When nine tiny thirteen-lined ground squirrels were brought to Oaken Acres Wildlife Center, they were in desperate need of help. Their mom had passed away in a backyard den, leaving the babies alone, weak, and unable to survive on their own.
By the time rescuers arrived, the newborns were dehydrated, freezing, and weighed barely more than a tablespoon of water. On top of that, they were crawling with fleas.
“Their body condition scores were in the 1+ to 2- range — very serious,” said Kathy Stelford, founder of Oaken Acres.
The team quickly got to work, giving the babies fluids, treating the fleas, and settling them into a warm incubator. Within hours, the little squirrels were already looking brighter and stronger.
But while their health improved, their instincts remained on high alert. Surrounded by so many new sights and smells, the babies weren’t sure what to make of their new world. That’s when their natural defense mechanism kicked in: freezing.
Whenever someone approached their incubator, all nine squirrels would stop moving completely — like tiny statues holding the most dramatic poses.
“They always act like this — as soon as you open their incubator, they freeze, almost like little mimes,” the center shared on Facebook. “Then, after a few seconds, in their trance-like state, one will move, and the others all start reacting.”
A staff supervisor even caught the routine on video, showing the babies playing what looked like the cutest game of freeze tag ever.
Now safe, warm, and steadily gaining weight, the siblings are expected to stay at the center for another six weeks before they can be released back into the wild. In the meantime, their caretakers are enjoying every funny, frozen pose these resilient little ones strike.
From tragedy to tiny comedians, the baby squirrels are proving every day just how strong — and adorable — they can be.
