What to do if you find a baby squirrel? Is it necessary to pick up those who fell out of the hollow in the spring (reasoning of an employee of the Bitsevsky forest) A negligent little squirrel ran away from home.

First of all, the squirrel needs to be warmed up - it can be your hands, a hat, a scarf, a pocket. Even hot water in a bottle next to it will do. Next, the squirrel needs to restore the water balance, and not try to immediately feed - into the pipette - some water (not from the tap, it's dangerous!). He needs to start drinking.

Remember, squirrels are at risk: they have a very weak intestine, and with improper feeding or drinking, the struggle for life goes on for minutes. Then try to feed him.

It is advisable to offer him goat milk or milk replacer for kittens (sold in pet stores). If the squirrel is already grown up, then white bread soaked in goat's milk is what you need.

Cow's milk is contraindicated for squirrels!

If it is not possible to feed other than cow, dilute it with water 1: 1. Remember that a very small squirrel needs to be fed, like a baby - every 2-3 hours. Feed from a pipette - drop by drop, so that he does not choke. If you hold him in your hands, he will quickly understand that you and your smell are a source of "goodies". Consider that you are now and forever a squirrel friend. If the squirrel has already grown enough to eat solid food, offer him:

Pine nuts, only in the shell (less likely to have a fungus that is dangerous for the squirrel);
- seeds (only natural in the shell, not fried);
- twigs with leaves (apple, pear, willow);
- acorns;
- apple;
- carrot.

In general, you can only offer a squirrel what he could find in nature. Sugar cookies from the hands of compassionate citizens in the parks, of course, do not count. And remember that his teeth grow all his life, he must grind them on solid food. It is enough to feed a grown and grown squirrel 2 times a day.

The next step is to determine a place for the squirrel, for example, in a box. In no case should there be cotton wool, he can get tangled in it or suffocate. It is very good to put a terry towel as a bedding. If the squirrel has grown up and you are afraid to leave him at home alone on a free range, you will have to purchase a cage. Remember: the higher the cage, the better the squirrel. Approximately 50x50x100 will do, but it's better if you let him run around under supervision, and not just keep him in a cage. The cage must have fresh water (I repeat, not from the tap!). Secure the bowl or drinker so that the squirrel does not turn the water upside down.

In no case do not lay the newspaper on the bottom, it is better without anything - ink on printed publications contributes to the accumulation of lead in the animal's body.

Also provide a house where the squirrel can rest and another house where she will make stash for a rainy day. Lump chalk is needed for the formation of bone tissue, give a mineral stone, vitamins for rodents. If, God forbid, your little squirrel has loose stools, help him. Brew oak bark (not much) and put it in a cage for half a day. You can give "Smecta": directly smeared on the finger - the squirrel will simply lick it off. And most importantly - remove all fruits, only dry food.

In general, the squirrel is a wonderful animal, but it likes to pull the blanket over itself. Try to teach him to live by your rules from childhood. Squirrels have the intelligence of an adult dog, they are just very small. Remember that the squirrel should feel at home in his rest house, as in a fortress: do not climb there, the squirrel cleans itself - throws out the nut shells, spreads its bedding. By the way, cleaning directly in the cage, at least 2 times a week, will ensure that you do not have any smell (just replace the bedding at the bottom of the cage).

If you are lucky to find a squirrel in the forest - save him, do not pass by, he is so defenseless and so wonderful!

Beautiful and fluffy squirrels are widely distributed in many cities and countries. And it is quite normal that the inhabitants feed them and help the animals in every possible way, because each rodent has its own babies. The breeding season for squirrels occurs twice a year: in early spring and late summer. At certain weeks of life, small squirrels can take their first steps and risk falling out of their nest.

The life of squirrels is also full of dangers.

Each litter usually has three or four babies. At the fourth week, the eyes of the squirrels open, and at the sixth week the babies leave the nest. By the time they are eight or nine weeks old, squirrels are no longer nursing their babies, and they usually survive on their own in the wild.

So, this is a short period of time when cubs rely on their mothers to survive. But, despite the best intentions of the mother during this period, anything can happen. A storm can knock down a tree, other animals strive to come closer. All these factors can easily separate a small squirrel from its mother.

What should you do if you find a baby squirrel in need of help?

First, you must carefully examine the cub for any injuries, bleeding or fractures. Did you find wounds on the body? Animal bite marks? If you answered yes to any of these questions, contact your nearest veterinarian as soon as possible.

If you don't know where to call, start with your local animal shelter or police station. They will tell you the address of the nearest veterinary clinic or rehabilitation center.

If the squirrel is unaffected and weighs approximately less than 250 grams (or so), the individual may be too weak to survive on its own. But remember one rule: if a squirrel is able to run away from you, it is old enough to take care of itself.

