Baby Squirrel Removal

by SOS Wildlife Control | Sep 30, 2015 | Squirrel Control

Last Updated: May 2021

Two species of squirrels found in Ontario are the grey squirrel and the red squirrel. The grey squirrel and the red squirrel produce babies twice annually. Most squirrel litters are born in February or March, and July or August. A litter comprises of one to eight babies but five or six are most common. The baby squirrels are naked, blind and deaf. The mother feeds them every two to four hours for several weeks. At 7-8 weeks, they start to follow their mother around within the den site. If the den is inside your attic this is when you will hear noise if you haven’t already noticed the cries.

Noise in your attic is usually caused by an unexpected guest, often a squirrel. Squirrels are one of the most common wildlife pests to be in your attic. One common complaint is the hearing of “scratching” noises, which usually ends up being a mother squirrel in the attic. The young squirrels begin to eat solid food and are weaned at 10-11 weeks of age. A month later, they start to leave the den. If there are not too many squirrels in the area, the young will build nests nearby. Otherwise, they will be chased away to less crowded feeding areas. Typically some of the squirrels will continue to use the birthing den, thus it is important to have baby squirrel removal conducted as they will keep returning to your attic.

Professional Baby Squirrel Removal

SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated will arrive at your home, inspect the area and provide you with a thorough outline of what the problem is, the main entry points and the squirrel removal options you have. The next step (upon hire) is an attic inspection. This is a hands on approach and allows us to invade the animals space. We can identify if there are babies involved or if it’s only adults. During the search of the attic, the technician must be aware that the mother squirrel may be lurking in the dark. It is her instinctive nature to protect her young and may be provoked when they approached. The mother squirrel needs to be chased out of the attic through the one-way door or kept at bay in order to get to the babies. The standard humane method for baby squirrel removal is by sealing all the entry points except one, and installing a one-way door at the main entry hole. This ensures the mother squirrel leaves and cannot re-enter. This method keeps squirrels from being locked inside a building and it greatly reduces the possibility of property damage. The technician will then be able to seek out the babies and remove them from the property. Once the technician have the babies, they are placed in an insulated heated box close to the one-way door installed. When the mother feels that it is safe, she will come back and relocate the babies one by one to the pre-established den.

Do-it-yourself Baby Squirrel Removal

Baby Season is the time squirrels and other wildlife start to have their babies. It is important during baby season if you hear or see any signs of wildlife in your home to check straight away for babies. Precautions must be taken with conducting baby squirrel removal, as it involves dependents which becomes more complicated. Never conduct baby squirrel removal on your own, contact an experienced technician. Ontario has strong animal welfare legislation, enforcing strong laws and tough penalties. Throughout the GTA, Richmond Hill, Markham, Scarborough etc. it is an offence to cause or permit distress to an animal.

“Their goal is to ensure Ontario’s animals are protected and treated in the humane manner that our society expects”.

Ministry of Natural Resources, 2015.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommends hiring a licensed professional like SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated to trap them and remove the animal especially during baby season. The MNR have issued licenses to professionals like ourselves with certain protocols must be followed. Please do not try and remove the babies yourself.

First thing you do is locate where the noises are coming from. Second thing you need to check, is if there are babies. Babies are usually noisy, you can hear them chirping, as they cry for their mother to be fed. The mother will be in and out of the nest to get food and water, so you may not hear the thuds of their paws at certain times of the morning and daylight hours.

Tips to help Identify Wildlife

Squirrels jump around a lot – day and night! Squirrels like to hide their food, but they have a very short memory, so they scurry around looking for the food they hid. They are very noisy.
Raccoons are larger than squirrels and you will hear sliding while it moves around slowly or fixes up its Raccoons are a lot louder than squirrels.
Mice are harder to hear, small mice don’t make too many loud noises and the evidence they are there is when they walk out in the open of your home. However larger mice, who feel they are safe may get loud and you will probably need the assistance of experts.
Birds in your attic you may occasionally hear scurrying or if there is babies you will hear chirping.

Within a couple weeks, the babies will start to move around and squeak and thump. By about 4 weeks of age, they begin to explore the attic – especially when the mother is not there. The mother comes and goes from the attic during the day and the babies spend a lot of time running around at night!

Mothers are very protective of their young and do not let any animal near them. As mother wildlife are very protective, they can be quite vicious. If you find the babies watch out for the mother as she may be lurking not too far.

If you have any over laying branches onto your roof you should cut these away, reducing access to you roof. Any loss shingles or broken timber should be fixed as raccoons/squirrels etc. can gnaw and claw at weak areas very quickly. We offer wildlife removal and prevention. Please call us for more information and free advice on your wildlife problems.

