Influx of Baby Squirrels Arrive at Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA [PHOTOS]

BURLINGAME, CA — The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) has seen a dramatic rise this week in the number of baby squirrels coming into their Wildlife Care Center.

“At this point we are caring for almost 100 baby squirrels in our Wildlife Care Center,” said PHS/SPCA’s Communications Manager Buffy Martin Tarbox. “Many of the squirrels have fallen out of their nests, have been caught by cats or have lost their homes due to people trimming their trees not realizing there is a squirrel nest in the tree.”

The majority of the baby squirrels at PHS/SPCA are Eastern Gray Squirrels, which have litters twice a year. The most common injuries the PHS/SPCA wildlife staff and volunteers are encountering are broken teeth and head trauma, which is treatable through a steroid medication and rest.

The baby squirrels will require a convalescence period of about 2-3 months before they are able to be returned to the wild. Thesesquirrels are among the more than 1,300 wild animals PHS/SPCA rehabilitates and releases every year, in addition to the thousands of dogs, cats and other pets the organization saves.

“Caring for baby squirrels is time intensive and the smallest of our squirrel patients need to be hand fed,” according to Tarbox. “We feed them by hand a special, mother’s milk replacement formula using a syringe until they are ready to self-feed on seed and nuts.”

PHS/SPCA encourages people to postpone tree trimming until the late fall to help prevent disrupting squirrel nests. Should someone find an abandoned baby squirrel, please bring thesquirrel to the PHS/SPCA Wildlife Care Center at 1450 Rollins Road in Burlingame.

Photos of PHS/SPCA baby squirrel patients are attached. Photos courtesy of PHS/SPCA.

— SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY: Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA