First steps
Start here
- Move the baby only if it is in immediate danger, such as traffic, fire, flooding, or an active threat from another animal.
- Look for urgent warning signs: injury, coldness, weakness, bleeding, ants or flies, or contact with a cat or dog.
- Keep pets and children away.
- Keep the baby warm, quiet, and contained. A small box lined with a soft cloth, in a dark, quiet room, is enough. A warm (not hot) water bottle wrapped in a towel can go in beside it. Babies lose body heat fast, so warmth comes before everything else.
- Do not feed the baby or give it water. Cold or dehydrated babies can't digest, and liquid given the wrong way can end up in the lungs. A rehabilitator will tell you what, if anything, to do.
- Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.
Most babies found alone are not orphans
Mother squirrels move their young one at a time, and a baby on the ground is often mid-move, or has tumbled out of a nest she is about to repair. If the baby is warm, uninjured, and alert, reuniting it with its mother is usually the best possible outcome. Nothing a person can offer matches her milk and her care, and a baby she raises can go on to live wild.
Reuniting has to be done right, so get guidance from a licensed rehabilitator or one of the resources below before you try it. But don't assume a baby found alone has been abandoned. Often she is watching from a tree, waiting for you to leave.
Professional guidance
Find help
These resources provide next-step guidance and can help you understand when professional care is needed.
wildlife.ca.gov · California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities in CaliforniaThe state's directory of licensed rehabilitators, by county. Start here to find one near you. A few things to know before you call:
- Most rehabilitators cannot pick up animals. They rely on you to bring the baby to them.
- Many work out of their homes and are not on call around the clock.
- Many specialize, and may not be able to take every species. Ask.
- Never drop off an animal anywhere unless you have been told to.
squirrelrehabilitation.com
What to Do If You Found a Baby SquirrelAn older site, but this page is a widely referenced, practical guide to the first hours.
tigercreek.org · Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary
Help, I Found a Squirrel!Additional immediate guidance and help deciding what to do next.
California
Wild squirrels are not pets
In California, keeping or rehabilitating wildlife requires a permit. Raising a squirrel yourself is not legal, and it rarely goes well for the squirrel: without the right formula and care most don't survive, and one that does can't be returned to the wild. A licensed rehabilitator can give it both.