When the Harrison family came across a weak and injured squirrel, they knew they had to help. So they took her in and did what they could to nurse her back to health. But after releasing the critter back into the wild, it never ventured too far away from the kind family’s house. One day, though, something changed. The Harrison family's furry friend was acting differently, and it turns out she had a big surprise for the humans who’d helped her.
Not normal
For the most part, squirrels tackle their day-to-day lives without much human interaction. You can expect them to scurry up and down trees, bury some nuts, and make chattering noises.
But then there are squirrels like this one that totally rewrite the book on squirreling. She’d had a rough start in life, so it's unsurprising that she turned out to be a little different.
Bella
Heartbreakingly, the squirrel was attacked by an owl when she was just four weeks old. She had no chance of surviving her wounds in the wild, so it’s a blessing that she wasn’t alone.
A resident of South Carolina called Brantley Harrison rescued her, took her into her Greenville County home, and named her Bella. Harrison was an experienced wildlife rehabilitator and was happy to help little Bella.
Squirrel family
Brantley not only gave Bella a home, but she also gave the baby squirrel a family. Bella shared her cozy haven with three adopted siblings called Moe, Larry, and Curly.
And during her recovery period, she lived with the trio in a shelter in the Harrisons’ yard.
Getting stronger
Because of her young age, Bella stayed with the Harrisons during the winter for her own safety.
She grew strong on a diet of fruits, vegetables, formula and — her personal favorite treat — nuts. But Brantley didn’t domesticate any of the squirrels — that wasn’t the point.
Preparing to say goodbye
“The main objective is to return them all back into the wild so I never treated [Bella] like a pet,” Brantley told The Dodo in 2017. “She acted no different than the others.”
But she would soon turn out to be unlike any of the other squirrels the family had taken under their wing.
What usually happens
More often than not, when Brantley sent her rehabilitated animals back into the forest — able to live on their own for the first time in their lives — she'd see them periodically over the next week or so. Then, they’d be gone forever.
But Bella did something different...
Early signs Bella was different
“[Bella] started to come back for a treat or two within days of being released,” Brantley told The Dodo. “The others came back too for a few days, which is very typical.
And then, after a week or so, they usually stop coming by.” But as we’re already starting to find out, Bella was not your typical squirrel.
Saying “Hello!”
The strong bond that Bella had built with the Harrison family kept her coming back practically every day — for eight years after she was released! “Bella sits right at the front door waiting for someone to notice [her],” Brantley told The Dodo.
And if the clan would take a while to see that she was waiting there, the squirrel knew exactly what to do.
Friends with the dog
“She has even resorted to jumping over to the dining room window to peer in for someone to see her,” Brantley said back in 2017. But the family didn’t mind one bit.
Every single one of them looked forward to her visits — even the deaf rescue dog Cid who would sit and wait for her to come and torment him at the screen door.
The best distraction
“My husband will be running late for something and rushes out the door to be greeted by her. And he happily runs back inside to the big bowl of walnuts we leave by the front door.
[Then he] spend[s] some time with her,” Brantley explained. But what makes Bella so different? And why did she become so attached?
Trying to understand why
To Brantley, Bella’s behavior was unexpected. The squirrel hadn’t been particularly lovey when she was in the family’s care, and neither had done anything out of the ordinary when looking after her. They’d simply treated her as they had any other squirrel.
But it was lucky Bella had such a caring connection, as one day, she’d need their help once again.
Not a pet
As much as Bella loved attention, she didn’t like to be petted — no belly rubs, tail brushes, or anything like that.
Though she did make one rather interesting exception when the family tried to keep her looking pretty.
Accessorizing
Bella liked wearing hats! And she has posed for the cameras on multiple occasions. "I can't believe she lets me do it," Brantley said.
"I could not love this squirrel any more than I already do!"
Quite a following
Brantley started chronicling the adventures of Bella the squirrel on an Instagram account called CidandBella. Many of the photographs consist of Bella sitting in laps, wearing hats, and chompin' on nuts — truly the perfect life.
But one day, Bella needed to lean on the Harrisons for more than snacks and cute outfits. She was injured.
What happened
It’s unclear exactly what happened, but somehow, Bella had managed to injure her foot and had to be cared for by the Harrisons once again. For a squirrel that visits so often, though, Bella was surprisingly difficult to capture. On one Instagram post, Brantley wrote, "My first few attempts at catching her have failed.
She has lived in the wild for over eight years so she is a smart squirrel and it is not easy to trick her." Bella had the beauty and the brains!
More surprises
Finally, the family managed to catch Bella and bring her back into their home for some rehab. They gave her antibiotics and a comfortable cage.
But right before they released Bella back into the wild, she had another surprise for the family.
Baby squirrels!
Inside the Harrison family home, Bella gave birth to three little baby squirrels! After raising and nursing Bella, the Harrisons got to see her raising and nursing children of her own.
"It was truly amazing to watch the baby I raised raise her own babies," Brantley told The Dodo.
Spreading squirrel love
Bella was so special to the Harrison family that she actually changed people's perceptions of squirrels.
"She is a very special squirrel and has always had a large local following," Brantley said. "She has changed the way many of my friends think of squirrels."
Like a pet
Sometimes, it's easy to think of squirrels as bushy-tailed rats, but if nothing else, Bella's story shows that squirrels are capable of love and dedication on par with some of the most beloved house pets.
