Squirrels

Some reasons baby squirrels are found by humans

  •  The baby fell out of the tree 
  • Nest fell out of the tree 
  • Nest was dismantled by rain or winds and fell out of the tree 
  • The tree was cut down by tree trimmers 
  • Bird (such as a crow or hawk) took babies out of the nest  
  • Mother has died 

Reasons for a baby squirrel to come to a rehabber:

  • First, determine whether the baby should come to a rehabilitator. It is possible that the babies can be reunited with their mothers. 
  • Obviously broken skin from bird, cat, or dog bites
  • Contact with a cat’s mouth
  • Swollen lump on head
  • Tilted head, walking in circles
  • Bruises on the body especially on the abdomen (can only be seen if the baby does not yet have fur)
  • Bloody nose
  • Difficulty breathing .
  • Broken limb, dragging back legs
  • They are very thin and dehydrated. Newborn squirrels, or “pinkies”, naturally are quite wrinkled, so it is difficult to determine if they are dehydrated. Infants or even juvenile squirrels can be tested for dehydration  If you pinch the skin on the back of the neck, pull it up, and let it go again. This is called “tenting the skin”. If the skin readily snaps back to the body, the baby probably is not severely dehydrated. But if the skin stays up in the “pinched” position, even after the skin is let go, it most likely is already orphaned and has not been nursing for some time.
  • They have maggots, off-white fly eggs in the fur (often very hard to see), and lots of fleas or ants on their body. Look for white rice-shaped forms in the nose, mouth, ears, groin, or any place on the body that may have a sore, bite, or other open wound. Maggots will hatch from eggs that an adult fly deposited. A mother squirrel would have licked the eggs off before they ever hatched, so the presence of eggs or maggots usually indicates that the baby is orphaned. Maggots must be dealt with immediately by a rehabilitator.  They can enter the body very quickly and damage the lungs, heart, and brain.
  • They are juveniles (4-6 week-old squirrels) that will readily come up to humans or try to climb up a  human’s leg, desperate for food and looking for help. Unfortunately, they will come up to dogs and cats too. A young squirrel doing this is most likely orphaned and should be brought to a rehabilitator immediately.  

Wildlife Intake Form

Providing Us With the Information Concerning The Circumstances in Which You Found This Animal is Vitally Important to Both Providing Medical Care and Getting the Patient Released Back Into Its Proper Home and Environment

Sometimes it is possible to reunite the mother and babies: 

If the babies are warm, plump, squirming around, and young enough that they are not able to climb out of a box, then call a rehabber for instructions on how to help the mother squirrel find her babies. The babies must be kept warm continuously. The mother will not accept cold babies. Important: If more than one baby is found, there is an excellent chance of reuniting. If only one baby is found, the mother will probably not come back and a rehabilitator should be contacted.