Baby Squirrel Saved

F9Devil

Hello,

I came across a young squirrel on the pavement near Ranelagh, Dublin, being attacked by magpies. It has fur and its eyes are open but it's still too young to be independent. From youtube videos I can guesstimate 26 weeks(?).

I'm just a student and have no idea what I'm doing. If anyone has real advice other then: keep warm, feed /w syringe, wait for Monday for a vet.. I'd appreciate it.

Does anyone know any wildlife rehabilitators, or people who would take in this sort of thing?

Bizzum

F9Devil wrote: »

Hello,

I came across a young squirrel on the pavement near Ranelagh, Dublin, being attacked by magpies. It has fur and its eyes are open but it's still too young to be independent. From youtube videos I can guesstimate 26 weeks(?).

I'm just a student and have no idea what I'm doing. If anyone has real advice other then: keep warm, feed /w syringe, wait for Monday for a vet.. I'd appreciate it.

Does anyone know any wildlife rehabilitators, or people who would take in this sort of thing?

Red or Grey?

F9Devil

Grey, I'm sure that lowers her chance of help huh

anniehoo

A good starting point is to contact Irish Wildlife Matters

Bizzum

F9Devil wrote: »

Grey, I'm sure that lowers her chance of help huh

If it was in pain I'd be inclined to humanely dispatch it.
Your local NPWS Ranger would be worth a call. ( link above on contacts page ) .
Best of luck and fair play to you for trying to help.

Upon reflection, strike a blow for our native red squirrel and humanely dispatch the tree rat.

F9Devil

It seems absolutely grand, its been sleeping a lot and I tried to give it some water with a pinch of salt and sugar in a little syringe... and later tried some lucozade sport(I read that Gatorade is a good rehydrant and assume its nearly the same thing).

I just want to get it back in the game and either release it in a wooded area or give it to someone more qualified who wont just euthanize it!

kylith

F9Devil wrote: »

Hello,

I came across a young squirrel on the pavement near Ranelagh, Dublin, being attacked by magpies. It has fur and its eyes are open but it's still too young to be independent. From youtube videos I can guesstimate 26 weeks(?).

I'm just a student and have no idea what I'm doing. If anyone has real advice other then: keep warm, feed /w syringe, wait for Monday for a vet.. I'd appreciate it.

Does anyone know any wildlife rehabilitators, or people who would take in this sort of thing?

26 weeks is six months, so I'm guessing you mean younger than that since greys can start to breed at around 5 months.

Get in contact with your wildlife officer and they'll know what to do with it. I must admit I'd be disinclined to release it due to the grey invasion.

F9Devil

I don't know about you but I'm not pushed what colour my local squirrels are. The little guy isn't dirnking but sleeping a ton. Not sure how I'm supposed to make him drink

anniehoo

F9Devil wrote: »

The little guy isn't dirnking but sleeping a ton. Not sure how I'm supposed to make him drink

Have you contacted anyone from Irish Wildlife Matters that I posted above or a local vet?

From the link i posted:

wrote:

Feeding
Rehydration solution – Lectade or equivalent
Vitamins must be added to the goats’ milk – calcium and phosphorus. Dip tip of teat in ‘Stress’ daily
DO NOT feed peanuts or sunflower seeds - hypocalcaemia
DO NOT feed hamster or gerbil food
Equipment
Initially pipette with small teat
Move on to Catac bottle with only tiny hole in teat – squirrels suck voraciously
Technique
Feed with squirrel on all fours or standing on back legs leaning forward – slows down sucking
Weaning
When 2-3 weeks of age, lively and teeth have come through
Farley’s Rusks for a few days then adult diet as above
Again – DO NOT feed sunflower seeds or peanuts

As mentioned, if he's 26 weeks, he should be well able to feed himself. If he's 26 days he's past weaning stage and won't need milk as nutrition,but will still need to be hydrated. You need to contact someone with more experience ASAP as you will lose him in the next 24hrs if he's not hydrated.

F9Devil

I found him last night - No vets or wildlife places open
It's Sunday - again, no vets of wildlife places open.

anniehoo

F9Devil wrote: »

I found him last night - No vets or wildlife places open
It's Sunday - again, no vets of wildlife places open.

If you look at the "Contacts" section there's a number of people you can ring for "advice only". They mightn't be open today, but they may answer their phone and help you that way.

