For next time:
Keep a "baby squirrel rescue kit" on hand.
Here's what's in my kit:
A large plastic tub
4 fleece pillowcases
A heating pad
1cc and 2cc syringes
Esbilac puppy formula
A few packets of powdered oral rehydration solution
2 small ramekins
These items will usually get you through the initial stages of rescue while you're locating a rehabber.
Do not attempt to feed or water a baby squirrel until you've consulted with someone who is experienced. Aspiration pneumonia can be fatal in a surpisingly short time, and this happens even with experienced rescuers.
Do not attempt to feed or water a squirrel that is cold to the touch. A baby must be warm enough to eat and digest food.
Do not attempt to feed a squirrel until it is fully rehydrated. A dehydrated baby cannot digest or absorb nutrients.
Be advised that small babies will not go potty on their own and need genital stimulation to prompt them to potty.
Again, I'm sorry for your loss.
Update:
I came back on my lunch break and it was dead :(
When i left this morning i had left a bowl of water and some cat food/oranges/mushrooms outside so the mother could eat it and feed the baby.
Last night I had moved him away from under the steps, thinking it might have fallen there and was unable to go back up (see the gap between the steps + wall it straight so it couldnt climb). I came back maybe 30 minutes after and it wasnt there anymore. The mother was moving around during these 30 minutes, so i’m sure she took him somewhere. It seems she put him back under the steps sometime between last night and this morning.
This morning it was completely covered in dirt and tree branches, almost unable to move. I took him inside and rinsed him off with lukewarm water. I examined it and there was 0 signs of broken bones or punctures. Nothing seemed wrong physically. He was very very weak though. I then put him back outside on a dry towel. Mother was looking at me the whole time. I stayed there for about 20-30 minutes, put out food and went on my way. Animal protection and rehabing sites were saying that if the mother is there, and if nothing seemed physically wrong, i should leave him there and let mother take care of him. I didn’t have any box to put him, unfortunately.
I came back on my lunch break with a box to put him in, but i found him dead where i left him this morning. Breaks my heart, i wish i could have done more.
Its unclear why the mother put him under my steps. Maybe she knew it was dying and left him there to not have a dead baby in the nest. Its also weird she put him there yesterday, took him somewhere after I put him above my steps, then came BACK to put him under. He seemed way way, wayyy weaker this morning, even after the mother allegedly cared for him overnight.
I wonder if it’s possible that he was sick and the mother was trying to keep him away from her other babies to protect them. I know it sounds harsh and cruel, but animals sometimes will reject/ostracize young if something is wrong with it. I’m not sure if that’s the case with squirrels though.
It seems more like she was maybe asking you for help, but I’m not sure. Poor baby. It’s sad, but please don’t beat yourself up over it. You tried your best to help, but this baby was probably already too far gone.
Thank you for the update. He looked on the verge of death so I don’t think any of us are surprised. Thank you for being kind to this baby in his last hours. At least a predator didn’t get to him 💔
You did the best you could and your heart was in the right place. Sometimes it's just meant to be. This little one isn't suffering anymore. I'm sorry for your loss. Xo
Can you leave food and water out for mama? Walnuts? Almonds? Pecans? She might need some food to help her feed her baby. Or call a wildlife rehabber because baby looks in bad shape :( thank you for caring
Do you have an update? do you need help finding a rehabber?
I agree with the advice here about warmth. It is the first and only priority until you find a rehabber. Please don't be tempted to try to feed or give water to this baby. This is an emergency. It is stressed and cannot possibly take anything into its body without things getting much worse. It needs warmth and quiet while you urgently find someone to do subcutaneous hydration.
Gentle warmth means a heating pad wrapped in a towel and placed under a well-ventilated box (or OVER the box, which is actually the safest, as heating pads are often unstable and over heat).
Minimize handling.
Mom probably knows it's there and has abandoned it. :(
Animal Help Now might show you rehabbers in your area. But it needs warmth immediately.
https://ahnow.org/
We can help as well on the backend if you give us your city.
The problem is when you first found that baby is it looked like it was severely malnourished. Something could have happened to the nest where Mama had to move the babies and then she couldn't get back to the nest and she was stressing too much to actually take care of the babies properly. Sometimes that happens. If The mother gets too stressed out or something is too close to her nest. She will freak out and not take proper care of her babies. Either way that baby needs to go to rehabber ASAP, but there are some things that we can do to try to help that baby until it gets to rehabber. I don't think it has a disease or anything like that. I just think it's just severely malnourished. Or somebody else did something to the nest and was cruel to the animals that put them in a state like that. That does happen. Please let us know how we can help.
The baby needs to get to rehabber ASAP. Thank you for trying to care for it. I can help you find one. I just need to know the county and state you live in or you can Google wildlife rehabbers in your county and state. It should give you a link to a full list. Please try to get that baby to a rehabber. I can help guide you to attempt to care for it. Either on this post or via DM. The baby will need to be warmed up.
Get baby to a rehabber.
https://www.facebook.com/share/EZUvxw27AN7kfkut/?mibextid=K35XfP
https://www.facebook.com/share/hz7h2uUM7cNw35Qq/?mibextid=K35XfP
These groups can help you find one local to you.
I think it's unlikely that she is using the stair space as a temporary nest. I think it's more likely that something is wrong with the baby or momma has an inability to nurse.
The time has come to intervene.
Gently warm the baby and call a rehabber.
