Baby squirrel
 

I just found one laying in my driveway. Appeared dead at first, but upon inspection found to be alive. Brought in in the house (in gloved hand) gave it a few droppers of water and it seems to be perking up although its eyes are still closed.

Uh. What do I do now?

heat a pan of oil to 350

Is there a crazy animal lady in your neighborhood? That's who we gave our various abandoned critters as kids.

jinx, don't get your hopes up. That's what a vet will tell you. Although, I've raised kitties and puppies by hand and never lost one.

First, don't feed them cow milk (lactose intolerant). If you have some soy milk that's okay, until you can get some soy-based baby formula. Pet supply stores should have little bottles and nipples. Maybe look into some glucose/vitamin paste.

Mammals need warmth and contact. Bundle and snuggle.

I know that for kitties, they can't poop or pee without mama licking their parts (true story) so you have to swab their bits with a warm, wet cotton ball.

I also want to add that a squirrels might carry some nasty germs, so I would look into a good all-over bath for the little bushy-tailed rat.

Edit: How to feed a hungry, wild rascal. Wrap in a hand towel with only the head sticking out, wet the mouth with formula, and tease with the nipple until they get the idea. DO NOT squeeze milk down their throat!

Flint's apparently the crazy animal lady in his neighborhood.

Thx flint. I called wildlife rehab, and am waiting for a call back from a squirrel rescuer - no plans to hand raise a squirrel in a house with 2 cats with loads of seniority.

The nasty little thing is verrrry cute though....

I wish. I don't mind driving him, I just hope this lady calls me back.

Well, in the meantime: bundle, snuggle, and no cow milk.

I'm glad you 're seeking outside help, btw. That's a responsible decision.

Ok, I took him out of the shoebox, bundled him in a washcloth and am holding him nice and snuggly.
Cows milk is teh debbil, I don't keep any in the house.

Good for you. Cow milk is for baby cows.

pics requested

Post some pictures of the squirrel, too.

Woohoo! The rescue lady just called and is ready to receive squirrely in Downingtown.

I'm gonna give him another little drink and then head out.

Took this pic with my phone, sry bout the quality.

teh CUTE!!! . . . so, no beaver shots?

good luck, little one...

my, what big paws you have.

Its been a dream of mine to raise a squirrel and teach it to pick pockets and scratch at the eyes of my rivals

Around here they're called tree-rats and are treated like any other vermin.

He's givin the finger with his right paw

Why you leavin us already Hilldu?

Right, just like soy milk is for baby soys.

Flint (and jinx), what's wrong with cow milk?

Jinx, if you found the squirrel near a tree with the nest, (within the span of a tree's branches) you might want to try putting him where you've found him and staying within sight, in order to keep an eye out for cats or hawks.
If the mother isn't injured, there's a good chance that she'll come back and carry him back to the nest.

If that doesn't work, go to a pet store and ask to buy a damaged aquarium. Explain what you need it for. I got one with a slight crack and they included a caged lid with security clamps for five dollars.
Squirrels like to sleep in things like large work gloves, very large socks or crown royal pouches. Put some dead dry leaves or torn facial tissue in the bottom and then put in his "bed". He will climb in/under his bed if he's old enough. Replace his bedding when it's damp.
If his eyes are opened, he's probably about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks old.
You can give him formula (3 oz. whole milk and 1 tsp. of baby cereal) with a plastic (not glass) eyedropper. Make a fresh batch each day and avoid heating any hotter than body temperature before feeding him. Clean the eyedropper well after using it. Also avoid hamster shavings for bedding and bathing. All three can cause them to get colds or pneumonia.
When his eyes open, if they aren't already, start feeding the formula from a dish/jar lid in an area separate from his bed. In the bottom of the dish put some bread in it and then add the formula and let it sit a few minutes to soften it. Put the dish against his mouth if he's not sure what to do. It might take a few tries. If he gets messy, just dry him with a rag. When he seems more mobile put a small piece of branch propped to give him climbing/grasping practice. At this point he will be also ready to have a water bottle in his cage. When, just like a baby, he seems not quite satisfied with his formula start adding hammered acorns, raisins, apple slices, peanuts, sunflower seeds and some birdseed. At this point, you won't want to handle him much more than necessary, as when he's released he'll be less wary of predators.
When he's about eight weeks he needs to acclimated to the outdoors.
Eventually, you'll be placing his home outside or on a screened in porch and leaving the cage open during daylight hours and putting the lid on after dark. If his home sits outside try to situate it out of the elements in order to keep it dry and out of the exposure of wind.
By looking at the picture he looks somewhat young. You may have to winter him over inside (utility or laundry room, garage, enclosed porch) because he might lack experience and/or have had time to store his own food. Make sure to give him lots of extra bedding.
In order to determine whether he needs to be wintered over, compare his development with other squirrels: is he collecting food?, does he show an interest in making his own nest?, does he socialize?, does he climb well?, etc. He might end up being able to nest, but continue to need food put out on a nearby platform (tray feeder, picnic table, an old cookie sheet with punched holes - much sure holes are punched from the top so that the metal ends are on the bottom)

