When a baby squirrel showed up alone on a family’s porch one day in spring, they decided to give him a helping hand. Slowly but surely, he learned to become more mature and independent. However, owing to the bond they developed, he hasn’t ventured too far out.
“Nutter Butter showed up on April 18,” mom-of-one Alice told The Epoch Times. “[My husband] Sean was in the living room and we had the front screen door open. He felt he saw something and noticed the squirrel near our front gate. He immediately came up to our screen door, and that’s when the recordings began.”
When he first arrived, said Alice, Nutter Butter was so small that he hadn’t learned how to survive on his own. He couldn’t climb trees, and “seemed too young” to forage for food.
After his arrival, the family saw Nutter Butter every day since. Over time, the friendly squirrel ended up adopting the stroller that belonged to the couple’s daughter, Isabella, 5. Concerned about him staying warm each night, they lined up the stroller with warm blankets and a warming pad.
Gradually, Nutter Butter grew attached to Sean, and was keen on being around the family.
The couple then decided to provide the baby squirrel with bare essentials—food, shelter, family—hoping it would encourage him to thrive, but still stay wild.
Isabella was especially gentle with Nutter Butter. Even the family pit bull, Jack, was well-behaved as the little creature found his balance between wild squirreling and family fun time.
When the little critter’s antics proved too adorable to miss, the family began capturing it on film. They then started posting videos of Nutter Butter on their personal Instagram page, and followers loved the content so much that they asked them for a public page to share with others.
“People love him. They love his story; they love that he is wild and does not live in captivity,” Alice told The Epoch Times. “They are generally concerned about him.”
Describing Nutter Butter as “very smart, sweet, and trusting,” Alice said that burying food, digging up that food, and burying it again are among his favorite things to do. He hides nuts everywhere, and, over eight months after his first appearance on the front porch, he still visits the family every couple of days.
“I think that nature is amazing,” said Alice. “I do think that both animals and humans are intuitive when someone, or something, is in need.”
“Nutter Butter just needed a little support to help him develop into an adolescent squirrel,” she reflected. “He needed some love, shelter, and support, and he is now thriving in the wild!”
