Found a Baby Squirrel — What to Do, Who to Call, and What to Skip

Finding a baby squirrel on the ground can stop you in your tracks. Your instinct is to help immediately — but the most helpful thing you can do in the first few minutes is slow down and assess the situation before you act.

Most baby squirrels found alone are not actually orphaned. Healthy young squirrels found on the ground by themselves may not be true orphans — they simply need help reuniting with their mothers. Mother squirrels often rescue their fallen or displaced healthy babies by carrying them by the scruff back to the nest. Knowing the difference between a squirrel that needs you and one that just needs time can change everything about how this story ends.

This guide walks you through every step — from figuring out whether the baby is truly in danger, to safely containing it, to connecting with the right people who can give it the best shot at returning to the wild.

Is the Baby Squirrel Actually Orphaned or Just Alone?

The first and most important question to ask when you find a baby squirrel is whether it actually needs your help at all. If you find a displaced baby squirrel, chances are the mother may be actively relocating the nest and the babies will not require your human interference. Taking action too quickly can interrupt a reunion that was already in progress.

Start by observing from a distance. Look up at nearby trees for a leaf nest — a squirrel nest typically looks like a messy bunch of leaves and twigs in the top of a tree. If a nest is visible and the baby appears uninjured, the mother may simply be in the process of moving her young.

Age is one of the clearest indicators of whether a squirrel needs intervention. Nestling squirrels are naked or sparsely furred; their eyes may not have opened yet, or their eyes may have just recently opened; their tails are not bushy and they can’t hold their tail up over their back. These little ones sometimes get blown out of their nest or fall when a predator attacks their nest. A nestling on the ground almost always needs help getting back to its mother.

Juvenile squirrels are a different story. Juvenile squirrels are fully-furred, have their eyes open and have a bushy tail. Juveniles are inexperienced and sometimes roam around exploring while their mother is away foraging for food. Due to their inexperience, they often approach people or other animals and seem quite tame or oblivious to danger. A juvenile that looks healthy and moves normally likely doesn’t need rescuing.

Key Insight: A squirrel who is nearly full-sized, has a full and fluffy tail and can run, jump and climb is independent. If the squirrel you’ve found meets this description and shows no signs of injury, observe it for a while before intervening.

One behavioral clue stands out above all others: it is not normal behavior for a baby squirrel to follow people around, cling to their pant leg, or sit on their shoe. Baby squirrels that are approaching people have likely been away from their mother for some time and are seeking food and warmth. Unless there is a reason to believe the baby is not orphaned, like if the mother was recently seen nearby, a baby squirrel that is following people should be considered in need of help.

Squirrels are also omnivores, meaning they have diverse nutritional needs that only a mother squirrel or trained rehabilitator can properly meet at this stage of life. Understanding their natural biology helps explain why getting the reunion right — or handing off to a professional — matters so much.

Signs a Baby Squirrel Needs Immediate Help

Even if you’re unsure whether a baby squirrel is orphaned, certain physical and behavioral signs mean it needs professional care right away — no waiting, no reunion attempt. Recognizing these signs quickly can be the difference between a successful rescue and a tragedy.

Look for these urgent warning signs:

• It is bleeding, has an open wound, or has a broken bone.
• It’s been in a cat’s or dog’s mouth.
• It’s covered in fly eggs (these look like small grains of rice).
• It’s cold, wet, or crying nonstop.
• It is visibly lethargic, limp, or unresponsive to nearby movement.
• It has a bloody nose, visible bruising, or maggots on its body.

Important Note: Any contact with a cat — even with no obvious injuries — is a medical emergency for baby squirrels. Cat saliva contains bacteria that can be fatal to small wildlife within 24–48 hours. Do not wait to see if the squirrel seems “okay.” Call a rehabilitator immediately.

Temperature is another critical factor that’s easy to overlook. Baby squirrels should be about 99 degrees F. They can’t regulate their own heat when they are babies so they need external heat. A baby that feels cold to the touch is already in a dangerous state and needs warming before any reunion attempt can even be considered.

It’s also worth knowing when baby squirrel season tends to peak. Squirrel litters average between two and four kits — usually born in February or March. Mature females can also produce a second litter in August. If you’re finding baby squirrels during these windows, you’re not alone — wildlife rehabilitators see a significant surge in calls during these months.

Many of the animals that eat squirrels in the wild — hawks, foxes, and domestic cats — are also the most common causes of nest disturbances and injuries in young squirrels. If you suspect a predator was involved, treat the situation as an emergency regardless of visible injuries.

What to Do Before You Touch a Baby Squirrel

Before you reach down to pick up a baby squirrel, take a few important preparatory steps. Acting without protection — for you and the animal — can make a difficult situation worse.

