It is baby season, so what do you do if you find a baby squirrel?

Fall is typically the biggest baby season for squirrels. Squirrels can have 2 breeding season, spring and fall, but the largest number of squirrels will have liters in the fall. If you find a baby squirrel on the ground always look around for the siblings. Typically, a squirrel will have between 3-5 babies. Babies fall from nests for several reasons. A new squirrel mom may not be proficient at building a nest or a squirrel may use an old nest and both of these may have holes that babies can fall through. Severe weather can blow a nest from a tree or blow a baby out of the nest. If the squirrel’s nest is raided by a preditory bird, the baby may fall out or be dropped.

Follow up:

Squirrel babies make a very high pitched cry that is similar to a bird’s chirp. This will help you locate any that may be hiding under the ground cover in your yard. If the baby or babies look healthy and feel warm, place them in a cardboard box lined with a small towel. Be sure the box is not too deep so the mom can easily retrieve the baby but, deep enough to keep the baby from crawling and falling out. Fill a Ziploc bag with warm water, double bag it to prevent leaks and place it under the towel to keep the babies warm. Nail it to the side of the tree just high enough for you to be able to look inside it periodically to see if the mom has reclaimed her babies. Wait several hours to give the mom a chance to gather her babies. Keep kids, dogs and cats away from the area allowing the mother squirrel time to safely collect her babies. If after 3-4 hours the mom does not return, call a local rehabilitator.

If you find a baby squirrel that is injured, a baby that has been found by a cat even if it appears uninjured, a baby that is weak, dehydrated, or flea/tick/maggot infested must be taken to a rehabilitator. This is an baby in dire need and a rehabilitator should be called immediately. Immediate care that you can offer that will help increase the chances that the baby will recover include placing the baby in a small box lined with a towel being sure to add a heat source-heating pad on low, warm water bottle, or rice stuffed in a sock and microwave until warm. Please, do not give any food, water or milk. Very young squirrels can have trouble sucking from a makeshift nipple and will aspirate fluid into its lungs very easily. This can be fatal. Cow’s milk will cause severe digestive problems that can lead also to the death of the animal so should never be given.