Baby Squirrels

[Lowredranger]

Hi all i just wanted to let you know if you find any baby squirrels after the storm, that we have been raising and releasing orphaned squirrels since the first string of hurricanes 4yrs ago. Please contact me ASAP my number is 407.864.3017. In the mean time if the mothers have not come and gotten them please bring them inside in an old shirt and place them in a shoe box on top of a heating pad on low, not scorching but they need to stay warm. If you find one under a tree most likely there will be more their litters are usually anywhere from 2-6. If the tree is still intact and just the nest fell the mothers may come get them but do not leave them for more than a 1/2hr-1hr outside on there own, it is better to bring them in if you are not sure. They make a very high pitched screeching noise almost like a baby bird, when they are calling for their mothers, the mothers do not know how to count so if a nest falls it is very likely that one or more may be left behind.

Please keep a lookout for them especially if you have any downed trees or limbs. Please do not feed them any of the pet store formula it is very bad for them. If you are set on raising them yourself i can forward you on to a very informative website, which is the method i have used to raise the last 10 babies we have released.

Thanks
Jason

 

[gatorolsen]

Thanks for helping out the wildlife - I used to do squirrels they were so rewarding (tortoises now - only 2 x a day feedings )

just wanted to add a note

if the baby that fell out of the tree is cold the mother may not find the scent readily - please warm the baby up (their temps are higher than ours and should feel warm to the touch) and try placing in an area safe from ants - for the mother to find - dont worry about your scent being on the mom she won't mind

Gatorolsen

 

[Lowredranger]

Thanks for the encouragement i know when i was going to college my wife would have to come home on her lunch break with a friend just to get them fed. 4 times a day is a lot of work but it is very rewarding watching them grow up.

Yes usually the mothers will only find them if they are crying. It is ok to bring them in even and get them warmed up and put them back where you found them on top of a clean shirt in a shoe box or something with the top off so they are safe. If the mother does not come within the hour it is best to assume she is not coming back. The mothers can't count so the baby may be left behind.

 

[AndyH5512]

Thanks for being considerate to our wildlife friends. I will keep you in mind if I find any.

 

[dugg]

We raised one 4 years ago that still to this day will come down and take a peanut from me.

 

[Lowredranger]

Thanks for the support.

Yea our first one was a male we had him for about 9 months before we let him go and he came back and would sit with us and bury peanuts for about a yr after an then started slowly coming back less and less, until he must have moved on.

The females are more likely to stay close by where they were released vs the males who tend to wander a lot further. Our first female we released lives in the backyard next door to our old house going on 3yrs. We even took her with us when we moved about 2 blocks away and she went back to her old home. She still remembers me when i got back to visit even after a 6month absence.

 

[chrisstie]

I'm so happy to see that you are able to take care of these little animals. I haven't seen much around here but there sure were a lot of egrets out hunting for bugs and such from the heavy rains.

I think one of the things that lead me to the reef hobby was helping with the turtles when I was growing up. We'd safeguard them from raccoons, tourists etc and save them and release them when their hatching times were interfered with by humans. I also ended up saving a nest of baby owls that had a mother that tore apart and built a nest in the soffiting of our roof. After that it was only natural to take care of fish right?

Best of luck with the squirrels I hope most of the animals deal with the coastal damage well.

 

[Lowredranger]

I figured i wouldn't get too much flack from fellow reef keepers since we are all trying out hardest to take care of marine life. I know you are not technically supposed to take care of them but most of the wildlife places won't bother with them so we try and do what we can.

Unfortunately we are like most people we still go on vacation and we both work which makes it really hard for their demanding schedule while they are still infants, that is why we cannot take care of too many at a time. Once they get past the milk stage they are pretty easy to take care of not very demanding anyone can throw their expensive diet of vegies, fruits and nuts in there cage.

Glad to hear everyone has such a caring heart for the rest of the animals on this planet.

Jason

 

[elrey232001]

squirrels

squirrels

I see this post in other page and this person have 32 baby squirrels if you like call or mail her or him Shirley at 407-568-7988 or shirleycannan@bellsouth.net. Do not askme because I not about this person only see this and give to you.

 

[Lowredranger]

where is the thread at?

 

[Lowredranger]

I called the number and the message said it was a critter rescue so they are probably taking care of the squirrels not looking for someone to take care of them but i emailed them anyway.

Where did you see this post at i searched for it on reefcentral and could not come up with anything?

 

[gatorolsen]

If you are interested I can put you in touch w/ the rescue group I work with. Technically we only work w/ people or animals that are within county.

I would suggest calling your local vet to get the name and number of a wildlife group that is local. Don't be offended if they question you a bit at first - we used to get tons of people calling w/ good intentions but unrealistic expectations, which unfort. often led to a follow up call a week later where we would have to pick up the "cute baby" that now had pneumonia or was worse off b/c of good intentions. Obviously you have experience and have already done your research so please don't be offended if you have to convince a rescue person of that.

When I used to do squirrels I affiliated w/ a rescue group to work under someone's wildlife permit. There were a couple of benefits
1) group buys of supplies - usually at cost
2) the group often had weekend sitters (for ex. when my schedule changed and I could no longer do the every 2 hr feedings during the work week, I would offer to take babies just over the weekend to give someone a break
3)squirrels do better in groups - we had a coordinator so we
could match up "single" babies - you can only match up unrelated babies up until a certain age - so I could call and say I had a female grayling and either wanted her to go to someone that had others the same age, or I could take in another couple to match up

Good luck w/ them. I really enjoyed the years I had w/ squirrels I always thought they were the most fun the raise.

p.s. fyi I learned the hard way, not too many nuts too much potassium leads to an imbalance w/ calcium and potassium which can lead to brittle bone development. Monkey chow (avail. at most feed stores) can be a great diet supplement. An old turtle shell or even a clean sterilized dog bone is great to put in there w/ them they can chew on it to get some calcium.