If you accidentally uncovered a den of baby squirrels in your garage, shed, or attic, 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.
If you haven’t moved the nest yet
That’s wonderful — just leave the nest where it is. Make sure entry points are still open (e.g. if the door was previously open and you closed it, open it back up again – same goes for sealing up holes, closing windows, etc.). Give the mother squirrel some time and space to come back for her babies. Once the mother squirrel returns, it is best to let the family stay if they are in a location where it is safe (e.g. a shed). Baby squirrels will be independent at 12 weeks and will disperse. If it is not possible for the squirrel family to stay in their current location (e.g. a home attic where they may chew wires), check our page on conflicts with squirrels for humane tips on getting her to move her babies somewhere else.
It’s not uncommon to find a nest of healthy baby squirrels in a shed, attic or garage. 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!
If you’ve already removed the nest
If you’ve already removed the nest from where you found it, that’s okay. The mother squirrel will probably still come back for her babies.
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. Babies cannot regulate their own body temperature (they depend on mom for that), so they must be given a direct heat source, even on a warm day or when indoors. Heat source options include:
- 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 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
Do not give them any food or water – right now keeping them warm in a dark and quiet place is more important.
Reuniting the squirrels with their mother
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.
Steps for reuniting squirrel babies with their mother
Step One:
Place the box with the squirrels (and a heat source) as close as possible to where they were originally found (e.g. if they were found inside the shed on a shelf, they should go back inside the shed on the same shelf). If they can’t go back exactly where they were found, they should be put as close to the area and entry point to the nest as possible. 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.
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.
What if it’s a really busy area?
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.
What if it’s raining?
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.
What to do if the mother doesn’t come 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.
Temporary care
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.
