Squirrel Support - The National Squirrel Rescue & Appreciation Society

Squirrel Support

The National Squirrel Rescue & Appreciation Society

TENTH ANNIVERSARY! 1995 - 2005

"Lyndale", 23 Linden Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 0AR.

Telephone: 01455 614 013 and 07748 26 51 62 (photo messages).

For the rescue, care and rehabilitation of sick, injured, orphaned and abandoned squirrels and other wildlife.

Hello and Welcome to our web site! The aim of this site is to provide a rescue contact for anyone who finds a sick, injured or orphaned squirrel or litter of squirrels and/or other wildlife in need of help. We also aim to provide something for all squirrel lovers to enjoy, (see below - Membership). Squirrel Support (National Squirrel Appreciation & Rescue) was formed back in September, 1995, when it became clear that there was no appreciation society for squirrels and we are the only squirrel organisation of its kind in the UK. In the past ten years, we have had great success in working with both wild and pet squirrels, saving hundreds of wild animals every year! Not only do we provide a local rescue and carer service in the area we are based, but we also create link-ups with callers and their local wildlife rescuers, throughout the country and beyond, which we are very successful at doing. We work closely with leading Vets and other wildlife rescue and welfare organisations. Our own hospital facilities include both indoor and outdoor units - such as intensive-care incubators, aviaries and enclosures.

SQUIRREL RESCUE...

It's SQUIRREL BABIES season again! Please be aware of our contact details (above), just in case you find any orphans or babies in trouble! Many babies end up falling from their nursery drey, and are also often found in lofts or roof-spaces. Every year, we get inundated with calls from all over the UK about baby squirrels needing help, during the Spring and Autumn periods!

Here is what to do if you find any babies or sick/ injured squirrels in need of help - this generally applies also to other baby, sick or injured small mammals, such as hedgehogs. They will likely be suffering from shock, they need WARMTH - EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!:

HYPERTHERMIA KILLS SQUIRRELS! Cold and/or wet squirrels are likely to die. Baby or young squirrels cannot tolerate temperature changes of more than a few degrees at a time.

IN AN EMERGENCY....

Get a small cardboard box or similar container and a hot water bottle. Fill up the bottle as you would for yourself, and then wrap it in a towel and place in the bottom of the box. Soft, absorbant tissue or kitchen paper on top of this makes an ideal temporary nest. Then (wearing gardening gloves), very carefully put the squirrel(s) in the box. Covering the casualty(s) with an additional piece of toweling will help to keep him/her/them warm. This is an ideal temporary heat source, until a wildlife rescuer in your area collects the baby or babies, or casualty. If the baby or babies are not too weak and hyperthermia has not set in, if hungry they will be squealing loudly for food! If you don't have any suitable milk-formula to hand straight away, the following method can be used.... Make up "International Re-hydration Fluid" - which is 2 pints boiled water (still warm), with 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey and 1 teaspoon of salt. Using an eye-dropper or syringe, draw up the fluid and place it in the side of the baby's/ casualty's mouth, and VERY CAREFULLY let it drip, making sure the animal is swallowing. (Stop IMMEDIATELY if the baby begins to cough.) This can be a life saver! However, this method should only be used in emergencies. Lectade mineral-replacement drink (available from vets) is a much better alternative for dehydration.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!! - To avoid starting Pneumonia by flooding of the mouth, DO NOT under any circumstances try to pump fluid into baby squirrels without contacting us first!

Once baby squirrels we take in are warmed up and revived, we syringe-feed them every 2 - 3 hours, day and night, so please bear this in mind! Sick and/or injured squirrels MUST be given veterinary treatment immediately or as soon as is possible. They can be hand-reared successfully on 3 types of milk - goats milk (in an emergency, if can't obtain powdered formulas straight away), Sherley's LACTOL (kitten/puppy formula) or PetAg ESBILAC milk-replacement (puppy formula). Esbilac is the best formula-milk available as far as hand-rearing just about any baby mammal is concerned, however, the much cheaper alternative that baby squirrels do very well on is Sherley's Lactol, which is available in most pet stores. Please note - once one type of milk is used or started on, it is best that it's NOT switched to a different type. Squirrel babies, if they are well and found in good time, are easy to hand-rear compared with other mammal babies. The babies MUST under any circumstances be kept in a constant source of heat, such as in an incubator, or on a reliable heat-pad. All individuals and litters/family groups must be kept separately from each other, to avoid cross-infection. Please note: Cows milk is of no use whatsoever - they cannot digest it!

A SUCCESS STORY.... During 2003 - '04, the above advice helped to save so many squirrel babies' lives up & down the UK and overseas! A lot of people struggle to find carers for their area and some of these callers travel many miles to bring a casualty, orphaned baby or family of babies to us, as we are considered a trusted and specialist rescue organisation for squirrels. Indeed, 2004 was our most busy and successful year so far, with casualties/orphans arriving from as far away as Nottingham, Retford and Manchester! About 90 % of these babies were successfully hand-reared and treated!

MEMBERSHIP SOCIETY.... As well as the rescue, hand-rearing and rehabilitation (where possible) of wild squirrels, we provide entertainmant for all squirrel lovers to enjoy. All Members receive our newsletter/magazine, the 'HOARDER', which is published 6 times a year.

Hand-rearing a baby squirrel.

CHIPMUNK RESCUE....

We also have a national Re-homing and "Lost & Found" scheme for Chipmunks. These exotic squirrels are very popular indeed as pets, and the author of this site has 15 years of experience with handling, breeding, hand-rearing and caring for chipmunks, as well as wild UK squirrels and other wildlife, such as hedgehogs and foxes. If anyone reading this would like a chipmunk (or chipmunks) for a pet, we can help you! We regularly have some available to re-homing; alternatively, if you need any taking off your hands because you can no-longer care for them, please get in touch! They will be cared for by us, until a new suitable home is found. Advice on the care of chipmunks and/or other squirrels, also available.

Lucy the chipmunk, feeding from my hand.

Unless otherwise stated, all text, photographs and artwork featured on this site are the property of Squirrel Support - National Squirrel Appreciation & Rescue. Copyright © 1995 - 2005, All Rights Reserved.

This is a WILDLIFE FRIENDLY site!