We also have a Nature forum, if you post your query there.

Toulouse

F9Devil wrote: »

I found him last night - No vets or wildlife places open
It's Sunday - again, no vets of wildlife places open.

Many of the wildlife people on the link supplied by Anniehoo are volunteers and will answer their phones any day of the week luckily. You really should try although don't bother with the Dublin contact. The Kildare one is very good and if it were me I'd try him first.

Bizzum

F9Devil wrote: »

I don't know about you but I'm not pushed what colour my local squirrels are.

I would be very pushed what colour my local squirrels are.
I'd cross hell and high water to try and save one of our native reds.
The greys are an invasive nuisance, doing serious damage to the native red as well as wider damage.
I wouldn't hesitate to dispatch the invader.

F9Devil

Bizzum wrote: »

I would be very pushed what colour my local squirrels are.
I'd cross hell and high water to try and save one of our native reds.
The greys are an invasive nuisance, doing serious damage to the native red as well as wider damage.
I wouldn't hesitate to dispatch the invader.

Ok

junospider

Im sure it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild in Ireland although I saw a misguided member of the i.s.p.c.a. do just that recently on TV.

Piliger

junospider wrote: »

Im sure it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild in Ireland although I saw a misguided member of the i.s.p.c.a. do just that recently on TV.

It's not illegal. But it is considered a pest in this country. There are no rehab people in ireland taking in squirrels sadly. Red or grey. We don;t seem to have the numbers of people who get involved in local rehabbing as they do in the UK.

Piliger

Bizzum wrote: »

I would be very pushed what colour my local squirrels are.
I'd cross hell and high water to try and save one of our native reds.
The greys are an invasive nuisance, doing serious damage to the native red as well as wider damage.
I wouldn't hesitate to dispatch the invader.

That is grossly overstating it. The greys haven't spread anything like the way they have in the UK. They don't attack reds. They are simply more resilient though the winters and can eat a wider range of things.

DBB

Piliger wrote: »

There are no rehab people in ireland taking in squirrI. ls sadly. Red or grey. We don;t seem to have the numbers of people who get involved in local rehabbing as they do in the UK.

That's not true. There are fully trained, licensed wildlife rehabilitators around the country, they've already been linked to and mentioned in this thread, and unless their website is lying, and unless some of my good friends who are wildlife rehabilitators are lying, they do rehabilitate squirrels:

http://www.irishwildlifematters.ie/animals/squirrel.html

Piliger wrote: »

That is grossly overstating it. The greys haven't spread anything like the way they have in the UK. They don't attack reds. They are simply more resilient though the winters and can eat a wider range of things.

I see no overstatement, only a post which explains that the greys are an invasive pest.... Just like you said yourself.
Who said that greys attack reds? Where did you get this from in this thread? You're the first to mention it!
And what about the UK? So, apparently they have bigger problems... Does that somehow diminish the fact that we have a well-recognised problem too? Or is it okay for us to ignore the fact that reds are gone from many previous haunts in Ireland, because sure, isn't it worse in the UK?
Odd logic.

Bizzum

Piliger wrote: »

That is grossly overstating it. The greys haven't spread anything like the way they have in the UK. They don't attack reds. They are simply more resilient though the winters and can eat a wider range of things.

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Publications/eWings/eWingsIssue37October2012/SquirrelSurvey2012/tabid/1286/Default.aspx

Is this grossly overstating it too?

(For the record, it was you and not I that mentioned greys attacking Reds. I simply didn't say that)

Irish Stones

I found a baby grey squirrel five weeks ago and when I called the Wildlife Rescue Centre over here I asked them twice what they would have done with it and I made 100% sure they would have saved it.
The law, that I assume is a European law, states that all the grey squirrels that are captured must be euthanized, setting them free again is not allowed.
They accepted to save it only because it was very young.
But before they took it they asked me if I was able to take care of it at home.
Had I promised not to tell anybody, they would have left it to me to keep in the house. I was in serious trouble with one of my three cats which was terribly sick and had no time for anything else, so I accepted to leave it to them.
They gave me a record number and a phone number to get news of the squirrel in the following days, I only called once, it was fine.

This is to say that the law requires that they are to be eliminated with any method.

aaakev

Not any method, any humane method. You cant drown it for example and rightly so. You can shoot it, break its neck, use a priest ect....

