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SQUIRREL CARE  It is particularly tempting to invite a helpless injured squirrel found knocked from a tree nest into your home. As a matter of law, however, squirrels are considered wards of the state and may be protected from squirrel-napping. Although prosecutions for taking injured squirrels from one's yard are, albeit, rare, you may want to think twice before attempting "rescuing" a squirrel. For example, a Cincinatti woman recently went to court to keep her pet squirrel at home.
If you find an injured squirrel, contact a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator immediately for assistance. Although chances are probably slim, squirrels can carry rabies and other diseases. Families with young children must consider the fact that diseases such as rabies often have lengthy incubation periods, lasting several weeks or months. In addition, wild squirrels may harbor parasites, which can be lethal to infants and young children. Internal parasites such as ascarid worms, tapeworms, flukes, and protozoa can cause debilitating and often fatal diseases in humans, while external parasites such as ticks and fleas transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, bubonic plague, and other serious diseases.
In addition, you should consider the fact that the squirrel is a wild animal and is not easily domesticated to become a pet. Its very nature is to be free, and squirrel who is kept indoors may exhibit unpredictable destructive behavior. Although stories of squirrels who became model housepets probably exist, please consider housing a squirrel only for the purpose of nursing it back to health and returning it to its natural environment.
Infant squirrels can be fed puppy formula (but not kitten formula, which can cause significant problems or even death) through an eyedropper or syringe. They must be fed every four hours around the clock until they are six weeks old. Once their teeth are developed, expect a young squirrel to chew on anything and everything in your home. Because their teeth are constantly growing, your furniture and electrical wires are fair game at all hours. For the safety of your squirrel, squirrel-proof your house by keeping electrical wires out of reach.
Squirrels eat nuts, seeds, dried corn, fruits, twigs, buds, bark, leaves, pine cones, roots, and mushrooms. Avoid the temptation to feed your squirrel human treats because the bushy-tailed rodents are not easily weaned off unhealthy foods to which they become accustomed. Squirrels who are fed granola bars, crackers, candies, and the like may refuse the natural diet for which they were created. In Great Britain, researchers were shocked to find an entire park of squirrels who had become addicted on nicotine after chewing on cigarette butts left by careless litterbugs!
Do not consider owning a squirrel if you also have a dog or cat. Many squirrels have been seriously injured or eaten by dogs and cats (in addition to predators in the wild such as hawks, snakes, raccoons, weasels, bobcats, coyotes and foxes).
Squirrels are problem solvers and will quickly analyze the layout of your home. However, they are particularly task-oriented and only concentrate on information that is useful to them (which almost always has to do with finding food). Although they can focus long enough to learn the shortest route to your nutty treats or determine how to circumvent obstacles to sneak into your bird feeder, do not be deceived... Unlike a dog, a squirrel cannot be taught to perform tricks. |