First, protect yourself. All mammals can carry the rabies virus. Do not use bare hands when helping mammals. Please be careful not to get bitten, licked, or scratched by the animal as well. Even a tiny baby squirrel can deliver a surprisingly sharp bite when stressed or frightened.

Next, assess the environment around the baby before touching it. Ask yourself:

1. Is the baby in immediate danger — near a road, exposed to active predators, or in direct sun on a hot day?
2. Is there a visible nest nearby in the tree above?
3. Have you seen the mother squirrel in the area recently?
4. What time of day is it? Unlike raccoons, mother squirrels will retrieve their young during the day, but not at night.
5. Is the weather calm enough for a reunion attempt?

Pro Tip: Put all pets and children indoors. It is important that the area in which you are reuniting the baby with its mother is calm and you are inside. Do not attempt reunite if you or your neighbor are operating loud equipment, the sun is setting, it is raining, or there is other extreme weather taking place.

One of the most persistent myths about baby wildlife is that a mother will reject her young if a human has touched them. Contrary to popular belief, the mother squirrel will NOT reject the baby because it has been handled by humans, but she may reject the youngster if it is cold and lethargic. So your priority before handling is to make sure the baby is warm — not to avoid touching it entirely.

If the baby is cold, warm it up before doing anything else. The baby squirrel can be warmed by placing it on a zipper-top plastic bag that has been partially filled with very warm water. The water should be very warm (~105°F), but not scalding hot. Once the baby is warm to the touch, you can move forward with either a reunion attempt or containment for transport.

How to Safely Contain a Baby Squirrel

Whether you’re setting up a reunion attempt or preparing to transport the squirrel to a rehabilitator, proper containment is essential. The goal is to keep the baby warm, calm, and safe — without causing additional stress or harm.

Here’s what you’ll need and how to do it:

1. Choose a container. Any type of small box can be used as a temporary nest for a baby squirrel or a litter of baby squirrels. A shoebox, small cardboard box, or basket all work. Avoid plastic containers without ventilation.
2. Line it with soft, safe fabric. Use a t-shirt, fleece scarf, or cloth diaper. Do not use towels as the threads can be dangerous when caught around tiny toes and ankles.
3. Add a heat source. The best thing to use is a heating pad set on LOW under half of the box, because it provides a nice consistent source of heat. You may have to run an extension cord to the area. If you don’t have a heating pad, you can use chemical hand warmers, such as Hot Paws, a rice sock, or a plastic bottle filled with hot tap water.
4. Never cover the heat source directly. Do NOT place an uncovered heat source directly in contact with the baby. Always cover the heat source with a t-shirt or linen.
5. Ensure ventilation. Make sure the box has air holes, especially if you place a lid on it. The baby needs airflow.
6. Place the box correctly. Place the box with the squirrel (and a heat source) as close as possible to where the squirrel was found. If there is a tree nearby, put it at the base of the tree.

Pro Tip: Simply place the supplemental heat source, soft blankets, and squirrel in the open-top box and attach it securely to the tree trunk with rope or a bungee cord. The box does not need to be high off of the ground — this box will not serve as a permanent home for the squirrel; it just provides a safe place off of the ground until the mother squirrel can relocate her young.

Once the box is in place, step back — far back. Make sure the babies are safe from natural predators such as cats, dogs, hawks, crows, and snakes. But you must also remain out of mom’s sight, so that she feels safe coming for the babies. Monitor from indoors if possible.

If you’re waiting for a reunion and the weather turns, bring the baby inside. If it’s raining hard, bring the baby inside and keep it dark, quiet and warm until the weather clears up a bit. A mother squirrel won’t be looking for her babies during a heavy rain.

After dusk, always bring the baby inside for the night. Gray, Red, and Fox Squirrels are active during daylight hours, so the mom squirrel will not find them at night, but a roaming predator might, so do NOT leave it out overnight. Resume the reunion attempt the following morning.

You can learn more about which wild animals share your local habitat — knowing what predators are active in your area helps you make smarter decisions about how exposed the baby should be during a reunion attempt.

Who to Call When You Find a Baby Squirrel

If the reunion attempt doesn’t work, or the baby shows signs of injury, your next step is to connect with someone trained to help. Knowing who to call — and how to reach them quickly — can make a critical difference.

Your primary contact: a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Finding a licensed wildlife rehabilitator near you is the best way to help a squirrel. In some cases, the animal might not need help at all, and a rehabilitator can guide you in assessing the situation. If the animal does need help, often time is of the essence in making that call. Many of the animals whom wildlife rehabilitators rescue are suffering from shock, exposure, dehydration, and/or malnourishment, and a delay of even a few hours can decrease their chance of survival.

