I rescued a squirrel. Now he refuses to leave.
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00:00 Somehow he was abandoned by his mother.
00:01 So he climbed down the tree, and that's when they found him.
00:04 Because a baby squirrel that small
00:05 wouldn't be leaving the nest.
00:07 And a couple hours later, my friend
00:09 brought Lichi in a little box.
00:11 I am Linda, and this is Lichi's story for "GeoBeats."
00:15 He was underweight, and he needed nourishment.
00:17 I think another couple of days out there,
00:19 if somebody didn't get him, he probably would perish.
00:21 He was a hungry little boy.
00:26 And I fed him with a dropper.
00:28 Felt an instant connection, and that was the end of it.
00:31 I just fell in love with him.
00:32 Soon after, his belly was filled.
00:34 We rubbed his belly to express like the mother does.
00:36 And then he went back to sleep until the next feeding.
00:39 Lichi is definitely a mama's boy.
00:41 He does interact with my partner, Steve,
00:43 but not quite as much.
00:45 He will jump to him, but given an opportunity to choose one,
00:49 he would choose me.
00:50 Right, Steve?
00:52 Here in Florida, we have Florida rooms or sun rooms,
00:55 and Lichi lived in the sun room.
00:57 Lichi is very playful.
00:58 He'll cuddle in my hair and kiss me.
01:02 If you're having a bad day, you can go sit out there with him.
01:05 There's something about being with nature
01:07 at that level and the calmness that you feel.
01:10 And it's just so sweet.
01:11 Come on, boo-boo.
01:12 Come on, Lichi.
01:13 I know you're hungry.
01:15 Come on.
01:16 Oh, there.
01:17 I'm so lucky that this happened to me
01:20 to be able to experience it, because most people don't
01:23 interact and play with squirrels.
01:24 You hang out with Lichi, it changes
01:26 your whole perspective.
01:27 It makes you realize it's the little things in life
01:30 that really matter, not the big things.
01:32 I don't recall Lichi ever being grumpy.
01:35 What I find is, because he's a scaredy cat,
01:38 loud noises scare him, and he'll immediately
01:40 run back into his nest.
01:41 And he'll peek his little head out to make sure it's OK.
01:44 Usually, if I'm out there, he feels more secure,
01:47 because he knows I want to protect him.
01:53 About three weeks after Lichi was given to me,
01:56 somebody contacted me that they--
01:59 in the same town-- that they had a baby squirrel,
02:01 and they didn't know what to do with it.
02:02 And they brought Coconut over.
02:04 OK, Coconut.
02:05 Coconut was substantially bigger and a little rougher.
02:08 When I did his release, Coconut came home every night
02:15 for about two to three weeks.
02:16 And then after that, he must have found a new nest.
02:19 I see him every day in the backyard.
02:22 Look at how cute.
02:24 He's in his little nest.
02:26 We got Lichi in September.
02:28 I'm thinking he's about 5, 6 months old.
02:31 He could be naturally in the wild.
02:33 And I open the door, and he goes around the area,
02:36 but he does not leave.
02:37 I hope he goes, but I hope he doesn't go.
02:39 I don't think he wants to leave.
02:41 He's smart.
02:42 Right now, he has unlimited food.
02:44 He's not out in the elements when it rains or it's cold.
02:47 He's safe and secluded.
02:50 But at some point, you have to let go.
02:52 I know of a mother of two grown children.
02:54 You have to let them go and find their own way.
02:57 It's his first little squirrel call.
02:59 I do not think that squirrels make good pets.
03:01 He's finding a voice.
03:03 He is a wild animal.
03:04 He deserves to be in the wild.
03:06 You're going to have to get a little louder for the wild.
03:10 Aw.
03:13 [music playing]
03:16 (gentle music)