Rock Squirrel Recovers

The following story about a rock squirrel was shared with us by Wild Friends at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah.

It’s not every case where we get the full story behind an animal’s illness, and sometimes the story changes when you ask more questions. This is one squirrel’s story.

A family reported an unconscious, bleeding squirrel that they suspected was hit by a car. The transport team from Wild Friends at Best Friends Animal Society rushed to their garage. When the transport team arrived, the squirrel was awake and avid to avoid capture.

Once the adult rock squirrel made it to our facility, we treated it for poisoning just in case. There were no signs of vehicular trauma besides the head trauma, which he was also treated for. There was a good amount blood in his urine the next day but that resolved itself later on after medication.

Subcutaneous fluids were administered the first day when he was still very lethargic. We moved to oral fluids when he was able to swallow better, and quickly started on EmerAid IC Herbivore until he was fully able to eat on his own.

It is difficult to keep adult squirrels in captivity. He was quickly moved to a larger enclosure when he became more active, and released soon after.