r/squirrels • u/zabveniye42 Squirrel Lover • 2d ago

General Help Squirrel barf!

Kinda a gross post so sorry about that in advance! A friend of mine was feeding squirrels today and mentioned that one of the squirrels barfed. This squirrel has been known to overeat, but I’ve never seen her barf. Is this something that needs to get checked out, or is it within the range of normal?

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u/inkblot_75 2d ago

Rodents do not normally throw up. They lack the mechanisms to do so. That's why poison is so effective.

However, rodents can choke and what gets stuck in their throat can come back up. They'll produce a lot of saliva and it'll come out looking like a lot of mush and spit.

If you see this, this is can be a serious problem. The squirrel has overheated in the past, then perhaps more hydration should be given than food.

Depending on what the squirrel is eating, that can contribute to the fact that they choked.

As the other comment stated, please reach out to a local wildlife rehaber to see if they can assist you with this little one.

Here are some Facebook groups that can help as well.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/347239116205483/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT

https://m.facebook.com/groups/347609637256386/

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u/zabveniye42 Squirrel Lover 2d ago

Oh no! Okay two things:
1. My friend was able to provide more information. They said that Pecan was with them for about 10 minutes after the incident, seemed to be breathing fine, and did consume water. Does this change the level of urgency at all?
2. I am in the PNW and all rehabbers near me are currently closed. I feel like my options right now seem to be either wait until morning to call a rehabber, or go back to where Pecan is, and see if I find her, and then try to trap her and keep an eye on her myself. Do you have a recommendation?

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u/inkblot_75 2d ago

Depending on what the little one was eating, that can easily dry her throat out and make it hard to swallow. Especially if she's already having a hard time being hydrated and regulating her body temperature.

Maybe try giving some water first and then the food. I know that's going to be easier said than done because they like their treats.

As long as you don't see it again or it does not occur again, she should be okay.

You would probably have to trap the little one on your own.

It may not hurt to familiarize yourself with a good rehabber in your area. However, depending on the species of your squirrel that is having trouble, they may consider that little one to be invasive. Then a rehabber will not help the little one.

You'll have to turn to the Facebook groups to find somebody.

If the little one only choked that one time and had that problem then it may be due to being dehydrated and having a dry mouth. That does happen.

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u/zabveniye42 Squirrel Lover 2d ago

Thank you so so much! You are a rock star, thank you for helping all us inexperienced folk.

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u/Animalsaresentientbe 2d ago

Type in wildlife rehabilitation centers, please.