Last night Buddy and I drove Little Oscar over the mountain to the the loveliest lady in Covington, VA. She has been a rescue volunteer for 16 years. The minute she looked at Oscar she said..."On, dear, half his tail is gone, but he appears to be in good shape." This has Bud concerned because he has always thought that squirrels used their tails for balance. That dog-gone Jack. Could he have eaten the tail or just bitten it off? I surely hope it is the latter. The volunteer brought a sock filled with rice she has heated in the microwave to keep him warm, and said she was taking him home immediately and giving him an IV feeding. Poor little thing. I feel so badly for him...and I will never look at a squirrel the same ever again. I feel like we have lost a part of the family. Poor Eloise...she wanted us to keep him for a pet. Don't think so. Oh...the other two babies have never appeared. I have looked all over the yard, so maybe he was the only one that fell from the nest.
I just went out to look again for the babies, and this tail was on the ground just past the first step to our front porch. You can see where it was severed. I am wondering if this could have been the mother...and it is interesting that it was right at the front steps. Surely Jack did't do that!!!