Your first action should be to attempt reunification with the mother if the baby is healthy, or transfer to a permitted/licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife if the baby is injured, cold, sick, orphaned, or if you suspect it has been in contact with a cat or dog. Please note that Hazel’s Wildlife & More provides wildlife rehabilitation supplies and product support only. We are not a wildlife rehabilitation facility, animal intake center, rescue service, veterinary hospital, or emergency animal hotline. For species-specific care, diagnosis, treatment, intake, or release decisions, please contact a permitted/licensed wildlife rehabilitator. To speak to a wildlife rehabilitator, please call (540) 745-2141, Extension 1. For product or order support, please call (540) 745-2141, Extension 2, or email hello@hazelswildlife.com. This guide is for short-term stabilization and supplies planning while a finder or caregiver contacts a qualified professional. Feeding information is included for trained or legally permitted caregivers who have determined, with professional guidance, that feeding is appropriate.

A baby squirrel has the best chance of survival with its mother when the baby is healthy and can be safely reunited. Please do not assume that a baby is orphaned simply because it is on the ground. Use gloves and keep children and pets away. Wild mammals can bite or scratch, and handling is stressful for the animal.

Do not offer food, water, or formula during reunification or transport unless a permitted rehabilitator specifically instructs you to do so. Incorrect feeding can cause aspiration, digestive upset, injury, or death.

Age estimates vary by species and individual development. Use this table only as a rough visual guide; it is not
a substitute for a rehabilitator’s assessment.

These are supplies, not permission to keep or raise wildlife. Local and state laws vary, and many locales require
permits to possess or rehabilitate injured or orphaned wildlife.

✔ Secure ventilated container: a small plastic tote, or similar container with air holes and a secure lid for indoor holding or transport.

✔ Soft bedding: fleece, flannel, or cotton T-shirt material. Avoid looped towels because claws can snag.

✔ Safe heat source: heating pad on low under half of the container, hot-water bottle, or hand warmer wrapped in cloth and positioned so the baby cannot touch it directly. When transporting, a heated seat works perfectly.

✔ Disposable or washable gloves for safe handling.

✔ Digital gram scale for weight tracking and feeding purposes.

✔ Quality O-ring syringes and appropriate nipples. Do not use pet bottles or baby bottles; they can deliver fluid too quickly.

✔ Formula only when feeding is appropriate: Esbilac® Puppy Milk Replacer Powder is perfect for pinkies and is easy to find at your local farm supply or big box pet store. NEVER use liquid premix. Wombaroo® Squirrel formula is also a good option for pinkies and juvenile babies.  

✔ Cleaning supplies for equipment sanitation. For nipples, syringes, and other feeding implements, Chlorhexadine is a great option. Including dish soap, hot water, and clean drying space.

Hazel’s Wildlife can assist you with supply selection and product-related questions. Please call us at (540) 745-2141 Extension 2, or email us at hello@hazelswildlife.com. For animal care decisions, contact a permitted/licensed wildlife rehabilitator at (540) 745-2141, Extension 1.

A cold baby should not be fed. Warmth comes first because cold, shocked, or weak animals cannot safely digest formula and are at higher risk of aspiration or organ failure.

1. Line the container with soft non-looped cloth.

2. Place the heat source under or next to only half the container so the baby can move away from heat if needed.

3. Keep the baby warm, dark, quiet, and away from children and pets.

4. Check the heat source often. It should feel warm, not hot, against your inner wrist. Avoid direct contact between the baby and any heating device.

5. Do not use heat lamps or direct intense heat; overheating and dehydration can happen quickly.

For reunification attempts, provide safe supplemental warmth in the open container while leaving the baby visible and accessible to the mother. Indirect heat sources can also include handwarmers inside of a sock or other piece of fabric, A rice sock, or as a last possible solution: Hot water bottle, but it needs to be changed very frequently and is not a recommended long term source of heat. Hot water bottles can create a “heat sink” where it eventually draws the heat from the baby causing hypothermia. 

Most finders should not hydrate or feed. The priority is warmth, quiet containment, and rapid contact with a permitted/licensed or experienced wildlife rehabilitator. If a permitted rehabilitator instructs oral fluids or formula, use a controlled syringe technique and go slowly. Never place a bowl of water in the container and never drip fluid into the mouth of a cold, unresponsive, or struggling animal.

✔ Feed only when the baby is warm, responsive, and positioned belly-down or upright, never on its back. Think “mom lying on her back, baby on her belly, mouth down over nipple”. Nipple should always be upright.

✔ Use the smallest practical syringe size for control. Newborns may only be able to swallow one drop at a time and that single drop should only come from a 1 cc syringe which can be found at a drugstore as a temporary measure until O-ring syringes can be obtained.

✔ Approach the lips from beneath and allow swallowing before offering more. 

✘ Stop immediately if fluid bubbles from the nose, dribbles from the mouth, the baby coughs, becomes weak, or you hear clicking with breathing. Immediately tip the baby upside down and gently shake like a salt shaker to dislodge any fluid in baby’s nose before it has the opportunity to be breathed in and contact a rehabilitator.

✘ Do not force-feed. Loss of appetite, clicking, bloating, diarrhea, lethargy, seizures, or abnormal urine are professional-care problems.

Formula choice should follow a licensed rehabilitator or veterinary protocol. This document recommends only the formulas listed below and only in powder form when applicable.

