So I found a baby squirrel . . .

[crapwhereaminow]

Now what?

I've got the little bugger set up in a cat carrier with blankets and a shallow water dish in a dim room. Obviously it's away from the herps (don't want to scare the poor little thing.)

As far as injuries, it looks like it was chewed on a bit, but not too bad. There's no blood that I can see, just some damp spots and hair missing. The concerning thing is the fact it's not opening one of it's eyes. It's also very calm. Actually walked up to me and I picked it up, probably not the brightest thing to do but I can't resist a cute face. I'm chalking the calmness up to terror?

I'm planning on taking it to a wildlife center tomorrow. Any ideas on how I can help it tonight?

Thanks!
-Jessica

[Alexandra V]

Make sure it has water, like you've done, and offer it dog food (the best option for young squirrels) if you can. If he looks really young, you can soften up the dog food with a bit of water. That should hold him off until you can get him to a rescue place. kudos on rescuing the little guy!

If you can't get your hands on dog food, then you can try some nuts (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts) and maybe a handful of oats and some apple or potato. It'll be better than nothing.

[nachash]

and offer it dog food (the best option for young squirrels).

i feel like there has to be a few stories behind that wisdom
do tell

[Alexandra V]

i feel like there has to be a few stories behind that wisdom
do tell

hehehe... one day at work (I work at a pet food store) somebody dropped off baby squirrels at our store so my manager and I took them in. We were trying to call around and see if anybody knew what to do with the darn things as far as food went and nobody could tell us.

FINALLY we contacted an exotics vet who knew about squirrels because she did some weird jobs out in the great outdoors for the arboretum, and she gave us some rough ideas as to what kind of nutrients and in what quantities the little guys needed. We then discovered that it was pretty darn close to what's in most dog foods!

My manager then went on to keep one of the squirrel babies for a little over a year, and it was the healthiest squirrel that ever lived, off of nothing more than dog food and veggies/fruit. He then proceeded to run away and we never saw him again

I've had some encounters with baby squirrels since then (my cat is a crazy hunter, so we had some orphaned squirrels on our hands after one of her raids) and it's been what I've always done. Works wonders.

[mues155]

It sounds like it's in a pretty good setup so far. Towel, quiet room, shallow water dish. I'd add a little food in there, just in case he actually eats it. If you don't have any seeds you could just use some fruit, veggies, bread, etc. It may be helpful to ration it in small pieces so that you can tell if he's eaten anything. Put 3 small pieces of food in there, for example, so that if you come back later and there's only 1 left you know for sure that he ate. I'm assuming since he walked up to you that he's not nursing milk anymore.

Also make sure that, should he regain his strength, he can't squeeze out of the cat carrier or squeeze half-way out and get stuck. You could also put a heat pad on low under half the carrier if you have one, but it may not be necessary. And wash your hands after touching him, he could potentially have lice, fleas, or other parasites.

The calmness could be shock from his whole ordeal, or it could be a negative result of his injuries. He could also just be really young and therefore either incapable of hyperactivity or is just naive to "human danger". That's about all I can offer you. If he's still on milk you would need small mammal formula and an eyedropper, but since you're dropping him off tomorrow that is probably unneccesary.

[spygirl]

How old is it? Keeping it quiet and warm is best. Did the rehabber tell you to feed it? The reason why I ask, is because when we have someone bring us an animal, we ask them not to feed the animals. Depending on the injuries, you can actually hurt the animal. I would keep the animal at about 70-75 degrees until you can get it to the rehabber.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Puppy formula.. I've hand raised newborn baby squirrels. They are more closely related to dogs than cats. They do very well on liquid puppy formula fed with a tiny feeding bottle.

Most important thing.. Mothers clean the babies rear end so it can go potty, otherwise they can get blocked up and die. If it's young enough to be bottle fed, you have to gently wipe it's butt every day with a warm, wet, cloth to keep the area clean and stimulate it to pass waste.

They are a lot of fun but when they are eating on their own and running around climbing everything in site, you will have to release it. They make terrible house pets. Put a dish of food outside for it or on a tree squirrel feeder so it has food while it transitions to being outside.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

I didn't see where you're taking it to a rehabber but my info may be helpful in the future if you ever encounter this again.

[crapwhereaminow]

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely taking it to a rehabber. Between the pythons and a large dog my home is not a great place for a small rodent.

So cat carrier, blankets, and water. I live in So. Cal and baby is inside, so getting too cold is not an issue. I'll try to feed dog food tomorrow if for some reason I can't get it to a rescue.

It's not too small, definitely has eyes open and it's covered in fur. Definitely past the formula stage.

[mainbutter]

Secure, dark, plenty of blankets is the way to go.

Depending on how young the squirrel is, actual food may not be a good idea. Our dog's vet is MN DNR certified and regularly in-home rescues squirrels that need 24/7 care, as the wildlife rehab where I volunteer does not have staff/volunteers on site 24/7. For very young squirrels (ones that are still nursing), the best substitute diet is generally the same milk product that is given to kittens that are still nursing. We fed him that I think like every 3 hours until the vet came by to pick it up.

The best thing to do in the short term is provide security, warmth, and some water, and get in contact with a wildlife rehab or a vet who knows squirrels.