Animal Stories - People Talking About Pet Squirrels



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Latest Animal Stories on Pet Squirrels (202)

victoria romero - 2011-06-07
Hi I have a grey 6 week old baby squirrel Mitch. Last week he was running around all happy and eating well. Now he wont eat and he doesn't move any more. I picked him up to feed him and he just laid on his back squinting his black eyes. I've been giving him puppy formula and water. He wouldnt eat fruits. Now he doesn't even accept his water any more. I'm scared he will die. My mom said he is sick. Please help me. I hope you guys can save Mitch.

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Charlie Roche - 2011-06-07
Sounds like you have a sick little fella there. You can try giving him pedialyte and any kind of mashed up nuts. Outside of that, the only thing I can think of for you to do would be to see if their is a wild life rehabilitator around you somewhere. I am sorry your little guy is ill.
brandon - 2011-06-15
Might just be constipated, try a small dose of natural laxative.
Ann Ausburn - 2011-07-06
He needs calcium, get it into him fast. Try giving him some whole milk. Then give him rodent food that is high in calcium. Hope he gets better.
shannon - 2011-07-07
PLEASE get a dropper and give him orange gatorade thats what he needs cause he is dehydrated. Hurry hurry and do it! Make it take tiny drop at a time be patient but serious don't let him choke. If he snorts etc. and it comes out nose have paper towel ready! This will work ! I will pray to the goddesses for him. P.s My squirrel named Squirt is now 11 months and it took six months to get the orange gatorade dye out of his chin hair (funny).
Brenda - 2011-07-07
I'm thinking this is way too late but puppy & kitten formula kills squirrels. They will do fine for a few weeks then they die. They can't handle the preservatives in it & unfortunately every website out there tells you to feed them that & pedialite which is crap too. The best thing is scalded cow milk. A cup of whole milk with a tablespoon of plain or vanilla yogurt & a vitamin e capsule. They need a lot of calcium for the bones in their legs to grow & if they don't get it they will just go limp & they will drag them. For the best info on squirrels look up Clarissa Summers squirrel nutrition. She has been raising them for over 25yrs. Hope this wasn't too late. -Brenda

Sylvia - 2011-01-09
We had 2 baby squirrels that the mother got killed and the little girl didn't make it but the boy was doing great. We have a very big cage and keep it clean and fed and water them until big enough to let go in our yard. We were just waiting for the weather in FL got warm enough and starting yesterday he is dragging his back legs. We raised one before that that happened to and he got the use of legs back and is still around our yard because he likes the pecans I put out. Could you tell me why this happens with their back legs?

Thanks Sylvia

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Carolyn Gosling - 2011-03-16
He may have MBD, Metobolic Bone Disease. If he does not get the proper vitamins, they will get this. My squirrel got this. He fell off of my computer table where he was living and he couldn't move his legs. The movement came back. I researched and called rehabilitation places and they told me he probably had MBD. It will affect their back legs and will be permanent. Put him on calcium right away or he will die. This causes a lot of pain and they won't be very active. Mine stayed on calcium for two months. He got over it and is doing great. He is ready to be released. He use to be scared of outside but now he will jump off of you he is so excited. They only thing is he won't climb a big tree. He was frightened yesterday and ran to my monkey grass instead of up a tree. Unless he can climb a tree he will not be able to be released. One more thing, when he was on the calcium his teeth grew excessive because he did not feel like chewing. If they do they will need to be clipped. Hope this helps.
Anonymous - 2011-05-04
HE NEEDS CALCIUM! GOOGLE IT! IF HE DOES NOT GET IT SOON...HE WILL FOR SURE DIE!! FIND ME ON FACEBOOK IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. I RAISE VERY HEALTHY SQUIRRELS.
Deanna Crownover - 2011-05-23
Both earlier posters are correct. MBD is the result of an improper diet given while in captivity. The first squirrel must have found the proper wild foods in time to save himself. Almonds are a better choice (raw) than pecans because of the nutrients. Offer him rodent block so he gets calcium carbonate, broccoli, cherry tomatoes leaves from greens such a collards, magnolia buds in spring, magnolia cones in summer, pine buds and bark, etc.
Ann Ausburn - 2011-07-06
CALCIUM!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't state it enough.

Jessica DeAlmeida - 2011-06-16
I have raised squirrels for years but I have never had a lone baby before, once they get ready to go they start to get a little mean. This little girl I have now adores me, she wants nothing more than to play with me, touch me, cuddle me. For some reason I can't get the wildlife place to call me back to release her (due to the wild cats in my area they always release them for me). I am afraid that she has imprinted on me and even if I do release her on my own that she will seek people out...should I keep her as a pet? I want to do what is best for her, any advice would be great!!!!