If you decide to pick up the beauty in order to provide her with any help, be sure to put on thick leather gloves before picking her up. Even very small squirrels can bite you hard!

Important Rules

According to experts, if the squirrel's tail is fluffy, and it weighs more than 200 grams, human intervention is not required for its survival. If not, then the animal may still need the help and care of its mother. If you manage to find a nest, put the baby squirrel in a box with the lid ajar near the tree where it is located.

You can put a bag of warm rice or a bottle of warm water in the box to keep the baby warm while he waits for his mother. Regularly check if the squirrel has found its mother, if she has transferred him to the nest. If not, call the veterinarian and ask how else to help the cub.

Whatever you do, don't try to take your squirrel home and raise him as a pet. Although at first glance they may seem cute and cuddly like babies, they are wild animals and will try their best to get back into the wild. But if the squirrel spends too much time among people, in the future it will no longer be able to survive in the natural environment on its own.

If you are in doubt about whether to help or not, call your local veterinary clinic, they will help you make the right decision.

In many situations, nature can take care of squirrels without any human help. But if the rodents need it, there are veterinarians who will do everything necessary to get the cubs back on their feet.

At the end of June 2011, a squirrel was brought to our office. More specifically, squirrels. These squirrels fell out of the hollow right on the heads of walking citizens.

Now let's figure it out. How could tiny squirrels, who had just opened their eyes, fall out of the hollow? And why did the negligent mother immediately brazenly sit on a branch, did not take children, did not react to people's comments? Everything is simple. The squirrels did not fall, but were thrown out by their mother. It is not uncommon (for old squirrels or if these are late broods, then maybe for other reasons) squirrels are born with underdeveloped internal organs. In captivity, such animals are cheerful and cheerful, they jump, eat, and then suddenly one fine morning they do not wake up. Nature rewarded such unviable squirrels with an unpleasant specific smell. And the mother squirrel throws them out of the nest like something smelly. No animal parent will waste time and energy on obviously sick and weak offspring. The squirrels will surely die. They will quickly be found and eaten by some predator, and maybe your pet dog. Pity the squirrels. But, in nature, up to 80% of young squirrels die annually, which, for various reasons, do not survive their first autumn or winter. Even with such a figure, squirrels continue to be found in abundance in Bitsevsky Park. Protein is included in the natural food cycle. She herself is considered a "tree rat" - she eats everything. In addition to plant foods, the squirrel eats various insects with pleasure, destroys bird nests (it can eat both eggs and chicks). If the protein is diluted too much, then they will significantly reduce the number of small birds. That is, the squirrel is still a forest robber. In turn, the squirrel is an excellent food for martens and birds of prey. She also intensively makes stocks for the winter and other inhabitants of the forest use these stocks. Thus, for the forest, proteins are needed in any form (living or dead).

We return to the forest orphans. If you find a suspiciously weak, such a compassionate cub, then you have a choice. Or do not interfere in the affairs of Nature and pass by. Or, as a Good Deity, you can give the animals a few weeks or months (or maybe years) of life. But, remember once and for all, GOOD DEEDS SHOULD BE DONE WITH YOUR OWN HANDS, AND NOT SHIFTING THEM TO OTHERS!

Decided to help the beast - take it home and deal with it. If he is not seriously injured, then we quickly treat and release him. If he is disabled for life, then we provide him with a happy stay in our hospitable home. No need to carry the poor fellow to the Zoo. There is a wagon and a cart for their animals. And here you are with your proteins. Zoo staff will be happy to fill you with a bag of “once-beloved-owners-and-quickly-bored-living-toys”. And you don't have to bring animals into the forestry. There are no nurseries and shelters in the forestry. All worries will fall on the shoulders of the park workers. Such an employee will not receive any outside help, any bonuses or leave to care for the sick.

I hope that the people who brought us 5 baby squirrels will read this article. They brought the animals to the forestry, gave them away, breathed a sigh of relief, wrote down another good deed for themselves and went home. It's all over for them. But it started for me. The hand did not rise to throw out the children (to feed them to the predator, the hand did not rise either). I had to play the role of the Good Deity. I will say, looking ahead, despite all the difficulties, my family and I got a lot of pleasure and impressions from communicating with squirrels. But this is all due to the fact that all the people living in my house are people who LOVE ANIMALS MORE THAN FURNITURE AND CARPETS. Dear reader, have you already wanted to have a squirrel at home? Wait, now I will tell you what you have to face.

Belchats (and me) were lucky from the very beginning. My mother agreed to help feed the baby squirrels. At first, the squirrels only slept in a hat. They were fed 5 times a day with diluted cat's milk. Animal children should not be fed cow's milk. Pet stores sell cat's milk powder concentrate and small bottles with nipples. We feed, wash hats, do massage. Everything seems to be simple. My pets, accustomed to the fact that various strange creatures periodically appear in the house, reacted calmly to the squirrels. They only said: “Lord, they threw some more and there’s nowhere to spit!”

