© squirrelrehabilitation.com, 2011 The Basics Found Baby Squirrel If you have found a baby squirrel, follow these steps (quickly): 1.  Make certain the baby is in no immediate danger      (i.e. nothing in its immediate surroundings poses an      imminent threat to its health or safety--such as a cat,      lawnmower, hawk in nearby tree, ants, and so forth).       If the baby is obviously in peril, remove it immediately. 2.  Visually assess the condition of the baby.  If it is obviously      injured (bruising, lacerations, scratches, broken limbs, etc.)      and/or has obviously been abandoned for a while (unresponsive      to touch, shriveled/dehydrated (see “Dehydration” link below),      cold to the touch, sunburned, etc.), remove it immediately.            However,if it appears healthy (is crawling around, warm (not hot)      to the touch, perhaps crying out (their cries sound much like high-pitched      bird “cheeps”)), the best thing to do is try to reunite the baby with its mother      (see “Reuniting” link below).  3.  If the baby cannot be reunited with its mother, you must first make sure that its body heat is normal (Normal body      temperature for squirrels is 98-102 degrees Fahrenheit (NWRA Principles)).  Squirrels cannot thermoregulate      (maintain body temperature) until fully furred. You must provide it with a safe and constant heat source.  If it was      found far from where it will be taken, putting it inside a person’s shirt or bra next to the skin or wrapped in a thin      layer of cloth will suffice until another heat source can be provided. For safe heat sources,  click HERE.      AT THIS POINT THE VERY BEST, MOST RESPONSIBLE, MOST CARING THING YOU CAN DO IS FIND A      LICENSED WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR TO CARE FOR THIS BABY! 4.  Next, you must determine whether or not the baby is dehydrated (most orphaned babies are to some degree).       Before you attempt to feed the baby, it MUST be hydrated.  They cannot digest food without being properly hydrated      because their bodies will quickly absorb the moisture from the food and leave the solids undigested.  A quick test to      determine whether or not the baby is dehydrated is to gently pinch some skin on its back, making a “tent.”  If the skin      does not return to its normal position in a second or two, the baby is dehydrated. If so, click the link “Dehydration”      below.      Warning: Before attempting to rehydrate the baby, you should review both the links “Feeding Babies” and “Dehydration”      below.             Determining the Baby’s Age: The two links to the right are to videos showing the growth of a baby from newborn to six weeks. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED THE BABY ANYTHING WITHOUT FIRST REVIEWING THE LINK “FEEDING BABIES”!!!