baby red squirrels

Help! I've found an injured squirrel!

How to Help a Baby Squirrel

If you think you've found a baby in need of help, get it out of immediate danger, then call us at (207) 361-1400 before taking further action. If we determine the baby is in need of rescue, we can advise you on keeping it comfortable until you get it to the CFW (no feeding!). And often times, what appears to be an orphan is actually a healthy baby whose mom is just out of sight!

A mother squirrel will come to the nest to nurse every few hours, and in the between time she goes off and forages for herself. Her maternal instincts are very strong, and unless she feels it would threaten her life to do so, she will return to feed her young ones, even if the nest has been uncovered, touched or otherwise disturbed. So if you accidentally bother a nest – whether you go to spring-clean your shed and scare mom off, or uncover the babies as you are gardening – don't assume they need to be rescued!young red squirrel

As long as babies are not flea-covered, obviously injured, or known to have been caught by a cat or dog, it is worth giving mom a chance to raise her children before bringing them to us. Leave the babies in their nest, or call us for advice on making a new nest. Place the nest out of the direct sun or rain, and observe from a distance: chances are, mom will be back in a few hours, but she won’t come as long as a person is standing at close guard!

The same is true if you bring down the tree that holds a nest. If possible, we ask people to delay tree work and limb cutting until October, to avoid felling nests along with the limbs. But if you need to do it earlier, keep an eye out for babies. And if you find some, call CFW before rescuing them: we may be able to figure out a way to help mom find them. It is always our goal to only intervene when absolutely necessary.


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