The _____ Baby Squirrel Was Sad When Her Momma Squirrel Was Run Over by the Car.

Wild Squirrel

Photo courtesy of Coast & Canyon Wildlife Rehabilitation

Cute, isn't he? However, according to Coast & Canyon Wildlife Rehabilitation in Los Angeles, when infant ground squirrels feel threatened, they get into this defensive position. Look at this infant's nails. When this guy grows up, those nails will be tantamount to weapons as well as tools for the curious and energetic rodent.

Squirrels and other wild animals make lousy pets for numerous reasons. In many states it's illegal to keep them as pets, some states require licenses, and in other states people are required to have wildlife rehabilitator training. Some folks want to find a way around all this license nonsense, and while it's hard to hide a deer, cute fluffy squirrels can fit in a cage.

Not so fast.

Wildlife rehabilitator and veterinarian Terri Sutherland (not her real name because she gets too many rehabilitation requests) cares for two diseased male squirrels who are unable to care for themselves; releasing them would be a death sentence. Terri shares her personal top 10 reasons not to have a squirrel as a pet, entertaining as they are.

1. The squirrel owns you. If you want to go away, you will need to find a house sitter with a lot of patience and a high pain tolerance. Even overnight outings require a house sitter.
2. Sharp squirrel nails. Those nails, which are designed to pierce bark and allow them to climb trees, completely rake skin. The boys can merely walk across her and leave wounds. Landings leave sores. Terri has a "squirrel garb suit" she wears when the squirrels are roaming the house.
3. Sharp squirrel teeth Part 1. They do not possess the bite inhibition reflex of domestic pets. If the first thing that crosses their brain is to bite, there is no counter message to say that is a bad plan.
4. Sharp squirrel teeth Part 2. They also do not possess the chew inhibition reflex of domestic pets. If it looks tasty, it will be tasted. This includes wall paper, dry wall, furniture, and anything else you might have handy. (Dog owners may be used to this, but dogs can't jump nearly as far as squirrels.)
5. Sharp squirrel teeth Part 3. Their teeth continue to grow throughout their lives. If you do not provide adequate chewing material to wear these teeth down, the squirrel is in for a serious illness. It is hard to do this for squirrels in a household setting.
6. Squirrel diet. Squirrels require a balanced and natural diet that is time consuming, expensive, and difficult to provide. Hours are spent gathering food from the outdoors, cooking high-calcium diets, purchasing and preparing insects (big yuck factor for some mammal lovers). Much money must be spent on supplements and filling in the gaps.
7. Squirrels are junk food addicts. They will beg, borrow, and plead for junk food, or if those plans fail they will just take it. Like children, what they like to eat is not what they need. People shouldn't let their children eat Twinkies® for dinner, and squirrels are no different.
8. Squirrel energy. This is the entertaining part of living with a squirrel, but it is also the frustrating part. They need a lot of space: huge cages, and a lot of outside-the-cage time every day, about 2 to 3 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is much like owning five young Labrador retrievers in a one-bedroom apartment.
9. Squirrel messes. Squirrels like to keep their living areas clean and throw anything "dirty" onto the floor. This includes partially eaten bits of food, unliked food, wilted fruits and vegetables, nut shells, uneaten or partially eaten insects, and ‒ you guessed it ‒ OTHER wastes. Terri starts cleaning with a shop vac and says there are always insects crawling along the debris. If your inquiring mind wants to know, squirrels will hang on the side of their cages and aim the poop and pee onto the floor. They will poop as they run around the house (duh). They often sit down and eat their own poop. Squirrels only want their own area to be neat and clean. They don't care about yours.
10. The biggest reason not to own a squirrel is that they are wild animals, and if we truly love them, they deserve to be free. Rarely, a medical issue will render a squirrel unreleasable, but healthy squirrels are not meant to be house pets.

Terri lives with two squirrels named Oly and Quinn. Oly was found in the middle of a busy highway, where he was apparently dropped by his mother while crossing the road. He has an endocrine disorder. Oly is a territorial male squirrel who thinks Terri is his mate and, with all the testosterone he can muster, Hates Her Husband With A Passion.

Terri found Quinn near the end of a canoe race when she was portaging (carrying the canoe over land) and found the cold, dehydrated, and abandoned baby. She knew the infant would be crushed by the people behind her and there was no nest around. Plus, she was winning the race. What else was she going do? Leave a baby there to die? Not bloody likely.

