You found the online drey of Sparky Squirrel which is maintained by “The Squirrel Whisperers”. A couple who adores watching the antics of Sparky and her friends.
It all began during the summer of the Covid-19 pandemic. We were sheltering at home in our drey, just like everyone else; when a hurricane rolled through and set the coatings on the power lines above the weeping willow tree supporting our drey. The dripping fiery residue came into the drey and caused a fire. I was tiny and blind at the time, but I think in their last act of love, my parents managed to toss me from the nest before being burned alive. I hit the ground, blind, banged up, and afraid. I cried and screamed because I didn’t know what else to do. Fortunately, a kind human heard me before anything more nefarious like a cat, raptor, or other critter who would swallow me for lunch.
The human picked me up, cleaned me up, got me warm, sheltered me, fed me, bathed me, and managed to get me restored to good health and back into the wild where I belong so I could continue my line and have my own family. No doubt, mistakes were made by the human, after all, the human is not a squirrel and could not know how to teach me how to be a squirrel. You see, Squirrels may be considered rodents by some, nuisances by others or remind some of hamsters, rats, sugar gliders, mice or other cute little furry critters, but I will have you know that Squirrels are unique compared to all of those other types of animals.
Now, clearly I am biased to Squirrels because I am a Squirrel and know first hand what gifts have been bestowed upon me by my creator, but many humans are not aware of this, so thankfully my adopted human family have taken the time to learn and share via this page. The first thing to understand is that Squirrels are meant to be wild. We should not be raised alone in a cage because we need the oversight and instruction on how to find food, how to protect ourselves, how to build our dreys, and how to avoid danger. Sadly, not all humans are as nice as those who helped me, so it is best to teach Squirrels to avoid direct human contact as well as contact with domesticated pets.
My humans did the best they could with me, but they did make some mistakes. For example, putting a vest on met to keep track of me actually put me at risk for being singled out by other predators. In addition, it increased the risk of getting snagged on something while engaging in my tree top or roof top acrobatics, so please do not release a squirrel into the wild with clothing. It may look cute, but it can cause the squirrel its life and no amount of cuteness is worth that price.
If you are going to feed us, please take the time to understand what is actually good for us to consume, because some of what is marketed in the store is the equivalent of a highly unhealthy fast food diet. To that point, there is a group of humans who love Squirrels and they maintain a website known as “The Squirrel Board” where detailed instructions about feeding and care can be found in the forums. That said, it is always best to check what is written with an experienced wildlife vet and an experienced rehabilitator.
The following was prepared by Jack D. Gill and posted on the Nutrition Forum on the Squirrel Board. It should still be verified with your wildlife vet or rehabilitator, but it is a good starting point for a conversation.
Fruits and Vegetables
| The Good | The Fair | Getting Risky | |||
| Food Ca:Phos Mg/100g | Ca:Phos | Food Ca:Phos Mg/100g | Ca:Phos | Food Ca:Phos Mg/100g | Ca:Phos |
| Collard Greens 145:10 | 14.5:1.0 | Beans, Green 37:38 | 1.0:1.0 | Persimmon 8:17 | 1:0:2.1 |
| Papaya 24:5 | 4.8:1.0 | Kiwi 34:34 | 1.0:1.0 | Pumpkin* 21:44 | 1.0:2.1 |
| Turnip Greens* 190:42 | 4.5:1.0 | Carrots 33:35 | 1.0:1.1 | Asparagus 24:52 | 1.0:2.2 |
| Kumquat 62:19 | 3.3:1.0 | Lettuce, Iceberg 18:20 | 1.0:1.1 | Guava 18:40 | 1.0:2.2 |
