Orphaned Babies








What to do with an Orphaned Baby Squirrel

First, do your best to determine why the baby has become an orphan. If it isn’t an obvious reason such as the demise of the mother or the result of tree trimmers, the baby may have been blown out of the nest due to adverse weather, or it may have been accidentally pushed out by the mother or by its siblings. In either case, try to return the baby to the nest if you can, unless adverse weather has knocked the nest completely out of the tree. Returning the baby to the nest is the best possible solution. Don’t worry about a mother not accepting a returned baby because of human scent, this is a myth.

If the baby is an obvious orphan or if you are unable to return it to the nest, keep all pets away from the baby and do NOT allow children to handle it. The more a baby squirrel is handled, especially by children, the less chance it has for survival. Call your local veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible for instructions on what to do or where to take the baby.

In the meantime, or if you are unable to reach anyone to help, place the baby in a pet carrier, aquarium or sturdy cardboard box bedded with a heating pad beneath, turned on the lowest setting. Use either soft terrycloth towels or a baby blanket for bedding, even an old sweatshirt cut into pieces would work.

If the baby is dehydrated, Pedylite can be given by eye dropper or syringe. To test for dehydration in the baby, gently pinch the skin together at the back of the neck or over the shoulder blades, if the ‘tent’ formed by the skin remains for more than a few seconds after you release it, the baby is dehydrated. Please note that before attempting to give Pedylite to a baby squirrel, it must be warm, and also be sure that the Pedylite is room temperature or slightly warmer. If the baby squirrel is fully furred with a bushy tail, it is old enough to eat and may be given fruit such as grapes, watermelon or pieces of cut up apple (no apple seeds) until you can reach someone qualified to care for it.

Please do not attempt to feed the squirrel anything more than Pedylite or fruit if it is old enough to eat, and do NOT give it cow’s milk. A rehabilitator will have replacement formula suitable for squirrels and other wildlife, this is NOT the same as kitten or puppy replacement formula. Please do not attempt to raise a baby squirrel on your own, if you care for the animal you must give it the best chance for survival by turning it over to a licensed rehabber.

Please do not attempt to make a pet out of an orphaned baby squirrel. It probably won’t survive and it is illegal to keep any form of wildlife as a pet. Even licensed rehabilitators are required to release orphaned wildlife back into their natural habitat when the animals are of age and able to care for themselves. Wild animals are not meant to be pets.

If you have further questions, please contact your local veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator. Thank you for caring about baby wildlife!



Don't they LOOK like baby Monkeys??? SOOOOOO cute!!!