The squirrels have grown. They gave up milk. We switched to adult nutrition and became super-active. I had to give two rooms of the country house at the disposal of the squirrels.

And now a list of outrages that squirrels can do in the house. 4 squirrels (1 did not survive) give the impression that there are at least 20 of them. Everything around you rustles, fastens, jumps and sways. Squirrels are everywhere: on the curtains, on the carpet, in the toolbox, in the bag of cereal, in the box of cotton wool, in the fireplace, under the covers, in the closet with clothes, on your back, on your head, in your pocket, in your leg, and while constantly someone dangles on the floor. The squirrels quickly remodeled the house to their liking. They pulled out the insulation from the wall and insulated the box in which the soap was stored (naturally, the soap was thrown away). They stole all the nuts and stuffed them into the cracks. They found candles and partly ate them (what they didn’t eat was taken away in an unknown direction). They gnawed a dried fish head. They ate the button on the electric razor. All the ropes and rags were collected and taken to a box, already insulated with cotton wool. A cloth was pulled out of the eyeglass case to wipe the glasses. The rag made an excellent mattress. Everything that was there was taken out of the fireplace and beautifully laid out on the floor. Firewood was cut into pieces. All the floors were spitting with seed rinds. Tubes of cream jumped with enviable constancy on the shelves and climbed the curtains. The squirrels had a quiet hour twice a day. Oh, that magical SLEEP HOUR! The kids fell asleep where daytime sleep overtook them: on a shelf, on a lantern, on a bed, in a plate, in a bedside table, on a table, in a vase, etc. And here is one more luck: the squirrel is a diurnal animal and sleeps all night. Ours went to bed at 19:30, so that in the evening the rooms were at the disposal of people ("Hurrah! The kids went to bed!").

Just do not think that I had a pigsty at home. It was very clean, however, I had to constantly sweep - clean, sweep - clean, and so on ad infinitum.

In mid-August, the squirrels moved into an enclosure on the territory of the administration of the Bitsevsky Forest. I thought my problems were over, but no, they've only just begun. With the onset of cold nights, the squirrels began to freeze. All their energy was spent on heating. They did not grow and wrapped themselves chillily in baby summer coats. One squirrel died. The situation is deadlocked. And here I am lucky again - a very good person who works with animals takes my squirrels. Where this good man works, I will not tell you, otherwise you will rush there with your foundlings. Now the squirrels live indoors, they have grown up and even got a gray winter coat. They cannot live in the forest. I don’t even know if it will be possible to move them back to the enclosure in the summer.

Here is such a story. Draw your own conclusions.

P.S. One clear October morning, the strongest and most active squirrel (already the third of five) did not wake up. An autopsy showed that he did not have a single normally developed organ.

At the time of the newspaper's going to press (January 2012), the two remaining squirrels (now squirrels) continue to live indoors, they do not complain about their health yet.

Victoria Shlyakhovaya,
chief specialist of the biodiversity department,
monitoring and environmental education

Nowadays, few people are surprised by an unusual pet. Chinchillas, capybaras, hedgehogs, ferrets, snakes, lizards, tarantulas and even tigers become household members. Squirrels are no exception. Often, a squirrel ends up in a house either because of human pity and compassion for a lost or injured animal, or it is a conscious purchase of an animal as a pet.

What is in the first, what in the second case, you definitely have to decide whether you can cope with such a difficult task.

Should you get a squirrel as a pet?

Before you bring a little white squirrel into the house, you should ask yourself a few simple questions.

Are you ready to get up every day at 5 am for 10-12 years?
Do you clean the apartment every day and at least once a week carry out a general cleaning in the cage of the animal, and also put up with its specific smell?
Can you provide him with all the necessary products (cones, acorns, nuts, pine or spruce branches)?
Is there a veterinary clinic in your city that will help a pet if some kind of misfortune happens to him?
Will you survive that once again the squirrel cannot be squeezed or touched? This animal does not like "hugs" and can even bite.
Will the apartment survive the raids of the little destroyer and can you take it easy?
And the most important question - are you able to spend 20 times more than the squirrel itself costs to equip its home? funny squirrel
If you are ready for such tests and answer “yes” to all questions, then feel free to buy or pick up a baby Belchenka. It’s a crumb, because if it’s a big squirrel, you won’t be able to make friends with it. Adult animals are not tamed and remain wild. For taming, squirrels at the age of 3 months are suitable.

If you are consciously approaching the appearance of a squirrel in your home, then you need to know where to get it. Where can I get such a crumb, you ask? For example, you can buy it.

Where to buy squirrel?

