You don’t have to turn your yard into a squirrel buffet to help them out. Just offer clean water, safe shelter, and plant a few habitat-friendly shrubs or trees—they’ll stay healthy without depending on you for every meal.
If you spot an injured or baby squirrel, try to stay calm and act quickly. Check for danger, keep the animal warm, and get it to a wildlife rehabilitator if it looks like it needs medical care.
For everyday help, you can plant native shrubs or trees and keep your pets indoors. These small changes make your yard a safer place for squirrels to nest, travel, and find food.
Helping Squirrels in Need
You might notice a squirrel in trouble. Learn to spot distress, keep injured animals safe while you wait for help, and figure out if a baby squirrel needs to stay put or be moved.
Acting quickly and staying calm can really improve their odds.
How to Determine If a Squirrel Needs Help
Watch for obvious signs: bleeding, broken limbs, being hit by a car, visible wounds, or trouble standing and climbing. If a squirrel is weak, cold, or panting, it needs help.
If you see drooling, a head tilt, or seizures, don’t touch the animal. Call a wildlife rehabilitator right away.
Healthy young squirrels sometimes get left alone while their mom forages. If a baby is warm, plump, and up in a nest or on a high branch, leave it be.
If you find one on the ground, cold, or crying for hours, it probably needs help. Make a note of the time, location, and what you see before you do anything.
Handling Injured Squirrels Safely
Wear thick gloves to protect yourself—squirrels can bite or scratch when scared. Move slowly, speak softly, and drape a towel over the animal to calm it down.
Put the squirrel in a ventilated box lined with a soft towel. Add a warm (not hot) water bottle wrapped in cloth to keep it cozy, but avoid burns.
Keep the box in a quiet, dark spot. Don’t feed milk, bread, or people food.
Don’t try to treat wounds or set bones yourself. That usually makes things worse.
If the animal needs medical care, get it to a wildlife center as soon as you can.
What to Do If You Find a Baby Squirrel
First, check its age and condition. Newborns have no fur and their eyes are closed. Older babies have fur and open eyes.
If the baby feels cold, warm it slowly with your hands or a wrapped warm bottle. Put it in a small, ventilated box.
If you find a single baby on the ground near a nest, look for the nest above and watch from a distance for a few hours. Moms often come back.
If you don’t see the mother for 24 hours, hear constant crying, or notice injuries, pick up the baby and call a wildlife rehabilitator. Don’t try to feed formula unless you know what you’re doing.
Contacting a Wildlife Rehabilitator
Find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or local rescue before you jump in. Write down the exact location, describe the animal, and note what you’ve observed.
This info helps the rehabilitator decide how urgent the situation is and how to transport the animal.
If you can’t reach anyone, take the animal to a wildlife center or a vet that accepts wildlife. Use the FOUR PAWS guide on helping squirrels in need for handling tips and contact info.
Follow the rehabilitator’s instructions exactly and get the animal there quickly. That gives it the best shot at recovery.
Everyday Ways to Help Squirrels Thrive
You don’t need to do anything huge to help squirrels. Just offer clean water, natural foods, safe nesting spots, and encourage neighbors to avoid things that put squirrels at risk.
Providing Proper Food and Water Sources
Give squirrels natural foods they actually eat: unsalted nuts (like walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans), shelled sunflower seeds, and small bits of apple or pear. Skip bread, candy, or salty snacks.
Scatter some nuts in leaf litter so squirrels can forage and stash food like they do in the wild.
Set out a shallow dish or birdbath with fresh water. Put it in the shade so it stays cool.
Change the water every day during hot spells, and at least every few days otherwise.
If you use a feeder, pick a platform or squirrel-specific feeder that won’t trap them. Clean feeders every two weeks to stop mold and disease from spreading.
Creating and Protecting Natural Habitats
Keep native nut- and fruit-bearing trees like oaks, hickories, and serviceberries if you can. These trees give squirrels acorns and other foods, and you’ll help support red squirrels and others naturally.
Plant a mix of trees and shrubs spaced so squirrels can travel across the canopy without touching the ground.
Leave some dead wood, leaf litter, and brush piles in a safe corner of your yard. These make good spots for dreys (leaf nests) and ground caches.
Don’t clear every bit of brush—try to keep things tidy but wildlife-friendly. Native plants attract insects and fungi, which add variety to squirrels’ diets.
Supporting Safe Shelter and Nesting
Mount wooden squirrel nest boxes 8–15 feet high on tree trunks. Make the entrance about 3 inches wide.
Put boxes in spots away from heavy foot traffic and face them away from the wind. Check and clean boxes once a year in late winter before breeding season.
Preserve tree cavities if the tree isn’t a hazard. If you have to trim a tree with a nest, wait until late summer or early fall when young squirrels are independent.
Keep pets away from nesting trees. Try to limit nighttime outdoor lighting near nests to keep stress levels down.
Encouraging Coexistence in Your Neighborhood
Chat with your neighbors about not giving squirrels bread or salty snacks. Remind them to secure their trash bins, too.
You might want to ask folks to keep their cats indoors, or at least supervise them outside. That’s especially important during spring and summer, when young squirrels are all over the place.
Stick a few window decals near your feeders and garden plantings to help stop bird or squirrel collisions. If you come across an injured or orphaned squirrel, just reach out to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator—don’t try to handle it yourself.
Try nudging your local parks to leave some fallen logs and native trees in place. That way, squirrels can find safe spots beyond your yard.
If you’re curious about planting and habitat ideas, check out Best Ways to Build a Squirrel-Friendly Habitat. For tips on what to feed squirrels and how to get along, see What to Feed Squirrels (and How to Peacefully Co-Exist).
