Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post Search
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Guy Finds A Baby Squirrel That Can’t Even Walk Yet, Takes It Home And Now They’re Best Friends (26 Pics)
3.1K

Guy Finds A Baby Squirrel That Can’t Even Walk Yet, Takes It Home And Now They’re Best Friends (26 Pics)

ADVERTISEMENT

If you haven’t seen enough cute animal pictures today, here’s something I bet you weren’t expecting: a pet squirrel!

28-year-old Igor Grishin, who lives in the small town of Konchezero in Karelia, Russia, was walking in the woods when he found the squirrel unable to walk about a year ago. He brought the baby animal home, where Chippy, as the little critter is now called, has lived ever since. Chippy’s Instagram account shows him lounging on pillows in Grishin’s home, eating fruit, and even being roommates with a cat.

“He is always making me laugh, distracting me from the worries of everyday life. I am very happy that we met each other,” Grishin told Bored Panda. He also shared that Chippy has a squirrel house built especially for him, and has successfully learned some commands.

Scroll down for pictures of Chippy the rescue squirrel

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

You can find many heartwarming stories of people rescuing and caring for wild animals, like this wildly popular squirrel named Jill, who Bored Panda posted about a few weeks ago. However, the owner of another popular Instagram squirrel named Tintin is vocal about the difficulties of caring for a squirrel and urges his followers not to get one on purpose just because they saw some cute pictures.

ADVERTISEMENT

We admire people like Grishin and these other adoptive squirrel parents who are able to provide them with the care they need, since animals that have been rehabilitated by humans cannot always return to the wild, but we remind readers that rescuing a squirrel or any other wild animal means taking on the responsibility of their sharp claws, unpredictable moods, specific dietary requirements, and destructive behavior.

If you find an orphaned or injured squirrel, and there is a wildlife rescue near you, your first course of action should be to call them.

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

 

Image credits: belkchippy

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

 

 

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

Image credits: belkchippy

ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
You May Like
Popular on Bored Panda
Share your thoughts
Add photo comments
POST
savannahrussell avatar
glorytherainwing
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

all these pics are so f*****g cute. i remember the squirrel i saved from a garden snake. (NO I DID NOT KILL THE GARDEN SNAKE) the squirrel's mum found me with her baby and climbed my my leg, grabbed the baby from my damn hand, and just went back to one of the 5 nests i have in my walnut tree. i have a lot of squirrels for being a city teen.

klynch4 avatar
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Chippy is living his best life. Red squirrels are adorable- Chippy makes me think of the character "Squirrel Nutkin" from Beatrix Potter's (writer of "Peter Rabbit") books.

abbie-rogers2018 avatar
SavySausageDog
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Omg... I've still got all of my Peter Rabbit books! I just went through them to find Squirrel Nutkin and Chip looks so similar to him! I love red squirrels... I hope Chip can be an ambassador to the Red Squirrel community

Load More Replies...
mintyminameow avatar
Mewton’s Third Paw
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Awesome that he gets to have a squirrelfriend! Friendship with animals is really fulfilling.

parmeisan avatar
Parmeisan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For the reasons listed & linked above, I know that having a pet squirrel is a terrible, terrible idea. BUT having said that, if I lived in a fantasy land where magical pets existed, I would choose a squirrel. It could ride on my shoulder, scout out tiny/tall places for me, and just be super cute and pettable. Squirrel familiars for the win.

snorincats avatar
Kathy Baylis
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While Chippy is very adorable, it’s still risky to adopt a wild animal. The Grishin family may be lucky and Chippy may be more docile than the average squirrel, but that’s no guarantee another squirrel will be the same, or that Chippy, as he reaches maturity, won’t become way too hard to handle. There’s a huge difference between tame and domesticated. Tame is still wild, and can still turn on you—-maybe not violently, but at least destructively. Domesticated means the wild has been bred out over numerous generations. The Siberian foxes that were part of the early 1960s domestication experiment, initially for the fur industry then for pure science, took at least 30 or so generations of breeding for docility before they could be declared domesticated—-and it was discovered that the more generations the better. Knowing this, I have to agree with other commenters that it’s best to take abandoned young or injured wild animals to the experts who know what they’re doing.

mkultra0605 avatar
Mindy Keys
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Amen, Kathy. I still have a scar to prove your words are true. Wild needs to be respected as such. These cute little f----ers can Bite!

