brought home squirrel in distress,need advice

[4life]

Hi

I am new to this board, but need some advice. My wife and I were on a walk this evening and out of nowhere we see this squirrel running across the street and crying and looking as if in a panic. He was trying to climb the electric pole but could not. He kind of was crawling on his tummy. He went out into the street and almost got hit by a car. ( we live in the city of Chicago). He was screeching( I am guessing crying?). I went back to my house which was a block and half away to get a shoe box. We did not want to leave him out there alone, he seemed in distress. He even came near my foot and was laying there. Well I got a shoe box and put on some heavy gloves and put him in the box. He cried for a bit and then finally calmed down. We called a wildlife rehab place here and they said to just keep him in a cardboard box lined with soft cotton sheets/blanket with a lid on it and to bring him to then in the morning.

I am not sure how old he is. He is not a tiny baby, his tail is somewhat bushy. I do not think he is that old either though. Anyhow, we are not certain what to do. We now transferred him to a litte bit bigger box than the shoe box we brought him home in. When I picked him up( with the thick rubber gloves on so I would not get bit), he was not happy, he screeched and nipped at me. I got him in the box with the blanket. He has quieted down now( probably sleeping).

Here is my question. My wife thinks we should wait and see what he is like in the morning before we take him to the wildlife place. She said that we should take him back where we found him and see if he can walk or go on his own. We are not sure what happened to him. I mean he was like crying and carrying on and acting in a panic when we found him. Not sure what was wrong with him. Should we see how he is in the morning before taking him to the rehab place. My wife says that we should only take him there if he is still acting odd or cannot climb up the tree. what do you all think????

[BamaHam]

Welcome ! Thanks for helping baby. He was probably just scarred just like any baby who is lost from mama. They will cry and squeal. Keep him in a quiet dark place for the night and in the morning he'll be ok to take to wild life. :Welcome

[4life]

Do you think we should bring him back to where we found him and see if he will be ok to just let him go free or should we take him to the wild life rehab?? He is not a tiny baby, he looks about 4 months old or maybe a bit older, but he is young. I just hate to take him out of his environment unless he is hurt or something. He was acting really odd, I mean running in a panic and could not get up the pole even. What do you think? If he was real young, where was the mother squirrel?? How can you tell how old they are?








Welcome ! Thanks for helping baby. He was probably just scarred just like any baby who is lost from mama. They will cry and squeal. Keep him in a quiet dark place for the night and in the morning he'll be ok to take to wild life. :Welcome

[BamaHam]

If his tail is not too bushy, he's probably not old enough to be away from his mom. I don't know if you take him back will help. Chances are mom is not there looking for him. She probably has others to take care of. I don't think he'll find his way back by himself. If you knew exactly where the nest was then his chances would be better. He will cry for her and she would come to get him. But I wouldn't chance it by taking him back to the place you found him and letting him go. Squirrels are not nocturnal ( only flying squirrels) and therefore its rare to find one at night. His nest could have been disturbed by a predator.

[BamaHam]

We have rehabbers in Illinois but not sure how close they are to you. Hopefully one will come on and contact you and help you out. Please check in the morning and see if someone experienced can help. I think there is one in Chicago.

[Jackie in Tampa]

:Welcome :wave123
You do not have full acsess to the board yet, but when you do, can you take a pic and post it so we can see his age?
Was he on all fours? or does it appear he is having difficulty moving around?
Do not take him back if he was almost hit by a car..
do you have heating pad under half the box? set on low.
Cover the top of the box so he feels he is hiding and safe.
Do you feel he is a baby, a juvy or an adult?
If he is injured and you take him to a facility, they are usually understaffed and try to save the healthy and releasable, it's best to find a rehabber.
A shallow bowl of water and some tshirts for him to hide in until we can get a pic and or some help..
hang tight...and thank you.
I will send Private Message to a rehabber not too far from you.

http://www.2ndhandranch.com/index.html
This is Nancys link...
hoping she responds and has advise.
Good luck

[4life]

Thanks for the replies,

Jackie,

We have him in a covered box and through the night he seemed ok, no more crying, just he scratched at the box a few times.

