How to capture an adult squirrel with a possible broken leg

[Lauratales]

Hi

I am urgently seeking advise on how to capture a wild adult squirrel with a potential broken leg. The squirrel was injured by a cat and is now hiding under a shed, which we can not access. The squirrel seems to be making distress noises.

Can u please advise us what to do once we have captured it. We live in Cape Town, South Africa.

Thank u

[JakesLittlePrincess]

Hello, glad you stopped in and thank you for trying to help this guy. I had to trap a squirrel last year and put down a bunch of nuts waited completely still for a while with the net pictured below by the nuts. Eventually he was hungry enough and ventured near the net I was able to scoop him up and immediately put him in a cat crate to transport for medical attention. The net below is a butterfly net but I used a larger fishing net with handle.

[Jackie in Tampa]

:goodpost

[astra]

one thing people do here is they get a hav-a-hart trap that are sold at Home Depot type of stores.
Do you have anything similar to that where you are?
If you do, get the trap, set it up and wait, But set it up in such a way that it will be in her direct view, since she is hiding.

Another thing: if she is under the shed, I assume there is a limited number of exits for her. Is there a way for you to block all other spaces/exits/slits, so that only one is left?... then, you can either wait for her by that one exit for her to crawl out on her own.
OR,
YOu can wait at that one exit and somehow encourage her to start getting out (by making noise in the shed, maybe). What you can use to capture her at the exit:
1. use a jacket and just quickly cover her when she gets out. Just be really on alert because they are fast and she can be fast even with an injury. But it is possible. If you sit over that exit with a jacket/blanket/large piece of thick fabric/etc), you can quickly cover her with it as soon as she gets out.
Sit as close to the ground as possible b/c you might end up losing precious seconds if you are towering over that exit. Speaking from experience - even injured squirrels can be fast, so you need to really squat to make sure you don't miss her when she does come out.

2. depending on how much time you have, you can get chicken wire, make a large "bag"-sort of thing (sack etc), that you can position right in front of the exit, so that when she does run out, she will run inside the "bag".
To make this "sack"/"bag" - cut a piece of wire and make a tube (it will have two entrances, right?)
Then, cut another piece of wire the size of one of those entrances and attach/sow it onto on of the entrances. This way you will get a cylindrical kind of "bag" or "sack".
The only reason I suggested the cynlindrical is that it is easier to position it on the ground and keep it open.
But if you are pressed for time, she make any kind of large bag out of the wire and position it right in front of the squirrel's exit so that she will run out straight into it.

3. The Last RESort: block all other cracks/entrances/exits, get very thick gloves and reach for her. This is the most stressful thing, but if all else fails it will be the only thing.

If she was injured by a cat, she needs antibiotics.
Cat saliva is deadly and most likely, without antibiotics she will die of infection.

Do you have any pets?... or have friends with pets who might have abs?
If not, check your own meds.
Human grade ABs can work, too - just post here what you have and one of our experts will help you dose it.

Please keep checking often - someone might have better ideas than mine.

[Lauratales]

Thanks so much for the posts so far :) Im off to try and catch the little critter. Will let you know how it goes. I do havea humane rat trap that il take along with me, only issue is that it needs the bait to be pulled in order for the door to close. And the other problem is it is night time now completly dark outside. Im worried if we try and catch it now that it will run off and be worse off. But if i leave it the chances of the cat nabbing it are even greater. I have some antibiotics from when i had the babies. Sadley they didnt even get a chance to use them. If i do manage to catch it i will only be able to take it to the vet on Monday morning as no vets are open on a sunday here.

[astra]

Thanks so much for the posts so far :) Im off to try and catch the little critter. Will let you know how it goes. I do havea humane rat trap that il take along with me, only issue is that it needs the bait to be pulled in order for the door to close. And the other problem is it is night time now completly dark outside. Im worried if we try and catch it now that it will run off and be worse off. But if i leave it the chances of the cat nabbing it are even greater. I have some antibiotics from when i had the babies. Sadley they didnt even get a chance to use them. If i do manage to catch it i will only be able to take it to the vet on Monday morning as no vets are open on a sunday here.
if it is night, can you block all other "exits" under the shed and "stalk" her by the only exit you will leave?
I am afraid that you leave her for the night, either the cat will get to her, or she might get out and disappear.
With cat injuries she won't make it without abs.

