Baby Beaver’s Tiny Squeaks After ‘Discovering Her Feet’ Are So Cute We Can’t Take It

I’ve always thought that beavers were cute—not to mention resourceful—little animals, but up until today, I’d really only ever seen adult ones at zoos and wildlife preserves, never baby ones. After this adorable video, I’ve learned just how cute—and surprisingly human-like—baby beavers really are!

Deborah Edwards, an Arkansas wildlife rehabilitator for Becky Beavers Rehab, recently took in Cypress, a tiny orphaned baby beaver in need of rescue. Cypress has been doted on by her rescuers since she arrived at the rehab, and today, this happy baby girl made a breakthrough when she “discovered her feet!”

Cypress is so precious! The sleepy baby beaver was on Cloud 9, squeaking away while Deborah piled on the tummy scritches. But Cypress was especially enthralled with playing with (and gently chewing on) her webbed foot, which Deborah claimed that she had just “found” earlier that day. The way that Cypress grabbed at her foot with her dexterous little hands was so similar to the way that human babies play with their feet that it honestly took me aback. It’s incredible, the things we share in common with species that are so different from us!

Related: Baby Beaver Working Hard to Collect Tiny Branches for His First Dam Is Everything

“Baby animals are very similar to baby humans,” TikTok user @creativeginger observed in the comments. “We aren’t that different, just look different. I wish more people cared like you do.”

“STOP IT!!! I can’t anymore! My list of cute animals to get is getting dangerously long now,” cried @travel_st0ries. User @nobuddycares echoed the same sentiments, saying, “I think I would die of happiness. Her little noises! Thank you so very much for everything you do.”

The Beaver Family

The family structure of beavers is truly fascinating. According to Operation Wildlife, beavers are very family-oriented and are one of the few animals who are truly monogamous, mating for life and not mating again if their partner dies. Their parental habits are particularly interesting, too: the baby beaver will stay in Mom’s den nursing for the first 8-12 weeks of life while the dad stays in a nearby den.

When it’s time to wean the babies, Mom moves next door and Dad takes over, teaching the babies how to eat plant life from their natural aquatic habitat. The babies live with the parents for up to two years or more before venturing out on their own, but they never move too far away from their parents dam, and according to Operation Wildlife, they’ll even return to their family’s dam to help out during particularly tough winters!

Family is important, and beavers have long childhoods for animals, so long-term supportive care is necessary for rehabilitating orphaned beavers. Those baby beavers also need a lot of wood. Beavers are rodents, and like all rodents, their teeth never stop growing. Not only do beavers chew on trees for food and building supplies, but they also need to chew on wood to keep their teeth from growing dangerously long!

Of course, this is all old news for Deborah Edwards, who claimed in the comments that Cypress is now the fifth baby beaver (or “kit”) that she’s rescued so far. While it’s tragic that little Cypress lost her family so young, she’s now in good hands, and hopefully one day she’ll be ready to return to the wild and form a beaver family of her own!