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Started By
Message
re: Has anyone here raised squirrels or rabbits from pinky?
Posted on 3/29/26 at 7:46 pm to One72
Posted on 3/29/26 at 7:46 pm to One72
quote:
Yeah I’m running KMR. Kitten milk replacement.
Internet says kitten formula can be fatal.
quote:
1. Immediate Stabilization
Provide Warmth First: Pinkies cannot regulate their own body heat and will die quickly if chilled. Use a heating pad on its lowest setting placed underneath half of a small plastic container.
Avoid Feeding Immediately: Never give food or water to a cold baby squirrel, as their digestive system will shut down and they may die.
Hydration Test: Perform a "pinch test" by gently pinching the skin over the shoulder blades; if it stays "tented," the squirrel is dehydrated. Rehydrate with warm, unflavored Pedialyte before introducing any formula.
2. Feeding and Nutrition
Formula Type: Use a powdered puppy milk replacer like Esbilac (mixed with extra water for pinkies). Never use cow's milk, human baby formula, or kitten formula, as these can be fatal.
Feeding Schedule: Pinkies require feeding every 2 hours, 24 hours a day.
Feeding Technique:
Use a 1cc syringe with a specialized "Miracle Nipple".
Feed the baby upright on its belly—never on its back—to prevent aspiration (inhaling formula into the lungs), which causes fatal pneumonia.
Go extremely slowly; if formula comes out the nose, stop immediately.
3. Essential Care and Hygiene
Stimulation: Baby squirrels cannot urinate or defecate on their own. After every feeding, use a warm, damp cotton ball to gently rub their genital area to stimulate them to go.
Safe Bedding: Use soft, fleece fabrics or old t-shirts. Do not use towels, as their tiny claws can get snagged, leading to broken limbs.
Hygiene: Keep the area clean and use a tiny bit of coconut oil on a Q-tip to keep their skin from drying out.
4.Transition and Release
Introducing Solids: Once their eyes open (around 4–5 weeks), you can begin introducing rodent blocks like those from Henry's Pets.
Goal of Release: Squirrels do not make good pets and typically "turn wild" as they mature.
Successful rehabilitation involves a "soft release" process over several weeks in an outdoor cage.
0
Posted on 3/29/26 at 7:46 pm to One72
Yes, raised a couple from about 7 days old to release last year. Main thing is keeping them warm. I bought a heating pad for reptiles and put it under half their box. They’ll instinctively move to the cooler parts if they get too hot.
Next make sure you buy squirrel specific formula. Also they need to be fed every 2-3 hours for the first few weeks. Including through the night.
It cost us a couple hundred dollars and a lot of time but was a ton of fun. We still see one in the backyard.
There’s lots of resources online if you look.
Next make sure you buy squirrel specific formula. Also they need to be fed every 2-3 hours for the first few weeks. Including through the night.
It cost us a couple hundred dollars and a lot of time but was a ton of fun. We still see one in the backyard.
There’s lots of resources online if you look.
Posted on 3/29/26 at 7:49 pm to One72
quote:
Any tips?
Get a little dropper to feed them. I gave them Pedialtye and I cant think what else. Set up a good incubation spot with a heat lamp.
I raised mine until they started to get their fur and then gave them to a woman who had a squirrel sanctuary/ rehabilitation place.
She showed up and immediately put the babies in her bra.
Still think about those little guys.
This post was edited on 3/31/26 at 10:42 am
Posted on 3/29/26 at 9:39 pm to One72
Yes I have done this while working at a wildlife rehab facility in Alabama. Why not find a legit rehabilitation person and hand them off?
You need Miracle Nipples they are
Easier for babies to latch on baby squirrels are closer to 1 week old kittens in terms of size and challenges. Maybe watch some videos by The Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw on YouTube (her dad is Tommy Shaw)
Baby squirrel rehab supplies
You need Miracle Nipples they are
Easier for babies to latch on baby squirrels are closer to 1 week old kittens in terms of size and challenges. Maybe watch some videos by The Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw on YouTube (her dad is Tommy Shaw)
Baby squirrel rehab supplies
Posted on 3/29/26 at 9:50 pm to One72
Have seen several who smoke with same finger nail clubbing diagnosed with lung cancer. Good luck
Posted on 3/29/26 at 10:01 pm to Tyga Woods
quote:
your god damn fingernails
thats a person who works for a living.