So are you saying not to bring him to a wildlife rehab place?? I do not know of any rehabbers close to here personally. I would be greatly appreciative if you could find me someone that could take him. I will try and post a picture of him. We did not give him any food or water ( that is what the wildlife rehabbers told us). I have not opened the box, I dont want to scare him. When I picked him up ( I was wearing thick rubber gloves) to put him in the box last night he did screech and try and bite. Not sure if he is injured or not. When we found him he was like low to the ground almost like crawling with his body flat to the ground. He also tried to get up a pole but could not succeed. He even tried scaling a near by garage but could not, so I am not sure. Maybe he fell from a tree and was scared or hurt, I just do not know. Please advise on what we should do. We have to get him somewhere today or to someone who can take him....












:Welcome :wave123
You do not have full acsess to the board yet, but when you do, can you take a pic and post it so we can see his age?
Was he on all fours? or does it appear he is having difficulty moving around?
Do not take him back if he was almost hit by a car..
do you have heating pad under half the box? set on low.
Cover the top of the box so he feels he is hiding and safe.
Do you feel he is a baby, a juvy or an adult?
If he is injured and you take him to a facility, they are usually understaffed and try to save the healthy and releasable, it's best to find a rehabber.
A shallow bowl of water and some tshirts for him to hide in until we can get a pic and or some help..
hang tight...and thank you.
I will send Private Message to a rehabber not too far from you.

http://www.2ndhandranch.com/index.html
This is Nancys link...
hoping she responds and has advise.
Good luck

[pappy1264]

Yes, I believe that is what she is saying. Many facilities, as they are always so full, will put them down, esp. if there is anything possibly wrong. Hopefully there are some rehabbers close enough to you to help. Thank you for taking the time to help this little one in need and not just walking away, like many would have done. You are this little ones angel on earth!

[CritterMom]

Thanks for the replies,

Jackie,

We have him in a covered box and through the night he seemed ok, no more crying, just he scratched at the box a few times.

So are you saying not to bring him to a wildlife rehab place?? I do know of any rehabbers close to here personally. I would be greatly appreciative if you could find me someone that could take him. I will try and post a picture of him. We did not give him any food or water ( that is what the wildlife rehabbers told us). I have not opened the box, I dont want to scare him. When I picked him up ( I was wearing thick rubber gloves) to put him in the box last night he did screech and try and bite. Not sure if he is injured or not. When we found him he was like low to the ground almost like crawling with his body flat to the ground. He also tried to get up a pole but could not succeed. He even tried scaling a near by garage but could not, so I am not sure. Maybe he fell from a tree and was scared or hurt, I just do not know. Please advise on what we should do. We have to get him somewhere today or to someone who can take him....


If you can reach the rehabber Jackie posted a link to, do so - she is one of us...which means she won't immediately euthanize without giving an injured baby a chance.

This little one needs food and water. Put a small, heavy dish with some water in there and some wet fruit like watermelon is good, too. A few little pieces of pecan or the like would be good too. It isn't a balanced diet by a long shot but for now he needs hydration and food badly.

[4life]

I went on that website that Jackie posted, on the site they just gave a few numbers for here in cook county where I live. I called a couple, one said they only take birds, and the other when I asked if they would help him even if he was injured, he said they will put him to sleep if he is hurt. This is not what I want to happen. He said all wildlife rehabbers will do the same thing. What should I do?? I need to find a safe place for this little guy. Not sure where Nancy the rehab person you spoke of is located. We are in the North part of Chicago in cook county IL. I do know where to go from here. I really need to find a safe place for him today...

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

Nancy is in Princeton is that far from you

She is out of town on business, will see if I can get a hold of one of her people
hold on

[pappy1264]

No, that is not true, not all rehabbers will automatically. Some will have the baby evaluated and go from there. If there is a chance of having a life (even as a nr) they will give it that chance. If it so severe an injury that any type of life would one of pain and suffering, then obviously they could not allow an animal to go through that. But they will do all they can to give it that chance.

[4life]

I believe Princeton I believe is pretty far from where I am at, I am looking it up right now. The only rehab facility here close to us that we found is a place called Flintcreek wildlife facility. Have you ever heard of this place, is it good or reliable?

[Jackie in Tampa]

I have a number for an older gentleman..I have not spoken with him in a couple years..he is in south cook county if I remember right..
I hope his number works and he can help, even to give you another rehabbers name..I believe his vet comes to him..hope the old guy is still with us:)
Dwight 708-758-2761

I also have a few members in the chicago area that I will Private message to this thread..
thank you....