They're animals that should be shown love and compassion.
A big achievement
That's a sentiment Brantley echoed: "If Bella can teach at least one person to have compassion for all living things, no matter how big or how small," she said, "then we have done what we have set out to."
A whole lotta love!
So the next time you see a squirrel in your neighborhood, remember that these little creatures might surprise you.
In fact, with enough love and care, they might reward you with a kiss on the cheek!
A long-lasting friendship
The Harrison family had no idea they were starting a decade-long friendship when they took Bella in back in 2009, but sometimes surprises come in bushy-tailed packages! However, not everyone is a ready-made squirrel whisperer like Brantley.
One man without any experience with squirrels, let alone newborn squirrels, had to figure out how to keep them alive.
All alone
Just like Bella, another mother squirrel left her two newborns on the man's bed, then promptly disappeared into the night.
He suddenly had to navigate his way through newborn squirrel care when confronted with the baby squirrels making a nest inside the house.
Incredibly small
A bit shocked to say the least, he had no idea what to do.
These little ones were so small they couldn't even open their eyes yet! Luckily, their mom was around...for a little bit, at least.
Occasional visits
Mother squirrel visited them frequently at first, feeding her babies and building a nest outside; but at some point, she stopped returning.
Here the man was, with two baby squirrels on his bed. He felt responsible for them.
Emergency care
Not knowing how to take care of baby squirrels, the man called wildlife rescue, who arrived quickly to assess the state of the babies.
Fully aware they would not survive without the mother, the rescuers decided to intervene.
Animal rehab
Since there’s only one official rehabilitation center in the city, the majority of wildlife rescue is done on a volunteer basis.
Local rehabber Arina Hinzen says she rescues about 75 squirrels per year, and during busy breeding periods in the summer and spring, juggles up to 40 animals at a time.
Dangerous habitat
"We’re really seeing the impact of climate change with the seasons going way longer," Hinzen said. "The first year it happened we thought it was just an odd thing, but it turns out it's not.
We still get small babies in October, when the season should be over at the beginning of September.”
Christina and Michael
Wildlife rescuer Christina Reyes and her husband Michael took it upon themselves to take care of the squirrels.
One of the babies was already weakened and didn't make it very much longer. Would the remaining squirrel meet the same fate?
Totally helpless
All baby squirrels are born deaf and blind, normally opening their eyes at around five weeks old — but this baby squirrel, even after six weeks, wasn't opening her eyes.
Against the odds
But against the odds, the baby lived through her first few months in this world.
The couple had talked about wanting babies themselves and completely fell in love with the squirrel while nursing her back to health. She was unfit to go back out in the real world, so they adopted her.
A little different
"There are people who think if the animal can’t survive outside it should be put down, and we decided that wasn’t going to be an option," said Michael, the squirrel's new dad.
"There’s nothing physically or mentally wrong with her, she’s just different."
Fairytale Inspiration
They named their new best friend Thumbelina, after a fairytale by the famous Danish children's book author Hans Christian Anderson.
It's about a girl no bigger than a thumb who must find her way through the woods.
Once-popular pets
Thumbelina isn't the first squirrel to become a household pet; in the 1700s, pet squirrels were all the rage.
When Mungo, the pet squirrel of Benjamin Franklin’s good friend, got loose and was killed by a dog, Franklin wrote: "I lament with you most sincerely the unfortunate End of poor Mungo: Few squirrels were better accomplish’d."
Lots of energy
Usually, squirrels tend to run around, jump from tree to tree, and have high amounts of energy that could become problematic in a household. However, Thumbelina had never met another squirrel that she could remember.
Her only influences were Christina and Michael, so she walked slowly and stayed seated most of the time.
Odd social habits
Noticing her lack of squirrel-ness, Thumbelina's human parents tried to introduce her to others of her kind; she was not a fan of it at all and didn't see herself in her fellow squirrels.
"I don’t know what she thinks she is," her parents said, "but it’s definitely not a squirrel."
Living in luxury
Despite not having any other squirrel friends, Thumbelina – a now two-year-old eastern grey squirrel as of 2018 – is having the time of her life living with Christina and Michael.
In fact, one could say that she is living her BEST life.
Just like a person
Thumbelina has practically turned into a stay-at-home-human-being.
She watches TV, cuddles up in blankets, and even dresses up in costumes that her mom hand-makes for her.
Indoor squirrel
When the weather is nice enough for Thumbelina's taste, she will sometimes go out with her mom in either a bag or on a leash.
She won't even do any dirty business in the bag because she is fully potty-trained and listens to her parents. Well, most of the time.
Big expenses
Despite Christina and Michael loving her with all their hearts, raising Thumbelina is neither easy nor cheap. According to Christina, the couple has spent over $10,000 towards Thumb's care over the past two years.
There must have been a few vet bills, but where is the rest of all that money going?
Social media star
In an attempt to earn some money back for more of Thumbelina's needs, Christina has set up several social media accounts for Thumb, which have taken off like rockets.
On these accounts, she promotes the sales of Thumbelina T-shirts, keychains, and other types of merchandise.
She's got it all
The cute photos on Thumbelina's social media pages are highly enjoyable, but what's most important is that she's healthy and happy.
Fans still keep a watchful eye on Thumbelina's progress, cheering her and her family on throughout their unconventional journey.