Shaking Squirrel

[AppleRascal]

This is my first attempt to start a tfread.We have a squirrel that has poor balance. We have tried to give him the best food and do not want to leave him to die without 100 % effort on our end. AppleRascal

[HRT4SQRLS]

Can you give us some details? Is this a pet or a wild squirrel? Age? Nutrition? A general history would be good.

:Welcome to TheSquirrelBoard

[Shewhosweptforest]

Thank you AppleRascal for caring so much :Love_Icon you've come to the right place....we love squirrels and people who love squirrels :grouphug as HRT asked a little background info will help in determining what's up with your lil one :Love_Icon

:Welcome :Love_Icon

[AppleRascal]

Good morning

We have a section behind our house where they hang out.Several years ago we started feeding all the squirrels and other critters. Since the first year we only get the little guys and girls visiting our deck so the squirrel I wrote about is young.A couple of years ago during the winter we came across one who had the same problems so we took him in and he lived for 9 months. We did all we could but in Virginia it is against the law for a vet to care for any wild life which broke our hearts.He was so happy and wish we could have cured him. I will go back and answer all of the replies to my thread asap. Thank you so much for your help. John M.

[AppleRascal]

My wife pointed out the vets can care for wild life. If you bring any critter to a vet in Virginia you must first sign a Good Samaritan waiver and lose all rights to the critter. We want to bring the critter to the vet to get looked at and pay any costs then return the critter to the original location.

[niapet]

We have similar legal issues in MA. If you are bringing wildlife to a sypathetic Vet, make sure ahead of time that they will return the animal to you for rehab, and not just euthanize him/her.

[Mel1959]

I don't know the laws in Va or Ma but if you were to get the little guy to a licensed Rehabber, would they be able to get medical care for it and then return it to you. This might be totally illegal and unethical, but I'm just putting it out there if it's a possibility. Some laws are just plain old dumb!

[niapet]

I don't know the laws in Va or Ma but if you were to get the little guy to a licensed Rehabber, would they be able to get medical care for it and then return it to you. This might be totally illegal and unethical, but I'm just putting it out there if it's a possibility. Some laws are just plain old dumb!

Here in MA, wildlife is required to be "destroyed" if not releasable. So I will only bring animals to a wildlife center if it is beyond my ability to help them, or if it's clear they have a good shot at release.

While I hate the situation this puts us in, I do understand the spirit of the law on not keeping wildlife. If it were legal to keep squirrels as pets, there might be an industry for capturing, breeding and selling them. So we exist in limbo, helping as much as we can. I assume in VA the situation is similar. Maybe it's something about commonwealths =P

[Mel1959]

Thank you for the enlightenment about MA laws. To the best of my knowledge that is not the case in FL. Best of luck with your little one.

[AppleRascal]

I agree the animal rehab is the best solution but these US critters deserve the help they need if a person is willing to care for them. We have several stories in our lives helping critters when they needed it which solved their problems. Several years ago we had a raccoon we called Rockie that came by during the day. We would feed peanuts and he would go. Rockie looked very sick and the guy next door said he had rabies. Well we stuck with it and one day Rockie who was a female brought by her 2 pups. She came around during the day because there was no food during the night. Eventually they started coming by at night and everything was back to normal That is why I do anything I can for critters.

[Shewhosweptforest]

AppleRascal where are you in Virginia? You can pm me....instead of putting it on the open board....I have a vet and rehabber that will work with you :great if it's close enough to you :Love_Icon

[AppleRascal]

We thought he wasn't going to make it. Something happened and his entire tail was stripped of hair. It was easier to track him for a couple of weeks but all of a sudden he looks bigger. I saw him today and even though he still shakes some he got up on our water bowl and took a long drink without shaking. He is running in and out of the yard at full speed. We are hoping the peanuts walnuts shelled peanuts and black sun flower seeds he has been eating has given him the nutrition to get better. We will continue to watch him on a daily basis this summer and if need be catch him before it gets too cold. I have some pictures but do not know how to attach them here.John