Found a baby squirrel

[Harrysmom05]

The night before last we had terrible thunderstorms all night. Monday morning I was in our front yard taking my son's "first day of school" pic, and noticed what I thought was a squirrel half running, half hopping in the grass near a large maple tree. As I approached, I discovered it was indeed a squirrel. A larger "baby" that was soaking wet. My son ran and grabbed a towel that I dropped over it to pick it up. We put it in a small rodent cage shut in our bathroom while we were at work, and when we got home we read up online about babies. We ran out and bought Esbilac and syringes and rodent block, borrowed a larger cage and have been tending to him all day.
He was doing great. He was chewing on the block, drinking the formula, I'd observed him pee and poop on his own.
Then earlier this evening he had a seizure. I was terrified and thought for sure he was dying, then he suddenly stopped and has been fine. Could this be a result of falling from his nest in the storm? We tried to see where the nest is but there are so many trees and squirrels near us, it's impossible to find his mom or any nestmates. Will he outgrow the seizures, or is this a lifetime affliction? There is a wildlife "refuge" near us, but they have a history of feeding small rodents and birds to large hawks that can't fly. Just looking for some advice.

[Spanky]

:thankyou for helping this little one and :Welcome to TSB!
Yes, this could be from a fall.

Can you post pictures of him? :flash

Does he have a head tilt to one side or the other?

Is he stable when he sits on his haunches or does he fall over or have to lean on something?

Does he walk in circles or always turn to one side or another?

[Harrysmom05]

Just prior to the seizure he did several circles. He walks kind of wobbly, but is pretty good at climbing. He can sit on his haunches, has both his top and bottom front teeth, gums are nice and pink, eyes are shiny, fur is soft and he weighs 170 grams. Oh, and he can curl his tail also. I attached a few pics.

[Spanky]

Then earlier this evening he had a seizure. I was terrified and thought for sure he was dying, then he suddenly stopped and has been fine.

Could this be a result of falling from his nest in the storm?

Will he outgrow the seizures, or is this a lifetime affliction?


Just prior to the seizure he did several circles. He walks kind of wobbly, but is pretty good at climbing. He can sit on his haunches, has both his top and bottom front teeth, gums are nice and pink, eyes are shiny, fur is soft and he weighs 170 grams. Oh, and he can curl his tail also. I attached a few pics.

Have you ever seen him walk in circles besides just prior to the seizures?

Do you ever notice "white tears" in his eyes?

Good chance that he bumped his head or hurt his back in the fall. If it is not a bad injury he has a good chance of recovery. Sometimes seizures are caused by swelling that places pressure on their brain or spine causing seizures. Treating them with an anti-inflammatory like prednisone or metacam (also know as meloxicam) can help sometimes. Do you have access to prednisone and / or metacam (AKA Meloxicam)?

PS Have you given the little guy a name?

[Harrysmom05]

No, he hadn't walked in circles before. Just right before the seizure. I didn't notice any "white tears" either. He's doing remarkably well, I think because he's older (I'm guessing 9 to 10 weeks)
We've been calling him Rocky, partially for Rocky & Bullwinkle, and partially because he's a fighter.
Not sure about getting ahold of any anti-inflammatory though.

[squirrelfriend]

Thanks for saving this little one. Btw it's a girl. A sweet little girl.

[Spanky]

Keep a close eye on him and watch for more seizures or the other behavior (circles, head tilt, etc.) and keep us updated. If he has another seizure, you can try rubbing molasses (1st choice) or syrup (2nd choice) on his gums... he needs only get a little bit of sugar and that will often help.

In the meantime, see if you can find a friend or family member than might have prednisone or meloxicam, just to be prepared. You can also pick up some INFANT Ibuprofen (which is "third choice" but still a choice better than nothing). Do not give anything unless some one provides dosing, which we will need an accurate weight.

Thanks for helping this little one!

[Harrysmom05]

She's doing ok so far today. She's not drinking much from the syringe though, but she's nibbling at the rodent block frequently. She's pretty clumsy when first standING on her hind legs and she has to steady herself, then she's ok. She's definitely more agile when climbing.

[Harrysmom05]

Just a quick update on my little squirrel girl. No seizure activity as of yet today. She slept a good bit of the morning after I coaxed and coaxed her to have some Esbilac. She's up running and climbing like crazy now, and is eating the rodent block like it's going out of style! She's drinking water from a standard rodent water bottle, and she's peeing and pooping regularly. Is it possible she's just getting old enough that she doesn't need milk anymore?
She's also learned a new trick today. She's taken to climbing one wall of her cage and leaping across to the adjacent wall! Must be getting stronger. I tried weighing her again today but she won't hold still. I zero the scale, put her in the bowl and she immediately tries to make a break for it. She hasn't lost any weight anyhow, the scale did get to 170, but then bounced between 170 and 172 grams while she flailed around. Thanks to everyone who offered assistance yesterday, I greatly appreciate it!

[Spanky]

Great news, no seizures! :w00t

What type of rodent block is she eating?

The Esbilac is a great thing to give them for as long as they will take it! Helps to ensure a balanced nutritional diet. :thumbsup
Do you plan on releasing her when she is all grown up? :squirrel3

[Harrysmom05]

We read on a squirrel care site to give them rat/mouse block, that it will have the closest nutrition to what she needs if we can't get actual squirrel block.

[Mel1959]

Squirrel block can be ordered from Henrys a Healthy Pets. A good rodent block would be Harlan Teklad (purchase online), Oxbow or Mazuri, both can be purchased at pet stores. Glad to hear she hasn't had anymore seizures.

Is she regulating her body temperature ok? Does she feel warm when you pick her up?

[Harrysmom05]

I spoke too soon, she just had another seizure 😕
It didn't seem as bad as the one yesterday, but still very scary. I'm going to seek out a good wildlife refuge tomorrow to take her to so hopefully she can get the best care and medication and have the best chance.

[Spanky]

I spoke too soon, she just had another seizure ��
It didn't seem as bad as the one yesterday, but still very scary. I'm going to seek out a good wildlife refuge tomorrow to take her to so hopefully she can get the best care and medication and have the best chance.

Damn! Did you have molasses (or syrup) on hand?

Make sure you ask lots of questions of any place you take her... you can post the place here in event someone is familiar with the facility they may be able to give a thumbs up for reassurance.

How far are you willing to travel to get her to an experienced rehabber? Can you share the city or county/general area you are located?

[Harrysmom05]

Damn! Did you have molasses (or syrup) on hand?

Make sure you ask lots of questions of any place you take her... you can post the place here in event someone is familiar with the facility they may be able to give a thumbs up for reassurance.

How far are you willing to travel to get her to an experienced rehabber? Can you share the city or county/general area you are located?


I live in Blair county, PA. I was looking at the Centre County Wildlife rehabilitation center. I don't trust the one here in Blair County.

[Milo's Mom]

The Director of Centre is one of the best in the state. She is by the book and some might even say hard core, but she knows her stuff and is held in high regard by her colleagues.

Next closest is in Lancaster County unless you want to go out towards Pittsburgh...Somerset area.

[Harrysmom05]

Thank you so so so much! I'm so in love with this little gal and I just want to give her the best chance!

[Harrysmom05]

Another update...our little Doreen, aka Squirrel Girl was taken an hour and 20 minutes to a wildlife rehab this morning where she's receiving proper meds and is looking great! If anyone is interested and has facebook, Native Path Wildlife Center is where she's at and they'll post updates there with pics! Thanks so much for all the advice the past few days. I left a little piece of my heart with her this morning, but I know it was the right decision and she now has the best chance of surviving!