The Surrogate

After a week long absence from my room, I come back and discover my books and hamburger cd-case [a gift :( from my sis] all ripped apart and the cotton spread evenly throughout one of my book shelves. Obviously puzzled, I reach out to clear the mess.

A small ruffle leads to a couple of high frequency squeaks and a small brown mass trickles down and falls into my bag of clothes, to my surprise I find my cupboard housing a squirrel nest. It now rests in my tiffin-box (the one my mom sends food for me in) laden with the same cotton, waiting with its surrogate for the real to come and take care.

This reminds me of my school days when I used to have a couple of pigeons nest in our balcony and feed them regularly. I was so much used to them that I could identify almost all pigeons in the vicinity and learnt pretty good fact about them, they had got so much used to me that they used to flock around me, sit besides my palms to feed. I have had rabbits, tortoises at home earlier but pigeons were the best experience, though i haven't seen creatures as dumb as them.

I gave up this habit after one of those pigeons was hit and taken by some arbit ppl in front of me as it had become quiet fearless of humans, I thought it was because of me as I couldn't reach in time and they were gone by then.

In IIT, I always ensured such a thing doesn't happen ever and kept my windows always closed when away, but it has happened again, I wish the mother comes and takes it away from here soon, till then I guess I will have to play the "surrogate" part.

Any fundaes or prior experiences with squirrels/rodent nursing are most welcome :).. hope it would give an eventful ending to my five years stay here.

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Some wiki fundaes: Relationship with humans

Squirrels are generally clever and persistent animals. In residential neighborhoods, they are notorious for eating out of bird feeders, digging in planting pots and flower beds to pull out bulbs which they chew on or to either bury or recover seeds and nuts and for inhabiting sheltered areas including attics and basements. Squirrels use their keen sense of smell to locate buried nuts and can dig extensive holes in the process. Birds, especially crows, will watch a squirrel bury a nut and will dig it up as soon as the squirrel leaves. Although expert climbers, and primarily arboreal, squirrels also thrive in urban environments that are largely free of trees.

Squirrels are sometimes considered pests because of their propensity to chew on various edible and inedible objects. This characteristic trait aids in maintaining sharp teeth, and because their teeth grow continuously, prevents over-growth. Homeowners in areas with a heavy squirrel population must keep attics and basements carefully sealed to prevent property damage caused by nesting squirrels. A squirrel nest is called a "drey". Some homeowners resort to more interesting ways of dealing with this problem, such as collecting and planting fur from pets such as domestic cats and dogs in attics. This fur will indicate to nesting squirrels that a potential predator roams and will encourage evacuation. Fake owls and scarecrows are generally ignored by the animals, and the best way to prevent chewing on an object is to coat it with something to make it undesirable: for instance a soft cloth or chilli pepper paste or powder. Squirrel trapping is also practiced to remove them from residential areas.

Squirrels can be trained to be hand-fed. Because they are able to cache surplus food, they will take as much food as is available. Squirrels living in parks and campuses in cities have learned that humans are typically a ready source of food. Hand feeding is not recommended, however, because squirrels may carry plague or other animal-borne diseases. Even if they do not carry disease, they often have a hard time telling fingertips from food, and bites are painful. Squirrels are occasionally kept as household pets, provided they are selected young enough and are hand raised in a proper fashion. They can be taught to do tricks, and are said to be as intelligent as dogs in their ability to learn behaviors. In these cases, a large cage and a balanced diet with good variety will keep a pet squirrel healthy and happy. As a pet, the owner must be aware of "spring fever" at which time a female pet squirrel will become very defensive of her cage, thinking of it as her nest, and will become somewhat aggressive to defend the area.

Urban squirrels have learned to get a great deal of food from over-generous humans. One of the more common and inexpensive foods fed to squirrels is peanuts. Recent studies however have shown that raw peanuts contain a trypsin inhibitor that prevents the absorption of protein in the intestines, therefore offering peanuts that have been roasted is the better option. However, wildlife rehabilitators in the field have noted that neither raw and roasted peanuts or sunflower seeds are good for squirrels, since they are deficient in several essential nutrients. This type of deficiency has been found to cause Metabolic Bone Disease, a somewhat common ailment found in malnourished squirrels