Squirrel Falls Into Bucket Of Dirty Motor Oil

The following story about a squirrel was shared with us by the Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center.

On December 9, 2022, the Wildlife Rescue Center received an emergency call regarding a female squirrel falling into a bucket of motor oil at a local automotive shop. The terrified baby squirrel was covered in dirty motor oil and needed immediate assistance.

The kind rescuer arrived just as our holiday party was starting, but our animal care team immediately brought the new patient back to the animal hospital to stabilize her. Donning personal protective equipment with their holiday sweaters, animal care staff examined, medicated, and hydrated the new arrival. She was then placed in an incubator to warm up and de-stress before the decontamination process could be started.

After some decompressing, our animal care team returned to begin the decontamination process. Three water changes and lots of gentle scrubbing removed enough of the oil to allow a tasty dinner of EmerAid IC Omnivore and squirrel chow. A well-deserved treat after such an ordeal!

A second bath the next day produced a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed little lady. Her continuing treatment plan includes oral antibiotics, eye ointment, and monitoring for side effects of oil ingestion and chemical exposure, and, of course, more EmerAid to supplement her diet.

She is currently being rehabilitated at the Wildlife Rescue Center and will be released in early 2023.