Monday, March 18, 2013

Look at what I caught!!


A few months ago I was working quietly in my studio when I heard some scratching sounds...my ears perked and I listened closelyIt sounded like something big...like a possom was jumping, trying to grip the wall unsuccessfully and then sliding down.  Over and over again...for hours.  It was obviously something that fell into the wall from the attic and was trying to get back out.  I was hopeful it would figure it out.  But the scratching got less and less I knew the poor thing was tired.  So finally after much hemming and hawing.  I got my saw and cut a hole in the wall.  Luckily I could cut from the inside of the ugly old bathroom and close the door, being able to trap the thing once it climbed through the hole.  I left the hole open for a while and after checking a second time...I saw he was out and peering at me from around the corner.  I was sure it'd be a gray squirrel, but it wasn't.

It was.....











 

 A little flying squirrel!  So incredibly adorable!
 

 Ignore the stained little carrier...but look at his arm skin...used for flying...so cool!

 And his tail is wide a really flat.  It's really hard to see these guys in the wild (I think they're nocturnal), so it was awesome to see him up close.  He was definitely tired...so I gave him a German cookies, which he gladly ate.

And then after a nice long rest, I brought him outside and let him climb up our old oak tree where he flew away!

I know flying squirrels can do a lot of damage if they get into your house, so I listened closely after that and didn't hear anything coming from the attic.  I'm hoping this little guy simply was just looking for a warm place to spend the day and got more than he bargained for.  :) 

Bye bye Mr. Squirrel! 

11 comments:

laurie -magpie ethel said...

Good for you on the rescue. Every few months we hear a creature in the wall in a nook in our bedroom. I bang on the wall and the sound will disappear for a few months. Then it will appear again...always in the same little spot. We need to have it looked at...I don't have an easy solution like you cutting that hole. Glad the little fellow was okay and back outside.

Eartha Kitsch said...

Holy heck! Wow! I love your heart for cutting a hole in your wall to get him out.

Georgia Peachez said...

We had them in our attic a couple of years ago. Didn't know what we had until we trapped them. I'm still finding acorns in odd places in the closets upstairs that they left behind. They must have been sneaking out and night and having a field day up on the top floor of my house.

Barbara said...

Just adorable. I love critters, but not when they're in my walls. Honestly not sure if I'd been brave enough to cut the hole in the wall (of course the alternative was not very good, either, was it?)

Erica of Golden Egg Vintage said...

Cute as heck! Does this inspire a Spun Cotton Flying Squirrel holding a cookie in his hand? lol
Thank goodness that your rescued him!
Erica :)

Rae - Say It Aint So said...

oh how cute! i had a friend when i was a kid whose dad did wild life rehabilitation. he had baby flying squirrels for a while that lived in this cool enclousure and we got to pet them gently a few times before they got released. it was amazing!

LindaSonia said...

Woo Hoo Good Job!!! if you're ever looking for a career change....

What I want to know is how the heck you got him into that container!?!?!

You go girl! LOL

Susie McMahon said...

Lovely story.......and lucky flying squirrel to someone kind enough to feed him and let him go!

Anonymous said...

This is such a sweet story. You are so kind to cut a hole in your wall and then feed the little guy a cookie, no less! My sister had a flying squirrel in her house once, but didn't realize it until it scurried across the living room floor in front of 2 sleeping kitty cats! She caught it in a paper grocery bag and then set it free, but not after taking photos also. They are such cute creatures.

~ Rosie in WI

p.s. Miss Butterfly Sprout is adorable!

Unknown said...

oh ho CUTE! And, oh my, how very kind of you to actually cut a hole in your wall to save him! you are a good-hearted person!!

Carol T said...

Honestly, you just crack me up. Only you would cut a hole in the wall and let that little guy come out. The way my luck is, I would cut the hole and the darn thing would never make an appearance and then I would be left with a hole in the wall! I too want to know how you got him in the container. I have wetlands and woods behind my house and every so often I hear scratching in a wall. I always think it is a mouse. We've had a few upstairs in the house over the years and I know they have been in the basement too. They creep the heck out of me!

Five years ago, my cat got out of the house and was missing for six weeks. During that time, I had a lady come to my house and she set up some traps hoping to catch her. One day I could see there was something in one of the traps that was out near the wetlands. The lady had told me that if any animal got in the trap, they had to be released as soon as possible. I walked down there hoping that it was my cat inside, but it was a squirrel. That thing was going crazy in the cage. I was so nervous, but I knew I had to let him out. I reached down and opened the door and that thing practically flew out! Never in my life would I have thought that I would have to release a squirrel from a trap in my yard! It still makes me laugh!