This is the story of how local residents Kimberly, Doug, and their daughter Faith reunited a baby squirrel with its mother after the baby had fallen out of its nest located in a nearby tree. After checking to ensure the squirrel wasn’t injured, the family placed the baby squirrel in a small handmade nest part way up the tree hoping the mother would come to the rescue. They waited and waited and waited, but no luck. They brought the baby back down and considered what to do next. They could see the mother in the tree, but how could they attract her to her baby? Could the sound of a crying baby squirrel bring the mother to the rescue? They found a recording on YouTube of a baby squirrel crying in distress. After positioning their baby squirrel on a cloth at the foot of the tree, they played the video, and this happened…
“We stepped back and watched. And sure enough she came down to him. First thing she did was touch him all over, turning him this way and that, pawing at him. She was very excited, really trying to get a good grasp to carry him to safety. Finally she grabbed him by his butt cheek and hauled him backwards up the tree. It was the sweetest funniest reunion….we were all in tears!”
Well done, Kimberly, Doug and Faith. You did all the right things to reunite this baby with its mom.
Steps for reuniting a baby squirrel with its mother
If you find a baby squirrel that is not injured, you can try to reunite it with its mom by following these steps:
- Keep predators away, such as dogs, cats, crows, etc.
- If the baby is warm, and weather permits, place the baby on the bare ground near where it was found—at the base of a nearby tree is good.
- If the baby is cold, call your local wildlife center for guidance. In Santa Cruz, call Native Animal Rescue at 831-462-0726.
- With your cell phone near the baby, click on the link below to play the squirrel baby cries. We recommend you stand back and out of sight.
- You can try this several times, but you don’t want the baby to get too cold or too hot, and you definitely don’t want to do this at night.
- If your attempt to reunite the baby and mother is not successful, please take the baby to your nearest wildlife center. In Santa Cruz that would be Native Animal Rescue at 1855 17th Ave., Santa Cruz.
This is a recording of a crying baby squirrel that you can use to reunite a baby squirrel with its mother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGtA8w-hlTw