So I was out in the yard, minding my herb garden, with my basset hound. All of a sudden I hear a loud “eee! eee! eee! eee!” Daisy was behind a bush with her nose down, so I knew she had caught an animal. I told her to come here and to drop it, but she ignored me. She’s not usually so disobedient with me a few feet away, but, there was no way she was giving up what she had. I chased her briefly around the yard and finally managed to yell at her enough that she laid down. All the time there’s “eee! eee! eee!” noises. She won’t drop it so I finally get her by the collar and pry her mouth open.
She had taken a little baby squirrel out of her nest. I was surprised to see that it was totally (at least visibly) uninjured during its trek around the yard in a playful basset’s mouth. I drag the dog inside and try to go out to find the squirrel… after searching for about 15 minutes, I actually have to go get the dog (leashed this time) to help me find it. After a minute or two, I hear “eee! eee! eee!” and toss a towel down by the baby and take Daisy inside.
I gingerly folded away the grass and moved it to a towel. I wrapped it up gently and left it in the garage to run inside and check the Internet. I didn’t know if the scent of dog and human would scare mama away, but I read this page and a couple others which said to put the baby in a box near the nest. I also put a sock on a soda bottle filled with warm water. I put the baby outside next to the bush and it curled up next to the soda bottle. It didn’t make a peep the entire time I handled it (I touched it as little as possible.) I covered the box to protect it a little and left an open end towards the nest.
The web site says that I should wait about two hours to see if mommy will come back. I didn’t check the nest since I didn’t want to disturb them further, but it looks like Daisy had made a bit of a mess of it, so I don’t know if mama is coming back. I would like to have it survive but if it doesn’t come back, what’s my best option? It says to find a rehabilitator (zip code revealed none nearby) or that I’d have to care for it but feed it squirrel formula (???).
Any thoughts or recommendations? Words of advice? Best steps at this point?
With respect, fluiddruid, and knowing this is probably not what you’d like to hear (and that I’m probably about to get flamed), please consider that squirrels are not an endangered species. It’s not uncommon for critters to routinely have many more babies than are necessary to perpetuate the species… and populations do not explode because there is a very high attrition rate. As my dad, a bird lover and Audubon-life-list watcher, would say, “If all the baby ducks survived being baby ducks, we’d all be hip-deep in ducks.” Squirrels are like this, too.
Now if you can’t abide the idea of letting a cute warm fuzzy creature die on your watch (and I have to admit I’m that way myself, balance of nature be damned), or if you’ve bonded, please understand that baby animals are very fragile. You may do all the right things and the baby still may not make it. mremilyforce and I volunteered at a wildlife rehab place in Texas for a while, and it’s a sad fact that care and attention don’t always work, even if you have all the right training, tools, and special food formula.
that’s all the advice I’ve got, none of it likely to be what you were hoping for.
Keep an eye on that box! But not intrusively. You may have to play “scarcrow” as Seagulls, Magpies, crows and ravens will simply assume you’ve set up a nice buffet for them. Additionally cats, and other dogs, if they can get into your yard will assume you must really like them to put out such a nice treat.
Do you have a zoo nearby? They might have someone who can provide concrete advice on a Saturday…
I know. I just feel responsible because my dog caused the problem, and I want to do what I can to fix it. If it dies, so be it, but I’d like to do what I can to help.
The baby is pretty small. It can move around a bit but its eyes are still closed and it is hairless. It looks like the first 2.5 - 4 week picture here.
My neighborhood is pretty barren of potential predators but I have checked on the box (staying out of sight - it’s visible from a window) and it appears undisturbed.
After some more digging I did find a nearby wildlife rehabilitator listing and got in touch with someone who is coming over. Thanks guys.
The wildlife rehabilitator came by. It was a rabbit. :smack:
I was suspicious by the ear size, but it looked so much like baby squirrels and its tail seemed to be long. I was also afraid to touch and mess with it too much.
Anyway, she said he was nice and fat and should do okay. Godspeed little bunny.
I’m reminded of what was probably one of the late great springer spaniel Miss Emily Kimberly’s happiest days toward the end of her life.
The cats had trapped a baby squirrel in a low tree and were teasing it as cats will do. Miss Emily, who had gotten fat (despite our best efforts at treatment) and didn’t get around real well, was watching excitedly. In her time she had been a great ratter and loved to catch bunnies and things, though she didn’t always kill them. Anyway, somehow the cats injured the baby squirrel enough that it couldn’t get away, and for some reason they let Emily get at it. Boy, if she was excited before, she was beside herself now! She trotted around for a bit, with the squirrel squeaking away in her mouth. This is like crack for a springer spaniel. Finally the excitement got the better of her and she crunched down on it. I remember Mr. S taking it away from her, its body draped on its back over a spade, and showing me that it was a rather well-endowed male.
We had watched the entire spectacle with a mix of horror and fascination. Wild Kingdom and all that.
When I lived in Kentucky kids often kept pet squirrels. Sometimes the rodents had been hit in the road and if they weren’t too injured the vet would give B-vitamins to heal their nerves. (The squirrels’, not the kids’ mothers’)
'Round here, squirrels and rabbits are both considered vermin. I keep two big yellow Labs for the specific purpose of decimating the rather consideral populations of both on my property – it keeps the cucumber patch and herb garden from being overrun.
Heh. Me, too. I’ve only ever seen squirrels nest in trees. Good for you for trying to “make it right” even though baby rabbits are definitely not in any danger as a species.
Hope the little guy makes it.