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Thread: Stinky squirrels

  1. #1
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    Question Stinky squirrels

    Hi! I’m new here.. I rescued 2 baby tree squirrels during Ida. We were outside during the storm and I heard what I thought was birds chirping. My husband informed me that he was sure it was baby squirrels squealing. We went to the neighbors yard where we heard the sound and sure enough we found 2 babies. The wind had gotten so bad we couldn’t stay under the tree any longer to look for more and the next morning we found one more that didn’t make it. Anyways, the babies seem to be doing great. They still have their eyes closed but look close to opening them. This last week they started stinking. It’s a weird stink. Their underarms and other body parts are usually wet when I wake them for their feedings and the wet is what stinks. Are they rolling around in the urine? Or sweating? I’m using fleece with a heating pad on the lowest setting. Everything I read said they shouldn’t stink. Please let me know what I should do. Thank you!

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Stinky squirrels

    Quote Originally Posted by Sambro02 View Post
    Hi! I’m new here.. I rescued 2 baby tree squirrels during Ida. We were outside during the storm and I heard what I thought was birds chirping. My husband informed me that he was sure it was baby squirrels squealing. We went to the neighbors yard where we heard the sound and sure enough we found 2 babies. The wind had gotten so bad we couldn’t stay under the tree any longer to look for more and the next morning we found one more that didn’t make it. Anyways, the babies seem to be doing great. They still have their eyes closed but look close to opening them. This last week they started stinking. It’s a weird stink. Their underarms and other body parts are usually wet when I wake them for their feedings and the wet is what stinks. Are they rolling around in the urine? Or sweating? I’m using fleece with a heating pad on the lowest setting. Everything I read said they shouldn’t stink. Please let me know what I should do. Thank you!
    Make sure the heating pad is under 1/2 the bin so they don’t overheat. Also make sure the heating pad is UNDER the bin and not in it.

    To answer your question, yes baby squirrels stink. The wet babies are the result of ‘someone’ peeing on the litter mates. It’s really weird. It doesn’t always happen. Some litters don’t have this constant soak everyone issue and others do. How large is your container/bin? You might want a slightly larger bin. Unfortunately, you might be changing fleece every feeding to keep the smell down. There is nothing like the aroma of pee being warmed on a heating pad. Yes, it’s gross.

    Another thing you can do is stimulate them to pee after each feeding. If you rub their genitals with a paper towel or tissue they will pee. If you get that taken care of there will be less pee in the bin. Of course, they are capable of peeing by themselves at that age but some still stimulate them to keep the bin cleaner. At a certain age they will no longer allow that. They get rather indignant.

    It’s weird, I have heard others say that baby squirrels don’t smell. Uhm, to me… yes they do.
    Of course, if they are urine soaked they stink a whole lot more.

  3. #3
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    Sep 2021
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    Default Re: Stinky squirrels

    Thank you! I have moved them to a larger bin. I have a area with the heating pad, then a area of just blankets, and a little section with a potty pad. I did have the heating pad in their bin. It was under 3 blankets.. I moved it to under the bin! I’m glad to know that some smell! Ha. Everything I read said that squirrels pee doesn’t smell. It’s clear but it does have a weird smell. I actually still stimulate them. They both go a good bit right before a feeding and a very little after a feeding. Simon has one eye open this morning!!💙

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Exclamation Re: Stinky squirrels

    Quote Originally Posted by Sambro02 View Post
    I have a area with the heating pad, then a area of just blankets, and a little section with a potty pad.
    Quick but urgent note: Please remove those pads immediately! The attractant used in those pads is toxic to squirrels. You can read all about that here: https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...as-Cage-Liners!

  5. Serious fuzzy thank you's to cassgrimm from:

    CritterMom (09-12-2021)

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