16/10/2026
She was slowly dying in the hands of people who thought they were helping her.
This little squirrel’s story is bittersweet, and I know it may upset some people. But it’s an important story to tell.
I received a message from a friend who had just returned from her veterinarian’s office. While there, she learned that one of the veterinary technicians had been caring for an orphaned baby squirrel.
Knowing about wildlife rescue, my friend immediately had concerns.
The baby didn’t look well, and knowing the work I do with wildlife, she understood that something wasn’t right.
In Massachusetts, rehabilitating native wildlife without the appropriate state permit is illegal. More importantly, infant wildlife have incredibly specialized needs, and even well-intentioned care can have devastating consequences when those needs aren’t met.
I reached out to the veterinary office and explained that the squirrel really needed to be transferred to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Unfortunately, that conversation didn’t go particularly well.
The response was essentially that they were veterinary professionals, worked with animals, and knew what they were doing.
I left my contact information and hoped they would reconsider.
About a week later, my phone rang.
The veterinary technician left me a voicemail explaining that the baby was no longer eating well, wasn’t as active, and she was worried. She asked if I could “take a look at him.”
I immediately arranged for one of my volunteers to pick the baby up.
When I opened that box, I physically gasped.
This tiny squirrel was:
• Cold to the touch
• Severely emaciated
• Suffering from diarrhea
• Missing claws on several toes
• Covered in formula burns along the sides of her face from improper feeding
When you’ve been doing wildlife rehabilitation long enough, you just know when an animal is dying. I swear when I hold them, I can feel their death in the palm of my hand.
This was one of those babies.
Once I got her stabilized, I reached out to find out exactly what care she had received.
What I learned was heartbreaking.
The technician’s children had found the squirrel a couple of weeks earlier. During that time:
She had been fed canned goat’s milk using a pipette.
She had been housed in a cat carrier with a towel.
She had been provided no supplemental heat source.
For an infant squirrel, these are not minor mistakes. Proper nutrition, feeding techniques, temperature regulation, and species-specific husbandry can mean the difference between life and death.
When I explained this, the conversation became difficult.
The technician emphasized her years of veterinary experience, explained that the veterinarian had recommended the goat’s milk, and told me the staff had been taking turns caring for the baby.
She also explained that her children were very attached and wanted to know when I would be returning the squirrel.
I had to explain that I would not be returning her.
Because this baby’s needs had to come before anyone’s attachment to her.
And this brings me to something I wish more people understood.
Being an animal lover does not automatically make someone qualified to rehabilitate wildlife.
Veterinary technicians are not automatically wildlife rehabilitators, just as wildlife rehabilitators are not veterinary technicians.
These are two very different areas of expertise.
Wildlife rehabilitation requires specialized knowledge of species-specific nutrition, husbandry, development, behavior, medical concerns, and the preparation necessary for an animal to survive independently in the wild.
I have tremendous respect for veterinary professionals. In fact, wildlife rehabilitators rely on veterinarians and veterinary technicians, and our different skill sets can complement one another beautifully.
But experience with domestic animals does not automatically translate into experience with native wildlife.
Good intentions are not always enough. And sometimes, the animals pay the price.
Fortunately, this story has a rainbow ending.
TWO MONTHS LATER…
The Squirrel is wilding up beautifully and pre-release with five others, checking the boxes for Release criteria daily.
Please, if you find an orphaned or injured wild animal, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately. You don’t have to know everything about wildlife to save a life. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is recognize when to ask for help.
