Rescued - Taken April 2015 with a Nikon D80 and Nikkor AF-S 18-135mm 1:3.5-5.6G ED Lens. Exposure was f/5.6, 1/1500 and ISO 4500. Clarity and brightness increased a bit with Paintshop Pro X6.

My cousin, Rocky, fostered triplet newborn squirrels late summer, early fall 2014. He released them in October 2014. The wildlife refuge he worked through was so impressed with his care that when another set of triplets came in this past April, they called him to ask if he would do it again. Of course he said "yes", and by the time he arrived at the center, a single newborn boy had been brought in so he took, as he put it, "triplets and a brother from another mother". With round the clock feedings, cleanings, weigh-ins, it's truly like having newborn quads in the house. As they grow, he builds new enclosures for them allowing for exploration and play. He introduces foods they would eat in the wild and handles them less and less as they get older, even building a "natural" enclosure outside so they can experience watching other wild squirrels (who come to nose at the enclosure with great curiosity!).

When this picture was taken, the quads were only about 2-3 weeks old, and their eyes were just opening so flash could not be used. With the Triplets last year, I was able to go each week and take pictures of their growth as I wasn't working. This time, unfortunately, I haven't been able to do that.

My cousin is one totally awesome guy!

Tami Lapthorne-Hastings