple bottle-fed this tiny critter throughout the day and sought to keep her warm.
“Almost all squirrels we take in are rescued and released into the wild,” Christina recalled. “But Thumbelina was a special case.”
In time, the young squirrel grew stronger, but within 2 years starting displaying some distinctly un-squirrel like behaviors. Unlike other Eastern Gray Squirrels, Thumbelina prefers to walk, not run. While other squirrels climb trees, this one sits back to chillax.
“I don’t know what she thinks she is, but it’s definitely not a squirrel,” Christina and Michael said. Like other children, she’s simply adapted to her adoptive parents’ routines. Case in point: The squirrel loves avocados and watching the Wendy Williams Show.
“Thumbelina simply never developed that ‘squirrel spark.’ The thing that makes a baby wild, and ready to go out into the world and be a squirrel. She’s slower, less reactive, and hates the cold weather. She’s unique in every little way,” her parents said.
What do you think makes Thumbelina special?
from The Animal Rescue Site Blog http://bit.ly/2vwI3PI
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