Tiny's Threat Level is Red

I don't know if you have noticed, but squirrels don't like to take chances. We scare easily. Any strange movement and before you know it we're half way up a tree.

When in doubt of the danger, our best defense is to freeze...

If we see that there's nothing to fear, we go about our business. If we think maybe that we see something that might try to eat us we start to cluck to warn other squirrels. I'm not sure why when I try to warn my people of the dangers that cats pose they just look at me like I'm crazy...



To not draw too much attention and still alert our friends, sometimes we silence the cluck and flap our tail like it's on fire...



If we actually catch sight of something scary, we go into the full blown Screaming Mimi's...



We will stay like this until long after whatever it was that scared us has gone away. Once we feel it's super duper safe, we go about our normal business.

After all that, I'm usually pretty hungry.

Tiny's Nose Knows

Every squirrel knows that the number one important goal every day is to find food. We need lots of it to give us energy to climb tall trees in a hurry. In order to find the best, most tasty grub, we use our noses.

First, we sniff out the food.

Then we taste the food to make sure it's scrumptious.

Then we EAT THE FOOD!!!

Sometimes we get full (if you can believe that). When this happens we have to bury the food so that we can come back and eat it later.. Since I'm still growing this doesn't happen to me very often. Plus, the ground is a dangerous place for a little squirrel like me.

Tiny Mugs for the Camera

So, it can get a little boring out in the yard. The other squirrels aren't quite sure what to think of me yet because my squirrel mom wasn't able to take me around and introduce me. For now my only friends are my people family. So even though it bugs me that they're always clicking that little box in my face, most of the time I just roll with it and let it happen.

Sometimes I'll put my little squirrel paws in my mouth and blow until my eyes pop out.

My favorite thing to do is to pretend like I'm a cat or some kind of other horrible giant beast. I would terrify all of the animals in the yard with my ferocious claws!!

Finding fun in something annoying is what my people mom calls "taking a lemon and making lemonade". Although I'm not exactly sure what she's talking about because I've tried a lemon and they taste HORRIBLE. I can't imagine that drinking their juice would be a whole lot better. Moral of the story? People are weird.

Tiny's Style gets Cramped

Ok, it's great to have a mom and stuff, but sometimes I feel a little watched. My new mom loves to take pictures of me ALL OF THE TIME. She especially likes to take pictures of me eating. To tell you the truth, I don't even know what a picture is, but it must be important. Maybe it's like finding the perfect peanut. You find a good one and you just want more!



Sometimes it just gets to be a little much. I especially don't like to be bugged when I'm eating.



I would never and have never bitten her, but that doesn't mean the thought hasn't crossed my mind.

Tiny is Staying Safe

Most of a squirrel's whole life is spent looking for food. It's very important that we learn to climb and eat good things that will make us strong. Running and climbing are also important because there are things out there that want to eat us. Can you imagine?!



Since I didn't do such a good job last time, my family made sure that they put my food in a tree in different spots so that I would practice climbing. They also did it to keep me off of the ground where kitty found me before.

The only time that I really go down on the ground is when they come outside to see me, because that means that the kitty is safely under lockdown.



As you can see, I'm a little jumpy. My mom says that that's OK because squirrels should always be on the lookout for danger!

Tiny's Favorite Thing...

Now that I'm outside again I can focus my attention to what I love doing most...

EATING!!!

... and EATING!!!



...and CHOWING DOWN!!!

*BURP*

Tiny is free at last!

Finally!! After too many sleeps in the big nest, my family said I'm strong enough to go back outside. I can't wait to climb the trees again!

When they took me out to the tree where I live, I zoomed right up to the top to check on my nest. I was so mad when I got there! The other greedy squirrels had broken my nest and stolen the food that I had stored away so carefully. I ran back down the tree to the yard right away and gave them a piece of my mind!!



I spent the rest of the day fixing my nest. I didn't mind too much because I was so happy to be out again. I fell into a deep, happy sleep under the stars.