Last December, Reddit user Toozinger started hearing strange scratching noises inside his third-floor apartment. At first, he brushed it off, assuming the neighbors’ cats were to blame.
But one day, while working at his computer, the mystery solved itself.
“A small hole suddenly appeared in the wall during a bout of vigorous scratching,” he recalled. Through that hole, he realized he wasn’t dealing with cats at all — a squirrel had moved in.
“I was concerned I’d wake up to a squirrel in my room, staring down at me,” he said. “It’s a bit unsettling to have an animal trying to claw its way inside.”
To calm his nerves, he temporarily boarded up the hole and informed his building’s management.
Their solution, however, was less than kind: they tossed poison into the wall and sealed it with a board.
“While I was at work, they came in and threw poison in the hole, and screwed some medium-density fiberboard over the breach,” he said. “I checked online and learned that poisoning a squirrel is likely illegal and probably ineffective.”
But the squirrel — whom Toozinger named Chestnut — wasn’t going anywhere.
“The scratching noises stopped for a bit, but I started hearing soft whimpering,” he said. “The poison just gave her a stomachache. Within a week, Chestnut was back to full health.”
Management then called a wildlife specialist to block her outdoor entry point, but Chestnut outsmarted every attempt.
“The wildlife specialist kept checking in, day after day, but seemed to continually underestimate Chestnut,” Toozinger said.
That’s when Toozinger decided to take matters into his own hands. “I decided to replace the wood [covering the hole] with a see-through plexiglass window. I wanted to definitively show the specialist that a squirrel was still freely entering and exiting the wall.”
He swapped the wooden cover for a small plexiglass window — giving him proof that Chestnut was still there and a front-row view of her little world.
“Chestnut had done excellent work,” he said. “She’d built herself a cozy nest. I’ve seen her head out for adventures, then come back in for a warm rest.”
Despite the window, Chestnut carries on as if nothing has changed.
“She’s unbothered,” Toozinger laughed. “Chestnut does what Chestnut likes.”
While he enjoys the novelty of having a “wall squirrel,” Toozinger admits it’s not an ideal long-term setup for either of them.
“I think it would be best for Chestnut to find a new home outside,” he said. “As cozy as my wall might be, living near electrical wiring isn’t safe for her or for me.”
For now, though, Chestnut remains snug in her unusual apartment — and Toozinger has a story he’ll never forget.
“I’ve definitely come to appreciate the cute, quirky ways of Chestnut,” he said. “But in the end, she belongs in the wild.”
