Woman Raises Injured Baby Squirrel Found on Driveway

A compassionate woman named Ashley found a tiny baby squirrel who had fallen onto her driveway from a tree above in August 2021. The squirrel, who she named Gordon Pecans, soon became an integral part of her family. He required special care from the beginning because he was an infant.

I had to learn emergency squirrel care. It was like having a human newborn he had to eat every two to three hours. They have to be held upright. They’re supposed to have a very specific formula and they will not drink it if it’s not warm. …We would be waking up at the weirdest hours just to make sure that he was okay.

Ashley and her family lovingly raised Gordon, giving him a safe place to live as he couldn’t be released into the wild due to the traumatic brain injury (TBI) and partial blindness he sustained after he fell from the tree.

On one side he cannot see at all on the other side he has perfect vision. …He started trying to walk around and he couldn’t. There was just something wrong. He can’t walk in a straight line. A lot of times when they have neurological damage they’ll walk with a lien or they won’t be able to climb …he could never survive in the wild. …I would never ever ever have kept him if I thought he could be in the wild I will always make sure I do what’s best for him.

Despite these limitations, Gordon has flourished under Ashley’s care, so much that he thinks she’s part of his natural environment.

I’m a tree. I have become a tree. I’m no longer a human I’m a tree. He actually chooses to eat his nuts on me which is weird. …He will hide them on me in the hood of my sweatshirt and in my hair I swear he thinks it’s a nest. He’s like a tiny dog who climbs like a cat.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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