Injured squirrels
If you see an injured squirrel, please call the JSPCA on 01534 724331 or, if out of our opening hours, please call 07797 720331.
Most prey animals are very good at hiding their pain to avoid being picked on by predators, so if you notice an injured squirrel it will be in a very bad way and will need medical attention. At all times, when handling squirrels, you must remember to keep yourself safe. Their teeth are strong and sharp enough to open nuts, so they can give a nasty bite. If you need to handle a squirrel, wear strong gloves or use a thick towel. Squirrels are fast, even when injured, so make sure you have somewhere secure to keep them until help arrives.
Baby squirrels (kits)
A baby squirrel may fall from a dray for multiple of reasons. It could be a predator has taken them from the dray and dropped them, or a storm has knocked the whole dray from a tree. If you find an infant on the ground it is important to keep them warm, as all baby mammals are incapable of regulating their body temperature. When you’re out and about without any hot water bottles or heat mats on you, the warmest place you can keep the kit is by your heart. The only concern with this is that you are at risk from any parasite the squirrel may carry, such as fleas.
Once you have the kit safe and warm please ring the JSPCA. The ambulance driver will come out to collect the squirrel and will try to establish if the dray is nearby and safe to reach to put the kit back, if it is uninjured. If the kit is injured, the ambulance driver will bring them to a vet for medical treatment. If the dray is nowhere in sight, the driver will bring the kit back to the Shelter to be hand-raised. You can always call up the Shelter to find out how the kit is getting on.
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE MILK! All rodents are lactose intolerant and cannot digest cow’s milk. The closest and most suitable formula for a squirrel is puppy milk, but before any formula is given to the kit it must receive hydrating electrolyte solution.
Deceased squirrel
At the JSPCA we collect deceased squirrels for study by former JSPCA Veterinary Surgeon Tiffany Blackett to keep an eye on the health of Jersey’s red squirrel population. You can read more about Tiffany’s study here. If you find a deceased squirrel please call the JSPCA and our ambulance driver will collect it.
Red Squirrels FeedingTraffic and Rope bridges 14.03.22
