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Rearing red squirrels

Staff from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust have had a flurry of fluffy activity this summer, raising four orphaned red squirrels to get them ready for life in the wild. Our guest blogger and red squirrel fan, Kassy Price, shares the squirrels' unusual story so far.

With their tufted ears and bright, russet fur, red squirrels are becoming a rare and unusual sight in the United Kingdom. When you consider there were once three million of these delightful critters leaping through our woodland, it really is a shame.

Since the introduction of their cousins, the grey squirrel, that came to the UK in the 19th century from North America, the number of red squirrels has decreased to an estimated 120,000 to 140,000, officially classifying them as near threatened.

The main reason for this is squirrelpox, a virus that is fatal to red squirrels, and once infected red squirrels often suffer a slow and painful death. Grey squirrels are immune to this disease, but they can be carriers and pass it on to the reds. Competition with the greys for food is also a factor in their decline, as red squirrels can only eat ripe acorns, whereas the greys can eat them when they’re still green.

Fortunately, the UK still has red squirrel strongholds in some parts, and Lancashire Wildlife Trust does everything they can to conserve these lovely creatures. So they were happy to help when three baby female reds and their brother were found in a tractor shed in Ainsdale.

Two baby red squirrels curled up asleep in a cotton bag. Both squirrels are three weeks old so have short fur and no fluff on their tails

Red squirrels are born blind, deaf and without any of their fluffy fur yet.

The three-week-old babies were spotted by a member of the public who noticed they were without their mother and were ice cold. Any longer on their own, and they would have died. Later on, the drey (nest) where they’d lived was found with a large hole in the bottom of it, which they had fallen through.

Baby squirrels are called kittens and only one in six make it to their first birthday, as they are prone to disease and attacks from predators. They also cannot poo or wee on their own and need feeding every three hours, which is why it was vital to intervene. But it wasn’t going to be an easy task…

four baby red squirrels sleep in a bundle, on top of a blanket inside a cat carry crate.

The sibling squirrels loved to snooze together.

The kittens were fed with a milk formula in a syringe and were helped to go to the toilet using a damp cotton wool pad. Toileting a rodent isn’t the most pleasant of tasks but it is so important to ensure they survive.

As the days passed, the kits thrived. Their home was a snug cat-basket fitted with all the mod cons a growing squirrel needs; cosy bedding, sticks for climbing and ropes for swinging. Gradually, they moved onto other foods such as berries, nuts and mushrooms and when they weren’t eating or sleeping, they were play-fighting and getting the hang of climbing on the ropes in their cage.

a red squirrel clings to a trouser leg

As the squirrels grew, they got better at climbing and would run over our legs when it was time for milk.

Handling them at this young age wasn’t a problem as they’re very tame as babies, which makes them a joy to look after if you know what you’re doing. But handling them past a certain age is not advised. Adult squirrels do not like being held and treating them like pets can ruin their chance of survival once they are released into the wild.

a baby red sits on a blanket nibbling a nut

Red squirrels like to sit and perch on a feature raised off the floor when they are eating. With no logs to perch on, a footstool made a decent replacement.

As they grew, their claws became long (and sharp!), their energy levels rose, they got better at climbing and were able to jump further. The cage was too small for them now. They were too chunky and too lively and it was kinder to let them jump around on the furniture, helping themselves to snacks from a fruit buffet which had been laid out for them, while their next temporary home was prepared. Being in a room with four squirrels running about the place is a bizarre experience. They were racing across the couch, taking flying leaps and landing on our legs, then scrambling up our bodies, occasionally having a rest and the nibble of a nut while perched on the top of one of our heads.

The time came though, for them to leave. The first stage in their survival was complete. They’d put enough weight on to survive the winter, their soft fur shone with health and it was time for them to go into larger living quarters; an upgrade from a cat-basket, to a dog’s crate.

Three red squirrels perch on branches in a dog crate kitted out as a small enclosure. The crate is in a staff members kitchen.

The squirrels adjusted to the dog crate with ease and it was much better having bigger branches to climb on.

The squirrels weren’t living in the crate long when they were moved again, to a squirrel enclosure in Ainsdale. Because red squirrels are near-threatened, babies get handed in to Lancashire Wildlife Trust from time to time, and this enclosure serves as their home on their last flying leap to freedom, and it has proven to be a successful stop-gap between captivity and independence.

The enclosure is spacious enough to walk around, with a shelf up high, which had their old cat basket placed on it to be used as a bed. It is situated in a safe place, tucked away in a forest. Squirrels like to perch when they’re cracking open nuts and nibbling, so there was a log on the floor for that purpose, strewn with the remnants of blackberries and seeds. Trust volunteers kindly checked on the youngsters twice a day, leaving them food. During this time, one volunteer discovered that the squirrels had a real taste for beech nuts, which was perfect as there was a large beech tree right outside the enclosure that he (and eventually the squirrels) could forage under.

a red squirrels peaks out of a cat carry crate, looking at her brother climbing inside the outdoor release pen. The crate sits on a wooden shelf and is surrounded by branches covered in green leaves

One brave squirrel ran out of the cat crate to explore immediately while his sister was a bit more hesitant.

Finally, they had more room in a nearly natural environment. Their tails were full and fluffed out, and this time they didn’t jump off human heads and legs, but stuck to the trees in the enclosure, and the ceiling of the cage. One of them let out a series of snuffly squeaks when we entered, a warning that meant she wasn’t sure about us. This was great, as it meant the squirrels were becoming the wild animals they were meant to be.

After a few weeks, the kittens progressed to their new and final home. The forest. And what better upgrade is there than your natural habitat, free to live out your days without bars, to be able to go where you want and climb whichever tree you please? 

 

three of the young red squirrels can be spotted climbing among branches and vegetation inside the release pen

Spot the squirrels. Finally wild and wary enough, they were ready to be released back to the forest they were born in.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust have been working to conserve red squirrels in Merseyside and Lancashire for over 20 years. With the help of our dedicated volunteers, we aim to expand the distribution of the iconic red squirrel within the region and beyond. For more information about our red squirrel work, visit our dedicated webpage.

If you have any red squirrel sightings, questions, lovely photos to share with us or just want to get involved with the project, please contact: red.squirrel@lancswt.org.uk and follow our red squirrel Facebook page.

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