✘ Never use Esbilac liquid premix or any other liquid milk-replacer premix.

✘ Do not use kitten milk replacers, human infant formula, cow milk, condensed milk, scalded milk, goat milk recipes, homemade formulas, plant milks, sports drinks, or products that wildlife rehabilitators have deemed harmful for wildlife.

✘ Do not add yogurt, egg, oils, probiotics, vitamins, calcium, or medications unless a licensed rehabilitator specifically directs it.

✘ Do not microwave formula directly. Warm the filled syringe or formula container in a hot-water bath, mix well, and test on the inside of your wrist before feeding. It should feel very warm, not hot.

✔ Discard warmed leftovers from a feeding. Clean syringes and nipples thoroughly after every use.

✘ Do not feed by appetite. Babies can overeat. Feeding volume, frequency, and any transition plan should come from the product label plus a rehabilitator’s protocols.

Young squirrels with eyes closed often need help urinating and defecating. When a rehabilitator has directed feeding, gently stimulate the genital area with a warm, damp cotton ball or soft tissue before and/or after feeding until the baby urinates or defecates. Do not rub hard. Redness, swelling, blood, persistent lack of urine or stool, dark/smelly urine, diarrhea, or straining should be referred to a rehabilitator.

✘ Bloating, hard abdomen, diarrhea, constipation, or refusal to feed: Stop trying to push more formula. Keep the baby warm and quiet and contact a rehabilitator. These can result from overfeeding, dehydration, wrong formula, parasites, infection, or other medical problems.

✘ Formula or fluid from nose, clicking with breathing, coughing, or weakness after feeding: Treat as urgent aspiration risk. Stop feeding, turn the baby upside down and gently shake like a salt shaker to prevent more fluid from being breathed in and contact a rehabilitator immediately. Antibiotics and dosing must come from an authorized professional.

✘ Fly eggs or maggots: This is urgent. Fly eggs look like small pale rice grains. Keep the baby contained and warm and contact a rehabilitator. Using the flat edge of a credit card, gently scrape the fur going in the wrong direction to remove the fly eggs from the skin.  Do not apply insecticides or dose medications unless directed by a professional. If any fly eggs have hatched, they are tiny, soft white maggots. You can sprinkle a small amount of corn starch on them, and then gently scrape them off.  A hair dryer on low can also dry and kill the maggots, then gently scrape off. 

✘ Cat or dog contact, even without visible wounds: Requires professional evaluation because punctures and infection can be hidden. Contact a rehabilitator. Cat saliva frequently contains Pasteurella, and is deadly to squirrels without antibiotic intervention. With dogs, squeezing and/or shaking is always a concern. 

✘ Seizures, head tilt, loss of balance, severe weakness, labored breathing, blood, foul urine, or severe dehydration signs: Professional care is required. Keep warm, dark, and quiet; do not feed unless instructed.

✘ Littermates nursing on genitals or self-sucking: Separate affected babies and contact a rehabilitator. Swelling, scabbing, or urination problems can become serious quickly.

The safest back-to-basics checklist while arranging professional help is: warm, dark, quiet, secure container, minimal handling, no food or water unless directed.

Do not rush weaning. Eyes-open babies still need formula and protected rehabilitative care. Weaning from formula should always be decided by the baby; not by you. If they start taking less per feeding, increase the time between feedings, or remove a feeding.

Solid-food plans always need to start with rodent blocks. Other sources of nutrition come later after the squirrel has accepted the blocks as part of their main source of nutrition. Squirrel Blocks are calcium and phosphorus balanced which can help prevent Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). Avoid giving squirrels products that contain fillers, seeds, nuts, or other ingredients that are not conducive to a healthy diet, as these can negatively impact their health.

For nutrition, avoid using peanuts or any type of seeds as food sources or snacks. Steer clear of diets that are heavy in nuts, seeds, or corn, as these contain high levels of phosphorus compared to calcium and can lead to MBD in captive squirrels. A suitable diet for a captive squirrel should consist of Squirrel blocks, Rodent Blocks, vegetables, and occasional fruits as treats. It is important to note that certain commercial blocks are not dependable nutritional sources for captive or released animals.

When solids are appropriate, use a balanced species-appropriate rodent block and appropriate vegetables under a rehabilitator’s plan. Fruits and treats should not be staples, and baby squirrels should not be started on fruits, nuts, peanuts, or seeds.

Hazel’s Wildlife provides wildlife rehabilitation supplies and product support. Hazel’s Wildlife does not accept wildlife patients, provide veterinary diagnosis, prescribe treatment, provide emergency animal intake, or replace the guidance of a licensed/experienced wildlife rehabilitator. For product and order support, please call (540) 745-2141 ext. 2, or email hello@hazelswildlife.com. To speak to a rehabilitator, please use (540) 745-2141 ext. 1. Please reach out to Squirrel Rehab and Advice on Facebook to receive help from a vetted rehabilitator in your area. Do not use Animal Help Now to find a reliable rehabilitator regardless of how often it is recommended. Please note: Hazel’s Wildlife is not responsible for any information provided by rehabilitators outside or inside of the company. All statements made by rehabilitators are their own and Hazel’s is not liable. All product names, logos, brands, and registered trademarks mentioned in this guide are the property of their respective owners. Their use does not imply any affiliation, connection, endorsement, or sponsorship by or with the trademark holders.