Squirrel Emergency

Dear new friends,

First post and unfortunately I have to cut right to the chase. A life may be at stake!

There is a squirrel in my truck, and I think he’s stuck in there. I think he’s a baby and his momma abandoned him because he got stuck. For the sake of urgency, let’s assume that I’m correct that the squirrel is stuck and not just hiding. Either way he needs to come out.

Can you guys help me figure out how I can access the area where he’s stuck? Please see the highlighted portion of the photos. I can hear him squeaking right behind the metal. When I stick my head into the cab, I hear him kind of behind the glove box, or on the inside of the front of the door frame (above the hinge, about level with the glove box/antenna).

Sorry in advance, but I have almost no mechanical knowledge. But I have some basic tools and know how to tinker, so maybe you guys can point me in the right direction.

Thanks and stay frosty.

RD

 

If Rocky the squirrel is in that area of first picture, my first thought is he possibly made inside the truck thru the duct pipe, lack of better word, that’s under the windshield cowl area passenger side. If he’s there, you’ll have to remove blower motor and hopefully he’s on top of the squirrel cage, no pun intended.

The duct opening I'm speaking of and showing, is right under "My two suspects". In fact, if you do find you have to deal with area and take the cowl off, the "My two suspects" are places one needs to address for water leakage to the inside.

 

You can drop the fan motor (3 x 10mm bolts) and probably reach up in. These pics I just took while cleaning out my fan motor under the glove box. The grey background in the yellow box is the cowl. Don't break the red flapper/bar in red.

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Is he behind the cowl cover? Wipers, few screws and some push pin fasteners. If you remove expect some to break but also good time to waterproof cowl clips.

 

Wow, thanks so much guys! These look like some great places to start. I’ll get my hands dirty after work and see what happens.

BubbaW, incidentally I’m also getting the occasional drips onto the passenger floor mat, probably through the route you’re describing there. An infamous problem I guess? Maybe I can gather some intel for the dripping while I’m on the squirrel mission.

I went home at lunch and he was still squeaking, so hopefully I’ll get there in time.

 

Keep us posted plz.

 

Wait for it to die so it won't try to escape when you reach in. Remember, squirrels are just rats with furry tails.

 

Infamous leaks are covered in great detail here, including the passenger side cowl leak: https://www.tundras.com/threads/definitive-2000-2006-cab-area-rain-water-leak-thread.70464/

 

see if you can remove the cabin air filter and check inside the vent. easy to do before unbolting the whole truck

 

I don't know that the early Tundras have a cabin air filter.

OP: wear a welding glove and safety glasses if you're going to try to pull it out alive.

 

They don’t.

 

Following for a good outcome.

 

Yo what’s up with Pepe the squirrel??

 

I had the chance to grab a squirrel running across the ground. It was pretty cool to hold, but, OP, this is good advice. Their teeth are sharp for sure.

Smart critters though. Pretty amazing when to observe. Watch Mark Rober's YT channel with his Squirrel Maze 1.0 and 2.0. Very entertaining.

 

I got bit while at the Grand Canyon Everyone laughed at me and I had to pay to get my blood, a lot of it, cleaned out of the rental car.

 

I was bitten by a rat once, when I was in my early 20's. I ended up with severe blood poisoning that required a course of very powerful antibiotics to reverse. All good in the end and I made a full recovery with no time in the hospital even though I was advised I should go. But being bulletproof and that I had a hot date the next day I just sucked it up. Do be careful with the little critter.

 

Where did it get you? Mine was on the thumb and index.

When I let mine go, it ran down the yard a ways, stopped, turned around and if it could scream and yell at me, that was what it was doing in its chittery voice! LOL!

 

Yeah, rats and mice are not to be played with. That one always bothers me because there are a lot near where I live.

Squirrels are a little cleaner. Still had to get an antibiotic, but not as bad as rats. Glad you didn't have any bad after affects.

 

RIP, OP. We done tolt you to wear gloves. Also if OP's wife reads this, we have a very strict classifieds policy, after you get OP's blood out of the interior don't just go posting the truck for sale on this thread.

 

Well, that was a drastic turn!

 

He was plenty warned.

#1499, so close to the great 1500!

 

Karma
https://preview.redd.it/rb462vxvhk4...bp&s=5486b0a2677834a491227dad0fb8ee99e262128f

 

Let the little baby out….

 

This thread reminds me of this
https://youtu.be/K16fG1sDagU?si=hNyHXDDsI-QALwyD

 

Right on the forearm, of all places. I was bleeding like a stuck pig and it was 110 degrees out. It was miserable. I was going to sit down on a rock and it got me, wasn't even trying to feed it lol. Damned thing!

 

When one gets bit by a squirrel, what's the treatment? Does that require a rabies shot?

 

Ouch! That sounds miserable! The forearm is also not the hardest part of the arm.

 

Could be worse. Could’ve bit your 3rd leg instead of your 4 arm.

 

I LOVE that song! I didn't think of that quicker! LOL!

No, when I went in to the urgent care (all I could get at the time), they said that squirrels very, very rarely carry rabies. It isn't that they can't but usually if they get bit by something that has rabies, the attack is so bad that the squirrel is dead in just a few minutes to an hour or so.

The dr said he didn't remember ever seeing rabies from squirrel to human.

Of course, the funny part of this is:

When I came back home, and was walking around the property, I saw what looked like that squirrel. Dead. Laying by one of the buildings.

I started panicking and wondering if I should go with it. Come to find out, it wasn't that one because it was too big. I know because I saw the one that bit me as it ran next to the dead one.