Feeling nutty! Squirrel gets drunk while eating fermented pears left outside Minnesota home
- Squirrel in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, accidentally ate a fermented pear and became intoxicated
- Footage shared online has gotten more than 1.5million views since Saturday
- Kathleen Morlok said she left pears outside the local squirrels without realizing they had fermented inside her refrigerator
- She said the squirrel appeared healthy the next morning, arriving for a ‘hangover breakfast of seeds and corn
A squirrel in Minnesota bit off more than he could chew last week when he accidentally ate a fermented pear and became intoxicated.
Footage taken last Friday showed the tipsy animal standing on a miniature picnic table outside the Morlok’s home in Inver Grove Heights.
The squirrel munches on a paw-ful of corn and seeds when it suddenly gets a dazed look in its eyes. It begins to lean oddly to side, completely stupefied.
The squirrel uses the edge of the blue bowl to catch its balance, but begins to drift backwards again while staring intently at the surrounding tree tops.
Although a bit bewildered, the small creature eventually finds its way back into the bowl and continues his snack.
Kathleen Morlok captured the moment squirrel was dazed and drunk outside her Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, home after accidentally eating fermented pears
Kathleen Morlok told DailyMail.com that the unexpected episode began when she decided to clean out her refrigerator that Friday.
‘I found a very old bag of pears in the bottom. Instead of throwing them away, I threw two onto our deck for Hamlet,’ said Kathleen, referring to the family’s pet pig.
Kathleen said the Minnesota weather was cold that day and Hamlet only ate one before lumbering back inside the home.
‘I did not realize that he left one under the table outside until I saw the little red squirrel happily grab the whole thing and run away with it into the trees,’ she said.
Sensing the squirrel’s enjoyment, Kathleen decided to put the rest of the old pears outside for the daily visitor.
The squirrel snacked on a miniature picnic table last Friday while intoxicated and leaned around in a stupor
Kathleen Morlok: ‘He kept leaning back while eating. That is when it occurred to me that the pears must have fermented in the bottom of the fridge’
But when the squirrel returned later that day, Kathleen said it ‘seemed very off.’
‘He kept leaning back while eating. That is when it occurred to me that the pears must have fermented in the bottom of the fridge,’ said Kathleen.
Fermentation refers to a process where food undergoes chemical changes that can convert glucose, fructose and sucrose into alcohol.
When the Morloks left the pears at the bottom of the refrigerator, they may have undergone the process to create fermented fruit.
Kathleen said the squirrel appeared healthy the next day and arrived outside her home for a ‘hangover breakfast’
‘Poor little guy,’ Kathleen told DailyMail.com. ‘I threw away the rest of the pears and the food you see him eating in the bowl is seeds and corn. I was so worried about him all night!’
Fortunately, the squirrel arrived outside the home the next morning for a ‘hangover breakfast.’
‘He is back to his normal self and is back at the feeder daily,’ Kathleen said.
In one clip of the video, the footage has garnered more than 1.5million views.