She slipped the lice-covered rodent into her life vest.

That's a Good Samaritan for you. Who else would throw lice and a cold poopy rodent down their shirt? She took him home and bottle fed him. He is diabetic, which is probably why his mother abandoned him. He eats a different diet than Oly. That increases the amount of time it takes her to prepare their meals.

The two rodents shred her house and skin, mangle her carpeting, stink up the place, and hoard her schedule.

Terri's opinion of squirrels as house pets is much like that of other wildlife rehabbers who care for squirrels.

Marcia Ryback of Coast & Canyon Wildlife, a certified wildlife rehabilitation organization in Los Angeles, has seen what happens when people try to keep squirrels as pets: they are not doing the squirrel any favors. Once a squirrel came in that had been kept in a small cage for two years and had not been well treated. Marcia was trying to "wild him up" so he could be released.

Bite Marks on Arm

Photo courtesy of Coast & Canyon Wildlife Rehabilitation

"Because the squirrel didn't like people and was habituated, the squirrel attacked me by jumping through the trees, running down and attacking me very deliberately," Marcia said. "After I got him off of me, I was wondering how I would ever catch him again."

Marcia got a long pole net and went back outside. The squirrel came at her again and she was able to capture him, but it was a memorable experience for some scary reasons. The squirrel chomped on her leg and started working his way up her body.

"Luckily my long hair prevented him from getting to my head as he couldn't hold on."

If you're still thinking squirrels would make a fun pet, examine this photo of Marcia's leg and emphasize to yourself that that's the leg of someone who knows what she's doing with squirrels. No novice, our Marcia.

What you don't know about caring for a wild species could do far more harm than good to an animal.

If you find a wild creature in need of medical help, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator who will be knowledgeable about the wildlife and regulations in your area. Go to The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory to find help and information.

If you love and respect wildlife, you know they deserve to remain wild.

Update 11/7/2016

Although we think it's a bad idea to keep squirrels or other wild animals as pets, we know that some people need to feed the babies before it's physically possible to get them to a wildlife rehabilitator, and that others will keep them as pets anyway. In the interest of keeping these babies as healthy as possible, we've asked the kind folks at the Wildlife Center of Virginia about the care and feeding of wee orphans.

Formula
As members of the rodent family, squirrels should be fed a specific animal milk replacement formula with the appropriate combined percentages of fat, protein, and carbohydrates found in squirrel milk. For eyes closed squirrels (under 4-5 weeks), an appropriate formula is Day One Fox Valley 32/40 formula for squirrels, opossums and rabbits. For eyes open squirrels (over 4 weeks of age), use Fox Valley 20/50 formula. Human baby formula nor cow's milk should never be used since the nutritional make-up is not appropriate for rodents. All prepared formula should be thrown out after 24 hours. Use clean containers each time you mix formula. Warm just enough formula for each feeding; food that is warmed repeatedly will lose nutrients and become contaminated with bacteria.

Always test the formula temperature with a thermometer before feeding. The temperature should remain warm throughout the feeding. Stir thoroughly to avoid any hot spots. Formula can easily overheat and burn the animal if you are not careful. Refrigerate unused portions immediately following each feeding because the formula will spoil if it is left out.

Hand-Feeding
While feeding the young animals, wrap them in a warm towel and hold them on their stomachs with their heads up (never on their backs or upright). This will help to prevent them from inhaling formula into the lungs. Using a 1-cc syringe, feed the animal very slowly and evenly so it does not inhale any formula. The syringe should be held firmly in the hand using a "hitchhiker" hand position (thumb on the plunger and all fingers wrapped around the plunger shaft and syringe barrel). The caregiver must be in control of the syringe plunger at all times. For very small mammals, the formula must be administered drop by drop. The maximum comfortable stomach capacity of most mammals is 5% - 7% of body weight, except rabbits, which is 10% - 12.5% of body weight, and should not be exceeded during each feeding.

Young mammals will not readily drink milk that has gotten cool, and cold formula can cause bloat. Test the temperature of the formula on the inside of your wrist and with a thermometer each time you refill the syringe and before you place it in the animal's mouth. To keep the formula warm during multiple feedings, try floating the container in a mug of warm water. Maintain the formula temperature at about 100⁰F. If using a meat thermometer, the temperature will read slightly higher.

