HELP! Adult squirrel badly injured - WILD!

[SquirrelLove]

There is a wild adult squirrel that comes to our deck to eat food we put out for our babies we released and the wild squirrels. Today ONE SIDE - the left side of the adult squirrel looked like it had been scalped, or skinned. There was also a mark that looked like a cut from the eye to the tip of the tail and the tail no longer has any hair on it. The eye was half closed. The front and back leg on the left side appear to be broken. The squirrel was sitting in an area of peanuts on the deck when I seen it. I tried to "sweet talk" quietly to it so I could capture it and put it in a cage and try to nurse it back to health. However the squirrel was scared of me and moved away as quickly as it could. Not real quick, not like a healthy squirrel but fast enough and it was obvious it was in pain. I didn't want to traumatize it any more than it had been, so backed off. It continued to eat for a short time and then crawled off. QUESTION: How can I capture this poor squirrel to try and help it? I've only raised 2 babies and released them so they are semi-tame. This is an adult and there are many adults that come to eat peanuts and other veggies and things I set out. Any help would be appreciated. I fear this squirrel will die of infection, it's raining out right now and I think at the very least this HUGE wound should be kept DRY!
Thank you,
Joanne in FL

[digiandchipper]

Hi Joanne,

Oh, I am SO sorry to read about this poor squirrel. Do you by any chance have one of those 'safe' traps...havahart, I think?

[SquirrelLove]

No, I don't have a trap and like I said, MANY squirrels come up to the door on the deck to eat in the same place this squirrel visited. They even come into the FL room if I am quiet and hand out peanuts. So capturing the injured squirrel via a trap instead of another squirrel is like a needle in a haystack! HELP!

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Can you maybe lure him into the FL room and then net him? It sounds like he definetely needs help and will be a goner if he isn't captured and treated soon. Can you put some sort of box or something out for him to hide in because he may not be able to get back up to his nest. If he goes in, you may be able to approach after dark (like midnight, my squirrels (in rehab) are VERY sleepy and calm then) and put something over the hole to trap him. Even if you can't use it to catch him, at least he would have a safe place to hide. You could put a bunch of food in for him too.

Good luck with the little guy.

[PBluejay2]

I have caught injured and sick squirrels that couldn't move as quickly as healthy ones with a fishing net. I have a rather large one (two foot "eye" on a five-foot pole) but have used smaller minnow nets. This might stress it quite a bit, however, Another option is the old blanket. It would help it you had a few people who could more or less surround it. Again, this will be stressful, but if caught in a blanket at least it would be in the dark. Good luck to you! As far as taking care of it yourself, if you do catch it, this sounds like the job for an experienced rehabber (no offense intended).

[SquirrelLove]

No offense taken, and I know of a rehab facility close by that I could take it to. They are the people who taught me how to raise the 2 other squirrels that I've now released.

I will try that blanket and or net trick the next time I see it. Hopefully he is back out in the daylight - He / she isn't out there right now as it is getting dark and it was just raining.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions,
Joanne in FL (I've got things set up for this squirrel just in case I can get him / her captured. A nice warm dry dark place for it to sleep, and antibiotics from the vet, and also some neosporin gel, but will check for the spray as I don't think that gel would feel very good right now.

[Nevara]

Just a tip, Neosporin is possibly toxic to small animals.... it's toxic to the kidneys in a human being if used too much on a gaping wound. Any deep wounds should be treated with either Polysporin or Bacitracin.

[BHO]

If you can get close enough, make a cylinder out of chicken wire. 20inches diameter. make sure none of the sharp edges are inside the cylinder if you know what I mean. then fold the top of one end over several times so that you have only one opening. make sure you test by tugging the trap to make sure all edges are secure. Then get close to the squirrel and whilst it is busy eating slowly, slowly put the trap over it. It will jump up to the top oof cage. Quickly pinched the bottom together, take trap inside house and release squirrel inside a cage. This is how I catch my sick friends. It is not easy but I am 99% successful. Keep in mind that if you fail it may not come back for a few days or at all. With wounds like this, if it comes everyday, I find that Bactrim helps. I also give some homeopathy like arnica, Hypericum, gunpowder 200C potency. Good luck and I hope you capture it soon. GB

[4skwerlz]

Having trapped a few squirrels, I believe the net and blanket methods are best done by professional rehabbers like PBluejay and others. It is tricky for nervous newbies, and if you miss, you might not get another chance as the squirrel will be terrified. These methods are also a bit stressful, since there's a struggle involved.

BHO's suggestion sounds pretty good, though I've never tried it.

You can get a Havahart trap at the hardware store. Lowes, Home Depot, Ace and True Value all carry these types of traps. Get a medium-sized one, not a small one; they are easier to work with and can double as a temporary home once you catch the squirrel.

Once you get the trap we can give you simple instructions on how to trap, including how to deal with the problem of the wrong squirrel getting in there. This is not a big problem at all and can be easily dealt with.

[Ontario Rehabber]

I am sure the rehabbers that have helped you out in the past would have a havaheart trap and would be willing to lend it to you if this squirrel is in bad shape. My suggestion before trying anything else would be to call them and explain the situation. They may even be willing to help you trap this little one.

[PBluejay2]

I appreciate 4skwerlz following me up with her opinion; however, you said you had lots of squirrels and that you might trap any one of them before you trapped the injured one--which is likely. The net or blanket is, as I said, going to be stressful, but so is the Havahart, especially if the animal is left in it any time. If expediency is crucial (which, considering what you described of the squirrel, it is), consider the net. You can't be timid, however, when using it. If you are at all "scared" of the squirrel or being bitten, go the Havahart route. Once/if you get the net over it, don't try to pick the squirrel up in the net. Keep the net flat on the ground. The squirrel will of course try to get out of the net and probably run to the far end of it. Wearing thick leather gloves (but warning: they can bite through them all), use your index finger and thumb to encircle the squirrels neck--not hard enough to choke but not so slack that the squirrel can turn and bite you. Once done, pick the squirrel up (net and all) and place it into an awaiting carrier (you'll have to be quick about shutting the door). The blanket method works much the same way. Once in the carrier, cover it so that the squirrel is in darkness and can't see you or where you're taking it. If need be, and probably will, the vet can put the entire carrier (if it's a small one) in a chamber to anesthetize it for examination.

If you do buy/borrow a Havahart, get the small one. Lowes and Home Depot (at least around here) sell two sizes. The larger one (medium sized, I suppose) is for raccoons, opossums, cats--things of that size. You want to get the smaller one for a few reasons: 1) you don't really want to catch anything larger than a squirrel, do you? 2) the vet will more likely have a chamber that it will fit in 3) a squirrel weighs (if it's an Eastern Gray) approximately one pound, and in my experience, because of the heavier construction, they have been able to go right over the trip plate and back out of the trap without ever tripping it, and 4) a trapped squirrel will at least initially fight to free itself. The larger the cage/trap the more likely it will injure itself trying to escape.

Good luck to you!

[ransacklv]

:thinking :shakehead

I wonder wtc happend - any luck yet

[BHO]

Good evening. I hope you did capture the poor baby. I only used the chicken wire trap because I personally have no luck with the Havahart trap as I have too many squirrels and groundhogs running around. I will take a pic of my home made trap tomorrow and post it as I am not good at explaining. GB

[snowman11]

With the havahart you can also set up a manual trigger so you can sit out with a string and pop it when you've got the right squirrel in the trap. If you catch two, you can cull.

[Ontario Rehabber]

Any news on this little one?