I understand why someone would want to save the young animal but to be fair they are a pest and need to be controled. Your an adult op, you should be able to understand this

Piliger

DBB wrote: »

That's not true. There are fully trained, licensed wildlife rehabilitators around the country, they've already been linked to and mentioned in this thread, and unless their website is lying, and unless some of my good friends who are wildlife rehabilitators are lying, they do rehabilitate squirrels:

http://www.irishwildlifematters.ie/animals/squirrel.html

Having spent hours on the phone to and following up links on this site I can tell you that there are NO rehab people involved with squirrels in the republic. Even those within the DSPCA and nature preserves say that they sometimes try... but mostly fail. Organisations like this don't have the resources. The most successful people in the UK are individuals who volunteer and do it in their own homes/gardens.

I see no overstatement, only a post which explains that the greys are an invasive pest.... Just like you said yourself.
Who said that greys attack reds? Where did you get this from in this thread? You're the first to mention it!

doing serious damage to the native red as well as wider damage

I was referring to this statement, which is completely untrue.

And what about the UK? So, apparently they have bigger problems... Does that somehow diminish the fact that we have a well-recognised problem too? Or is it okay for us to ignore the fact that reds are gone from many previous haunts in Ireland, because sure, isn't it worse in the UK?
Odd logic.

I really don't know where you get all that nonsense from. I simply stated a fact "We don't seem to have the numbers of people who get involved in local rehabbing as they do in the UK."

Piliger

aaakev wrote: »

Not any method, any humane method. You cant drown it for example and rightly so. You can shoot it, break its neck, use a priest ect....

I understand why someone would want to save the young animal but to be fair they are a pest and need to be controled. Your an adult op, you should be able to understand this

I don't accept this kind of blind assertion. A pest is similar to a weed. It's all about point of view and context. Grey squirrels do NO damage to the environment and are not a problem for people or farmers or other animals.

They simply out compete another animal, the red squirrel, whom the establishment have decided is the more important because it has been here longer. What a wonderful scientific reason !

So grey squirrels are NOT a pest. They are simply the politically incorrect animal according to those ni power.

aaakev

Your missing a key word there which makes all the difference, Native. Greys are pushing our native reds out so yes they are a pest. If they are allowed to keep breading without being controled then my kids will be talking about the extinct red irish squirell. Maybe your ok with that but id rather see reds

Jelly2

junospider wrote: »

Im sure it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild in Ireland although I saw a misguided member of the i.s.p.c.a. do just that recently on TV.

That's true. It is illegal.

Piliger

aaakev wrote: »

Your missing a key word there which makes all the difference, Native. Greys are pushing our native reds out so yes they are a pest. If they are allowed to keep breading without being controled then my kids will be talking about the extinct red irish squirell. Maybe your ok with that but id rather see reds

The history of the world is one of continuous and repeated change. Species change. Species migrate and immigrate - they evolve and they die. Things change. This current politically correct obsession with keeping everything as-it-is is abhorrent to me, and completely counter to the way nature has lived for millennia.

aaakev

Piliger wrote: »

The history of the world is one of continuous and repeated change. Species change. Species migrate and immigrate - they evolve and they die. Things change. This current politically correct obsession with keeping everything as-it-is is abhorrent to me, and completely counter to the way nature has lived for millennia.

Irrielevant in this case because the grey squirell was introduslced here by people as a food source, it did not get here itself, nor could it...

Piliger

aaakev wrote: »

Irrielevant in this case because the grey squirell was introduslced here by people as a food source, it did not get here itself, nor could it...

Humans are part fo nature. We are just another species.

F9Devil

Hi,

I just want to thank the people who took the time out of their day to give me useful, well intentioned advice on how to properly treat the baby squirrel. Thank you very much. I hadn't a clue what to do and had never taken care of an animal like this, or as young as this before.

Unfortunately the squirrel is at a vet now that has a great reputation amongst the community both local and online where he will meet a quick and painless death instead of the cruel and unusual fate he would have had had I not been fortunate enough to come across him.

Apart from a number of extraordinarily unhelpful, uncaring and ill-considered posts above this post that surprisingly includes a moderator (of all people to post nonsensical rubbish) that only served to distract entirely from the point of my post- the people who were genuinely caring enough for the animal who PM'd me were of great help.

