I can tell that baby season has started because the number of calls I am receiving is averaging over thirty per day, and many are about babies. I picked up two baby squirrels a couple days ago whose mother was killed by a tree that was being taken down crushing her. The babies were found inside a hole In the tree. Poor little guys didn’t even have their eyes open yet. I am feeding them formula every two hours.
Just like all mothers, their mother did not abandon them. If you see baby wildlife this time of year, please do not assume its mother has left it. Wildlife mothers are very attentive to their babies. They may take actions to protect their young that we don’t understand, but that doesn’t mean the baby has been abandoned.
If you see a baby, leave it alone. If you think it is in danger, set it in a cardboard box and keep it in your garage or someplace away from the danger overnight. Don’t worry about feeding it. Babies can survive without food longer than you think. More important than feeding is keeping it warm, particularly with the weather we’re having. You can do that by placing a heating pad on low or hand and foot warmers under the box. Be sure to put these under the box because they are too warm to be in the box. That will kill the baby. If you don’t have those, heat water to its highest temperature in the microwave, fill a pop bottle with it, and wrap the bottle in a wash cloth. You may set that right in the box.
The next day put the baby back where you found it. Unless something has happened to Mom, she will be back to get it.
Thank you for caring about the critters,
Patti