Not some salesman desk jocky
Posted on 3/29/26 at 11:15 pm to Turnblad85
I’ve raised 3 baby squirrels,their eyes weren’t open but they had hair.Fed them Esiblac until they could eat solid food.
Kept them in a birdcage until they got too big then ,an outdoor cage with a wooden house.
First two were Fox squirrels,got wild at about 6 months.Turned them out.
Last one was a gray squirrel.Stayed real tame,would come up on the back porch every day when we were home begging.Would give her peanuts or sunflower seeds.Went on for 8 years until I guess she died.
Kept them in a birdcage until they got too big then ,an outdoor cage with a wooden house.
First two were Fox squirrels,got wild at about 6 months.Turned them out.
Last one was a gray squirrel.Stayed real tame,would come up on the back porch every day when we were home begging.Would give her peanuts or sunflower seeds.Went on for 8 years until I guess she died.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 2:44 am to One72
We found a baby squirrel in our backyard when I was a kid, older than those because it had fur on it. Put it in a little cage, gave it formula with an eye dropper, which it eagerly took. Died maybe 3 days later. We were all crushed. I had always assumed we did something wrong and could have saved it with better care but reading all these stories it sounds like it's a long shot. Nature is pretty harsh, something that's easy to forget in modern society.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 5:48 am to One72
quote:
Nah. I’m 48 and addicted to nicotine. We all gonna die of something. Mine might be suffocation and I’m ok with that.
Do you have a family? 48 is young.
I’m serious, go see a Dr for that.
Ever see someone suffocate, it’s not pretty.
This post was edited on 3/30/26 at 5:50 am
Posted on 3/30/26 at 6:02 am to One72
Are you finding the squirrels on the ground in their nests? Not only is raising a baby that young hard, but if it fell from 40+ ft up and had branches fall on it that’s not exactly going to help.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 6:13 am to One72
quote:
Just trying to find answers.
I raised a couple of coons about 40 years ago that I managed to get exactly as you find the squirrels. There eyes were still closed but they had hair. No vet would so much as look at them but one said to give them warm milk with a couple of drops of cod liver oil in it as food. They took it from a dropper first and then bottle. Eventually they grew to almost full size and I was able to release them on our land back where they belong.
Every 2 hours like clockwork...when they got a little older they would holler like actual children when it was time. Later in life when I had kids it sounded almost identical.
Feed them, put them back on their warm spot and let them sleep. I believe that if handled too much when so little you might actually scare the tiny things to death. Your wife can cuddle with them when they make it to big enough size.
Raising true wildlife is tough. Good luck
Posted on 3/30/26 at 6:19 am to Recognizable Poster
quote:
So your profession is destroying squirrel habitats
You've never had to get a tree cut that might be too close to your house?
Do you get out and attack the powerline crews that clear the lines of trees as part of maintenance to prevent outages?
When they clear the land for a new subdivision do you get you a sign and get out and protest?
You're being quite the Richard in this thread.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 6:43 am to One72
quote:
Any tips?
Yes, stop giving them KMR, it’s probably killing them.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 6:47 am to One72
I raised some flying squirrels, but they were a little older. Good luck.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 7:04 am to One72
Squirrels you got a shot
Rabbits? No, they die in seconds it seems.
Rabbits? No, they die in seconds it seems.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 9:20 am to One72
They all died. Thanks to all the people who actually gave good advice.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 9:37 am to One72
quote:Thanks for the update. Sorry to hear that :(
They all died.
This post was edited on 3/30/26 at 9:51 am
Posted on 3/30/26 at 10:07 am to One72
You have hands like a monkey.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 10:17 am to Havoc
quote:
You have hands like a monkey.
Thanks!
I’ve been climbing for almost 30 years now.
Posted on 3/30/26 at 10:21 am to Hangover Haven
quote:
Do you have a family? 48 is young.
No, no family,
Just out here in the wild.
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