Thank again

Bizzum

F9Devil wrote: »

Apart from a number of extraordinarily unhelpful, uncaring and ill-considered posts above this post that surprisingly includes a moderator (of all people to post nonsensical rubbish) that only served to distract entirely from the point of my post-

I can assure you that my posts on the topic were very well considered.
It may not have been what you wanted to hear but such is life.
Singling out a poster on the basis of her being a mod is curious. Do you expect a mod have an opinion of her own? Or is it that it you didn't agree with it?
I'm often amused by the rose tinted view of 'rescue' I see on here.
For argument sake OP what would you do if it was a rat instead of a squirrel?

F9Devil

I didn't ask for your opinion on whether you think, or do not think, the squirrel deserves to live. I have no intention of entertaining you further 'Bizzum', and won't be replying to your posts again.

Mo60

OP welcome to this sometimes self-opinionated animal forum. I gather that you were not experienced in the nature of the grey squirrel and came on here to look for advice. From what I can see you took on the useful advice given and did what was best. The outcome may not have been what you expected but at least you, as an animal lover, have taken the advice of a well intentioned vet and taken the best course of action.

Bizzum

F9Devil wrote: »

I didn't ask for your opinion on whether you think, or do not think, the squirrel deserves to live. I have no intention of entertaining you further 'Bizzum', and won't be replying to your posts again.

Whether you intend entertaining me or not.... You are. Keep up the good work.

DBB

Piliger wrote: »

Having spent hours on the phone to and following up links on this site I can tell you that there are NO rehab people involved with squirrels in the republic. Even those within the DSPCA and nature preserves say that they sometimes try... but mostly fail.

I wonder are we at odds here? You said that there are no organisations which rehab squirrels. But there are.
But is it that you really meant that there is nobody who successfully rehabs them? If so, this distinction was not made. And for the record, I have a good friend, a wildlife rehabilitator, who has returned squirrels to health. Either way, the rehab organisation we have is equipped and licensed to take injured squirrels, members of the public are not.

I was referring to this statement, which is completely untrue.

What? You're saying that the grey does no damage to the red? I think you interpreted that wrongly, to be honest. I don't think that poster meant "do damage" to mean that these animals get into sparring matches with one another, I think they meant it in the wider sense: competition, spread of disease etc. That poster has since clarified that this is the case.

I really don't know where you get all that nonsense from. I simply stated a fact "We don't seem to have the numbers of people who get involved in local rehabbing as they do in the UK."

It doesn't read that way at all. Yes, you spoke about the UK and rehabbers in a different post, but then in a post that you quoted, that mentioned nothing whatsoever about rehabilitators, nor the UK, you posted about grey squirrels spreading in the UK. You said nothing about rehabilitators in this. I'm afraid I'm not psychic, so if you mean to say something, please say it clearly, because I can make no sense of your quoting one post, then going off on one about something it doesn't say.

DBB

F9Devil wrote: »

Apart from a number of extraordinarily unhelpful, uncaring and ill-considered posts above this post that surprisingly includes a moderator (of all people to post nonsensical rubbish) that only served to distract entirely from the point of my post- the people who were genuinely caring enough for the animal who PM'd me were of great help.

I don't even know where to start in addressing your post F9devil.

First of all, I am perfectly entitled to express my opinion, which you'll find is a considered one based on a long, long education in wildlife and animal-related matters. I would appreciate it is you would pinpoint precisely where what I posted was "nonsensical"? Please? I can't see it. Do remember that just because you don't agree with it, doesn't make it "nonsensical", nor "rubbish". If that's the best you can come up with, then your argument is pretty weak.
Similarly, everyone else is also allowed to express their opinions, as long as they stay within the boundaries of the forum charter, and within the bounds of decency, and the law.
Some people expressed opinions which are different to yours... it is a discussion forum: you do not hold the monopoly on what others say when you start a thread.

Secondly, neither do you have the right to harshly criticise such posts in the way you did: if you have a problem with a post, you report it. You do not go off on an abusive tirade. As it stands, you did not report one of them.