Load More Replies...
postvoorly avatar
hobbitly
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I dont know how things are in Russia, but what I would do if I find an injured baby wild animal, I would take them to a wildlife hospital or something like that where it can get proper help and maybe be replaced back into the wild. Why do people think its a good idea to just keep the animal at their home?

maddi_050203 avatar
LOttawa
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It appears that in Russia, you can have any animal as a pet.. Google Messi the cougar/puma...

Load More Replies...
mkultra0605 avatar
Mindy Keys
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lovely little guy... but boy, howdy - if you have ever been on the toothy end of a squirrel, you develop a very healthy respect for distance with them. Had a "tame" one who would come into my home daily to be fed, get cuddles, etc. One day she just spooked and bit my thumb. To the bone. The bone was chipped. Hurt like a --- Thereafter I respect them fully as WILDlife!

abelbocker avatar
Thunder
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you replace Chippy in the car video by a cute rabbit you have mine. They always jump around in the car, obsessed with the moving things around them. They don’t like it by the way, but they are always going on adventure in the car. (Most of the time I put them into a case, you know, just in case)

yvonnebrown avatar
Baby Clanger
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I miss squirrels so much, ( no squirrels in New zeland ) he is adorable and those ears!!!!

cjucz22 avatar
Christina Uhlir
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, it is great responsibility, not everybody can take up this task; but it seems that Chippy is happy and well cared for.

sharronlparsons avatar
sharron lynn parsons
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Love the story, and I hope people will understand the difficulties of having a squirrel, or other tiny critters, after major damage in your home, it's too late to let the critter return to the nature, some situations don't run smooth !!!

kevinperry_2 avatar
okpkpkp
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hear squirrel teeth grow 10 inches a year so they chew on anything and everything to wear them down.

kerryericksson avatar
Kerry Ericksson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know Squirrels belong in the wild but I probably would do the same as I have an instinct to take care of animals.I think I would like it to have the best of both worlds Outside and Indoors with me.

santinomarazzo avatar
Santino Marazzo
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Be proud with what you did rescuing the squirrel . There are many that would have just walked by and let it die. However, there are many that would have done the same as you . And so. There are many of us that are proud of you, and the cat.

mariarohlen avatar
Maria Rohlen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How stupid to drive with an animal unsecured in the car, what happens if you have to make an emergency brake?

abelbocker avatar
Thunder
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My rabbits always wants to run around in my car and they haven’t break anything and idk what happens by an emergency break. I always put them in a case btw

Load More Replies...
zelda2park avatar
Zelda Blue
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love this story and the pictures. I may be one of the few people in Minnesota who love squirrels but I can't get enough of them.

jim_hubbard avatar
Panda Panda
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Make sure he is comfortable around cars and cats. That should work out well.....

savannahrussell avatar
glorytherainwing
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

all these pics are so f*****g cute. i remember the squirrel i saved from a garden snake. (NO I DID NOT KILL THE GARDEN SNAKE) the squirrel's mum found me with her baby and climbed my my leg, grabbed the baby from my damn hand, and just went back to one of the 5 nests i have in my walnut tree. i have a lot of squirrels for being a city teen.

klynch4 avatar
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Chippy is living his best life. Red squirrels are adorable- Chippy makes me think of the character "Squirrel Nutkin" from Beatrix Potter's (writer of "Peter Rabbit") books.

abbie-rogers2018 avatar
SavySausageDog
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Omg... I've still got all of my Peter Rabbit books! I just went through them to find Squirrel Nutkin and Chip looks so similar to him! I love red squirrels... I hope Chip can be an ambassador to the Red Squirrel community

Load More Replies...
mintyminameow avatar
Mewton’s Third Paw
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Awesome that he gets to have a squirrelfriend! Friendship with animals is really fulfilling.

