It is amazing how much water they drink!
I filled one of the short tanks first because the tall tank had 8 or 10 inches of water in it. The lambs gathered round for a cold drink. As long as I had the hose there, when the short one was full I moved it to the tall tank and plopped it in...and the water was...moving!
What was going on?
It almost looked like black water coming to a boil at the bottom of a huge grubby stew pot. As I was looking intently at the moving water...up pops a FACE! There is a squirrel standing on his tippy toes in the water. He is just tall enough to keep his face above water. And he is really, really tired.
I yanked the hose out of the tank! The rising water was overwhelming him!
Looking around, I found a stick under the pine trees. With a stick in the water he was able to pull himself up a just few inches. My poor little friend clung onto it as I carried him to the wheel barrow full of feed and laid him in it, gasping for breath.
Of course Rufus thought this had to be his lucky day! But no, I told him to leave it and he obediently sat, quivering in anticipation, watching intently as I went to get a cage for this pitifully saturated little guy. Rufus really, really wanted to grab him. Those squirrels in his yard drive him crazy! He finally had his chance, but no. Mom said no.
I dared not leave my wet friend out as a easy meal. The woods come alive at night. And the darkness was coming. The only place to grab him was his tail. I was a bit concerned he would swing up and take a bite out of my hand, but he was much too weak to struggle.
I picked him up by the tip of his skinny little tail, and he just hung there, resigned to his fate. His eyes locked onto mine.
He is now in the cage drying off and eating his serving of sweet feed.
UPDATE: He is fine. Bouncing off the cage walls like squirrel popcorn. He gets another chance today.
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