Baby Squirrels That Survived Norman Tornado Being Cared For By Family

A family is caring for two baby squirrels found among the debris in Norman after a tornado.

Trisha Phillips said on Tuesday - two days after the tornado that wrecked parts of Norman - her daughter-in-law's brother, a Norman City employee, was cleaning storm debris when he found a baby squirrel on the ground that was still alive. After discovering several more dead squirrels, he found a second baby squirrel on the ground that was alive as well.

Phillips' daughter-in-law then brought the two baby squirrels to Phillips' home in Midwest City. They were blind, furless, and were too small to survive on their own.

"My granddaughter wanted me to take care of him because she thinks I can take care of everything," said Phillips. "They were pretty lethargic. But they are thriving and doing pretty good."

Phillips said she then researched online on how to care for them.

"Went straight to PetSmart and got puppy formula," said Phillips, who fed the baby squirrels every two hours during the day and twice every night.

Between feedings, Phillips put the baby squirrels in a towel-lined mixing bowl with a warm rice-filled sock next to them to simulate the warmth of the squirrels' mother. Phillips then wrapped the bowl with a heated towel and a comforter.

Phillips' 5-year-old granddaughter named the larger baby squirrel Gus Gus, while Phillips' husband, Mark Tompkins, named the other one Nugget.

Meanwhile Phillips' Maltese, Pup Pup, became the babies' guardian. The dog constantly licked the squirrels clean and slept next to them.

"They have to be stimulated to go to the bathroom, so [the dog's] been taking care of that part [by licking them], thank goodness," said Phillips.

Phillips said the babies were already growing rapidly.

"One started out much smaller than the other and they're about the same size now," said Phillips. "And I'm going to get a little scale so I can start weighing them every day."

Should the babies show signs of distress, Phillips said she would take them to a wildlife rehabilitator. But if they continue to make progress, Phillips would care for them until they are ready to be released.

"After they get a couple months old, you actually can start reintroducing them to the wild," said Phillips.

Phillips said although this was her first time caring for baby squirrels, she once rescued a baby bird that fell out of a nest as a storm approached. She was able to nurse the bird back to health and released it once it was old enough to be independent.