LOVE your post. About 5-6 years ago, a friend rescued a baby squirrel who's mom and sibling had been killed by a hawk...this baby was dropped by the hawk. He had a broken leg and was in pretty bad shape. She has dogs, so she gave him to me to see if I could save him. Well, it took some doing, but a few weeks later "Stash" was doing pretty good....I was amazed. I expected him to be much like a baby rabbit...not very friendly, very wild. Instead, he was like a puppy. He came when called, loved sitting on us and playing in our hair, took food from our fingers, even learned some basic commands. I eventually set him free to join his local community. I would never recommend going out and getting a squirrel as a pet (he was very destructive), but I would also never hesitate to take on another rescue if it presented itself. They are intelligent, friendly, gentle creatures...

Many wildlife rehabbers have told me how friendly baby squirrels are. I believe this behavior is biologically necessary to avoid fights between siblings. However, once squirrels reach the age when they are ready for life on their own, they lose their friendliness and become violently anti-social. When they attack the hand that feeds them, it's time for release!

Stash came back to visit us a few times in the first 2 years of his independent life. It was always nice to see him, but he knew not to come down out of the trees because of our cats.