Possible broken leg

[CaseyF]

Hi Everyone!

I have a menagerie of wildlife in our backyard, including lots and lots of squirrels. Over time, a lot of them have become friendly towards me, so of course they all have names and special places in my heart. Last Wednesday (5/8), one of my favorites, Big Mama, came to eat seed and pecans like she normally does. When I went outside later, she was obviously hurt. She couldn't seem to put pressure on her back left leg. She managed to climb a neighbors tree, then we had a horrible storm (it spawned tornadoes even!) blow through. After that, I haven't seen her again... until this morning! I was so thrilled to see her munching away on seeds in the spot I always leave them for her! Sadly though, I do believe her back left leg is broken. She could still run and climb, and she was very hungry and eager to take pecans from me. Once she was full, she scampered up the tree and was leaping from branch to branch. I was quite amazed to watch her do that with only 3 legs!

My question is... do I just leave her be? Or, do I try and get her to a rehabber? I feel like I could probably catch her, however; if she's able to survive as she is, is it more humane to just leave her alone? The nearest rehabber is over 2 hours away, and I hate to take her out of her familiar territory if it isn't necessary. I'm always so torn on what to do! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I just want to do what's in her best interest.

Thanks so much!

[GoldenEyes]

I don't know if that's Big Mama's picture but, just like in that picture, you might be dealing with a female squirrel who is nursing her young so I would leave Big Mama alone especially since she's able to climb and maneuver her way with ease. When I used to have a yard where all kinds of wilds frequently visited, there was one wild squirrel who used to visit that lost a foot but he adapted to his situation and lived for a very long time. Hopefully, Big Mama's leg will heal over time and have her regain use of it. But this is just my opinion. Let's see what others will suggest.

[CaseyF]

Thank you so much for your reply! Yes, that is a photo of Big Mama... it was taken on 3/26/19. I originally started calling her Big Mama because it always looks like she's nursing babies. I know that can't be, but it certainly looks that way! She could very well be nursing now as she is adamant about getting back "home". She always came down our alleyway via telephone lines, so I never really knew where she lived... just that it wasn't anywhere in ours or my direct neighbors yards. Since she can't really maneuver the cables now with the back leg the way it is, I wasn't sure how she got here this morning. But, I followed her just now on her way home. She had to leap many branches to get to a tree closest to the street. Then she took the curb all the way around the corner to a pecan tree in a neighbors yard a few houses down! So, she comes a long way to eat... It breaks my heart to see that leg just flapping around, but it seems like she is managing.

I do feel better after hearing your story, so thank you for sharing! I hate seeing any of them get hurt... it's just worse when it's one you know and have developed a relationship with!