Baby squirrel fell 8 ft

[squirrelgirl81]

I was cleaning off our deck when a baby squirrel feel from an 8 ft tall light on our deck. His nest apparently is in the top of the light. He let out a squeal whenever he landed. His body not including tail is about 4-5 inches. He did not move, but shivered a bit when we approached him. My husband picked him up and he gripped with his feet, but did not run away or attempt to get away. We put him inside an old hat to keep him warm and placed him on the ground near his nest.

What else can we do?

[squirrelgirl81]

here are two pictures of the little guy if it helps any.

http://www.tvgstudios.com/folder/sq1.jpg

http://www.tvgstudios.com/folder/sq2.jpg

[Chihua Lover]

AAAWWWW - I hope his mommy comes back!!! If not, you got a baby to take care of!!!!!:D

[skye]

Oh look at the poor sweet little darling I sure hope he didn't get hurt from his fall and pray his mommy comes back for him. Bless you for helping this little guy out please keep us inform how he is doing and what happens.:) and :Welcome

[squirrelgirl81]

we just added a sock with warm rice. he is still "moving" but not walking or anything.

[island rehabber]

squirrelgirl81, just so you know it's ok to handle him -- his mother will still come back and get him, and he won't hurt you either. You said he's moving.....you might want to pick him up for a minute and see if he can crawl on you or walk normally, because if he's really injured we need to get you a wildlife rehabber or vet immediately.

[squirrelgirl81]

The baby is still breathing. I haven't had a chance yet to pick it up to see if it crawls or not. How long do i need to leave it there and wait for the mom to come get it? should i put it back up in the light? i think there are other babies up there, but i'm not sure. is there someone i can contact to take it over from here?

[Rhapsody]

How long do i need to leave it there and wait for the mom to come get it?


The average time given to wait is 4 hours..... if mom does not return then, take the baby squirrel inside and keep him warm and check to see if he is hydrated - if not he will need to be given some Pedialyte once he is warmed up.

[LynninIN]

Have you placed a rice buddy or anything warm in with the baby? Making sure it's warm and not trying to feed it anything for now are the most important things to do. As long as the mom is not hurt she will come back for the baby, it just takes time. Is the baby crying? What's the outdoor temp where you are?

[Rhapsody]

Have you placed a rice buddy or anything warm in with the baby?


Yes.... she said she had added a "rice buddy" :thumbsup



we just added a sock with warm rice. he is still "moving" but not walking or anything.

[LynninIN]

Yes.... she said she had added a "rice buddy" :thumbsup
Missed that part, thanks Rhapsody.

[Kahn]

Wow! If we could only get this kind of response from our HMOs. :( Good luck with the little one. I hope mom comes back and takes over.

An 8 foot fall isn't a huge distance even though it might be for us. I've learned their little bones are pretty spongy all throughout their lives and are pretty resilient even after falls. If it moves its head, that's a really good sign there aren't any neck injuries. That'd be my only worry.

In the meantime, if you think there might be other little ones up there, consider putting something underneath to catch any other bail jumpers. If you have already, awesome! Great work so far. This is the place to be if you need help.

[TexanSquirrel]

Good luck with the little one.:grouphug

[squirrelgirl81]

wow! thank you guys for all of your help! we called a wildlife rehabilitator and she came and picked up the baby. thank you again for your quick responses and suggestions.

[susanw]

Great job, thank you so much!:thumbsup

[island rehabber]

Good job, squirrelgirl81!! Thank you for caring about that sweet baby squirrel.. :thumbsup :)

[roto]

Way to go!

Hope you sleep well tonight and dream happy squirrel dreams.

The world needs more people like you.

:thumbsup

[TexanSquirrel]

:thumbsup

[Squirrellie]

That's great that everything worked out & that sweet little one will get the help he needs. Thanks for caring!:thankyou :thankyou