So what do you do? Well, the answer depends on many factors. Is the squirrel injured? Does the squirrel have fur? Are there flies swarming around the squirrel?
Advice given without considering these various factors is probably not great advice. Advice given that is not complete is also probably not great advice. It can be dangerous to over-simplify when it comes to giving advice about living things….
We often hear, for example, that baby squirrels were left on the ground overnight. Squirrels left on the ground overnight are subject to risks such as hypothermia and predation. Further, there is simply no benefit from leaving squirrels out overnight. Squirrels are diurnal (awake during the day and asleep at night). Mom squirrel simply isn’t going to venture down the tree to rescue her precious baby after dark. Mom raccoon, however, might think that baby squirrel would be a very nutritious snack for Junior.
To help aid you in making the best possible decision for the animal in your temporary custody, we are developing decision trees for some of the most common wildlife issues and wildlife conflicts you might encounter. We’ll be posting these on our website as they are developed and also announcing these new postings in our blog.
Our first flowchart “I Found a Baby Squirrel on the Ground” is now available.
Thanks for making the best decisions for wildlife you encounter.
orphaned squirrel, squirrel, wildlife decision treeDawn