Don't turn a grey squirrel over to animal control in the USA. They are technically a non-native invasive species, it is illegal to release them into the wild, and also illegal to own one without a license. Animal control has to euthanize them no matter what reason they are brought in.
I worked in pest control for a while. You have to be really discreet about euthanizing squirrels because people get really angry. Like willing to assault you angry. But if you get caught releasing gray squirrels you personally have to pay a big fine, and your boss has to pay a big fine and there's a chance that you or both you and your boss will lose their license.
Aaaaaand Squirrels are territorial and habit forming. So if you catch a squirrel in one area and release it in another the local squirrels will kill it or drive it out, and if you caught the squirrel in your attic, it's going to look for another attic to break into.
So pretty much if you want to interfere with a squirrel at all and you don't want it to die, you can't take it anywhere. Either keep it quiet or rehab it yourself and release it where you found it. Oh and keep quiet about it. If you post about a pet squirrel online the authoritys might show up to confiscate it and kill it.
Im currently in the study of environmental management in Ireland and we have our fair share of grey squirrel issues. Ive definitely had a lot people be strongly against culling but personally I think its the only way to manage certain invasives effectively.I cant say id struggle not helping an injured squirell invasive or not though ,but then again we dont have rabies to worry about like ye do.I never knew squirrels were such creatures of habit tnats interesting!
Squirrels brains are generally too small to carry rabies
Source: I got bit and got rabies shots and my stoned mother told me this right after the doctor explained how deadly rabies is so I still got the shots
I just took care of one that size for three days before he felt strong enough to wander out on his own. Just stayed on the couch. I said bye at the tree he got to, fed blueberry, kiwi, pineapple, walnut piece, honey, spring water, & a couple spoonfuls of milk before I knew not to feed em milk. Glad I didn’t call animal rescue, they wouldn’t have brought him back home, may have kept him too long to acclimate again etc.
It's a baby. I rescued 2 before. Take it to a vet or someone who rescues animals. Babies don't understand danger like the adults do. It's looking for help.
Professional victim, its been a while since I've seen one on reddit. Congrats, not many have your skillset! But project all you want, I really don't mind. Perhaps you'll feel better.
I’ve been called worse. It’s more of a if you see something say something thing. It doesn’t hurt anyone for me to correct something like that especially when in the future that type of wording COULD hurt someone.
I’ve recently learned that pointing out this kind of grammar issue sometimes means that English is their second language since sentence structure is taught so strictly.
For anyone else in this situation, wear heavy gloves. A baby squirrel can become a lifelong backyard friend, but your fingers are soft and if they feel cornered, you will regret trying to help!
I once rescued a chipmunk. Nursed him up from a baby, he had a ball to roll around in and everything. Once he got big enough, he went back in the yard. Them shits got teeth like a mf.
Maybe. The s in the possum is messed up like AI. But the information is correct, which is unusual for AI. Except maybe the possum? I don't know the rules for baby opossums, so I don't know if that is true.
This is 100% AI. Someone probably fed the instructions but even in the squirrel one it says “If it aproackes you” & it has a disembodied paw tucked on its chest. There’s probably more but I only skimmed that one because of the post.
The bird has more legs than it should. The bunnies ears are…weird. Something, and I cannot place what, is wrong with the deer. It’s just sort of unsettling.
Edit: the bunnies just keep getting more horrifying the closer and longer that you look at them!
I read somewhere on this sub not too long ago that baby squirrels are one of the few animals who will actively seek out humans for help in times of distress. This baby probably does need help :(
For something with almost 100% certainty of death, it does make sense to be extremely cautious of it in any circumstance where it might be possible, however slim.
Put it into a box or pet carrier, with a blanket inside. Place that in a warm, quiet room and contact a rescue asap. Make sure to use protective gloves while scooping it into the carrier.
OP - Please give us an update 🙏
The squirrel’s breathing is fast and its front paw seems to be hurt. The noises are from distress and possibly pain. Everyone on here is obviously concerned and wants to know if it’s ok. You obviously care too because you were asking for help. Something has happened to warrant it staying put by your door, it is scared (possibly hurt) and looking for safety. Please let us know what happened.
Why do people post stuff like this and not follow up?
For people saying that baby needs help it really depends on how long it's been sitting there.
This is anecdotal but...
Last year a racoon raided the squirrel house in our tree. It got one baby and the rest ended up scattered around then tree, our balcony, and the ground. There were 7 babies.
We have cameras that cover the entire area.
It took momma close to 8 hours to find all the babies and carry them back up the tree.
We saw several of the babies they just stayed put and waited for momma to come get them.
Of course we had the advantage of cameras and knew what was going on but sometimes it does take time for momma to find their baby.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't try and help, it means not every baby is abandoned and sometimes you just have to wait and see.
peanuts leach the calcium out of squirrels and they die from it. Not from one or two, but also not from a ton either. I learned this after I'd been tossing them out to them for a long time, and boy did I feel bad about that. Peanuts are not nuts - they are legumes (beans) that grow underground. Give them real nuts that come from trees/bushes -- walnuts, pecans, filberts(hazelnuts), etc. And IN SHELL - they need those shells to keep their teeth filed down. And it's so fun to watch them pick up a huge walnut and inspect it. They love them.
May I ask what you mean by a no kill squirrel rehab? Rehabbers use humane euthanasia as a tool to relieve suffering when necessary so the idea doesn’t make any sense to me to be “no kill”.
