A mum was stunned when a mysterious chirping sound she thought was her toddler’s toy turned out to be four baby squirrels living in her attic.
Sarah Rogers Johnson and her husband Cody had both noticed a faint, high-pitched noise over a weekend but assumed one of their children’s toys was making the sound.
But after hearing scratching directly above their heads, the couple realised the mystery noise was coming from their attic.
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They opened the hatch expecting to find a bat or adult squirrel – only for a tiny baby squirrel to suddenly tumble out of the door shaft and onto the carpet below, as reported by Whats The Jam.
Sarah, a nurse-turned-stay-at-home mum and content creator, said the tiny animal was still pink with only a little hair and initially appeared lifeless.
She said: “We were pretty concerned because he was so tiny and quiet, but then he let out a little chirp.
“He was still pink with just a little bit of hair starting to grow.”
The couple discovered the baby had somehow become trapped in the tiny gap between the attic ladder and wooden wall.
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They then spotted the squirrel’s mum peering down from an exhaust fan in the ceiling, with leaves underneath suggesting she had built a nest above the attic.
Sarah contacted a wildlife rehabilitator near their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, who advised them to try and reunite the baby with its mother.
They placed the squirrel somewhere warm in the attic where its mum could see it before leaving the pair alone.
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But when they returned more than 24 hours later, the first baby was still there – and a second squirrel had fallen nearby.
The babies were becoming lethargic and severely dehydrated after being without their mother’s milk and warmth, so Sarah was told to take them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation centre.
The couple later found a third baby hidden among the leaves, before discovering a fourth the following day.
Sarah said: “As a mom of little kids, all I see are moms – even squirrel moms.
“The thought of the first baby falling into the door shaft days ago and lying there crying while she could watch from above but not get to him was crushing.”
The first three babies were taken to Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center, while the fourth was taken to another local rehabilitator after Sarah was unable to make the two-hour round trip.
Sarah said she and Cody knew the tiny animals needed specialist care rather than trying to raise them themselves.
She said: “Squirrels, especially so young, require very specific, around-the-clock care to survive.
“We do not have the knowledge, experience, or time to provide this.”
Thankfully, all four babies are now said to be doing well.
The three at Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center are gaining weight, while the fourth is thriving with Caroline Rescues alongside several other baby squirrels and a possum.
Sarah said: “These squirrels deserved more than my husband and I and we are so thankful for the amazing wildlife rehabilitators who helped them.”
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