Re-Nesting Baby Eastern Gray Squirrels

Baby wild animals have the best chance to survive and thrive when under the care of their parents. Wildlife rehabbers do all they can to care for and raise orphaned animals when no other options are available, but a rehabber should always be a last resort.

However, a squirrel should be brought immediately to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if the animal:

• is bleeding, has an open wound, or clearly has a broken bone,
• has been in a cat’s or dog’s mouth,
• is covered in fly eggs (see photo, left),
• is cold, wet, or crying non-stop,
• is approaching humans or pets.

Squirrels are very good parents. They generally have a back-up nest in mind in case their first nest get destroyed, and they often retrieve fallen babies if given the opportunity. In fact, sometimes they move their babies from nest to nest for reasons that are not always apparent to us humans. As a rule of thumb, we should allow moms at least one full day of daylight hours to retrieve babies who have fallen from the nest.

But please note: You should not leave baby Eastern Gray Squirrels who have fallen from a nest outside overnight; mom will not look for them in the dark, and the babies will be vulnerable to predators!  If babies are found in the late afternoon, leave them out for the remainder of the day, then move them inside overnight. Keep them warm, then try re-nesting again when the sun comes up the next day.

DO NOT feed babies or give them water— this can be VERY harmful! Every year City Wildlife loses infant squirrels because people, with the best of intentions, try to feed them. If you do not know how to feed a baby squirrel and you do not have infant squirrel formula, do not feed the pups. They will most likely be fine until the next morning. But when people feed them the wrong way or the wrong formula, they will most likely not be fine.

To attempt to re-nest a baby Eastern Gray Squirrel, follow these steps:

• Contain the baby in a small box or other container that is deep enough so that the baby cannot crawl or fall out.
• Provide a heat source. Even on sunny days babies can quickly become hypothermic. The best option is a sock filled with rice or bird seed that you heat in the microwave for 30 seconds (test on your wrist to be sure it is not too hot and will not burn the baby).  We do not recommend using warm water bottles or latex gloves as they may puncture — a wet baby will become cold very quickly. Cover the heat source with a small towel or piece of fabric so that it is not in direct contact with the baby, then place the baby next to the heat source in the container.
• Using bungee cords or ropes, affix the container to the tree under which the baby was found. Ideally the container should be off the ground in order to minimize risk of predation from cats or other ground predators. If need be, keep the container out of direct sun or inclement weather by placing a piece of cardboard over half of the top of your container to provide shelter. But remember that mom will need to be able to see her baby. Alternately you can place your container into a larger plastic bin or tub and affix that, turned on its side, to the tree to provide shelter from rain or snow. If the area where you found the baby is fairly high-traffic, you might consider adding a sign indicating that the baby is waiting for his mom and being monitored and to please leave it alone.
• If practical, you might play baby squirrel noises on your phone (using, for example, this audio loop from our friends at Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: https://www.greenwoodwildlife.org/wildlife-emergency/i-found-an-animal/found-a-mammal/found-a-squirrel/reunite-squirrel/baby-squirrel-sounds-loop/). Play it near the container in order to attract mom’s attention.
• Monitor the container from afar in order not to scare away the mother. Periodically check on the baby and reheat the rice sock to keep baby warm while you wait.
• If possible, temporarily stop any activities going on near the nest site that might scare the mother.

If the mother retrieves the baby, congratulations! You’ve successfully reunited a baby squirrel, and no further assistance is needed. If, after a full day you have not seen the mother return, the baby is likely truly orphaned and will need to be brought to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your state.

To find a wildlife rehabilitator near you, visit Animal Help Now (ahnow.org) and enter your zip code to find one closest to your location.