Found a squirrel – what to do?
When a squirrel needs help
- A young one lies on the ground, is cold or follows people.
- It is injured, bleeding, dragging a leg or was caught by a cat – even without a visible wound.
- It sits there listlessly and does not flee.
- A drey (the nest) has fallen down, for example after a storm or tree felling.
What to do now
- Pick it up with a cloth and put it in a box with air holes. Use fleece or a T-shirt as bedding – claws get caught in terry towelling loops.
- Warm it: put a hot-water bottle at hand temperature, wrapped in a cloth, next to the animal. A chilled youngster cannot digest anything.
- Put the box somewhere quiet and dark, keep dogs and cats away.
- Call a wildlife rescue centre, a squirrel rescue or a veterinary practice straight away and agree on what to do next.
- If the youngster is warm and uninjured and the place where you found it is safe: the mother often fetches her young back. Put the open box where you found it and watch from a good distance for about an hour.
Please do not
- No cow’s milk, no condensed milk, no baby food – that causes severe diarrhoea.
- Do not give it anything while it is cold or lying on its back: it can choke and suffocate.
- Do not raise it yourself. Rearing takes experience, and squirrels are specially protected – you may only take them in to release them again once healthy.
- After a cat bite, do not wait: without antibiotics, the germs from the saliva are usually fatal for the animal.
Who helps
Wildlife rescue centres and squirrel rescues in your area, any veterinary practice for first aid – or report the animal to us with its location.
Report an emergency Animal rescue near you
Frequent questions
The squirrel is following me. Is it tame?
No. A youngster that follows people is hungry and has lost its mother. Pick it up, warm it and report it right away to a wildlife rescue centre or to us via “Report an emergency”.
A drey with young is lying on the ground in the garden.
Put the young in an open box with soft bedding, leave it where you found them and keep your distance. If the mother does not fetch them within one to two hours, they need help – in cold or rain, right away.
Related
This page gives general advice. It replaces neither a vet nor legal advice.
More guides
- Wild animal foundFound a wild animal – who helps?
- Finding an emergency vetEmergency vet – how to find one at night and at the weekend
- Hedgehog foundFound a hedgehog – what to do?
- Bird foundFound a young or injured bird – what to do?
- Dog foundFound a stray dog – what to do?
- Cat turned upA cat has turned up or been found – what to do?
- Pet run awayDog or cat has run away – what to do?
- Collision with wildlifeCollision with wildlife: deer or wild boar hit – what to do?
- Dog in a hot carDog in a hot car – what to do?
- Report animal crueltyReporting animal cruelty or neglect – how does it work?
- Poison bait foundFound poison bait – and what if the dog has already eaten some?
- Injured pigeonFound an injured pigeon – what to do?
- Fawn foundFound a fawn or young wild animal – what to do?
- Bat foundFound a bat – what to do?
- Young hare foundFound a young hare or wild rabbit – what to do?
- Injured swan or duckFound an injured swan, duck or goose – what to do?
- Cat hit by a carCat hit by a car or found at the roadside – what to do?
- Abandoned animal foundFound an abandoned animal – what to do?
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