Baby squirrel. So cute! Ugh..now what!?

a reply to: kosmicjack

dammit, now I want a squirrel!

a reply to: Swills

LoLz! That can definitely be arranged..careful what you wish for.

We rescued a baby squirrel when we were kids. The neighbors ended up raising him. He became a part of the family just like any hamster. He lived for many years. They let him have free run of the house. He did need the room to run. When the kids would watch TV he'd climb up on them and cuddle in their lap or on their heads. Eventually he died of a broken heart when they went on vacation for a week and left him alone with a babysitter stopping in once a day to make sure he was fed. He became very attached to the family.

If you are going to keep him, he needs room to run around the house. Poop and pee and all ...

If you want to help him but be rid of him, contact the local animal rescue or animal conservatory. They can either take him or direct you to someone who rescues wild animals. A few years back we took four baby rabbits to a rescue person that we were directed to.

I don't know if that helps, but I figured I'd tell you my experience in this.

a reply to: kosmicjack

According to Flyer there, if this squirrel is going to be running around my house while going to the bathroom then forget it, deals off!

reply to: FlyersFan

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

www.vin.com...

Having rescued many cats and dogs over the years, I know it can be challenging and costly enough to rehab a domesticated animal...there is just no way I'm going to keep a wild animal for a pet. As heartless as it sounds, sometimes you just have to be cruel to be kind...I should have walked on by the window when I saw it.

But, the deed is done so now the plan is to get a birdhouse box that attaches to a tree, put it up across the creek, facing the opposite direction of the house. We'll put some hickory nuts and pecans in the box for starters and then go back sporadically to scatter some more on the ground nearby for it to forage.

Thoughts?

originally posted by: Swills
According to Flyer there, if this squirrel is going to be running around my house while going to the bathroom then forget it, deals off!

He would be. It would be like letting a hamster have free run of the house. They'll do their business everywhere and they can't be potty trained. They are adorable and very family oriented ... but they are filthy.

My neighbors kept the one we found. They loved it. I thought it was filthy.

I know there are people who rehabilitate wild animals and help them back into the wild. Like I said, conservatories and animal rescue folks know who to get in contact with. They usually take them in.

a reply to: FlyersFan

Already called one - it's full. Got the name of another but have to contact via email.

I've rescued baby squirrels before. The two in this video were a riot....very ornery and mischevious. I kept them for a while before taking them to a wildlife sanctuary. A woman who volunteers there is a saint, and loves caring for orphaned or injured animals. The type of animal doesn't matter, it's not even a consideration with her.

Baby squirrels love Pedialyte out of a dropper bottle, and these guys would've drunk it by the gallon if I'da let them.

a reply to: ColeYounger

That's awesome, you're a kind soul.

OMG, soooo adorable! I would love to rehabilitate a baby squirrel! They are cute and funny little creatures. Read all that you can online with info on how to care for the little guy. Please don't abandon this precious baby. Good luck to you!

So far, everything I've read says the chances of survival are greatly increased if raised with at least one other baby squirrel - for socialization, etc. So, there's that, which isn't good.

Still haven't heard back from the second rehaber, called a third.

The cage sat open on the deck from 7:45 until 1:30. He only crept out a bit - about a foot - and was mostly awake, alert as far as I could see. He ate an apple slice. I never saw any other squirrels, which is crazy, they always come.

It started to rain so I closed the cage and put it in the garage. At last check, he was under the towel, sleeping.

a reply to: FlyersFan

I dunno, from what I've been reading they can be trained and already are, kinda.

www.scarysquirrel.org...

Poo & pee: Squirrels can be litter trained. Without training they will go where they please but they won't poo or pee in their nest box, hammock or bedding. My rehab squirrels generally just pee in one corner of the bottom part of the cage after being in the cage a couple of weeks. Keep an extra bit of newspaper in that corner and clean it daily. You can then place a ferret corner litter box in there with some soiled pieces newspaper so they get the idea. You can use torn pieces of newspaper as litter or regular cat litter depending upon their preference. Clean that box out every time you see it dirty and they will always use it. This makes keeping their cage clean and nice smelling very easy. Just change the newspaper every two days and wash out the cage once a week and the odor should be fine. When they are outside running around the house, just watch where they run around. After you put yours back in the cage you can just pick up the little poos with the mini vac and put them in the trash. If they pee outside of the litter box, it's a very small amount which you can blot up with tissue. You can also have a ferret litter box outside of their cage. They will generally pee in a corner on the floor and poo off a high object. Place the litter box where they go outside and they should soon get the idea and use it. Male squirrels may mark their territory with some urine if they see other squirrels around. As long as you clean that room frequently, there should be no problem. Air fresheners are nice too.

a reply to: Swills

Excellent! They can be litter box trained?!?
Guess the neighbors just kinda failed at that.
Maybe you should adopt KJs squirrel.

a reply to: FlyersFan

I don't think I'm ready for a squirrel just yet but maybe one day....

I did a lil googling into how long they live for. They can live up to 20 years... good lord.

Called six places...

Little guy not doing as well...maybe dehydrated? Have no idea how to get him to drink the pedialyte without a dropper. Put a heating pad under the cage and covered the cage to keep it warmer. He has eaten part of an apple slice, some nuts and seeds though.

We used an eyedropper and water.
But you could try a little dish with water and put it near him.
ETA - he's probably lonely as well.
Put a little stuffed animal in there.
Something fuzzy.
One that you don't need back.

Awww...I'd take him. =( poor guy.

Hope it works out for the best for all involved.

Oooopsie!

a reply to: kosmicjack

Awesome news!!!!!

First...squirrel doing much better, much more alert than this afternoon...drank some pedialyte tonight. Also, who knew but, nuts aren't that great for squirrels so fed some water melon, which he was mildly interested in.

What he was reeeally grooving on was the little brown stuffed bunny - LUVD it and I left him getting his snug on.

But the best part is that I FINALLY found a rehabber! I spent the day getting a crash course on squirrels and looking for someone to take the squirrel. Why? Because one thing my internet search taught me is that the margin for live or die with baby squirrels is very narrow and it was quite clear that I was out of my league..even without all of the poop.

Tomorrow I was planning to drive about an hour way to a wildlife rehab center - until one of my research efforts paid off. I found a board that specializes in squirrels and posted there. The people were AMAZING. It's like everyone there went into "OH #!" mode for this tiny little soul. A gentleman replied and wanted to have his wife, who was just landing at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, come get the squirrel on the way back to north GA. Not only did he reply with such a selfless offer, but when I didn't ping back, the board admin tracked me down via email.

Unfortunately, I missed that window for a rendezvous because I was at the store buying the dang stuffed animal for the squirrel. LoL! I read today that it lowers their stress and makes them feel less lonely. So, of course, had to go fetch one.

But..we chatted and he had some advice to help ensure the little squirrel was stabilized. He was literally willing to drive 45 minutes to my house to pick up the squirrel. But, as it's the internets...lol! we did arrange to meet in the morning, halfway, and pass off the squirrel to these *ANGELS*.

Yay!

Will update later.

originally posted by: kosmicjack
the plan is to get a birdhouse box that attaches to a tree, put it up across the creek, facing the opposite direction of the house. We'll put some hickory nuts and pecans in the box for starters and then go back sporadically to scatter some more on the ground nearby for it to forage.

After reading all day, just wanted to say that this was a dumb-ass, uneducated, dangerous idea. No one do this with a baby squirrel - ever!