Wild squirrel slow with its head down

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

Hi, there is a wild squirrel approx. 15 weeks old sitting in front of the tree on the ground in the sun. I noticed as I approached it, it just sat there instead of running. It appears as if maybe it has a head injury but not sure. I threw it a hazelnut to see its reaction and it grabbed it and was able to open the shell but kept falling asleep while eating it. I tried to get closer to it and it would crawl away each time just enough to keep its distance. Right now it is on the ground in the sun. I'm worried the fox will get it if it stays on the ground. Is there anything I can do for it? I do have lots of prednisone if needed. Thanks

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

I went inside for 15 minutes. When I came back outside the squirrels were squawking on that side of my woods. There was no sign of the little guy anywhere. I'm hoping he went up the tree and didn't end up being prey for whatever the squirrels were squawking about. Does anyone know how you catch a wild squirrel quickly when it needs help right away? Thanks

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

The squirrel with the possible head injury was sitting in the sunny yard area in front of the trees again this evening. I tossed it an avocado and a unshelled almond. It stayed about 2 feet away from me while eating. It kept falling asleep with its head down while eating. Once it was finished eating it came towards me for more. It seemed a little off balance and its perception was a little off. I think it is actually one of the spring babies that is about 8 months old. After it finished eating , it walked slowly towards a huge stick pile next to the trees and crawled under it. It does seem better than it did yesterday. It is still in bad shape though. Is there anything I can put on her food tomorrow to help with her recovery if I see her again? Thanks

[RockyPops]

I'm sorry no one's answered you yet but they will. I think there may be meds that might help but administering them will be the challenge. If you knew what to give maybe you could doctor up a treat for it.

Keep checking back for a response.

Thanks for helping the little one!

[SammysMom]

If it is on the ground only, this definitely in danger. Do you have a safe place you could keep it temporarily if you catch it?
It is very important to have a plan before trapping. Medicating is not usually advisable in the wild as it needs to be dosed regularly and you can't be sure they will show up.
Can you tell if there might be a tooth issue? Maybe pics and/or video would help us.

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

Hi ,
I do have a safe place to keep her if I can trap her somehow. She is wild but is one that use to run up to me for treats daily. I have a video but I'm having trouble uploading it.

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

I'm also not sure if she went under the stick pile to sleep for the night or if she crawled up to her tree before it got dark. She is able to climb the trees slowly also.

[SammysMom]

I would probably try to trap her. Slow is dangerous in the wild

[SammysMom]

Upload video to YouTube and post a link.

[redwuff]

It might be this youngster is exhausted from the situation that is occurring for him. I have due a cat carrier to catch several wild things before. Let me know if I can guide you through.

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

Hi , I looked for her throughout the day and no sign of her that I could see. I'm hoping she is recovering in her tree. I will keep an eye out tomorrow. Thanks.

[SammysMom]

I've been hoping your little friend would appear. I'm so sorry she hasn't :sad

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

I'm still looking throughout the day for her. I hope she is safe and recovering in her nest or den. She did have some improvement such as being able to run a little and move a little better within the 24 hours of seeing her. Does anyone know the chance of survival beyond the first 24 hours? I thought maybe it was a good sign that she made it and was slightly improved within 24 hrs. She was next to several trees so she could be up in the nest recovering. I haven't seen her for 2 days now. Thanks

[SammysMom]

There is always hope! :Love_Icon

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

Hi, I'm pretty sure I saw the head injury squirrel doing just fine today. She appeared to be back to her normal self and in her same tree area that she was in before. Thanks