MIDLOTHIAN, Va. — A Virginia man was startled to find a flying squirrel swimming in a toilet at his home on Thursday.
According to Richard Perry, owner of Virginia Wildlife Management and Control, he was called by a woman at 7:30 a.m. EDT who said there were strange noises coming from their toilet, WRIC-TV reported. When her husband lifted the lid, he saw a strange animal he was unable to identify.
When Perry and his crew arrived at the home in Midlothian, located approximately 15 miles from Richmond, they found the rodent swimming in the toilet, according to the television station.
“You know it’s gonna be another crazy day,” Perry wrote in a Facebook post later Thursday.
“We went in the house with all our gear in preparation to commence battle with whatever was in that toilet,” Perry told WRIC. “We got in and said, ‘No way. Would you believe it if I told you it’s a flying squirrel?’”
According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the Virginia northern flying squirrel is native to the state. The nocturnal animals are generally a foot long and have a voice that emits “high-pitched insect-like chirps.”
Interestingly, Richmond’s minor-league baseball team, a Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, is named -- you guessed it -- the Flying Squirrels.
Perry told WRIC that he was a big fan of the team, although not necessarily of the animal.
©2022 Cox Media Group