Man Finds Baby Squirrel On Bed—Four Years After Rescue Animal Grows Up To Be Adorable Pet

Jun 11, 2020 by apost team

They say the best things happen unexpectedly. This happened to be an experience from a man who came home on one cold morning to find a surprise on his pillow back in 2016. There were two small pink squirrels on his pillow in the middle of dried pine branches and thickets.

Unfortunately, one of the squirrels wasn’t responsive, but there was a reason to smile. The other squirrel was alive, and its story would soon spread across the internet, leading to a following of over 200,000 on Instagram.

Born on 7th March in 2016, little and brave Thumbelina came into the world and now can be identified as a 4-year-old eastern grey squirrel. As the story goes according to Thumbelina’s website, she was brought into the world by her mother in the most inopportune way. Her mother’s habitat was destroyed amidst construction chaos, which forced her to crawl into a stranger’s house where she gave birth to her two offspring on the stranger’s bed.

Naturally, as a mother, she did her best to take care of her delicate offspring by sneaking out to fetch twigs and leaves for her babies’ nest. When the stranger came back home, he was surprised to find two newborn squirrels on his pillow. Professional wildlife rehabbers Christina and her husband Michael came to the rescue for these newborns who had to be reunited with their mother. Their efforts didn’t yield fruits, and, unfortunately, the mother didn’t return from the wild.

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Shortly afterward, one of the tiny squirrels died. The last surviving one of the squirrels fought to stay alive and healthy, and even got named Thumbelina. Luckily, she found a home with Christina and her husband.

The duo, who are animal enthusiasts, have aided in taking care of many baby squirrels who happen to slip from their mothers’ care. Once the baby squirrels are mature enough to live on their own, the couple releases them into the wild. But this fate wouldn’t befall Thumbelina as she seemed to have unique traits from other squirrels.

Christina defended her actions while speaking to Zoomin TV:

“She just never developed that little squirrel spark that makes them sort of be a squirrel.” 

Thumbelina’s growth tends to be a little slow and different compared to other squirrels they have handled before. Christina explains that it took about nine weeks after being brought to earth for Thumbelina to open her eyes as opposed to the normal five. She also preferred to walk rather than jump like other squirrels.

Thumbelina’s dietary choices were a bit unique. Most baby squirrels adapt to liking solid food instantly and forget about milk. But as for Thumbelina, she gripped hard to her bottle of milk and rejected solid food with all her might.

The little squirrel didn’t cope well with other squirrels and would rather isolate herself. Christina explained to The Dodo, “She’s terrified of squirrels. She looks at them like they’re little monsters.”

It was declared that Thumbelina wasn’t built to survive in the wild alone. She holds unique traits that can’t let her go into the wild. Due to these unique and delicate characteristics, Thumbelina would soon find her celebrity status.

In October 2018, two-year-old Thumbelina was found to have medical complications, specifically, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, an enlarged uterus, Endometriosis, discomfort, rapid weight gain, and severe swelling, according to Thumbelina's website. She would later go under the scalpel for a full hysterectomy procedure.

Her journey has been documented on her page on Instagram that has since gathered over 200,000 followers. Today, she has grown strong into nibbling on arugula leaves and avocado, which have become an internet sensation.

Thumbelina loves snuggling with Michael and Christina while in her heart-shaped sunglasses and cute baby hats. This little squirrel’s story also inspires many of her fans. As Christina told Zoomin TV:

“Our favorite messages are messages from people that are suffering from depression or they had a family member that’s passed away, and they used to look at her, and it sort of would cheer them up.”

Thumbelina really has been brave and handled all the struggles like a champion. What do you think about this adorable squirrel? Feel free to send this story to your loved ones and remind them that every living creature is wonderful.