A woman in Boise, Idaho, recently noticed a group of squirrels in her backyard bullying one of their own. The larger group would pick on a tiny squirrel, preventing him from getting near the food.
Peering closer, the woman thought the squirrel’s head looked odd on his little body, almost like it was swollen.
Tye Lombardi
A neighbor led the woman to Tye Lombardi, a local permitted squirrel rescuer.
“The moment I saw the photos, I thought, ‘That looks like hydrocephalus,’” Lombardi told The Dodo. “The shape of his head, the way it was swollen, I knew he had fluid buildup putting pressure on his brain.”
Tye Lombardi
After two days spent observing the squirrel, Lombardi trapped him. Up close, the scruffy squirrel was unlike any patient Lombardi had seen in his 35 years of animal care.
“My immediate concern was whether he could survive long-term and what quality of life we could give him,” Lombardi said. “I wanted to get him to a vet as quickly as possible.”
The vet confirmed Lombardi’s suspicion that fluid was building up around the squirrel’s brain. But an X-ray revealed a promising surprise.
Tye Lombardi
“His brain is actually fully enclosed within his skull,” Lombardi said, “which isn’t always the case with hydrocephalus.”
Beyond that, there was a large calcification on the front portion of his head. In a way, the little animal had two skulls.
“I joke that it’s his bike helmet,” Lombardi said.
Tye Lombardi
These developments meant that, with routine care and medication, the squirrel, who was only about 6 months old, had a chance at a semi-normal life.
Lombardi named him Ein, after Einstein.
Tye Lombardi
At Lombardi’s house, Ein lives on the top level of a condo with three other special-needs squirrels. He can interact with his mellow housemates as much as he wants, then retreat to his blanketed penthouse when he’s done.
“Ein is incredibly gentle and cautious,” Lombardi said. “He’s shy and prefers to stay hidden under his blankets most of the time … He has never once bitten me, which, for a wild male squirrel, is extraordinary, and I think it’s because he knows I am genuinely trying to help him.”
Tye Lombardi
Twice a day, Ein takes steroids to reduce swelling in the short term. Two other medications, which he’ll be on indefinitely, manage the fluids.
So far, the protocol works — but whenever Lombardi has tried reducing the dosage, the swelling returns.
After Ein’s swelling had gone down. | Tye Lombardi
Though this means Ein will never be released back into the wild, he hit the jackpot with a space at Lombardi’s house.
“The goal is to eventually provide him with a large, private enclosure outside,” Lombardi said, “so he can be exposed to the natural world in such a way that he can interact with it at his own level of comfort.”
Tye Lombardi
Ein doesn’t like to cuddle. He loves his alone time and spends his days eating and drinking without interference from bullies. Lombardi is working on building trust while letting timid Ein set the pace.
“It’s a gradual process, but we’re making progress every day,” Lombardi said, adding, “Every animal deserves a chance at a good life, even when they’re not ‘perfect.’”
If you would like to support Lombardi’s animals, you can purchase items from his wishlist. 
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