Have you found an orphaned or abandoned baby squirrel— even a newborn? It can be saved and live a long and happy life back in the wild, but only if you act fast. There is a very good chance of it surviving, but only if you seek professional help as soon as possible.
Here is what you must do:
1. Make sure that the squirrel is in fact abandoned, and the mother is not trying to find it. You should also make sure it is safe from being harmed in the meantime, such as by cats.
2. Seek professional help in your area immediately.
3. Don’t feed the baby squirrel or even give it water in the meantime, unless you are instructed to do so by the professionals that you contact. If you try to feed it without knowing what you are doing, you will likely harm it and potentially even end up killing it.
4. When you bring it inside, make sure it is kept warm enough, especially in cooler weather.
1. Make sure that the squirrel is in fact abandoned, and the mother is not trying to find it. You should also make sure it is safe from being harmed in the meantime, such as by cats.
2. Seek professional help in your area immediately.
3. Don’t feed the baby squirrel or even give it water in the meantime, unless you are instructed to do so by the professionals that you contact. If you try to feed it without knowing what you are doing, you will likely harm it and potentially even end up killing it.
4. When you bring it inside, make sure it is kept warm enough, especially in cooler weather.
Most importantly, you should realize that professional squirrel rehabilitators exist and there is a good chance that some are close to where you are. If you do an internet search for “wildlife rehabilitators” in your state you should find many options. You could also call animal hospitals in your area to ask as well. If you live in an area that has squirrels, you will almost certainly find options if you are persistent enough.
You should NOT try to feed the squirrel unless you are instructed to do so by a professional. You will almost certainly cause great harm and the squirrel will likely end up dying a few days later if you try.
As an example, I found a baby squirrel in my hot attic with the mother nowhere to be found, and I followed some instructions that I found online, not realizing how important that it was that the pup was first thoroughly hydrated with Pedialyle (which is a rehydration drink intended for human infants that is somewhat simalar to Gatrorade) before giving him any milk. I did hydrate him with it at first, but apparently it was not enough before I fed him the milk, not realizing the danger.
Also, I fed the squirrel Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer, which is what wildlife rehabilitators often use to feed them, however I did not realize that if any tiny flecks of the powder have not yet been completely dissolved in the water that it could cause great harm if it was consumed by the squirrel, which may have been another mistake that I made.
Likely due to my mistakes, the little guy stopped going to the bathroom after I started feeding him, despite his initially seeming to continue to be healthy in the meantime. Thankfully I was able to get him to a local wilflife rehabilitator in time for him to be saved, where they first hydrated him for more than a day again before giving him any milk.
What you could do if you need to wait before being able to contact professional help
If you found the squirrel at a time when professional treatment centers are closed or inaccessable, you could purchase Pedialyte from a local store that sells baby care products such as a drug store or a Wall-Mart, and you should also request that they give you a tiny 1cc feeding syringe that they will likely be able to supply you with. That way could have it ready to administer to the squirrel at the moment you get off the phone with the professional help if they instruct you to do so.
(Or in my non-professional opinion, I think you could administer it to the pup right away if you are certain that it would die otherwise. I think there is not as much of a danger in hydrating it with Pedialyte as there is in trying to give it milk at first, but be careful to administer it slowly so it doesn’t inhale any into its lungs, which is why using the 1cc feeding syringe is very important. The pup will almost certainly be very happy to receive it. You should give it a full syringe of Pedialyte every two or three hours for as long as a day, especially if you found it in hot weather.)
You also need to make sure the squirrel is kept very warm if you found it during the cooler times of the year; even making use of a heating pad if possible, as I have seen various instructions explain.
As an example, I found a baby squirrel in my hot attic with the mother nowhere to be found, and I followed some instructions that I found online, not realizing how important that it was that the pup was first thoroughly hydrated with Pedialyle (which is a rehydration drink intended for human infants that is somewhat simalar to Gatrorade) before giving him any milk. I did hydrate him with it at first, but apparently it was not enough before I fed him the milk, not realizing the danger.