| Aragula 160:52 | 3.1:1.0 | Mango 10:11 | 1.0:1.1 | Tomatoes, Green 13:28 | 1.0:2.2 |
| Beet Greens 117:41 | 2.9:1.0 | Pear 9:11 | 1.0:1.2 | Pepper, Banana 14:32 | 1.0:2.3 |
| Orange 40:14 | 2.9:1.0 | Peas, Snow/Sugar 43:53 | 1.0:1.2 | Tomatoes 10:24 | 1.0:2.4 |
| Dandelion Grns 187:66 | 2.8:1.0 | Raspberries 25:29 | 1.0:1.2 | Beets 16:40 | 1.0:2.5 |
| Cabbage, Chin. 105:37 | 2.8:1.0 | Rutabaga 47:58 | 1.0:1.2 | Squash, Summer (yellow, zucchini) 15:38 | 1.0:2.5 |
| Mustard Greens 103:43 | 2.4:1.0 | Onions, Mature 23:29 | 1.0:1.3 | Plums 6:16 | 1.0:2.7 |
| Kale* 135:56 | 2.4:1.0 | Radishes 25:20 | 1.0:1.3 | Pomegranite 3:8 | 1.0:2.7 |
| Parsley 138:58 | 2.4:1.0 | Broccoli 47:66 | 1.0:1.4 | Eggplant 9:25 | 1.0:2.8 |
| Spinach 99:49 | 2.0:1.0 | Cabbage, Green 40:26 | 1.0:1.5 | Peaches 6:20 | 1.0:3.3 |
| Watercress 120:60 | 2.0:1.0 | Cucumber 14:21 | 1.0:1.5 | Pepper, Red Swt. 7:26 | 1.0:3.7 |
| Strawberries 16:24 | 1.0:1.5 | Avocado 12:52 | 1.0:4.3 | ||
| Onions, Green 72:37 | 1.9:1.0 | Brussel Sprouts 42:69 | 1.0:1.6 | Peas, Green 25:108 | 1:0:4.3 |
| Tangerine 37:20 | 1.9:1.0 | Cherries, Bing 13:21 | 1.0:1.6 | Banana 5:22 | 1.0:4.4 |
| Endive/Romaine 62:35 | 1.8:1.0 | Cranberries 8:13 | 1.0:1.6 | Potato 12:57 | 1.0:4.8 |
| Lettuce, Romaine 62:35 | 1.8:1.0 | Potato, Sweet* 30:47 | 1.0:1.6 | Artichoke 14:78 | 1.0:5.6 |
| Celery 40:24 | 1.7:1.0 | Watermelon 7:11 | 1.0:1.6 | Passion Fruit 12:68 | 1.0:5.7 |
| Leeks 59:35 | 1.7:1.0 | Cantaloupe 9:15 | 1.0:1.7 | ||
| Pineapple 13:8 | 1.6:1.0 | Apple 6:11 | 1.0:1.8 | The Evil | |
| Cabbage, Red 45:30 | 1.5:1.0 | Apricots 13:23 | 1.0:1.8 | Corn, Dried Yellow* 25:344 | 1.0:13.8 |
| Grapefruit 12:8 | 1.5:1.0 | Honeydew 6:11 | 1.0:1.8 | Mushrooms 3:86 | 1.0:28.7 |
| Cilantro/Coriander 67:48 | 1.4:1.0 | Kohlrabi 24:46 | 1.0:1.9 | Corn, Raw* 2:89 | 1:0:44.5 |
| Blackberries 29:22 | 1.3:1.0 | Blueberries 6:12 | 1.0:2.0 | ||
| Okra* 81:63 | 1.3:1.0 | Cauliflower 22:44 | 1.0:2.0 | ||
| Lettuce, Green Lf* 36:29 | 1.2:1.0 | Grapes 10:20 | 1.0:2.0 | ||
| Squash, Winter (pmpkin, acrn, buttrnut, Hubbard) 28:23 | 1.2:1.0 | Parsnips* 36:71 | 1.0:2.0 | ||
| Chard 51:46 | 1.1:1.0 | Pepper, Green Swt. 10:20 | 1:0:2.0 | ||
| Cherries, Red 16:15 | 1.1:1.0 | ||||
| Lettuce, Bibb 35:33 | 1.1:1.0 | ||||
| Turnips 30:27 | 1.1:1.0 | Huckleberry No data |
Nuts and Seeds
| Food Ca:Phos Mg/100g | Ca:Phos | Food | Ca:Phos | Food | Ca:Phos |
| The Good | Getting Risky | The Poor/Evil | |||
| Sesame seed, whole 975:629 | 1.6:1.0 | Chestnut, roasted 29:107 | 1.0:5.9 | Cashews 43:531 | 1.0:12.3 |
| The Tolerable | Peanuts, roasted 88:517 | 1.0:5.9 | Sunflower Sd (roast) 87:1139 | 1.0:13.1 | |
| Almonds, roasted 291:466 | 1.0:1.6 | Sesame Seed, toastd 31:774 | 1.0:5.9 | Pumpkin Seed (unr) 43:1174 | 1.0:27 |
| Hazelnut 114:190 | 1.0:1.7 | Peanut Butter 43:358 | 1.0:8.3 | Pumpkin Seed, roast 43:1172 | 1.0:27 |
| Almonds, unroast 264:484 | 1.0:1.8 | Sunflower Seed (unr) 78:660 | 1.0:8.5 | Pine Nut 16:575 | 1.0:35.9 |
| Acorn, Raw* 41:79 | 1.0:1.9 | ||||
| Acorn, Dried* 54:103 | 1.0:1.9 | ||||
| Macademia 70:198 | 1.0:2.8 | Hickory Nut (no data) | |||
| Walnut 98:346 | 1.0:3.5 | ||||
| Pecan 70:277 | 1.0:4.0 | ||||
| Brazil Nut 160:725 | 1.0:4.5 | ||||
Naturally, as a thank you, I decided to share my babies with the Squirrel Whisperers by using the nesting box, food and water they generously provided for a broke, single mother. Sadly, yes I fell for a line and was left raising two boys and two girls without any help from their deadbeat dad. Fortunately, my favorite humans stepped up to fill the roles of grandma and grandpa and they helped me with every challenge.
Now the babies and I are back to wandering the tree tops and yards where we interact with other squirrels, build additional dreys, and still visit the squirrel whisperers. We are grateful for their kindness and hope our antics and photos spread and inspire joy and goodwill.
