Another new addition

[lumix]

Re: Another new addition

I fell about laughing too when I realised what was happening.

I'd been setting up the tripod on the lawn for some outside tabletop stuff. Turned around and spotted a young squirrel flat out eyeing me with one eye half open, the other one closed. He was sprawled flat out, legs flat, like a playful puppy does at times. I thought it was dead at first, went to investigate and called for David to come and help with it. It slowly rolled its half open eye upwards into its skull, like it was breathing its last breath. As I got closer it suddenly opened both eyes, got to its feet as best it could and staggered drunkenly off over towards the shrubs. I realised there and then it was the same one that had been stuffing it's face with wet sultanas just a few minutes earlier and it was also lying very close to the place where they were. That's how we sussed what was happening.

It soon recovered enough to climb up to the dedicated squirrel feeder, ate a few peanuts then jumped over to the nearby birdbath for a long drink of wate ..... and promptly fell into the water. It was ok though. It just got out of the water, shook itself dry and ran away up the oak tree.

Pol

Pol I can't type for laughing

[Pol]

Re: Another new addition

Pol I can't type for laughing

I really wish I'd been able to get some pictures of the incident, preferably a short video clip.

I'd have loved to have got a shot of the poor little fella when he fell into the birdbath (same birdbath as the one with the Bluetit reflection shot).

The long drink and the brief 'swim' did seem to help sober him up more fully though.


pol

[Pops]

Re: Another new addition

We were recently finding young squirrels that were staggering around or lying down stunned and seemed to be confused and uncoordinated. Our initial thought was that they were injured or maybe suffering from a genetic birth defect. We soon sussed that they were actually drunk - yes well and truly sozzled. It had been raining heavily so the sultanas, (left out for the foxes and blackbirds) had gone soggy and fermented. The young squirrels had been eating them, hence their drunken stupor.

Now that is funny. Made me laugh out loud and then I started to visualise it and laughed some more.

[cowcrzy06]

Re: Another new addition

Pol,
My side is hurting, I have tears coming out of my eyes & now every time I look outside and see a squirrel I giggle!Even my two year old is looking at me funny

[Jocelyn Walker]

Re: Another new addition

That must have been hillarious to watch! I just loved the description of the little fella lying flat on its back, with eyes rolling about in its head! What a pity you didn't video the antics, it would've won 'America's Funniest Video' let alone entertain everyone here! When I was a youngster, the dog next door had got hold of an adult hedgehog, which I managed to rescue.....finding she had 6 babies in the garage! Unfortunately she died a few days later! So I took the babies indoors! Their quills were still rubbery. I fed them insects that I went out hunting for & milk from a dolls bottle, that I diluted with a little water! They all survived & soon learned to lap from a saucer & the insect diet was supplemented with dog food! They were such cute little things with such sweet little faces! I loved them to bits....my little treasures.....until a few weeks later, my father came across them & said we had to get rid of them because they had fleas.....so he gave them away to some people that had a plot of land bigger than ours! I cried all the way there & all the way back home! I don't think I ever forgave him that, as I remember it so clearly to this day! I have never seen a hedgehog again....not in South Africa or Uk! I don't think Australia has hedgehogs...but I may be wrong! We have something similar, but a lot bigger & that is an Echidna...not quite as adorable, but charming nonetheless!