Just like all other beings, squirrels must be nurtured and loved by their mothers in order to ensure a happy and healthy lifestyle. Baby squirrels generally stay with their mother for around 6 to 10 weeks until they are mature enough to go out into the real world. However, as we all know, the world is a scary place and sometimes… a squirrel can get left behind along the way. Squirrel orphanage is a very real problem in today’s world and afflicts hundreds of helpless squirrels each and every day (this is not a legitimate fact. I included this simply for effect.) As sad as this is, there is of course a way that you can help!

Squirrels are born pink in color and without hair. It also takes a baby squirrel several weeks (3-5) to first open their eyes. Female squirrels generally have 3-5 babies in their litter, but orphanage commonly occurs when a baby squirrel falls out of the nest or is neglected by the mother and becomes cold in temperature. According to www.squirrel-rehab.org, once a baby squirrel becomes cold, a mother will refuse to continue the nurturing process. With this being said, you can tell if a squirrel is orphaned if it is hairless, pink, and without a mother or other squirrels surrounding it.

As mentioned before, a squirrel is neglected if its body is cold, so upon first finding an orphaned squirrel, you should hold it close to your body to distribute warmth. Once the squirrel increases in temperature, you are able to place it back near the tree or other area where you found it in hopes that the mother squirrel will return to claim it. However, if the mother squirrel does not come to reclaim its baby, you should take further action. Put on gloves and carefully place the squirrel in a small cardboard box next to a warm water bottle or towel and try to wait another hour or so. The baby squirrel will most likely cry for its mother, but if the mother does not return once an hour or so has passed, you become the new momma squirrel.

The next step you need to take is making sure that the squirrel is hydrated. Many people assume that the first nourishment you should provide a baby squirrel with is milk BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE DON’T DO THAT UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE A SQUIRREL MURDERER YOU PHYSCO. Instead, make sure the squirrel drinks a reasonable amount of water. In addition to water, it is also important that you provide the baby squirrel with formula. Basically, you give the squirrel baby formula. Honestly, it’s way too involved for me to get into so if you are genuinely interested in how to rehabilitate an orphaned squirrel, check out this website.

http://www.squirreltales.org/

Last but not least, make sure you treat the baby’s wounds! Cat bites are especially lethal to squirrels (ugh, stupid cats, they’re the worst) and if the squirrel is bit by a cat, be sure to take it to a veterinarian’s office right away.

You will probably never run into an orphaned squirrel.

But, if you do…

DON’T GIVE IT MILK OR LET A CAT BITE IT.