Also, I fed the squirrel Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer, which is what wildlife rehabilitators often use to feed them, however I did not realize that if any tiny flecks of the powder have not yet been completely dissolved in the water that it could cause great harm if it was consumed by the squirrel, which may have been another mistake that I made.
Likely due to my mistakes, the little guy stopped going to the bathroom after I started feeding him, despite his initially seeming to continue to be healthy in the meantime. Thankfully I was able to get him to a local wilflife rehabilitator in time for him to be saved, where they first hydrated him for more than a day again before giving him any milk.
What you could do if you need to wait before being able to contact professional help
If you found the squirrel at a time when professional treatment centers are closed or inaccessable, you could purchase Pedialyte from a local store that sells baby care products such as a drug store or a Wall-Mart, and you should also request that they give you a tiny 1cc feeding syringe that they will likely be able to supply you with. That way could have it ready to administer to the squirrel at the moment you get off the phone with the professional help if they instruct you to do so.
(Or in my non-professional opinion, I think you could administer it to the pup right away if you are certain that it would die otherwise. I think there is not as much of a danger in hydrating it with Pedialyte as there is in trying to give it milk at first, but be careful to administer it slowly so it doesn’t inhale any into its lungs, which is why using the 1cc feeding syringe is very important. The pup will almost certainly be very happy to receive it. You should give it a full syringe of Pedialyte every two or three hours for as long as a day, especially if you found it in hot weather.)
You also need to make sure the squirrel is kept very warm if you found it during the cooler times of the year; even making use of a heating pad if possible, as I have seen various instructions explain.
You should also be aware that during the birthing seasons (when you have found yours of course), squirrel rehabilitators often become overwhelmed to capacity and they might not be able to accept any more, which is all the more reason to be proactive about seeking such help as soon as possible.
Rehabilitating squirrels is a very labor-intensive job, where the squirrels initially need to be nursed every few hours around the clock for weeks, and it must be done in a very exacting manner. After that, the squirrels then need to be raised in a large enclosed environment where they will not become too used to being around humans, so they will be able to eventually be released back into the wild.
Also note that wildlife rehabilitators are often underfunded and understaffed, so you should give them at least a few hundred dollars for their efforts if you are able to.
Finally, you shouldn’t consider having a squirrel as a pet, because they are a wild and often energetic and aggressive animal. Both you and the squirrel would not be happy living like that. As a matter of fact, having a Squirrel as a pet is illegal in many states. That is all the more reason for you to not try to raise a baby squirrel yourself, because if it does manage to survive and grow into an adult, it wouldn’t then have the necessary fear of people and civilization or the learned skills to be able to effectively survive by itself in the wild.
Rehabilitating squirrels is a very labor-intensive job, where the squirrels initially need to be nursed every few hours around the clock for weeks, and it must be done in a very exacting manner. After that, the squirrels then need to be raised in a large enclosed environment where they will not become too used to being around humans, so they will be able to eventually be released back into the wild.
Also note that wildlife rehabilitators are often underfunded and understaffed, so you should give them at least a few hundred dollars for their efforts if you are able to.
Finally, you shouldn’t consider having a squirrel as a pet, because they are a wild and often energetic and aggressive animal. Both you and the squirrel would not be happy living like that. As a matter of fact, having a Squirrel as a pet is illegal in many states. That is all the more reason for you to not try to raise a baby squirrel yourself, because if it does manage to survive and grow into an adult, it wouldn’t then have the necessary fear of people and civilization or the learned skills to be able to effectively survive by itself in the wild.
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(Note that I am not a trained or licensed wildlife rehabilitator, so I am not able to give any advice beyond what I am saying on this page. But please contact me at email@SaveThatSquirrel.com if you find issues with any of this information.)
(Note that I am not a trained or licensed wildlife rehabilitator, so I am not able to give any advice beyond what I am saying on this page. But please contact me at email@SaveThatSquirrel.com if you find issues with any of this information.)