Good luck! Let us know how it works out!

Hater. :headshake

Snort!


Jinx, you Mother Earth, you!

needs ketchup

Oh, another hater.

Squirrely (the 3 week old female apparently) has been dropped of at a wildlife rescue house - nice enough lady, if a little odd... She'll email with updates.

Thanks for the advice y'all!

I posted those already. :rolleyes:

She sorta looks like gollum in that last shot.

(uh, the squirrel, not jinx)

wang

:eyebrow: I said it needs ketchup, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I hate it plain. Mushrooms would work too.

I'm still waiting for the pic of Jinx teasing the thing with the nipple.

I didn't get any pictures of that.

i did. what's your email address, and i need $50 first.

oh! the squirrel. nevermind!

::slinks away::

What a cutey pie that squirrel is!

*lots of oohs and aww's*

...and just wondering what the squirrel lady will do with the little thing?

http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir22.html


:D








:yum:

:headshake
"Everybody wants to eat that squirrel."
--Tears for Fears:)

So I just got home and found yet another baby squirrel in my driveway. Wtf? Gonna have to overnight this little bastard and hope squirrel lady has a big cage....

It's a "Buy One Get One Free" deal.

TFF

Squirrel parents are just trying to get out of having to pay for college. Seriously.

I thought Jinx might enjoy this photo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...atsquirrel.jpg

He looks ready to try This

man, i wish i had that kind of free time

I didn't find the squirrelapult funny, I thought it was cruel. Could easily inflict broken bones and contusions given the speed of the release.

People pay big bucks for that kind of ride.

I near wet myself laughing the first time I saw that squirrelapult a few months back.

I just saw it and thought 'shit, the poor little sod'. How terrifying for the squirrel, with no clue of what was happening, it's little heart must have been beating so fucking fast. Not to mention if it hit something hard at that speed, it may well break bones. Either way, would be a terrifying experience for the animal and possibly a painful one too.

I don't think the squirrel has done anything to deserve a terrifying, violent death. How can anyone find humor in that?

We've just finished lecturing against the horrors of dog-fighting, yet somehow a squirrel doesn't deserve the same compassion (that we should extend to all living creatures)? Okay, maybe not cockroaches. But there's something sick about designing, constructing, and filming an elaborate killing machine, solely for amusement.

They don't die, think of it as a squirrel enema.

Do they get hurt? Do any of them bruise/fracture/break or gash their limbs? Are they confused and afraid (and potentially in a state of shock) as they are suddenly and unexpectedly flung into the air at speed?

Did the person who set that trap have any way of knowing the answers for sure? If not he took a hell of a risk with that animals well-being.

if it hurt, why would it keep on going back and riding it again and again?

the part where the guy stands out in the yard with a tennis racket and volleys the squirrels back onto the deck might make you cringe a little, though.

I have to admit I didn't watch the whole thing. I got as far as watching a wild animal flung bodily into the air at an alarming velocity and turned it off.

oh, that last part only happened in my sick little mind.

bitch

[the emperor] your hatred makes you strrrooooong[/the emperor]

lol funny fucker

Anyone who has seriously fed birds for any length of time is going to laugh at the squirrelapult. I don't know that the device hurts them, and I don't know that it doesn't, but I've seen the furry little bastard tree rats fall 20' from a resistant feeder, and climb back up to try it again 30 seconds later.

Fairly typical of humans that we would deem one creature worthy of feeding (despite the fact it is wild) and would deem another a criminal for trying to access the food we have chosen to put out. It's an animal, it's job is to find food, procreate and feed it's young. We put food into its environment (squirrel isn't seeing that as your feeder, it's just there in its patch) and then get angry when it tries to get to the food and 'steal' it.

Do you have Funniest Home Videos over there Dana? and do you laugh at them?