Baby squirrel following people

First, get the squirrel contained

To keep the baby squirrel safe while you figure out how to help them, put the squirrel in a small cardboard box with a soft towel or t-shirt. Even on a warm day babies can get cold, so give the baby a heat source:

• a clean sock filled with dry, uncooked rice, and microwaved for one minute
• a plastic bottle from the recycling bin filled with hot tap water and wrapped in a cloth like a tea towel or face cloth
• an electric heating pad set to “LOW” and placed under half of the box
• several chemical hand warmers (e.g. Hot Paws) that stay warm for up to 8 hours

Why is a baby squirrel following me?

When older baby squirrels are orphaned, they get so cold, hungry and desperate that they will run right up to people. They might crawl up your pant leg or sit on your shoe. This is not a sign of affection – they don’t have mom around to teach them that humans are predators; they are simply seeking warmth and food, and they are just as likely to follow a dog or other animal. It happens often enough that our Wildlife Hotline staff have a word for these older orphaned babies: “pant tuggers”. In our experience, baby squirrels who act this way are almost always orphans.  They’re also often in much worse shape than they look.

If you’ve found a baby squirrel who behaves this way, get them contained in a cardboard box. Make sure to give them a heat source, and contact a wildlife rehabilitator right away.

Temporary care

“Pant-tugger” squirrels may seem friendly, but they are actually very scared, cold and desperate. The best way to keep them calm and safe is to put them in a dark, quiet place with a heat source to snuggle up to. Keep pets and people away. We don’t normally recommend food or water, but a squirrel this age can be offered a nice big chunk of apple or pear. That will give it enough moisture and sugar to keep it going until you can find a rehabilitator to take it to.   Further temporary care instructions can be found here.