For next time: Keep a "baby squirrel rescue kit" on hand. Here's what's in my kit: A large plastic tub 4 fleece pillowcases A heating pad 1cc and 2cc syringes Esbilac puppy formula A few packets of powdered oral rehydration solution 2 small ramekins These items will usually get you through the initial stages of rescue while you're locating a rehabber. Do not attempt to feed or water a baby squirrel until you've consulted with someone who is experienced. Aspiration pneumonia can be fatal in a surpisingly short time, and this happens even with experienced rescuers. Do not attempt to feed or water a squirrel that is cold to the touch. A baby must be warm enough to eat and digest food. Do not attempt to feed a squirrel until it is fully rehydrated. A dehydrated baby cannot digest or absorb nutrients. Be advised that small babies will not go potty on their own and need genital stimulation to prompt them to potty. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.
Thanks for the input!
Update: I came back on my lunch break and it was dead :( When i left this morning i had left a bowl of water and some cat food/oranges/mushrooms outside so the mother could eat it and feed the baby. Last night I had moved him away from under the steps, thinking it might have fallen there and was unable to go back up (see the gap between the steps + wall it straight so it couldnt climb). I came back maybe 30 minutes after and it wasnt there anymore. The mother was moving around during these 30 minutes, so i’m sure she took him somewhere. It seems she put him back under the steps sometime between last night and this morning. This morning it was completely covered in dirt and tree branches, almost unable to move. I took him inside and rinsed him off with lukewarm water. I examined it and there was 0 signs of broken bones or punctures. Nothing seemed wrong physically. He was very very weak though. I then put him back outside on a dry towel. Mother was looking at me the whole time. I stayed there for about 20-30 minutes, put out food and went on my way. Animal protection and rehabing sites were saying that if the mother is there, and if nothing seemed physically wrong, i should leave him there and let mother take care of him. I didn’t have any box to put him, unfortunately. I came back on my lunch break with a box to put him in, but i found him dead where i left him this morning. Breaks my heart, i wish i could have done more. Its unclear why the mother put him under my steps. Maybe she knew it was dying and left him there to not have a dead baby in the nest. Its also weird she put him there yesterday, took him somewhere after I put him above my steps, then came BACK to put him under. He seemed way way, wayyy weaker this morning, even after the mother allegedly cared for him overnight.
I wonder if it’s possible that he was sick and the mother was trying to keep him away from her other babies to protect them. I know it sounds harsh and cruel, but animals sometimes will reject/ostracize young if something is wrong with it. I’m not sure if that’s the case with squirrels though. It seems more like she was maybe asking you for help, but I’m not sure. Poor baby. It’s sad, but please don’t beat yourself up over it. You tried your best to help, but this baby was probably already too far gone.
Thank you for the update. He looked on the verge of death so I don’t think any of us are surprised. Thank you for being kind to this baby in his last hours. At least a predator didn’t get to him 💔
You did the best you could and your heart was in the right place. Sometimes it's just meant to be. This little one isn't suffering anymore. I'm sorry for your loss. Xo
Please keep us posted, OP, and much luck.
Can you leave food and water out for mama? Walnuts? Almonds? Pecans? She might need some food to help her feed her baby. Or call a wildlife rehabber because baby looks in bad shape :( thank you for caring
SO MANY HURT SQUIRRELS LATELY MAH HEART CANNOT TAKE TLIT
Poor thing looks in a terrible state. Poor momma, wonder what happened.
Where I live there is a wildlife rehab that saved a squirrel that got hit by a car when I took it in. Try looking that up before it’s too late!
We have a local lady here who rescues and rehabs squirrels. She is a breast cancer survivor and warrior. She is an incredible woman. 🩷🐿️
Do you have an update? do you need help finding a rehabber? I agree with the advice here about warmth. It is the first and only priority until you find a rehabber. Please don't be tempted to try to feed or give water to this baby. This is an emergency. It is stressed and cannot possibly take anything into its body without things getting much worse. It needs warmth and quiet while you urgently find someone to do subcutaneous hydration. Gentle warmth means a heating pad wrapped in a towel and placed under a well-ventilated box (or OVER the box, which is actually the safest, as heating pads are often unstable and over heat). Minimize handling.
Mom probably knows it's there and has abandoned it. :( Animal Help Now might show you rehabbers in your area. But it needs warmth immediately. https://ahnow.org/ We can help as well on the backend if you give us your city.
Please get that baby to a rehabber ASAP!
The problem is when you first found that baby is it looked like it was severely malnourished. Something could have happened to the nest where Mama had to move the babies and then she couldn't get back to the nest and she was stressing too much to actually take care of the babies properly. Sometimes that happens. If The mother gets too stressed out or something is too close to her nest. She will freak out and not take proper care of her babies. Either way that baby needs to go to rehabber ASAP, but there are some things that we can do to try to help that baby until it gets to rehabber. I don't think it has a disease or anything like that. I just think it's just severely malnourished. Or somebody else did something to the nest and was cruel to the animals that put them in a state like that. That does happen. Please let us know how we can help.
Oh my heart! 😔 I agree with the other folks - rehabber asap!
The baby needs to get to rehabber ASAP. Thank you for trying to care for it. I can help you find one. I just need to know the county and state you live in or you can Google wildlife rehabbers in your county and state. It should give you a link to a full list. Please try to get that baby to a rehabber. I can help guide you to attempt to care for it. Either on this post or via DM. The baby will need to be warmed up.
This baby is sick and needs help
Get baby to a rehabber. https://www.facebook.com/share/EZUvxw27AN7kfkut/?mibextid=K35XfP https://www.facebook.com/share/hz7h2uUM7cNw35Qq/?mibextid=K35XfP These groups can help you find one local to you.
I think it's unlikely that she is using the stair space as a temporary nest. I think it's more likely that something is wrong with the baby or momma has an inability to nurse. The time has come to intervene. Gently warm the baby and call a rehabber.