The babies had fallen from a tree near where the cat had been seen licking her satisfied chops. The woman ran out and scooped them up before the cat could add them to her meal as desert. She contacted the local veterinarian's office and was told to call me for help. An hour later, they were in my care.
I judged them to be about 2 - 2 ½ weeks old. Their eyes were still tightly closed and they were mewing pitifully. Cries of hunger filled my ears and soon I had special milk replacer prepared. Carefully using a sterile eyedropper, I began their feeding regime. They ate greedily so I had to be very careful to not let them aspirate (this occurs when a baby takes in too much liquid at a time, allowing the fluid to enter their tiny lungs and causing pneumonia and subsequent death). Soon their little bellies were satisfied and they quickly fell asleep in their new home.
Within about 5 days the squirrel's eyes opened, validating my guess as to their age when they arrived. (Baby squirrels usually open their eyes at the age of three weeks). In a few more weeks I will begin weaning them from the bottle and slowly introduce solid food to them. It is always rewarding to see them grow big enough to release back into the wild. The woods surrounding our farm make a great place to let them go. If I'm lucky, they may stay around, allowing me to watch their funny antics as they climb the tall pines near the house.
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