Squirrel advice anyone?

[cnspotts]

My husband brought me a baby squirrel this morning that was soaking wet. Unfortunately a little while later he also found the mom, she was dead.

Okay, so now I''ve got this little guy that I think is about 36 days old according to google. I''ve set up a 10gal aquarium with a heating pad under it and layered lots of shredded giant kimberly clark paper towels (nearly lint free) for him to "nest." I warmed him up, dried him off, picked off a few fleas. I also might have put two drops of kitty flea stuff on him...okay, I did, hopefully it won''t kill him. Then I went to work. When I got home he was all curled up in a ball under the paper towels. I''m not sure if the noise he makes is purring or growling. It could go either way. He''s had some formula, hungry little guy, greedy too but I guess it''s been awhile since he''d had a meal.

So I have no idea what to expect. I already have a list of animals but I''ve NEVER had a squirrel. So far it seems easy, hopefully it''ll stay that way. I dont intend to keep him inside beyond the critical time and we''re also going on vaca in a month so he needs to be independant.

Does anyone have experience with young squirrels. So far the info has been great online but I''d like some real life info.

 

[cnspotts]

Again

 

[cnspotts]

Oh, then husband says "you can''t keep him." um, hello, what''d ya bring him to me for then? lol As if

 

[movie zombie]

there should be a group in your area that can help you. call a vet and ask who to call.

mz

 

[Deelight]

OMG he is so cute, we don''t have squirrels here so I have no clue...awwwwwwww

 

[Hera]

He's soooooooooo cute

I hope you get the info you need to take care of him!

 

[bee*]

I''d suggest calling your local vet or a wildlife sanctuary to get some advice on what to do with him. He''s absolutely gorgeous!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/18/2009 6:16:42 AM
Author: bee*
I''d suggest calling your local vet or a wildlife sanctuary to get some advice on what to do with him. He''s absolutely gorgeous!!

Ditto! Oh he is so STINKIN'' cute!!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Aww, I've never seen a baby one before!

Were you able to get in touch with a vet or humane society to help you out with his care? That would be my best suggestion, too, since it's easy to have wild animals go "domestic" and then not be able to care for themselves later in life; I'd want good instructions to help prevent that from happening to the little guy.

 

[elrohwen]

Oh my goodness, he's so adorable!

I'm such a sucker for squirrels.

I would try to find an exotic vet in your area and see if they have any experience and advice (many do have some wildlife experience; at least where I live). Or call a wildlife sanctuary.

What kind of formula are you feeding him? I know that kitten milk replacement (can be found in many pet stores) is often recommended for orphaned rabbits and things, so that's probably your best bet (that might be what you're using anyway).

I'm thinking that he'll go through puberty at some point and might turn mean/wild. Are you planning to keep him as a pet? Or release him into the wild after he's old enough?

ETA: I just re-read and you said you want to release him back to the wild. Good luck! I've never done anything like this and I hope you're successful. Hopefully he's old enough that he's almost ready to be weaned anyway.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

oooh, he''s absolutely adorable! He would make such a cute pet. . .

 

[Pandora II]

I adore squirrels and we had a semi-tame one at our last house who would sit outside and shout until I brought him out nuts. It broke my heart leaving him when we moved, but the neighbours are just as attached as we were so he''s in good hands.

They domesticate quite quickly so you may need to watch that if you plan to re-release. We can''t re-release in the UK as they are considered vermin, so DH is always hoping to find one so we can keep it...

Here''s a link to a couple of fact sheets on looking after young squirrels:

http://www.squirrels.info/lookingafter.htm

Best of luck, he''s gorgeous!

 

[diamondsrock]

I agree you should call the local vet or wildlife organization near you and ask for their advice. We have a ton of squirrels in my area and I see them all the time. I think they are absolutely adorable. That little guy is a cutie!
I would move quickly on this though. You don''t want him to get too domestic and then have a hard time adjusting to life in the wild. I would look into it ASAP.

 

[swimmer]

MC, your avatar has other plans for bebe squirrel.

He is so so cute. Love his intense eyes.

 

[Linda W]

Oh he is just the cutest thing ever. I want to kiss his furry little head

Coatimundi has one that lives on top of her house and in the tree. She calls him Fatty.

I would want to keep him too, he is just to dang adorable.

Please keep us posted.


Linda
xoxoxoxox to that adorable little thing.

 

[cnspotts]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I found a great site that helped in telling his age (4-5 weeks), also listed exactly how to care for him until I figure out if he''s staying or going to the local wildlife center.

So far feedings have been going well, he''s a greedy hungry little guy. He''s getting the puppy replacement formula thinned with water right now. The site says he''s at the age that he can be introduced to sunflower seeds and lab chow, along with something to chew on for his ever growing teeth.

His most recent feeding had him climbing all over me, completely distracted which had me considering the option of taking him to the center. He''s so cute and adorable when he curls up in my hand for his nap after eating but reality says he might be more than I''m interested in caring for. I''m pretty busy as it is. Unfortunately earlier today my dog found his dead sibling, so I guess he is truly orphaned and on his own.

BTW, the kitty flea stuff worked perfectly. So far he does not seem ill affected by it and there are NO fleas on him. Yeah!
I''ll try to get more pictures tomorrow to post, he''s so silly and cute.

 

[purrfectpear]

That''s a cute lil bugger

 

[April20]

He''s a cute little thing!

My parents somehow ended up with some squirrels as pets a few years ago. These were the flying kind. My parents'' house is in the woods and they kept getting in the house and then the mamma died and somehow they got the babies. Can''t remember the exact details now. It was great while they were little and not so great when they got big. The biggest issue was that there was more than one of them and well, let''s just say they give bunnies a run for their money. You''ve only got one though, so at least you don''t have to worry about that!

Echoing the advice already given, you might want to see if you can get him transferred to a rescue group or at least get direction to raise him for now in a way that he can be released successfully back outside.