Young baby squirrel question

[Lighten-Up]

Wanting your insight on this situation:

I have reason to believe that a mother squirrel was recently killed, two very small babies crawled out of a tree yesterday and were on the ground, they were not afraid of me, as I am friendly with the yard squirrels. However neither would come near me and they ran back up their tree. I suspect that a roaming cat got one of them yesterday, there is only one today.

My question is that I've heard of babies in need coming up to humans for help. This little one seems to want to be free. It came near me while I was eating lunch outside an hour ago, but when I walked over, it ran to the nearest tree and disappeared. I have reason to think that it's mom has been gone 3-4 days. How long can they live by themselves? It's eating bark and drinking from my pond.

It is quite small, scrawny, eyes open, fluffy tail, but miniature in size, certainly not the size of a 7-9 week old. So I am guessing 4-6 weeks old, but fast! Geeze this little one is spunky and fast.

Will this one come to me when it's really hungry? I've prepped everything just in case. Looking for thoughts on this.
Thank you.

[Lighten-Up]

An update, I really don't understand what I am seeing, but I guess it's what it is. Late last evening, I saw the tiny 4 inch baby playing with another of it's size up in the tree it/they initially came out of. I thought one was taken by a cat, but maybe that was an illusion, or there were three, and now two. ? There were a few older squirrels milling around in that nest spot too; was one a mom? The baby appears to be safe and happy at this point.

Just why was a 4 inch squirrel walking to a pond to get water and then going up another tree 40 feet from it's own nest?

Maybe there are two sets of tiny babies in the same area and I am confusing them? Whether those babies have a mom or not, they appear to be strong and able so I'll just continue to enjoy them where they are.

[island rehabber]

6-7 week old orphans can go quite a few days before emaciation and/or dehydration takes its toll. These kids MAY need your help. Can you put out some Henry's Blocks to give them an extra boost of nutrition?

[Lighten-Up]

Thanks for the thoughts, do you think this one can be as old as 6-7 weeks? It's about the size of a chipmunk. Here is a photo I got today.

I just went outside, and I saw the one drinking again from the pond. Today it let me watch it from 2 feet away (when I did not have my camera :-P). I did put a dish of warmed formula out, it did not go near it. I know that was weird, but it was drinking from the pond.....

I will keep an eye on them and try to get it block. I'm guessing they don't have a mom....

[Lighten-Up]

Here are two more photos closer up.

[Lighten-Up]

Attachment 323042Attachment 323043
Finally two good photos. I'm mostly curious about the best age guess from those of you who raise many of these little ones.

I currently don't have HHB, but I have veggie squares. I was able to toss this guy one and he/she ate the whole thing, then took a second one from my hand. Then my carpenter arrived, and I had to go. I have no idea what it is eating in the photo, it was pulled off a log.

Age guesses?

[Lighten-Up]

Not sure why the two photos didn't post in my last post? Here they are.

[Lighten-Up]

Update
The two very small babies travel between two nests on their own that are about 40 feet apart, one of the nests is filled with babies older than they are by a few weeks or more.

Only one of the two tiny babies has come near me, which is the one who took two block from me two days ago.

Yesterday that baby who feels I am safe came and took one block from me at noon, and another block 4 hours later; took it from my fingers and carried it up the tree to eat. So that baby has had two block per day for two days. The other tiny baby I see, but won't approach me.

[Lighten-Up]

I've grown extremely curious about these two little babies, living alone and amongst a nest of older babies who still have their mom.

ADMIN, if this thread should be moved elsewhere since it has become a curiosity posting rather than an urgent need posting, please relocate it and let me know where it went.

Today at 1pm I saw the one Tiny who knows me up on a roof, I called to it, it went fast to the closest tree, came down and I handed it a block. It took it up high to eat.

[BigHeartedSquirrelDad]

I'm also curious about how this story unfolds. It sounds like you two are developing quite the relationship. Keep us posted with stories and pics!

[Lighten-Up]

The little one was in my patio about 5pm. I stepped out and all the birds flew, so it scampered like lightning to a tree. Here is a photo of it taking the block when I walked over.

[Tashahaven]

I’m grateful she has you to care so much for her, and provide additional nutrients! I’m curious to see how the story unfolds as well.

[Lighten-Up]

I have only seen the little ones at lunchtime or later, but today, the little tiny saw me at 8am as I was looking at its tree, and so I got a block.

Here it is just after taking it, as my shutter did a delay on me. Seems like it slept in it's own tree, and goes during the day to spend time with the other nest of babies in a tree 40 feet away. I didn't see the other baby yet today. I can tell the two apart, because the tiny who is friends with me has a distinct point to its tail, the other ones tail is rounded at the tip. That makes it nice for me.

I just had the thought, I have about 1000 mealworms, maybe I can put some out at the base of the tree? I raised a baby robin in 2017, I think, and when the robin moved on, I let the mealworms grow into beetles because I was afraid of that, and wanted to get past my fears, then the beetles mated and I've been watching the cycle of mealworms for about 5 years now, just because... Funny huh? And I'm no longer afraid of the beetle forms, I rather like them.