[4life]

I called the number and spoke to en elderly gentlemen named Dwight. He said he does take squirrels. Here is my question, is he able to assess the situation to see if the squirrel is ok or injured. You said he has a vet come out to him??? Is he a licensed rehabber? He did not say much. Do you know personally if he is a good rehabber?? I just want to take him where he will be in the best hands..








I have a number for an older gentleman..I have not spoken with him in a couple years..he is in south cook county if I remember right..
I hope his number works and he can help, even to give you another rehabbers name..I believe his vet comes to him..hope the old guy is still with us:)
Dwight 708-758-2761

I also have a few members in the chicago area that I will Private message to this thread..
thank you....

[Jackie in Tampa]

I spoke with him years ago..and his wife..
he has over 30 years experience..maybe 100:) he's old!
license or not, he has heart and a vet
and that is a start.
I cannot promise anything about Dwight,,,
I got good vibes from our conversations..I have woke him up in the middle of the night...and have sent many sqs to him as i am doing now..
I am not a licensed rehabber and I consider myself a seasoned sq care giver..all hands on and good vet help...and it's my passion, I am sure after 30 years..Dwight is a sq angel...
good luck, we know he will at least try..
If you find that Dwights is not ideal, don't leave the baby ..
and please let us know the experience...and we will keep looking..

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

no answer on my side...go with Dwight :thumbsup

[4life]

Ok,New update! We took the box outside on the porch and opened the top a little just to check on the little guy, He jumped out and ran off like a bolt of lightening! We tried to find him, now we have no clue where he is. He like bloted out of the box and jumped off the porch and ran. I feel so awful! I was just trying to check on him, maybe give him some water or something, but he bolted. I mean he went fast, I could not even see where he went. Now I feel bad, he was likely terrified being in that box all night. Do you think he is ok? From his size, he did not look like a tiny baby. He had a bushy tail. I think he was likely young, but not real young, maybe a juvi. I am not sure though. I just hope he will be ok. What do you all think??? I could not believe how he jumped out of that box, he almost jumped on me when he bolted out of the box. He did poop and pee in the box as I seen it in the box. Do you think he will be ok???

[island rehabber]

If ALL FOUR legs were working, he's okay. You said originally that he appeared "flat" when moving, which is how a squirrel with a broken back or spinal injury looks when trying to run. If that is the case still, he will be lunch for some predator unless you try to recapture him. BUT, if he merely was stunned from a fall when you picked him up and had a nice recovery period overnight, he's good to go.

[4life]

All I know is, he jumped onto the back porch railing and jumped to the ground and ran like crazy, I honestly had a hard time seeing him as he went so fast. We looked around everywhere and cant find him. Not sure if he is hiding in a bush somewhere or what, I have no idea. If his back or spine was injured, would he have been able to jump like that and run that fast?? I am guessing he was on all fours, He was so fast I had a hard time even seeing where he went. He literally bolted( likely from being scared since he was in the box all night.) I sure hope he is ok. I am going to take another look around and see if I see him anywhere.










If ALL FOUR legs were working, he's okay. You said originally that he appeared "flat" when moving, which is how a squirrel with a broken back or spinal injury looks when trying to run. If that is the case still, he will be lunch for some predator unless you try to recapture him. BUT, if he merely was stunned from a fall when you picked him up and had a nice recovery period overnight, he's good to go.

[2ndHandRanchRescue]

Hey Nancy in Princeton IL here - I'm on a business trip in Ohio now but here's a link for rehabbers in Illinois

http://www.2ndhandranch.com/find-illinois-wildlife-rehabber.html

[2ndHandRanchRescue]

well what happened??? I am back. BTW Dwight from PAWS Critter Crossing is THE BEST - he may no be on any list but his place is top notch as he helped me ages ago with a very sick duck. The DNR uses him for most of their injured wildlife he is a gifted healer.

[Jackie in Tampa]

well what happened??? I am back. BTW Dwight from PAWS Critter Crossing is THE BEST - he may no be on any list but his place is top notch as he helped me ages ago with a very sick duck. The DNR uses him for most of their injured wildlife he is a gifted healer.thank you for confirmation..
I really was impressed with him via telephone..
hi Nancy:wave123