Baby squirrels in a box nailed to a tree for mom to find.

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Infant Squirrel on the Ground

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Gray squirrels are great mothers and will often times come and pick up her babies if they have dropped out of the nest or if the tree was cut down. It is important to try to reunite uninjured, healthy baby squirrels with their mother when possible.

 

Step 1. DO NOT feed the baby or give it water, the mom will not come back if the baby has been fed.

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Step 2. Assess the babies for injury(blood, wounds, ant bites, bruising). 

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Step 3. If the baby is uninjured, place the baby(s) in a box, clean milk jug with the side cut out, or a hanging basket with a soft lining and a heat source. The baby MUST be kept warm using an external heat source. The sun or outside temperatures will not keep the baby warm.

For the external heat source, you can use a warmed up water bottle with a cloth over (change every hour), a sock full of warmed up dry rice or beans(change every three hours), hand-warmers or a heat pad set on low under half of the box. Even if the babies are furred, they cannot regulate their temperature. Mom will NOT pick up a cold baby. 

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Step 4. You can place the box where you found the babies or nail it to the tree. If the tree is cut down and you know mom was not injured, leave the babies by the stump. Do not leave them in direct sunlight as they will burn and dehydrate.

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Helpful tip: playing baby squirrel crying sounds on youtube can entice mom to return sooner.

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Step 5. KEEP ALL DOGS, CATS, CHILDREN and YOURSELF INSIDE. Mom will not come back if she feels threatened. Observe from a distance and allow up to 24 hours for the mom to retrieve her babies.

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Step 6. If night comes, bring the babies in and keep extremely warm in a dark and quiet place. Do NOT feed them. Put them back out at dawn and wait until 24 hours has elapsed.

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Step 7. If she does not come back, contact us. Still DO NOT feed them, just keep warm. 

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If a baby has been in a dog or cats mouth or seems injured, they need antibiotics so please contact us immediately. 

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Injured Adult Squirrels 

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If you find an injured adult squirrel, handle it very carefully with thick gloves and/or a thick towel or simply scoop it into a box. Keep it dark, warm and quiet place. Please text us a photo of the squirrel at 980-389-1133. Please do not leave the squirrel out in the heat, flies like to prey on weak animals. Keeping the box in the closed garage is always helpful. Please be cautious and squirrels can be deceivingly calm when first in shock but quickly go back to their scrappy and biting nature.