In February 2019, Jessica Adams found a tiny pink blob on the sidewalk after a wind storm
The baby squirrel was alone, hairless, frozen, and weighed only 1.3 ounces
He must have fallen from his nest or has been pulled out by a predator
“I found him in February 2019 on a sidewalk, he was alone and practically frozen, hairless, eyes still closed and, unfortunately, without his mother around. Later, we would find that he was losing about half of his tail, so I’m pretty sure he was pulled out of his nest by a predator,” Jessica said.
“At the time we were not 100% sure he was a squirrel. My kids were excited to see such a tiny creature, and my husband just thought I was nuts (pun intended) but he knows I am an animal lover and that I wouldn’t give up on him.”
She realized he couldn’t make it without help
She was shocked when he survived his first night
Jessica decided to nurture him back to life because everyone deserves a chance
“I tried really hard to give him the best, I had a timer set on my watch for feedings every two hours, even at night. I tried to contact a wild animal rescue, but they were overbooked, and the vet would have put him to sleep if I left him. So I had no choice but to try to save him myself.”
She fed him every two hours through a pipette, even at night time
She used to take Steve to her office in a shoebox so that she could care for him
Jessica told us about Steve’s personality: “Steve was clever, far more intelligent than I ever expected. He was very much like a dog, came when called, he let me know when he wanted to play and also when we wanted to cuddle or nap. He loved pens for some reason and would always take them into his ‘bedroom’. He was very much a one-person animal (me), he tolerated the kids but not my husband.”
“He needed me, he would have died without help. Little did I know how much I needed him too or how much I would adore him”
As Steve grew stronger, he got introduced to a backyard where he could learn how to climb trees and other squirrel things
“When he got bigger he needed more space than his original cage when he was locked away. I wanted him to also get used to all the constant sounds of being outside. We took baby steps to implement everything about being outside. From exploring to climbing.”
Eventually, he moved to his new 2-story house outside
We asked Jessica what was the most challenging and rewarding about raising a squirrel.
“The time, I had my watch set around the clock for feedings which started every two hours. Eventually bumped up to three as he grew. I took Steve everywhere, even work. We used the postage scale to weigh him to make sure he was gaining weight… Most rewarding was the experience, he loved me and I loved him, the overwhelming pride of seeing him grow and thrive. It also was quite humbling, that little guy needed me to survive and I never expected to love him as I do.”
Jessica was heartbroken about letting him go as she has truly become “Steve’s crazy mom”
But he seemed to enjoy the outside world and one day, the natural instincts took over and he disappeared
Until he visited the garden again looking for food
At that moment, Jessica knew that Steve is thriving and will be alright
“I knew he was ready when he wanted to be out and about more, but I was heartbroken and scared when he didn’t come home the first couple of nights. I feared the worst and worried I had done him a disservice by raising him and not giving him all the squirrel knowledge but his instincts kicked in and he survived. He celebrated his first birthday with me and just had his second!”
He’s now living a very spoiled outside life and even got a ‘girlfriend’ named Jolene
“I think he’s happy, he has a family. He will still look at me with curiosity like he remembers but won’t climb on me, a healthy fear of humans is good and it keeps him safe. Not everyone is as kind. He visits often, he also is pretty easy for me to spot since he’s missing about half of his tail.”
Jessica now feeds all the neighborhood squirrels and says she would repeat Steve’s story all over again
Lastly, Jessica shared what she has learned from this unusual experience of raising a squirrel: “Every creature deserves a chance to live, great or small. If I would have left him to die I would have missed out on a great adventure and experience.”
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