parmeisan avatar
Parmeisan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For the reasons listed & linked above, I know that having a pet squirrel is a terrible, terrible idea. BUT having said that, if I lived in a fantasy land where magical pets existed, I would choose a squirrel. It could ride on my shoulder, scout out tiny/tall places for me, and just be super cute and pettable. Squirrel familiars for the win.

snorincats avatar
Kathy Baylis
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While Chippy is very adorable, it’s still risky to adopt a wild animal. The Grishin family may be lucky and Chippy may be more docile than the average squirrel, but that’s no guarantee another squirrel will be the same, or that Chippy, as he reaches maturity, won’t become way too hard to handle. There’s a huge difference between tame and domesticated. Tame is still wild, and can still turn on you—-maybe not violently, but at least destructively. Domesticated means the wild has been bred out over numerous generations. The Siberian foxes that were part of the early 1960s domestication experiment, initially for the fur industry then for pure science, took at least 30 or so generations of breeding for docility before they could be declared domesticated—-and it was discovered that the more generations the better. Knowing this, I have to agree with other commenters that it’s best to take abandoned young or injured wild animals to the experts who know what they’re doing.

mkultra0605 avatar
Mindy Keys
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Amen, Kathy. I still have a scar to prove your words are true. Wild needs to be respected as such. These cute little f----ers can Bite!

Load More Replies...
postvoorly avatar
hobbitly
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I dont know how things are in Russia, but what I would do if I find an injured baby wild animal, I would take them to a wildlife hospital or something like that where it can get proper help and maybe be replaced back into the wild. Why do people think its a good idea to just keep the animal at their home?

maddi_050203 avatar
LOttawa
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It appears that in Russia, you can have any animal as a pet.. Google Messi the cougar/puma...

Load More Replies...
mkultra0605 avatar
Mindy Keys
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lovely little guy... but boy, howdy - if you have ever been on the toothy end of a squirrel, you develop a very healthy respect for distance with them. Had a "tame" one who would come into my home daily to be fed, get cuddles, etc. One day she just spooked and bit my thumb. To the bone. The bone was chipped. Hurt like a --- Thereafter I respect them fully as WILDlife!

abelbocker avatar
Thunder
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you replace Chippy in the car video by a cute rabbit you have mine. They always jump around in the car, obsessed with the moving things around them. They don’t like it by the way, but they are always going on adventure in the car. (Most of the time I put them into a case, you know, just in case)

yvonnebrown avatar
Baby Clanger
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I miss squirrels so much, ( no squirrels in New zeland ) he is adorable and those ears!!!!

cjucz22 avatar
Christina Uhlir
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, it is great responsibility, not everybody can take up this task; but it seems that Chippy is happy and well cared for.

sharronlparsons avatar
sharron lynn parsons
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Love the story, and I hope people will understand the difficulties of having a squirrel, or other tiny critters, after major damage in your home, it's too late to let the critter return to the nature, some situations don't run smooth !!!

kevinperry_2 avatar
okpkpkp
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hear squirrel teeth grow 10 inches a year so they chew on anything and everything to wear them down.

kerryericksson avatar
Kerry Ericksson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know Squirrels belong in the wild but I probably would do the same as I have an instinct to take care of animals.I think I would like it to have the best of both worlds Outside and Indoors with me.

santinomarazzo avatar
Santino Marazzo
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Be proud with what you did rescuing the squirrel . There are many that would have just walked by and let it die. However, there are many that would have done the same as you . And so. There are many of us that are proud of you, and the cat.

mariarohlen avatar
Maria Rohlen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How stupid to drive with an animal unsecured in the car, what happens if you have to make an emergency brake?

abelbocker avatar
Thunder
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My rabbits always wants to run around in my car and they haven’t break anything and idk what happens by an emergency break. I always put them in a case btw

Load More Replies...
zelda2park avatar
Zelda Blue
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love this story and the pictures. I may be one of the few people in Minnesota who love squirrels but I can't get enough of them.

jim_hubbard avatar
Panda Panda
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Make sure he is comfortable around cars and cats. That should work out well.....

Popular on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda