This week we received our first two baby Eastern Gray Squirrel intakes. They are between the ages of 1-3 weeks old. This can only mean one thing–in another couple of weeks, our nursery will be full of babies. Although ECWR is well equipped to hand raise orphaned wildlife, we always recommend trying to reunite healthy babies with their families. You can help us with this mission by giving the mothers a chance to retrieve their babies. For example, Eastern Gray Squirrel babies can fall out of the nest for a plethora of reasons. If the baby is not injured and warm, you can play squirrel distress calls to alert the mother of its presence on the ground. These sounds can be found on ECWR’s facebook page or you can search for them on Youtube.
Often times when the mother hears these calls, you will see her scurrying in the trees and showing interest in the area where the baby is being kept. We recommend that the baby be placed in a cardboard box with the top open and natural debris inside for warmth. After playing the calls, and locating the mom, retreat out of sight and watch to see if the mother comes down to reclaim her young. Mother squirrels can carry a baby that is almost full grown back to a nest with ease. If the nest was destroyed, don’t fret, mothers of most mammal species have multiple nest sites in their territory.
If the mother does not show interest in the baby after a couple hours or the baby is cold, sick, or injured please call the refuge immediately for guidance. If re-nesting and reuniting interests you and you are a current ECWR Volunteer, please sign up for our re-nesting/reuniting class that will be held on February 25th. Click the link below to sign up via our Facebook page!
