A TEENAGER befriended an injured grey squirrel and nursed him back to health using a special recipe for "nut balls" she found on the internet.

Natasha Dales, 18, was walking along St John's Park, near Greenwich Park, in April with her boyfriend, Danyal Hoare, 20, and his brother, Adam, 31, when the rodent crawled up her leg.

South African-born Natasha, who lives with the brothers in Reynolds Place, Blackheath, took the cheeky rodent home and fed him special nut balls.

She said: "We can't release him into the wild. He's completely tame, has no front teeth and must have lost his memory. He's forgotten he's a squirrel." Greys can be found particularly in parks and suburban gardens, but are disliked by many for being bird nest raiders, flower bulb devourers and bark strippers.

Natasha believes the squirrel, which is thought to be about eight months old, must have fallen from a tree after suffering from the affects of rat poison.

The friendly rodent had facial infections, broken bones and a hole in his palate, but has now been nursed back to health with the internet recipe.

Natasha fed him mashed banana and nut balls made out of rice flakes, pecan nuts, sesame seeds, brewer's yeast, lecithin, cod liver oil, vitamin E, dolomite, vitamin C, salt, olive oil and apple sauce.

Natasha, who is working in pubs while on a gap year, named the rodent Hartley after her British grandfather. She said: "The squirrel is a bit of a hero himself. He's the cutest little thing and really affectionate. He plays with my hair and makes a mess of it, scratches my hands with his paws, and he loves to sit on people's shoulders. I love him to death and I will miss him when I go back to South Africa but the boys will take care of him."

July 16, 2002 12:00