Wild 5 month old squirrel with broken tail

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

I have been feeding a 5 month old female squirrel that has a limp , dangling tail. It looks like she has no control over it at all and it could possibly fall completely off. Can squirrels get around ok without their tails? I do have a few older adult squirrels with stiff short tails that get around just fine. I just think her tail is broken right at the base of the tail.

[lennysmom]

Yes wild squirrels can learn to adapt just fine without their tail. I had a wild young squirrel that I was feeding and he also had a limp tail. It made it difficult for him to balance with his tail flopping as he moved, but he still managed ok. He finally chewed his tail off after a few weeks of it dangling. Afterwards, he could move much better and seemed happier. He stuck around for several months after that and seemed to do just fine without his tail.

Of course I watched him closely as I was concerned about him and fed him often.. well spoiled him rotten really. But I truly think the extra nutrition helped him as he was learning to adjust after the loss of his tail.
Hopefully the little girly in your yard will do just fine without the use of her tail as well.

[MapleRidgesquirrel]

Thanks , I hope so too.