this chipmunk is having a bad day

Another baby chipmunk went for a dunk in a bucket.  This time when I lifted him out  he didn’t even have the strength to lift a limb or grab on my finger, and was just a limp rodent  in my hand while I carried him to get a rag, wrap him up, rub him a little to dry him off, and rewrap him in a dry spot.  I don’t know how long he was in there, but he was definitely near succumbing. I had branches in the water too, to prevent drownings, but he was still working hard.

I unwrapped him for a moment to take a picture during a rewrap.  Utterly exhausted.

Right now he’s on my lap, burritoed with only the nose sticking out.  He’s sound asleep, and he’s stopped shivering.  Then I’m going to set him outside somewhere so he can leave the towel when he’s ready.  Big hard day. 

This chipmunk is having a perfectly normal day.

*Follow up …  The chipmunk was sleeping so soundly I was a bit concerned it was even alive, and it was time for relocation from lap.  When I started jostling him, he revived in dramatic fashion, exactly like he was waking from a horrible nightmare.  Holy Crap!  What happened?!  WHERE AM I?!

He sprang to his feet, scrambled over the screen of my laptop, bit me, launched to the floor, ran and hid in one of HW’s shoes, came out to grapple with the screen door, clawing at it like someone trying to find the split in a stage curtain, and shot outside when I opened it for him.  Soooo…. safe to say – a full recovery.

Good to know, a chipmunk chomp is just a pinch, and it didn’t break my skin.