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How Do Squirrels Carry Their Babies? Wrapped Under the Chin

A mother squirrel carries each kit in her mouth with the baby curled around her neck, one at a time, and she will move a whole litter nest to nest.

By Salma 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A young red squirrel pressed against an adult, forepaw raised
Photo: wal_172619, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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A mother squirrel moves her young one at a time, in her mouth, with the kit curled around her throat — and she does it far more often than most people realise.

The carry position

  • She takes the kit by the belly or the loose skin at the scruff
  • The baby wraps itself around her neck and grips, which is instinctive from a few weeks old
  • Her front feet stay free, so she can climb a vertical trunk, cross a fence or run a utility wire with the kit in place
  • Older kits ride more securely; a very young one is carried lower and more awkwardly

Why she moves them

  • Water in the nest. Leaf dreys leak, and a soaked nest is a hypothermia risk
  • Parasites. Flea and mite build-up is a common reason to abandon a drey
  • Disturbance. Tree pruning, roof work, a cat sitting under the tree
  • Predator discovery. A single visit from a crow or a raccoon is enough
  • Space. A second, larger nest once the litter grows

Most mothers keep a second nest ready for exactly this, which is why a move can be complete within a couple of hours.

If you find a baby on the ground

Keep dogs, cats and children inside, then watch from a window for two to three hours. If she has not retrieved it by dusk, or it is cold, injured or fly-blown, put it in a ventilated box somewhere warm, dark and quiet, and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Do not offer cow’s milk — it is fatal to young squirrels.

Litter timeline

agestage
BirthBlind, hairless, entirely dependent
~4 weeksEyes open, fur coming in
6–7 weeksMoving around inside the nest
7–10 weeksFirst trips outside, still returning to the nest
12 weeksLargely independent

A kit found on the ground with its eyes still closed has fallen or been dropped. One with open eyes and a full coat in late spring or late summer may simply be exploring, and is best left alone.

Common questions

How does a squirrel carry a baby?

She takes it in her mouth by the belly or the scruff and the kit curls itself around her throat, forming a collar under her chin. That grip leaves her front feet free to climb, and she can carry a baby up a vertical trunk or along a wire with it in place. She moves one at a time, which is why a relocation takes several trips over an hour or two.

Why do squirrels move their babies?

Usually because the nest has been disturbed, soaked, infested with parasites or found by a predator — or because the young are old enough for a second, roomier nest. Rain getting into a leaf nest is one of the commonest triggers, and so is tree work or someone poking at a drey. Mothers routinely keep a backup nest and will shift a whole litter to it within a couple of hours of a disturbance.

What should I do if I find a baby squirrel on the ground?

Leave it where it is, keep people and pets away, and watch from indoors for two to three hours. The mother almost always comes back and carries it up — she will not do so while a dog or a person is standing nearby. If she has not returned by nightfall, or the baby is cold, injured or covered in flies, put it in a ventilated box somewhere warm and dark and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Do not feed it cow's milk.

Will a mother squirrel reject a baby that has been touched?

No. That belief applies to almost no mammal and not to squirrels. A mother will retrieve a kit that has been handled, and if the baby is cold, warming it slightly before putting it back at the base of the tree actually improves the chances she collects it. Handle it as little as possible all the same, and with gloves — for your sake, not hers.

How many babies does a squirrel have at a time?

Typically two to four, occasionally up to six or seven in a good year, with two litters a year in most grey and fox squirrel populations — one in late winter and one in mid-summer. They are born blind and hairless, open their eyes around four weeks, and start leaving the nest at about seven to ten weeks. A kit on the ground before its eyes are open is a nest problem, not a fledging one.

Can I put a baby squirrel back in the nest?

Only if you can reach it safely, which usually you cannot. The better approach is to put the kit in a shallow open box with something warm at the base of the tree and withdraw completely — the mother will take it from there, carried under her chin. Never climb into a tree to reach a drey, and never seal up a nest cavity during spring or summer without checking it is empty first.

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