A pet squirrel named Douglas was in a nutty mood on June 23, and took himself on a vertical venture – despite never having climbed a tree before.
"At first I thought, ‘Well, this is really exciting—he’s never jumped before, so that’s good,’” said Douglas’ owner, Kelly Blair, speaking from his cabin at Big White. Douglas has medical conditions that have prevented him from developing normally, and he’s spent his entire life since being rescued either indoors or perched on Blair’s shoulder.
“Then I realized, this is bad. Douglas has never climbed a tree before and I didn't know what he was going to do.”
@kelownacapnews Douglas the squirrel learned to jump and climbed his first ever tree on the same day… and then needed a rescue from the Big White Fire Department 🐿️🚒
♬ original sound - Kelowna Capital News
Blair took ownership of Douglas just over a year ago, once it became clear that the small rodent could not be released into the wild.
Douglas was found on the ground, close to death, as a newborn baby and was brought to a vet in Kelowna who is certified to care for wildlife. The vet's goal was to rehabilitate and then release Douglas into the wild. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that he was not suited for a life outdoors, and Douglas needed to find a more permanent and quieter home than the vet clinic.
"My plan was definitely not to have two cats and a pet squirrel," said Blair. The retired, lifelong animal lover now lives full time at his cabin at Big White and thought that if Douglas and his cats could learn to get along, the quiet, forested environment may be a suitable temporary home for a squirrel. Since Blair's cabin is in the woods, he hopes to one day release Douglas from his deck to join the other resident squirrels, chipmunks and birds that call Big White home.
"I would love it if he could just live wild," he said. "He's just lacking his natural skills."
Douglas has seizures when stressed and his claws did not grow in properly. Because of his malformed claws, he used to become stuck easily, making it difficult for him to run around. Blair has since figured out a solution for the hooked claws, but said Douglas still struggles to jump.
Over the last year, Blair has been attempting to teach Douglas to forage for food, jump and balance on narrow railings. In the past, the little squirrel would freeze when in a situation that required a leap.
He regularly takes Douglas out onto his deck for outside time and lets the one-year-old squirrel run along the railings to build confidence. Douglas has never attempted to run away, and is unable to jump from the railing onto the deck, let alone from one part of the railing to another.
When Blair is home and able to give him his full attention, he lets Douglas out of his large kennel and allows him to run freely around the cabin for play time and exercise.
"The cats now know he is part of the family," he said.
Blair said his cats and Douglas mostly ignore one another but he doesn't want to risk an incident or accidental injury, since Douglas is not an agile squirrel.
"He just never learned to run or jump," said Blair.
In addition to teaching basic squirrel skills, Blair wants to expose Douglas to the outdoors and takes him on daily walks and excursions into town and to markets. While he does have a travel crate, Douglas prefers to sit on Blair's shoulders and head, or, in the hood of his jacket in the winter.
Since Douglas cannot jump, he has never attempted to leave his perch on Blair and will stay latched on for hours. On the day of the tree climb, Doulgas had been accompanying Blair as he did chores in the yard – a regular Monday afternoon routine.
Suddenly, Douglas jumped off of Blair's shoulder and landed gracefully on the ground.
"I was so excited," said Blair. "He is getting healthier. He has never jumped before."
In fact, Blair said in the year he has cared for Douglas, the squirrel has never even made an attempt to jump.
Then, he scurried up the tree.
"Douglas has never climbed a tree and now he is 25 feet up in a tree and I don't know what he is going to do," said Blair, recounting how worried he was.
Blair said he was prepared to wait at the base of the tree until Douglas scampered back down, but it became clear that the little squirrel was frozen in place and not moving.
He called the Big White Fire Department and a crew was on-site within minutes. After assessing the situation, the team dispatched a firetruck with a ladder for the rescue mission.
A firefighter was hoisted up on the ladder to where Douglas remained frozen in-place and grabbed him from the tree without incident.
On ride down the ladder, Douglas climbed onto the firefighter's shoulder, his preferred transportation location.
He was then returned to Blair and taken home for a long nap.
"He had a big drink of water and then curled up in his crate," said Blair, noting that hours later the little squirrel had still hardly moved.
Now that he knows Douglas can jump, Blair said he sees a glimmer of hope that his little companion could be released into the wild.
In the meantime, Blair plans to keep a closer eye on Douglas and purchase a harness to continue taking him on outdoor excursions. Douglas plans to continue to snack on fresh peas, nuts, whole grain bread, locally grown watermelon, and blueberries.
"He went crazy for watermelon before so I bought one of the small ones from Mexico and he wouldn't eat it at all," said Blair about the squirrel's refined and specific palate.
Douglas will also throw almonds out of his dish of mixed nuts and doesn't care for pecans.
While the likelihood of Douglas living as a wild animal is slim, there are other animals who can be rehabilitated that are in need of help.
Blair encourages anyone who enjoys Douglas to donate to the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Summerland. The rehabilitation society is licensed to care for native small mammals, reptiles and aquatic birds. To contact the wildlife rehabilitation society, email Eva Hartmann at info@ interiorwildlife.ca.