Thirdly, the fact remains that it is illegal to release grey squirrels in Ireland. Your vet is euthanasing the animal because even if it was healthy, the vet would be breaking the law by releasing it, or abetting in its release. In other words, your vet did the equivalent to what others posted here, which you took to call "unhelpful", "uncaring" and "ill-considered". Did you release any of these adjectives on the vet? No? Isn't anonymous posting great!
If you don't like the fact that there is a bounty on grey squirrels in Ireland, funded by our government. take it up with your local representative: but do not pour such bile on people who simply point out the laws surrounding this invasive species.

And fourthly, what on earth has being a mod got to do with this?
"GASP! A MODERATOR said something I DISAGREE with! OMG! Will somebody please call Joe Duffy?" :eek::eek::eek:
I would strongly suggest that you do not, ever, pull that chestnut again. It's cheap. It's unfounded. And it's utterly pathetic.

Piliger

It's illegal to park on the yellow lines. Millions do it anyway. The squirrel laws are daft and politically motivated. and I wouldn't pay them any heed.

DBB

Piliger wrote: »

It's illegal to park on the yellow lines. Millions do it anyway. The squirrel laws are daft and politically motivated. and I wouldn't pay them any heed.

Aw c'mon Piliger, you can do better than that! Excusing the fact that a native species, and our woodlands, and all the wildlife that depends on said woodland, is in danger by saying that people regularly engage in Rules of the Road misdemeanours is.... Staggering. I'm afraid, for me in any case, you've just managed to weaken your argument to the point that I just can't take you seriously any more!
Politically motivated? There may be political influence over the commercial damage caused by invasive species (and we have quite a few of them: mink, zebra mussel, chub, dace, asian clam, Chinese mitten crab, and in danger of many more in years to come... And not including the multitude of damaging invasive plant species), but that's a small part of it.
To suggest that politics is the only reason we want to preserve our native species from the harm being caused to them by our irresponsible actions is ludicrous, and quite frankly insulting to the many, many people, voluntary and professional, who wish to preserve our native species for their own sake.

Niamho!

F9Devil wrote: »

Hi,

I just want to thank the people who took the time out of their day to give me useful, well intentioned advice on how to properly treat the baby squirrel. Thank you very much. I hadn't a clue what to do and had never taken care of an animal like this, or as young as this before.

Unfortunately the squirrel is at a vet now that has a great reputation amongst the community both local and online where he will meet a quick and painless death instead of the cruel and unusual fate he would have had had I not been fortunate enough to come across him.

Apart from a number of extraordinarily unhelpful, uncaring and ill-considered posts above this post that surprisingly includes a moderator (of all people to post nonsensical rubbish) that only served to distract entirely from the point of my post- the people who were genuinely caring enough for the animal who PM'd me were of great help.

Thank again

f

Fair play to you for trying. I certainly couldn't "dispatch":rolleyes:of any little creature, no matter how much of a threat they are to anybody...

Pity it had to meet it's end though..

Mo60

After the unsympathetic 'advice' given to the OP by some on here, I would not blame them if next time they come across an injured animal they walked on by and left the animal to suffer. The OP is obviously quite young and admitted they did not know what to do in this situation. Even if they were wrong in what they intended doing I think any 'advice' could have been given in a much better way.

Bizzum

Niamho! wrote: »

Pity it had to meet it's end though..

It's no pity at all.
An invasive menace should be dispatched, swiftly and humanely.
Take Zebra Mussels as an example, should we allow them free reign?

Bizzum

Mo60 wrote: »

After the unsympathetic 'advice' given to the OP by some on here, I would not blame them if next time they come across an injured animal they walked on by and left the animal to suffer. The OP is obviously quite young and admitted they did not know what to do in this situation. Even if they were wrong in what they intended doing I think any 'advice' could have been given in a much better way.

I thought I pitched my advice just right. I mean how do you dress it up? The right thing is not always the easiest thing.

Should every invading menace be ignored, or worse still welcomed with opend arms?
This pink fluffy crap doesn't wash in the real world.

anniehoo

Boy will I be glad when the new Charter is amended. We are not the Nature forum nor the Hunting forum and lots of people in here are quite softhearted, including myself, who genuinely if push came to shove, would probably do what the OP tried to do and help the squirrel, whether it was the right or wrong thing to do.

Sometimes ..well....I just like all that "pink, fluffy, crap" and while it was in all honestly probably the best ending for it,this thread made sure the OP will never be back in here looking for advice again !

Thread closed as I don't feel there's anymore to gain from it.