Q. Can I Keep Non-Sibling Baby Squirrels Together?

Posted by Mia Carter Oct 3, 2008

On October 3, 2008, I received a question from a reader who asked, "I have two baby squirrels about the same age, found at different times. Can they be in the same cage together or do they need to stay separated? I have never run into this problem before and I'm not sure how to go about this."

This is a great question and it's not an uncommon situation to see one squirrel caretaker with several different squirrels, of slightly different ages, from different litters.

As a general rule, new animals should be quarantined for a period of ten days before coming in contact with other animals. This is the case whether you're dealing with a new pet cat, or a new orphaned baby squirrel. Hand washings in between handling the animals is vital and the animals should be kept in separate areas to avoid the spread of disease. This quarantine period will allow the caretaker to assess the newer baby squirrel for illness, disease or parasites that could potentially be transmitted to the other resident animal.

If the new squirrel appears healthy and disease-free, the baby squirrels can be introduced, providing they're within a week or two of age. An eight-week-old baby squirrel could injure a young three-week-old squirrel, but squirrels at similar points in development can be housed together safely. In fact, this is an ideal situation as the orphaned squirrels will have an opportunity to hone their social skills - a vital element of squirrel society in nature.

Caretakers should also closely monitor interactions between the baby squirrels. In most cases, particularly in young baby squirrels, they're simply happy and content to have a nice warm body to cuddle with. But an older squirrel could squabble with another squirrel, particularly when you're dealing with males. I have never had this occur personally, but it is always a possibility, so the squirrels should be provided with several lengthy supervised meetings prior to housing them together.

As always, I welcome questions and I look forward to answering more inquiries from squirrel caretakers, pet owners and all other readers. You can also check out my ever-growing Baby Squirrel Care Page for more information on caring for orphaned baby squirrels.

Do you have a pet question? Send an email to Mia.Carter@Suite101.com.

Disclaimer: I have extensive experience in caring for animals, including sick and special needs animals, but I am not a veterinarian. I can provide information and advice based on research and my many years of experience with pet care and training, but it's not a substitute for seeking medical attention from a veterinarian.