Dear AMS,
       I sure am glad I scampered across your web page!!  I am having a heck of a time with tree sap. You see, I'm a small squirrel and what with spring here and all the sap is starting to flow from the tree I live in. It gets in my fur and is bloody murder to get out. Usually I resort to scissors and end up looking like a patchwork quilt for some time while it grows out. There has to be a better way to get the sap out of my fur!!
    Please help,
          Sappy in VA.

Dear Sappy,
       This really is not a problem with most squirrels because, as you know, the sap won’t stick to your little claws. So it’s obvious to me that you are intentionally rolling in the sap whether you can admit it to yourself or not. Never-the-less, it’s still a problem. Now I could suggest bathing in laundry detergent or using nail polish remover on trouble spots or just having your fur shaved completely off regularly. But these options really aren’t practical for a squirrel. So I would do this, get yourself a comb and just slick the fur back into a fashionable look while its still tactile. I always thought Clark Gable’s look in Gone with the Wind was great. And of course James Dean had that cute little ducktail he did with a bit of slicking back. I think spending a few minutes in front of the mirror experimenting with styles could do the trick and maybe even catch the eyes of a few squirreletes! (Oh..and put the scissors away…I don’t trust you with them.)
 

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