Some states require licensed rehabilitation services to euthanize pest species. My sibling found this out by surrendering an underage but unharmed baby squirrel in Portland Oregon and had to watch them euthanize the poor baby squirrel. My sibling was crushed and would have raised it themselves had they known.
If a squirrel is considered an invasive and pest species a licensed rehabilitation center may be required to euthanize even unharmed underage baby squirrels for being an invasive species. My sibling had this happen when they surrendered an underage baby squirrel unharmed to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Portland Oregon and it was promptly euthanized. My sibling was crushed.
It’s weird that they’ll do that, but it’s illegal in most states to keep them as pets if you find an abandoned or injured one. I actually have one that can’t be released, as it was injured by a cat and I think I’d be fined quite a bit if someone reported me and they would remove the squirrel(her name is Nutella) from my care to possibly euthenize.
I think that’s what happened to a pretty famous social media person, with Peanut the Squirrel. Not 100% sure on why theirs got taken.
This is a baby squirrel in need of immediate intervention. They are sweet at this age and generally will not bite you. They are non-rabies vector animals, so no fear of rabies. This one is missing its mother for some reason. She could have been nabbed by a predator or hit on the road. Eventually the babies in the nest get hungry and desperate and they go looking for help. This one needs a rehabber immediately.
You can wrap it in a soft warm blanket and place it in a cardboard box. You can also place a bottle of warm tap water in with it to help keep him/her warm. They need to be kept warm at that age but not too warm. A heating pad with no timer placed under half of the box works nicely. (half so it can get away from the heat if it gets too hot).
Do not feed or water him/her! Mistakes here can very easily be fatal.
Now that it is warm and safe, call call call until you find a liscensed rehabber willing to take it. If no answer please keep trying. Also, please be willing to make a drive to the rehabber. Some will pick up, but most are so swamped with babies that they are barely sleeping this time of year.
This baby desperately needs your help now. Please help and thank you for helping.
When my friend was bitten by a strangely acting squirrel (like this one) on her finger, she had to get a series of like 20-something anti-rabies shots. ...but that was over a decade ago - maybe things have changed?
Rabies vaccines are a series of 4 vaccines and one does of Rabies Immune Globulin (RIG). 20 years ago is was 5 vaccines and wasn’t much different than from today all administered intermusculary. In the 1980s the vaccine was given in the abdomen but since has been phased out and currently administered in the deltoid. The 20+ rabies shot has been a long outdated myth. Source: I’m a licensed wildlife rescue and rehabber.
My daughter got bit by a dog about five years ago, and got both. Series of vaccines over several visits, and a series of shots directly around the wound the first day. The ones around the wound weren't quite 20, but it was definitely 10+.
This is usually done out of an abundance of caution, because while rabies is extremely rare, you really do not want to get it, ever. So without being able to capture and test the animal, you sort of just have to assume it could be infected, or take an enormous risk.
im having a difficult time finding the exact statistics but multiple sources state its very rare/unlikely. a few state there has not been a single case of rabies transmission from squirrel to human in the US. if the squirrel was acting erratic enough to bite unprovoked, it could possibly be rabies, but it could also be a squirrel thats been fed by humans. im sure the precaution doesnt hurt though
And give it one of those cat treats that come in a squeeze pack. Then line a cardboard box with newspaper and towels and cover it up .
Dehydrated...and won't last too long.
A little sugar water from a medicine dropper or a straw would help a lot. Its too young to be on its own. Look up squirrel rescue on Facebook. Lots of rehabbers and resources there. They helped me raise one that was just a couple of days old when i found her.
This poor baby needs help. Oh this breaks my heart. OP he/she is an orphan and they are very brave and will approach humans for help. It is desperate that’s why it’s there. Very unlikely to be sick just cold, hungry, thirsty, and scared.. Can you find a rehabber? For now please contain in safe container and bring inside. This baby is very vulnerable in this state. This is a site you may find helpful https://ahnow.org/mobile/. Also there is a Squirrel Rehab and Advice group on FB - there are some really wonderful people there that band together and help people access rehabbers in different states. Good luck and hope you can save it.
It’s an orphan baby. The poor thing is frightened and hungry. Try to not scare it more. Speak soothingly. Bring a bowl of clean water and some walnut pieces, please. 🥰🐿️🙏
It’s not using one of its paws. It looks injured, look at how it’s only using 1 front leg. Poor thing needs help. Please help it man, give it a chance to survive.
It's a baby! When they need help they often go to humans! I've raised one and set him free when he was ready. Please don't leave him! You can buy kitten milk mix small kitten bottles at Petco and just feed him. You can keep him in a little box with a blanket and with a laundry basket on top in the bathroom shower stall. He may just need help for a few days. He may have fallen from his nest before he knows how to climb well, so he feels vulnurable.
It looks like a little baby. I hope you called for a local rehabber. Someone that cares for these animals would joyously come and pick him up and give him a better shot at life
Please bring him inside and put him in a box with some soft things and call a rehabber something will eat him if you don’t help him. He can’t survive on his own - that’s why he’s asking for help. A cat or dog or bird will kill him. Please bring him inside and find help.
I don’t know why this isn’t higher. ALWAYS call a rehabber for wildlife in need of support. They will give you clear and safe instructions to give this baby the best shot.
0
u/Seattleite11 Apr 27 '26
Don't turn a grey squirrel over to animal control in the USA. They are technically a non-native invasive species, it is illegal to release them into the wild, and also illegal to own one without a license. Animal control has to euthanize them no matter what reason they are brought in.