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Charlie Roche - 2011-06-17
My grandma raised a baby squirrel from a few days old and the squirrel got so attached to her it just stuck to her like glue. She had a really large (maybe 3 feet) bird feeder that went across the entire kitchen window where she would feed the birds. She started feeding the squirrel in that feeder with the kitchen window open. The window was right against the kitchen table. The squirrel would venture out the window and then come running back in and eat its sunflower seeds etc. Finally, the squirrel just ventured out a little and a litle more. She finally started to live more outside than inside but always came back every morning and my grandma would open the window and the squirrel would come in. She actually came back with her babies finally. Grandma just let her live in the kitchen, giving her a small cardboard box and a blanket to sleep on. I don't know or remember if there were problems as I was about 10 but I could pet the squirrel.

deanna - 2011-04-19
Help, I found a baby squirrel in my garage and it has an injured leg. It looks pretty young, but I think it is old enough to be on its own. We have placed it in a cage with a shoe box full of stuff to cuddle in. We gave it water, cracked corn and bird seed. Is there anything else I need to know, as far as nutrition? We may have inherited another animal, this one may be staying a while. By the time its leg is better it may not want to leave.

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Charlie Roche - 2011-04-19
Article attached on Grey Squirrel - just clink on it for additional information. Is their a wildlife rehabilitation facility close to where you are? If so, that might be a good solution in case his leg is broken.

Andrea in Ontario - 2010-11-27
Hi there fellow squirrelers!
I've noticed id some of the comments that Eastern grey infants are being raised on kitten formula. This is not a good idea. Please, use either a specialized formula, or what I use and have had great success with is ESBILAC puppy formula - powder, mixed in a ratio of 1:1.5 powder to boiled water. It is much better for satisfying their protein requirements.
Both of my 'squirrel-girls' have been released, as they were happy healthy specimens. They have built dreys in our area and come every day morning and evening (at the least) to feed on the variety of goodies I place out for them. I have about 20 or so identifiable squirrels who frequent my yard. :)

An excellent reference for help is 'the squirrel board' (google it); there are many rehabbers and vets as moderators there who can help you in finding help in your area and offer SKILLED advice as to how to handle any situations that may arise. :)

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Julie - 2010-12-26
I have rescued an Eastern Grey as well and have had him since Aug. when he fell from a tree. He has been an amazing little companion.. and has been happy and healthy, a part of the family. Unfortunately he slipped out the door today and now that it is 17 degrees outside and darkness has fallen, I am sick with worry that he will not survive the cold night with no nest and hardly any adult fur...I've put out his cage with bedding and food..do you think he can survive the cold without being adjusted to living in an environment that is less than 70 degrees?
Jan - 2011-03-23
Andrea, what do you feed your squirrels?
I have a small condo deck and I feed the squirrels non-salted shelled peanuts and some acorns that I buy out of state. I like watching them and their antics, but they do dig a lot of my flowers out of the pots! And they have sliced my chaise lounge cover, but that's the way it goes. Some neighbors may not like the sound when they run around and over the fence and into the trees.
Due to the bird feeders, I found a table that the RATS can't jump on top of, so I can put the peanuts and other stuff for squirrels up there.
I have to take my 3 bird feeders down each night, otherwise now they climb up the poles at night and eat lots of seed.....well, it's their space too I guess.
I also feed finches from hanging feeders, and hummingbirds.

Anthony - 2011-01-17
I live in New York and want to have a flying squirrel as a pet. Can anyone help me out? My email is italiansoccer141@hotmail.com

ToTodunderer - 2010-04-15
I found a baby squirrel and raised her to be a pet. When she was large enough I let her play with my four cats. At first the cats looked at her as a meal ticket due to their natural predatory instincts. The siamese, who is a naturally good hunter, was the first to attack. She leaped on the little squirrel and went for the throat. Her attack was fast and furious. They went round and round like the well known cartoon skirmishes where only parts stick out of the small tornado for maybe three seconds then there was this awful cry and the siamese stopped cold, the squirrel upside down and still between her feet.

The siamese limped away, nursing a bitten toe. The squirrel rolled over, walked over to one of the other cats, but that cat was a bit shy, so the squirrel found another to play with. That single fight was the beginning and end of the squirrel-cat battles in our house.

