The Easter Squirrel That Found Us

Easter Sunday. 

Kids running around, baskets in hand, hunting down eggs like their lives depended on it. When I look over to my husband and said "The kids said they see a squirrel." So I said "Okay leave it alone kids." Then our daughter says to me "Why can daddy hold it then?" I turned around and couldn't believe my eyes. Then I hear it...the inevitable discussion about how this flea-infested baby squirrel was coming home with us.😧

Here is the link to the last post about the squirrel/ animals. I figured I should tell you how she came into the picture.➡️https://navigatinglifewithruthie.blogspot.com/2025/04/turns-out-im-not-italian-but-honestly.html

I knew it. I just knew my husband wouldn’t be able to leave her behind. He might not look or act like it at times but he's a sucker for animals, especially baby animals.

So here we are. At home, with the baby squirrel. My husband gives her a D.E.(diatomaceous earth) dust bath, and just like that, no more fleas. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love animals. But let’s not forget that he works a lot, which means every pet somehow becomes my responsibility. And now, I’m forced to bond with this ridiculously adorable little squirrel.

 The next morning, she rode with me in my fanny pack, with a small piece of soft fleece fabric, while I brought the kids to school. She needed to stay warm from my body heat since it was such a cold morning. She even made a store run with me for puppy formula, which is what she needed (according to reddit), and electrolytes. She needed strength, and somehow, I had become her lifeline.

The name? Still undecided. Every day, I call her something different and then immediately change my mind. Hazel? Nope...too close to Diesel (our dog, who absolutely freaked out every time I said it). Munchkin, Peanut, Suzie (since she was found in Aunty Sue's yard). Nothing sticks.

After a few days, she was strong enough to run and climb, so we tried something. We let her climb a tree in the backyard, thinking maybe she’d want freedom. Maybe she’d run off. Nope. My husband stepped back, barely a foot, and she cried like an actual baby squirrel screech, then bolted straight down the tree after him.

I've never seen anything like it.

Now, while we can’t let her roam the house freely (thanks to four cats and a dog who love to investigate), she gets outside time daily and has her own cage when we’re not home. Oh, and she’s even made it onto TikTok.

So here’s the real question....what should we name her? Because at this point, she’s here to stay.