Avoid changing diets or formulas abruptly as this can cause problems. Always feed a rehydrating formula followed by a diluted milk replacer formula for at least two to three feedings before offering a milk replacer formula. Follow the recommended feeding schedule for your animal's species, age and weight. When you cut out a feeding, space the other feedings out.

For example:
4 X DAY = 8 am, noon, 4:30 pm, 9 pm
3 X DAY = 8 am, 2 pm, 8 pm
2 X DAY = 8 am and 8 pm
1 X DAY = 8 am

Weaning (5-8 weeks old)
Weigh the animal and follow the feeding schedule for the appropriate size and age. It is extremely important not to overfeed. Hand feed using appropriate formula for age. In addition, add a mush bowl by mixing a small amount of formula with baby cereal and several pieces of soaked puppy chow in a shallow dish. Make it fairly thick. Be careful not to let the formula mush crust on their fur. If they become covered with the formula, clean the squirrels with a damp sponge or cloth, dry immediately with a cloth, being careful not to let them get chilled. Offer this dish of formula throughout the day and remove after the last hand feeding. Monitor animals carefully for signs of fur loss. Sneezing, clicking or other abnormal respiratory sounds can indicate formula aspiration. If this happens, discontinue bowl feeding for several days, supplement with hand feedings and consult your veterinarian for a treatment plan.

Between formula feedings begin to offer the squirrel small amounts of soaked puppy chow, dry puppy chow, paw-sized chunks of apple, sweet potato, broccoli, green beans, corn on the cob (1" slice), a couple of nuts without shells, etc. Add only 1 new food to the diet per day. If diarrhea occurs, immediately discontinue the new food. Watch for dehydration, and then try the new food again in 2 or 3 days.

Young mammals require a balanced and varied diet, which includes all essential vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. Base diets should consist of: rodent biscuits and puppy chow for squirrels. Fruits, nuts, seeds, corn and grains are to be given in small amounts as treats only. NEVER USE beef organs, beef bones, chicken organs, hamburger, lunchmeats, hot dogs, iceberg lettuce, cow's milk, onions, bread and honey.

Good calcium sources include: broccoli, cabbage, puppy/kitten chow, canned dog/cat food, appropriate milk replacer formulas, spinach, Timothy hay, hard boiled eggs, cooked chicken necks, green beans, carrots, mealworms, kale or mustard greens. Young animals that are fed foods that are deficient in calcium or have skewed calcium to phosphorus ratio (more phosphorus than calcium) can develop nutritional problems within a few days. If not corrected immediately, severe non-reversible symptoms may arise including bowed legs, fractures, rubber jaw, spinal deformity, and hind leg paralysis, leading to the animal's ultimate death. Many of the listed signs could be clinical signs of metabolic bone disease (MBD). Proper nutrition is essential to the healthy survival of an animal.

Gradually increase the amount of solid foods as you decrease the amount of formula given. Make sure the squirrels eat all foods presented and do not eat only their "favorite" food. For example, a small piece of apple per day is fine but a squirrel may choose apples to the exclusion of everything else if given the chance. Limit foods listed as treats. Try to offer foods that the squirrel may find in the wild such as acorns or maple tree twigs and buds. While it is improbable that they will find "wild broccoli", it is a good substitute for wild greens.

You may need to supplement with hand feeding one or more times daily if they are slow to wean. Make sure each animal is getting all the nutrition needed, as each animal is unique. Weigh each animal every 2-3 days to make sure that they are getting enough to eat. When animals are learning to eat solid foods it is difficult to tell if their nutritional needs are being met and weighing is a good guide. A small weight loss is acceptable during weaning as long as a downward trend is not noticed.

Once the teeth are well formed, add two to three native nuts per day. Too many seeds and nuts could lead to hypocalcemia (inadequate amount of calcium in diet), resulting in serious health problems and even death for the squirrel. You can help the squirrel crack its nuts when it is 5-7 weeks old. However, they need to learn to crack nuts themselves before they can be released, so don't open nuts for them after 8 weeks of age. Squirrels seem to always choose the "tasty" foods first. Be sure to add early on in their diet a few rodent blocks (rodent chow), which is nutritionally complete.

With thanks to the Wildlife Center of Virginia

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The _____ Baby Squirrel Was Sad When Her Momma Squirrel Was Run Over by the Car.

Source: https://www.vin.com/apputil/project/defaultadv1.aspx?id=5454945

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