Baby Squirrels Make For Nutty Discovery In Franconia Car Repair Shop

FRANCONIA, VA — Normally, when a check engine light goes on, it points to a problem with a car's performance. But on Tuesday, one car shop in Franconia found a more squirrelly reason for the check engine light in one customer's car.

Craftsman Auto Care - Alexandria, an auto repair shop at the Festival at Manchester Lakes shopping center, found three baby squirrels sleeping under the hood of a customer's vehicle. The squirrels had been in a nest they made under the hood, Asha Boone, marketing manager for Craftsman Auto, told Patch in an email.

The shop contacted Fairfax County Animal Protection Police and did some research on how to care for the baby squirrels in the meantime. They learned baby squirrels should be kept warm and hydrated, so employees went to a local pet store and bought special milk to feed them.

"One of our technicians, Rick, gently bottle fed them the special milk," Boone said in an email.

Animal protection police returned the baby squirrels to the customer's home, as the mother squirrel was likely looking for them.

As for the check engine light, it turned out that the babies' mother squirrel had chewed through wiring in the vehicle. The auto repair shop said it caught the problem early and was able to repair it.

According to a Craftsman Auto Care blog post, small animals such as squirrels, mice and rats may nest in an engine compartment because it provides warm shelter. On top of that, Toyota's transition from rubber wire harnesses in engines to a soybean compound can be a food source for these small critters, Craftsman Auto Care stated.

Another experience with small critters involved a 2014 Toyota 4Runner brought in to Craftsman Auto Care, according to the blog post. The vehicle had its check engine light on, and the cause was tracked down to a rodent chewing the wire harness. Repairs were made by shrink wrapping all the wiring. The auto repair shop also recommends using mace or pepper spray in the engine compartment to deter rodents.

Craftsman Auto Care is a locally-owned auto repair shop owned by Matt Curry, formerly of Curry’s Auto Service. There are locations in Franconia, Fairfax, Chantilly, Merrifield and McLean, while its new Sterling/Cascades location opened in March.