The Selma Times-Journal

Buddy the squirrel is very loved.

He was rescued from his overturned nest in a wooded area not far from Harriet Fancher’s home after the Feb. 17 tornado that damaged 10 buildings in Summerfield in Dallas County.

“After the storm, we went out behind the barn looking for squirrels, and my son said that he heard something, but they couldn’t find anything. So then, my granddaughter, Tayler, and I went out, and we saw this big nest. We went to looking at it, and we found these two squirrels in it,” Fancher said with a wide smile. “And this is how we came to have this baby.”

Buddy stood up from Fancher’s shoulder with half-eaten pecan in tow, appearing to listen as she told the story from her desk at Henderson Chiropractic Clinic on Broad Street.

Buddy is a gray tree squirrel, and at about 6 inches long, will grow to be about 16-20 inches long, not including the tail, when fully grown.

The family estimates Buddy to be about 4 weeks old.

“He’s going to grow up and rule the house,” Fancher said.

Buddy looks to be thriving. He sleeps in a birdcage stocked with warmed cloths to keep him comfortable and drinks kitten’s milk.

“I feed him his milk about once a day,” Fancher said. “I keep pecans in his cage and peanuts that we shell for him. He’s fattening right on up…he’s a very frisky little squirrel.”

Fancher said Buddy is learning to jump. He also likes to hang upside down, Tayler said.

Fancher brings Buddy to work with her to feed and keep warm. Thursday afternoon, after a meal of milk and pecans, Buddy settled into Fancher’s pocket for a nap.

Buddy was named by Fancher’s granddaughter after he was rescued. Buddy tends to gravitate to hair and likes warm, furry things.

Fancher’s family found four squirrels in the days after the storm. Two of the squirrels, both babies, died shortly after. One died Sunday.

“The other squirrel we had, we found in a puddle of water,” Fancher said. “I picked him up and rubbed his belly a little bit, and he woke right on up.” Fancher nursed the squirrel for exactly one week before he died.

The family gave another squirrel to friends.