Quick baby squirrel question...

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Darkwitless

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hey you guys - I know a couple of you have helped with baby squirrels in the past.

My friend posted this and needs some help.

"I have a baby squirrel that must have fell out of a tree and is scared, who came up my sidewalk and walked straight up to the front door and is trying to climb up my brick wall on my porch wth do I do with this thing. I want to leave it alone...
rehab people website says to put it in a shoebox then put a laundry basket over the top of him. he took some water . he is sleeping in a towel in the box I dont think I am supposed to have a towel in there but the one website said he needed to stay warm. he is about 8 weeks old and has fur so not sure how much warmth he needs."

Any idea what she should do next?
 

congaman

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Get some (enfamil?) baby formula and a bottle with a small nipple (i think you can get them at wallmart). The little fella should feed on that. I rescued a baby racoon that way once. I took it to the vet and cleared the waiting room out. The staff was looking at me in horror. Woosies. Anyway, he didn't have rabbies. Elli May would have approved! I fed him for about a month and then let him go in the back yard. I live on the marsh in Florida. Sprayed a little paint dot on his tail so i'd know him if i ever saw him again. I did see him, twice, about a month ago. Guess he's doin' ok!
 

locke2121

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The country boy in me says to leave it alone and let mother nature take its course...if it is fully furred then it may have been kicked out to start its way in the world. But if you really want to take care of it you need to find someone who has a skill set for this kinda thing. Call around to your local vets and explain the situation. One of them will know someone who can take care of it or can advise you on how to raise it. Another thing you can try to do is put it outside under your basket so you can see if a squirrel comes up to it. Look up in the trees for a nest made of leaves, called a drey. The mama will usually be close by...you'll hear a chattering or "barking" noise...that is the mama warning you off and warning its other kids.

You can raise a squirrel as a pet...but they can be a real bother too...they tend to chew stuff up like furniture, plants and cereal boxes lol.
 

Darkwitless

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Just an update - the baby made it through the night - she ended up filling a plastic glove with warm water and replacing it a couple of times because it was shivering. It was very very lethargic. Turns out the neighbor found a baby today also and another has had one since Sunday. all about the same size and not very well. Another neighbor reported there is a dead squirrel in the street around the block. So they think the mom was killed and the babies were abandoned.

My friend's other friend rehabbed a baby this spring and still had formula and a cage - brought it over and decided to take all the babies home with her as all the rehabbers in the area are full - she took them to one to look over - they think they'll need feeding every 5 hours for another couple of weeks.
 
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