Here’s where to look for a rehabilitator near you:

• Animal Help Now (animalhelpnow.org) — searchable by location and species
• The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association — provides many resources for people who find wild animals in distress and includes a map under its Resources tab that has compiled licensed wildlife rehabilitators by state.
• Your state wildlife agency — often called the Game and Fish Department, the Department of Natural Resources, or the Department of Wildlife Resources — can help with injured or sick wildlife situations.
• Local veterinarians — call ahead, as not all vets treat wildlife, but many can refer you to someone who does.
• Humane societies and animal shelters — if you’re unable to locate a rehabilitator, try contacting an animal shelter, humane society, animal control agency, nature center, state wildlife agency or veterinarian.

Pro Tip: Be prepared to receive an answering machine since few resources have dedicated reception services. When leaving a message, slowly, calmly and clearly state your name, telephone number, the type of animal (preferably the species), and the situation that has led you to believe the animal needs help. Provide this information before any other information.

If you can’t reach a rehabilitator right away, don’t panic. Keep the baby warm, contained, and in a dark, quiet space while you continue making calls. Most licensed wildlife rehabilitators are available 24 hours a day. Try more than one contact if your first call goes unanswered.

It’s worth understanding what happens once a squirrel reaches a rehabilitator. When they can eat on their own, rehabbers take them from the indoor cages and put them into large 8-foot tall outdoor cages. Here they learn how to find food, build a regular squirrel nest, climb, jump and interact with other juvenile squirrels. When they are 4.5 to 5 months of age, the squirrels will be released within two miles of where they were found. The goal is always to return the animal to the wild.

Baby squirrels are not the only young animals that sometimes end up in human hands. If you’re curious about baby animal names across species, or have encountered other young wildlife in your area, it helps to have a general understanding of how different animals develop and what “normal” looks like for each one.

What Not to Do With a Baby Squirrel

Good intentions can cause serious harm when it comes to baby wildlife. Several of the most common instinctive responses — feeding, keeping, or over-handling — are actually among the most dangerous things you can do for a baby squirrel.

Here are the key things to avoid:

Don’t feed it. This is the single most important rule. Don’t give them any liquids, like water or formula, either in a bowl or through a syringe. Baby squirrels aspirate easily when fed incorrectly, and the wrong food can cause digestive issues which can lead to a serious and even life-threatening medical situation.

Common Mistake: Never feed the babies any kind of cow’s milk or soymilk. These milks are quick killers for wildlife. Even well-meaning online “recipes” for homemade formula can be harmful — always defer to a licensed rehabilitator for feeding guidance.

Don’t keep it as a pet. Squirrels are wild animals and they do NOT make good pets. When you handle these babies needlessly, you are risking their lives. In most states it is a requirement to be licensed to handle wildlife. Keeping a wild squirrel without a permit is illegal in most jurisdictions, and it dramatically reduces the animal’s chances of surviving in the wild.

Don’t over-handle it. Leave the animal alone as much as possible. Human noise, touch and eye contact are very stressful to wild animals. Keep children and pets away from it. The more a baby squirrel is handled, the more stressed it becomes — and stress compromises an already fragile immune system.

Don’t leave it out at night. As noted above, squirrel mothers are diurnal and won’t retrieve babies after dark. Leaving a baby outside overnight exposes it to predators and cold temperatures without any benefit.

Don’t attempt reunion in bad conditions. Do not attempt reunification during a storm or rain. Do not attempt a reunification if there is loud construction, chain saws, landscape crew, or other loud machinery as this will scare the mother away.

It’s also worth remembering that whenever young mammals are found, an attempt should be made to reunite them with their parent(s). Parents provide the best care for young wildlife and when young are inadvertently removed from their parents, it decreases the likelihood that they will survive, even with expert human care. Your role is to support that reunion — not replace the mother.

If you’re interested in learning more about the wildlife that shares your environment, exploring what wild animals live in urban areas like Chicago can give you a broader picture of the ecosystems baby squirrels — and their mothers — are navigating every day.

You Found a Baby Squirrel — Now You Know What to Do

Finding a baby squirrel is more common than most people realize, especially during spring and late summer when litters are born. The good news is that your calm, informed response makes an enormous difference in whether that animal makes it back to the wild.

The core steps are simple: observe before you act, protect yourself before you touch, keep the baby warm, give the mother a real chance to retrieve her young during daylight hours, and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if reunion doesn’t happen or the baby shows signs of injury. What you don’t do matters just as much — no feeding, no keeping, no leaving it outside after dark.

Squirrels are excellent mothers and will come back for their babies if given a chance. Squirrel moms will also take much better care of their babies than any human possibly could. Give her that chance first. If she can’t come back, the wildlife rehabilitation system exists precisely for moments like this — and the people in it are ready to help.