Call SOS Wildlife for Baby Squirrel Removal at 647-994-9453

What to do if You Find an Orphaned Baby Animal

by SOS Wildlife Control | Jun 19, 2015 | Animal Control, Skunk Control, Squirrel Control

Last Updated: May 2021

A common type of call we receive are related to baby wildlife. People find baby wildlife in their garden, under their deck, in the park with no sign of the mother. When you come across a sick, injured or orphaned animal you instinctively want to help. As advocates for wildlife we always recommend that wildlife be left undisturbed unless it is injured or TRULY an orphaned baby animal.

If you find an injured wild animal call Toronto Animal Services (TAS) or 416-338-PAWS (7297)

1. Before acting, check if baby animal is orphaned

You need to ensure that the “orphaned baby animal” is definitely orphaned before helping. Many baby animals that are found alone are not stray. It is easy to think that a baby raccoon or squirrel is abandoned when in fact their parents are still caring for them. There are many reasons why a baby raccoon or baby squirrel may be lying at the bottom of a tree or outside their nest buy more often than not, the mother will return. If you find the nest but it is not intact it still doesn’t mean the baby is orphaned. Mother raccoon / squirrels often have a few nests she can carry them to if the nest is unsafe or not intact.

Unless you are certain that the parent is no longer caring for the baby wildlife animal, it is advised to take steps to make sure the parent is gone prior to taking the young away. A baby wildlife animal with it’s mother ensures the best care. When young wildlife are inadvertently removed from their parents, their likelihood of survival decreases. This even applies to expert care.

Interesting Fact:

Although squirrels rarely interact, they learn who their nearby relatives are by hearing their unique calls. If they fail to hear a relative’s calls for a few days, they may investigate and rescue orphans.

2. Things to keep in mind when you find baby wildlife

The first 24 to 48 hours after a wild orphaned animal is found is the most critical. They usually have been without food or water for a while and are confused and afraid.
Depending on the species will depend on when the mother will return.
Raccoon are active in the evenings/night time
Squirrels are active during the day
Opossums are nocturnal
Skunks are nocturnal

If you’ve found a baby raccoon, the mother raccoon will most likely return in the evening/night hours. Put a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel in a box and put the babies on the towel to keep them warm. Use gloves, like gardening gloves to lift the babies. If you find the raccoon during the day put the box in a dark warm place like your garage, free of neighborhood pets and children. This will keep the raccoon babies safe until the evening. You can fold the flaps of the box over to keep them warm. Leave the box at the bottom of the tree near the nest, or at the bottom of a tree near to where they were found. In the evening and the mother raccoon will be able to open the box and retrieve them that night.

Myth:

Mothers will abandon their babies if they smell humans on them. (this only applies to some animal species).

Mother squirrels will retrieve their babies during the day, not at night. Again place the babies in a blanket in a box and place them near the area where they were found or at the bottom of the tree below the nest. Try to place the box that allows the babies to stay warm and avoid the elements.

Keep your distance from the box and check every few hours to see if the mother has retrieved them. The mother will not come out if she senses danger.

Do not feed the babies!

It is highly advised not to feed the babies but to call a wildlife rehabilitator. In the instance where it is necessary to feel the wildlife animal, ensure you have the proper guidance from a professional.

3. Who To Call

If the orphaned babies are not retrieved in 6-8 hrs you should call a wildlife rehabilitation center for advice.

If you are based in Toronto GTA contact Toronto Wildlife Centre or 416-631-0662. If you are based outside Toronto GTA this map here should indicate your closest wildlife rehabilitation center or you can call us on 1-800-981-0330, we can provide free advice on what to do next, however we do not rehabilitate wildlife.

It is not recommended for an inexperienced unliscened person to attempt to hand raise an orphaned animal. Not only is it discouraged, it is illegal! You are aloud to sustain an orphan for a few days before it can be transferred to a rehabilitation center.

Here is a report in GuelphMercury about a Wellington resident who found three baby raccoon. The lady phoned a rehabilitation center who wouldn’t help until she was sure the babies were truly orphaned. This is very important as the chances for baby animals survival decrease if taken away from their mother. Ensuring they are truly orphaned is a tough but necessary step.

General FAQs

Who Do You Call If You Find a Baby Raccoon?

If you find a baby raccoon on your property or anywhere nearby, the best way to deal with it is to call professionals who offer baby raccoon removal services.

What Do You Do If You Find a Baby Raccoon Alone?

If you find a baby racoon on your property, before acting, you should check if the animal is indeed orphaned and the parent is no longer caring for it.

How to Help a Baby Raccoon?

If you find an orphaned baby raccoon, place it in a safe environment that is protected from natural elements and free of any pests. Also, place it as close as safely possible to the area where it was found.

Are Baby Raccoons Dangerous?

Even though baby raccoons are small and weak, they can still carry rabies and other diseases. Additionally, they bite and scratch when handled.