That was about a year ago, Now the cats all know better than to pick on a full grown squirrel. There have been a few other fights, usually cat-to-cat, but seldom is the squirrel involved. Squirrels are faster, with better reaction time and they fight back well. They can out jump a cat and can hide (if necessary) in much smaller places. Usually the squirrel ignores the cats, except at play time--then she is right in there having as much romping fun at the cats. Where the cats climb the trees in the yard, the squirrel absolutely runs up them, leaping vertically from each piece of bark. They are lightening unleashed.

The interesting thing about cats and squirrels, is where teeth are concerned, the cats actually bite with caution. They know that a broken tooth or a wound means death. A squirrel can break a tooth and it will grow out, and injury may mean death due to a slow escape, but it is not so certain.

So, when a squirrel and cat fight, the cat will be slow to bite. When it does, the sharp fangs, unless they penetrate something vital, both hurt less than a squirrel bite and are far less damaging. Cats kill by suffocating larger species, not biting to kill. Squirrels, when they bite, put the pressure of four forward facing teeth that are built to strip bark, crush nuts, and and can chew metal pieces off. Those bites are extremely painful. A predator will not attack a species it cannot use as food. When they learn that a species is dangerous, they leave it alone.

I watched a new squirrel in the neighborhood actually not get concerned when my four cats approached. It hopped along looking for nuts, surrounded by cats. When one of the cats popped out a test swat, the squirrel, a large Eastern Gray, turned instantly and assumed a defensive posture, standing a bit tall. The cats backed up. It was not bothered and is still here. I saw this before I allowed my squirrel to be with them.

While the cats bring home the occasional animal, it's never a squirrel.

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Animal Kingdom - 2010-12-16
I don't believe this... plain and simple...

Amanda - 2010-09-29
My pet squirrel is about 6 weeks old. Was very active yesterday and now he is acting different not sure if he got too cold last night. I have him bundled up right now and he still has not gotten up to eat what's wrong with him? Please help.

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Jacilyn Maher - 2010-09-30
What kind of pet squirrel do you have?
Deanne - 2010-10-04
Body might be shutting down because it's hungry, need to feed some special milk for baby animals through a syringe. I have a squirrel that's a year and a half and he's wonderful. Hope your baby is still o. K. Clearly has been a few days. Shouldn't feed too much fruit because natural sugars will bring on seizures and shouldn't feed anything with salt as it will also bring on seizures. Keep it warm with a heating blanket under it's cage and still try to feed it just a bit of water also every once in a while. Hope everything pans out o. K. For you, i'm a huge squirrel lover.
darlene - 2010-11-05
Your new baby needs a heat lamp or a heating pad turned on the lowest setting with a soft baby blanket between it and your new baby. Mine is about 5 weeks old and I feed her similac baby formula with barley cereal mixed together in a pet ag bottle. I cut the hole a tiny bit bigger so the thickened formula would come out when she sucks the bottle. Keep it warm and feed it every three hours make sure you take a cotton ball or baby wipe and get it to use the bathroom.
julie ILY squirrels - 2010-11-06
Make sure you keep him inside at all times. Also that he is awake. Try to move him around. Even put food and water into his mouth. Usually they sleep a lot when the weather is cold.
jey - 2010-12-01
Use a heating pad. Make sure you hydrate him (very important) then you can feed. Sugar water will suffice in an emergency. Then feed goats milk. Please don't use puppy or kitten formula!
John - 2010-12-07
Years ago I raised a grey squirrel. The only problem we had was tiny bone fractures due to a diet that was too low in minerals. A local vet that know "exotic" pets gave us a mineral supplement and she lived a long life and eventually went back to the wild.

derek bass - 2010-12-02
I'm looking for flying squirrels to raise please contact me (386)590 9174 thank you.

brian - 2010-08-29
I found a baby squirrel it was outside running round in circles and he jump on me and wouldn't let go and I need to know how to feed him he's about 7 weeks old.

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Anonymous - 2010-10-01
Use Esbilac puppy formula. Dry mixed with warm water or canned (opened can only good for 2 to 3 days once opened). Get squirrel warmed on heating pad on low setting before feeding. Once warmed, then start feeding formula and offer cheerios. Eventually can offer whole grain breads, carrots, green beans, watermelon, apples, broccoli cut into small 1/4 inch cubes. Grapes are NOT a good idea as squirrels can choke on skin of the grape.
jey - 2010-12-01
Make sure to hydrate him first (very important) then feed goats milk (do not use puppy or kitten supplement). Feed him 3 X a day at that age. He will let you know when all he wants is real food. Plenty of fresh fruits and veggies and keep the nuts to a treat.

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