found a baby squirrel...need opinions and help!

[adrianna!!]

Hello! Well, we came through Frances just fine...except my mom found a squirrel dazed and disoriented near a tree outside of her house. It is not a "baby" really...more like a "teenager." It is exactly like afull grown squirrel but smaller. It has all its hair and is pretty mature.

She kept it overnight in a cage with blankets and a heating pad set on low. the next day we decided the right thing to do is to let it go. We took it out to the same tree and left it there. About 20 minutes later it was in the same spot so we brought it back in.

What is the next step? Should we call a wildlife rehabilitation center? The only one I know of was on the news the other day saying they were overwhelmed after the storm with all sorts of creatures.

What do young squirrels eat? Any help and advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

My DD is almost 6 years old and has said for awhile now she wants to be a veterinarian. She wants to keep the squirrel. Is that a crazy idea?

[tbb113]

Here is a bunch of results (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=squirrel+care) from Google. Read and make your own decisions regarding the squirrel.

[Canice]

It could be pretty risky to the squirrel to keep it without having a substantial body of reliable information on care/feeding/handling. Do you have pets or otherwise know of a small animal veterinarian you might call for advice? I'm sure the rescues are very busy, but I'd put in a call to the local Animal Care and Control (or whatever it might be called in your region) anyway - can't hurt! The poor thing must be terrified. :(

[aggie94]

I would definitely call a wildlife rehab center. Even if they can't take it, maybe they can give you suggestions on how to care for it or even refer you to a vet or someone else who might be able to help. DH found a baby squirrel with a broken leg outside my law school several years ago and we did the same thing. Unfortunately, they were unable to save him. :( But I felt better for trying and doing everything I could.

I don't think squirrels should be pets, though. They're wild animals and belong in their natural habitat.

[adrianna!!]

Thnaks for the quick responses! Tbb, thanks for that link! I googled "squirrel" and "baby squirrel" but not "squirrel care." that was a good one.

Don't worry. I am pretty good about leaving things alone in nature. It is my MOM who thinks that she can domesticate everything. She has a good heart but it is kind of annoying. And then when the squirrel didn't go anywhere when left alone she took it as a "sign" that it wanted to stay with us. Pretty sad, eh?

I will let ya'll know what the Wildlife Rehab center says in the morning.

[Missi]

Last summer we had a baby squirrel that was in our yard and kept following us around when we went outside. It was very strange, and I was afraid it had rabies. We called the wildlife center that said that its parents were probably killed and it was looking for help with food. We put it in a shoebox and took it to them. As far as I know, the little guy was nursed back to health. So your squirrel maybe hungry.

[mbrogier]

My dad had a squirrel for a pet. It had been abandoned as a baby, and he adopted it. It made a really great pet, but it did bit his stepfather and wouldn't let go. (which he though was hilarious...that squirrel was a great judge of character:D ) My dad worked as a vet tech when he was a teen, so he knew about animals and which ones could be sent back into the wild and which ones couldn't.

I would want that squirrel tested for distemper and rabies. He may be disoriented from the storm or it could be he is diseased. The wildlife shelter may be more inclined to test him if you offer to shelter him for now...provided he is disease free. I would feed him nuts and bread. The squirrels I've seen will eat just about anything.

I would worry about the squirrel trusting humans and some nasty someone hurting him later if you could release him into the wild.

[Pat58]

Toss it out some peanuts here and there and leave it be, that's my advice. Squirrels can give a nasty bite and even though they are so cute and cunning, they are wild animals. Taking it in as a pet will be denying it the squirrel's life - running wild across rooftops and clowning in branches with its friends; burying nuts and digging up lawns looking for them; mating.

Nature will take it's course. We have "pet" squirrels (arguably, moochers) who visit regularly because we feed them. All they want is a handout and they go on their merry way. Watch it from a distance - it will be just fine!

And I'm glad your family is OK!

[tamawrite]

My ex-DH and I raised a pair of infant squirrels after our dog demolished their nest (it was inside our porch wall.) Sounds like you're past the helpless-pink-baby stage, so I won't bother will the info we found on keeping babies alive. The youngsters/adults need LOTS of space -- the cage I built was about 6x4x3, and it would have been on the small side if I'd intended to keep the squirrels past the time they were old enough to set free. In the cage, we hung a little box for them to sleep in and provided large branches for climbing, as well as a couple dangling toys. We fed them a variety of fruits, vegetables, breads, and nuts. Be sure to Google advice on feeding because there are a few foods that will harm squirrels (I've forgotten what, precicely.) All that said, I would not recommend keeping the squirrel longer than necessary to ensure its survival. Their claws are extremely sharp. Handle them with gloves and long, padded flanned sleeves. Even raised by gentle hands, squirrels usually become biters simply because it's in their nature. When it's time to let the squirrel go, you can place its cage outside with the door open and food available. It'll return less and less frequently over time, and eventually disappear. Enjoy the sweetie while it's with you! :)

[tamawrite]

Oops -- double post.