If you found a nest of baby squirrels in a car engine don’t panic! Squirrels are excellent mothers and will come back for their babies if you give them a chance. Once a nest is discovered or disturbed, they will often move the babies to a different location.
Because a running engine can cause injuries to babies inside, check the squirrels carefully for injuries. If you seen any blood, wounds, or burns, contact a wildlife rehabilitator right away.
It’s not uncommon to find a nest of healthy baby squirrels under the hood of a car. Babies do not need to be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator. The best option is to give mom the time and space to come back and retrieve her babies!
That’s wonderful — just leave the nest where it is. Next, pop open the hood of the car so the mother knows her nest has been discovered. Once the mother squirrel returns, check our page on conflicts with squirrels for tips on getting her to move her babies somewhere else.
If the car was moved less than 48hrs ago, there is still a good chance to reunite the baby squirrels with their mother. However, if it’s been more than 48hrs since the car was moved, consider the babies orphaned.
To keep the baby squirrels safe while you figure out how to help them, put the squirrels in a small cardboard box with a soft towel or t-shirt. Even on a warm day babies can get cold, so give them a heat source:
Do not give them any food or water – right now keeping it warm, dark, and quiet is more important.
Squirrels are excellent mothers and will come back for their babies if you give them a chance! Squirrel moms will also take much better care of their babies than any human possibly could.
Step One:
Transport the box of squirrels (with a heat source) back to where the car is usually parked. Place the box as close to the parking spot as you can. The most important thing is to not move babies too far away from where they were found because the mother won’t know where to look for them. When a nest has been disturbed like this, we know that the mother squirrel is still nearby. She might be too frightened to come back right away, especially if people are still working in the area so give lots of space.
Step Two:
Be patient. Reuniting should typically be attempted for 24 hours to see if the mother will come back. Make sure the babies stays warm at all times – refresh the heat source as needed. Sometimes, a mother squirrel can be called into the area by using a recording of a squirrel distress call. Play a video like this one on your phone with the volume up. Play the video for about 2 minutes, repeat every few hours to try to draw mom near.
In high traffic areas, you can put a sign on the box to let other people know that the squirrels are waiting for their mother. Here’s one you can print off. If there are a lot of dogs around, you can nail the box to a tree, wall, or fence 4-5 feet off the ground to keep the babies safe.
If it’s raining lightly, cover half of the box with a piece of cardboard. If it’s raining hard, bring the babies inside and keep them dark and quiet and warm until the weather clears up a bit. A mother squirrel won’t be looking for her babies during a heavy rain.
MYTH! If you touch a baby squirrel, its mother will NOT abandon it. Squirrels are excellent moms. All they want is their baby back.
If you’ve kept the babies warm and waited 24 hours and gave her space, the babies are probably orphaned. Mother squirrels almost never abandon their babies, but in rare cases, the stress of having a nest disturbed can scare mom away, especially if the babies are very young.
Make sure the babies are contained and have a heat source, don’t give them any food or water other than sliced apple or pear in the box (for older babies), and contact a wildlife rehabilitator for advice.
While you are waiting to hear back from a wildlife rehabilitator, keep the baby squirrels contained in a dark, quiet place. Make sure they have a heat source. Further temporary care instructions can be found here.
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