Now there are many places where you can buy a squirrel: nurseries, bulletin boards on the Internet, pet stores, zoos, gamekeepers, hunters and a bird market. The last option (bird market) is not the best, there is a chance to buy an unhealthy or wild animal that is absolutely not adapted for life with a person. There is also a chance to fall for an unscrupulous seller on the Internet. Although in the case of buying via the Internet, there is a little more chance of buying a healthy and well-mannered squirrel. To buy just such an animal, you should consider the following recommendations:

Contact the seller and find out how the animals got to him and how they were raised;
if possible, ask to see the squirrels on Skype;
ask if you can see the squirrels live;
ask what the animal is fed;
ask about vaccinations, deworming, and general health of the animal.
Having received the seller's answers to all these questions, you will be able to get a complete picture of the proposed protein and decide whether or not to buy this animal.

The best options for acquiring squirrels are a nursery, a breeder or a pet store. It is safer to buy an animal in such places. A conscientious seller always provides a guarantee and is responsible for his pet. With any request to return or change an animal, a cattery, breeder or pet store will always agree.

When purchasing a squirrel as a huntsman or hunter, there is a risk of buying a completely wild animal that will never become tame. Therefore, before buying an animal from them, look at it and find out its age. The less protein, the easier it will be to tame.

Buying a squirrel at the zoo can be done through the administration, but this can not be done everywhere, because not every city has zoos.

Having chosen a suitable place to buy a squirrel, you should start arranging the place where it will live. To accommodate a squirrel in a house or apartment, a cage or an aviary is well suited.

Squirrel cage
The first thing that should appear in your house with the advent of a squirrel is a cage or an aviary. For a squirrel, a cage 60 cm high and 50 cm wide is suitable. An adult squirrel will need more space. It is better for an older animal to purchase a cage about 1.5 m high and 60x80 cm wide. In such a dwelling, the squirrel will feel comfortable. When choosing a cage, pay attention to the presence of a pallet in it. A convenient retractable, galvanized and equipped with a handle tray will save you time cleaning the squirrel's home.

Arrangement of an aviary or cage

It is also very important to equip the squirrel's home inside. First of all, the cage should be equipped with a drinking bowl for water and a bowl for food. Fill the bottom of the cage with rodent litter. Set up a house resembling a nest or hollow and put dry hay, chopped cotton fabric or pieces of fur in it. When buying a squirrel house, make sure it has a flip-top or handy opening that your hand will fit into. A dwelling of this design will be easier to clean. But do not buy a house without a bottom, because it will still need to be well fixed in the aviary as high as possible.

In addition, you need to put a snag in the cage or fix a branch on which the squirrel will grind its teeth and claws. If the animal does not have something to sharpen its claws and teeth, then soon the squirrel will begin to have health problems.

For an active time spent by a pet, you can install additional elements in the aviary: a wheel, a hammock, a ladder, a bathing suit. Only when installing additional accessories, please note that the wheel must be axleless, and the mount on hammocks must be carefully hidden.

Having arranged a place in the house for a future or newly arrived pet, you should take care of its diet. The squirrel eats seeds

What to feed a squirrel at home?

Perhaps this is the most important question that interests every newly minted squirrel owner. If the squirrel was picked up on the street, you should determine the age of the baby before you start feeding him something. By feeding the animal with inappropriate food, there is a risk of ruining his life. Squirrels, which should be fed only milk, are easily identified by the absence of upper incisors. Recognizing babies who eat solid food is also quite easy, they are completely covered in hair, have open eyes, have fully formed upper incisors, brushes begin to grow and the tail fluffs up.

Very small squirrels up to two weeks old (with closed eyes and without hair) are fed every 2 hours with 2 ml of milk. Animals 3 weeks old are fed every 3-4 hours, 2-4 ml. Babies 5 weeks of age are given 4-6 ml of milk every 4-5 hours. The last feeding of a 5-week-old baby squirrel can be done at 00:00, and the first morning feeding can be started at 06:00. Also, at the age of five weeks, solid food, peeled pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, low-fat cottage cheese and dried fruits are introduced into the diet of squirrels. When starting feeding, in no case do not add fruits or vegetables to the squirrel. The baby's stomach can't digest fructose and lactose at the same time.

After each feeding, the baby needs to massage the tummy so that he can go to the toilet. Squirrel with a bump

At the age of 2 months, the squirrel is completely transferred to solid feeding. From this period, the baby begins to eat all the foods that squirrels eat.

Foods that can be fed to a hand squirrel: mushrooms, necessarily cones, acorns, fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, bread, cereals, nuts except almonds and peanuts, young shoots of trees, beetles, bird eggs, flour worm, chicken meat. Of the minerals in the cage, there should be salt stone and chalk. Read more about nutrition and feeding squirrels in the article: What to feed squirrels?

Proper feeding and care of the animal will help maintain its health for a long time and extend its life for several years. At home, squirrels live for about 10-12 years.