I am thinking... will it be worth 'nudging' her out of there? say, flash light or something, but make sure you can catch her if she does run out.

If you catch her, just post what abs you have here and someone will help you dose.
Good luck! Sending prayers you can catch her:grouphug

[Lauratales]

I think the antibiotics i have are bytryl? Will double check and let you know asap. Off to see what i can do. Will post pics if i manage to capture the poor little thing

[Skul]

Baytril is perfect.:thumbsup
Hope you can capture the little one.

[Lauratales]

Ok. We managed to catch the poor thing. It is absolutly terrified and stressed to the extream. its a female, young adult. I put rehydrate in water and some muselie (nuts oats mixture) in the cage for the night and covered it leaving her to chill. When i looked in on her earliar she hasnt touched anything. Worried she will get dehydrated :( i cannot handle her as i feel this will stress her out more. She did not once try to bite us, she scratched someone trying to get away from being caught but that was about it. She has a big nest of blankets that she has snuggled into and is just sleeping the whole time.

Physically im not so sure she has a broken leg she was running on it ok, but she is not very agile at all. She cannot climb and seems very dazed. I cannot see any damage from cats getting hold of her but she does have a winter coat so it may be hiding it.

Any ideas as to what i should do? I know if i release her, her chances wont be great. But im not sure keeping her in cptivity is the best idea either. I will only have access to a vet in the morning, but im worried if she goes another day without rehydrate she wont make it.
:dono

[astra]

Ok. We managed to catch the poor thing. It is absolutly terrified and stressed to the extream. its a female, young adult. I put rehydrate in water and some muselie (nuts oats mixture) in the cage for the night and covered it leaving her to chill. When i looked in on her earliar she hasnt touched anything. Worried she will get dehydrated :( i cannot handle her as i feel this will stress her out more. She did not once try to bite us, she scratched someone trying to get away from being caught but that was about it. She has a big nest of blankets that she has snuggled into and is just sleeping the whole time.

Physically im not so sure she has a broken leg she was running on it ok, but she is not very agile at all. She cannot climb and seems very dazed. I cannot see any damage from cats getting hold of her but she does have a winter coat so it may be hiding it.

Any ideas as to what i should do? I know if i release her, her chances wont be great. But im not sure keeping her in cptivity is the best idea either. I will only have access to a vet in the morning, but im worried if she goes another day without rehydrate she wont make it.
:dono
Since cat attacked her the risk of infection is very high- there might be tiny scratches that you can't see through fur but that are infected with cat saliva. So I think she still needs abs and needs to go through a course of abs. If she is fine and well after the abs course
you can always let her go.
But for now she needs abs.
Adult squirrels can be scary to handle but it is possible ( speaking fromsome experience ;)) and you will have to handle her to administer abs. She might be scared now but once she sees you are not eating her this initial stress will go away.
Is she in a cage right now?
Get gloves and a thick blankie or just blankie. I don't like gloves very much because I can't feel anything in them.
So fold the blankie in several layers so it is thick but you can still handle her.
Reach in the cage and gently but firmly grab her with the blankie and burrito her. This way you can try giving her a syringe.
I know this can be done. It is scary but once you do it a couple of times you will be a pro.

[Lauratales]

Great news. The squigg was absolutly fine. Vet said that because she had reached an adrenaline high over such a long period (cat chasing her, us chasing her, being caught etc) she was completly physically drained which is why she slept for 3 days straight. We have released her in a much safer area where she cannot come into contact with cars etc...

[sleeping koala]

Great News ! :)
BTW did you take photos of the squirrel ?

Cheers
SK