It literally fell out of the sky. My mother in law lives with us, and was out on the back porch this morning drinking her coffee when, it fell from the sky (not around any trees.)
It had a few scratches on it, but it seems to have stopped bleeding and now is cozily sleeping in a blanket, attaching itself to either my wife or my mother in law, or, to me for a brief moment before I stated to everyone in the house that three dogs and two cats are plenty of creatures for one household and it won’t be staying here. But, for at least the rest of the day and into tomorrow before we go to the vet for a scheduled visit for our dog.
I can only assume it was dropped by a hawk or something as there was a really pissed off chicken hawk strutting around the back yard screeching and carrying on.
It likes to climb on people and bury its face in your shirt, and doesn’t appear to be in any distress, but it is very small. It drinks water on its own, and my wife did some Googling and something she saw said to give it Pedialyte (sp?), so we did and it drank a little of that too.
What do you guys think I should do for it in the meantime? I don’t really want to just release it, as my cat will simply fetch it like it did when it fell from the sky and bring it right back to us. The vet just said, “uh…” on the phone.
My mother has suggested she share her grandmother’s famous Squirrel Head Gravy recipe with us, but that’s a non-starter with my wife and mother in law.
Pictures are available upon request if it will help.
So, if its eyes are open, you don’t have to feed it formula exclusively. You can feed it some solid food, too. Whatever fruits and nuts you think it’ll eat.
Try some sunflower seeds if you have any around (unsalted) if he’s really small. They like acorns, they like corn (the stuff you’d put out to feed birds) - in fact they like birdseed of all kinds.
We found a baby a few years ago, only a few days old. Gatorade was the first thing we gave it, then we gave it to the squirrel rescue lady. This is squirrel rescue link with a “what to do if you found a baby squirrel” link.
Some weeks later my boy got to help release it to the wild.
Thanks for all the replies! Its eyes are open, tail is long, and it sort of chills out and clings on you. It reminds me of a sloth.
I had better leave the sloth thing to myself as my wife is just dying to name it…
Well bad news to all those who were following the day long saga of the Manna Squirrel.
He died. My post-mortem analysis* showed signs of a possible spinal fracture, which would explain why he really didn’t run off and hide or do what normal squirrels do when faced with a cat or person.
Now how to break it to the wife, who is at work right now and will be home in a few hours? Hmm…
*I watched a lot of X Files when it was on TV, so I channeled Scully, but without opening up the little creature.
I’m sorry your little guy died. For anybody else checking here, at our wildlife rescue we ask you NOT to feed animals ANYTHING, just bring them in. We have special squirrel formula for them.
I like both of the stories as to where Baby Manna Squirrel went very well, but I think that the makeshift cross erected by my mother in law in the back yard under where I buried him (autopsy revealed he was a boy) will be a dead giveaway. Oh well. Lets hope the truth is the best option.
… I’m waiting on “I left here and he was fine all day, and as soon as YOU came home, he DIED!!!”
The truth is always best. Then you don’t have to remember the lie later.
I have squirrels in my backyard, and rescued some babies earlier this year. The neighbors were doing a remodel, and a squirrel had nested in the eaves. When they tore off the roof, the babies were left high and dry (they looked exactly like yours). We put them in a box in the front yard, and then watched the mother bring them, one by one, to a cypress tree in my back yard. Later, I could see that they all survived-- one grey, one black and one grey-black.
Today I was watching the next generation chasing each other. I assume it was mama chasing the weened babies away.
I think I’ve had at least 30 generations of the little guys in my back yard.
In my experience it does not take a post-mortem to tell whether a young squirrel is a boy.
I’m just sayin’, they be swinging some pipe. Batting practice. The Big Lebowski really ties the room together. If you know what I mean. (They have GIANT PENISES.)
My post-mortem analysis* showed signs of a possible spinal fracture, which would explain why he really didn’t run off and hide or do what normal squirrels do when faced with a cat or person.