[Lighten-Up]

Around 9am, I heard a squirrel scuffle in the big tree which holds the nest of babies with a wild mama, and looked out just in time to see tiny fall 15 feet from a branch to a roof as a result of a scuffle with a squirrel I could not see. Landed on feet and ran off.

Around 1:42pm I went out to scan the backyard. I saw Tiny sitting alone on a branch medium high up in the tree just watching, in the tree that has the nest of the other babies and mama, I really had the feeling he/she was looking for me as I am usually out around noon -1pm and wasn't today.

I took a nut square block over and immediately had two squirrels jump on me, one from behind and one from the front. They were my previous spring 2021 release who is 1 year 6 months old and one of this years 3 releases of 2022 which are 6 months old. That caused a bit of a circus and I had to reboot. I got treats for both of them and came back to the tree 10 minutes later wondering if Tiny was still around.

Sure enough Tiny came down slowly and took the block. :-)

[Lighten-Up]

This morning was busy, had to go running out of the house about 8am. I'd put some seeds out for the wild squirrels and birds around 7am, but did not see tiny.

Just before I left, I opened the back door, hoping to see a glimpse of tiny. Wow, there was tiny, sitting 6 feet from the backdoor. The same two released squirrels I noted in yesterdays post took opportunity to ask for a nut, plus a third. Tiny scampered out of the way. I got a block and called to the little one, it circled back quick and grabbed the block from me. And I had to go. I haven't seen the other tiny one lately but I keep hoping it's doing well.

No new photos because the last few times had much going on.

[Lighten-Up]

So the mystery continues...

At 1pm I went out into the yard. Was greeted by a few friendly squirrels and I moved on to look for tiny. This time tiny was near the original nest. I saw two squirrels playing wrestle. As I looked closer, I recognized tiny as one of them, the other was almost twice the size of tiny.

This goes back to my post #2 where I stated that I saw two small babies and a few larger squirrels. In the post I wondered if one of the larger ones was a mom.

It seems to me that tiny might have been playing with one of those larger squirrels that might also be babies, just older babies; do those babies have a mom? It was a funny sight to see the two sizes wrestle.

It was also very heartwarming as I felt that tiny did have an older squirrel as a companion, maybe even to keep warm with, as I realize the heating pad I have on the ready inside the house is doing no good for tiny. I wish I'd had my camera, but it was pretty deep in a thicket, so might not have photographed well.

I went to get a block, came back, no sight of either squirrel. I whispered hello sweetheart to the massive old tree, do you want a block? In less than a minute that sweet tiny face appeared with the pointed tail. Came on a straight line down to me, took the block and up it went.

I know I did see tiny playing with a squirrel of the same size at some point days ago. And also, I did see several babies the exact size of tiny in the other tree nest, as well as larger babies. All of this seems really odd, and all this has my head spinning a little as I try to understand what exactly is going on.

[Lighten-Up]

At about 6pm I went out, many squirrels were out and I said hello to one of my releases. At the sound of my voice, I saw tiny stand up tall in the patio and look straight at me with a happy expression. That was cute. I went out and tiny ran to the home tree. This time tiny refused the block. Hmmmm. Tiny smelled my fingers where a real nut had just been that I gave to an adult. I decided to give tiny a nut.

About 25 minutes later, I was in the area of the other nest, and I saw the other tiny rounded tail baby, who looked at me and ran up a nearby tree.

[Lighten-Up]

I saw tiny at 7am and 8am, but he/she wasn't interested in coming to me. I did leave a block and a teklad on the shelf fungus that we have agreed upon as a treat station.

At 9:30am tiny saw me and wanted something, I had an almond on me and it took that from my fingers. The previous treats were gone, I have no idea who took them.

At 1:45pm Tiny plays the hide game from me. And at 5:40pm when I return, tiny is very glad to see me and seeks me out. I leave a collection of food stuffs on the shelf fungus and tiny eats for about 20 minutes.

Can anyone tell if this is a boy or a girl, as I am still unsure.

bottom photo is sideways, top photo is correct

[Lighten-Up]

Yesterday tiny played a little hide and seek with me. So I left block on the shelf fungus. The block was gone later, but I don't know who took it. Tiny seems to know from about 6 feet away if I am holding a block or a nut, and will go back up the tree if it's a block. Here's a photo of the sweet face of tiny and one of that wonderful pointy tail.

Yesterday I put block under the second nest tree, and the other baby the size of tiny took the block. Tiny has followed all the yard squirrels and birds and knows where the seed is. I see tiny eating a lot of bark, and the petioles of leaves. I also suspect tiny has found a lot of insects to eat in the bark on the old tree.

Today at 7am, tiny was under the second tree, would have nothing to do with block, so I gave a nut. I left block under that tree, and I watched another slightly older baby run off with it.

[Sommer]

My guess would be at least 8 weeks old