How to tell if a baby squirrel is dying? (What should You Do?)

Written by: Helen Matthew

Updated on:

If you’ve found a baby squirrel near a tree don’t assume it left alone.

The baby may be fallen from the tree and the mother squirrel is nearby. If the baby has fallen from a tree and is injured, making sounds like “chi-chi”.

Leave the child near the tree and hide it from any predator.

How to tell if a baby squirrel is dying and what you can do about it in the best humanly way possible.

However, if you’re sure the squirrel is ill or permanently abandoned, the best help you can offer is to get him quickly to wildlife rehabilitation and keep him warm and hydrated en route.

How to tell if a baby squirrel is dying?

Very ill baby squirrels are cold to the touch, grayish-pink with grayish lips and gums, inactive and thin. They often curl up into a ball. An ill baby squirrel’s feet will squeeze and will feel cold when touched.

However, If the baby is pink, fat, round, warm, and squirms when touched, allow at least two hours for his mother to find him again.

How to tell if a baby squirrel is dying?
How to tell if a baby squirrel is dying?

How do you help a dying squirrel?

No one can care for a child as his mother did. It’s also true for other animals. Baby squirrels can fall from trees and his mother can pick him up pretty quickly if she is nearby.

There are 15-30-45 minutes rules that you should when trying to help a dying squirrel.

#1- First 15 minutes

If you’ve found a squirrel nearby a tree, wait for 15 minutes to see if the baby is picked up by her mother or not.

It also depends on the height of the tree, because if the baby is fallen from a height of more than 10 feet, then it is best to contact a rehabilitation center as soon as possible.

#2- 30 Minutes Rule

If the baby is fallen for more than 15 minutes, pick her up with gloves or use a cloth. Place her inside a shoebox and try to keep her warm in the best possible way.

Fill a ziplock bag with hot water, put it in a box, cover it with a clean blanket, then put the baby on top of the blanket.

Alternatively, a clean sock filled with uncooked rice and tied off, then heated for one to two minutes in a microwave, is also effective.

#3- 45 Minutes

After you’ve come home from the vet or rehabilitation center, tell them where you found the squirrel and they will try to make sure that the baby squirrel found its way home.

Also, check out what sounds do baby squirrels make and their meaning?

Do baby squirrels play dead?

No baby squirrels never play dead. However, ground squirrels can hibernate during winter. When hibernating, their breathing rate drops to very few shallow breaths per minute, their heart rate slows to almost nothing, and they don’t respond to external stimuli.

How to tell if a baby squirrel is male or female?

How to take care of Baby Squirrel

Here is a step by step video showing how to take care of a baby squirrel:

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