Francis the Squirrel
Francis was found in July 2025,
after a bad storm knocked his nest to the ground in our front yard.
His mama never came back.He was about four weeks old —
barely any fur, eyes still closed,
all alone in the world.Our family took him in. We bottle-fed him every two hours, helped him potty, cuddled him, and watched him grow.At twelve and a half weeks, we
soft-released him in our backyard,
under the walnut tree.He stayed in his enclosure for a couple
of weeks, exploring his new world at his
own pace — and then one day,
he ran straight up the walnut tree.Francis is a free squirrel now.
He lives wild and visits us
almost every day, rain or shine.
Baby photo
Four weeks old, eyes still closed.
Bottle feed
Bottle-fed every two hours, around the clock.
First tree climb
His first venture up the walnut tree.
Eating seeds
Black oil sunflower seeds: his favorite
Eating a walnut
He loves walnuts!
All weather
No mater the weather he shows up.
Cuddle time
Quality time with his human mama
Fun Facts
Built for rainA squirrel's coat has two layers: coarse outer fur coated in natural oils that
shakes water off, and dense underfur
that insulates and keeps skin dry.
It handles showers — not weeklong downpours.Not all squirrels hibernateFrancis is a red fox squirrel
(eastern fox squirrel) Sciurus niger
Fox squirrels do not hibernate. That means we will get to see
Francis all winter long!Winter prep is realEvery fall squirrels bury nuts to get through winter Francis is bury
walnuts right now.Skip the peanuts.Peanuts in high quantities are bad for squirrels — their phosphorus and
trypsin inhibitors block calcium uptake,
which can lead to bone disease.
Black oil sunflower seeds
are the safer everyday treat.
The Francis Shop
Francis 2027 Wall Calendar — 11″×16.5″ wall calendar with a wire hanger. One full-page Francis photo plus a full month grid for every month of 2027, filled with fun holidays — including Francis' Gotcha Day on July 28. Printed and shipped on demand. $35, free shipping.
Purchase here
Coming Soon! ---Francis Sticker Pack
die-cut stickers.
Kingsyard is Francis's official partner. They sent Francis one of their squirrel feeders to feature in a video. Followers get 20% off with code FRANCIS20 at Kingsyard — orders through the code
also earn Francis's family a small commission. This doesn't mean the company runs Francis's life;
he's still a wild, free squirrel.
Squirrel Boxes is Francis's official partner. They donated one of their squirrel boxes — and we added a
tiny camera inside — so we can peek
into Francis's new home.
Followers get 10% off with code
WINTER at Squirrelboxes
© 2026 Francis the squirrel – Iowa – Made with love by the Mitchell family.