Skip to content
Grow In Backyard
Squirrels & Wildlife

How Do Squirrels Transport Their Young? Carried by the Belly

A mother grips the kit's belly skin and it curls around her neck. When she moves a litter, how often, and what to do if one is dropped.

By Zakaria 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A young red squirrel sitting on the ground among grass and seed husks, feeding itself
Photo: KMBurke, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
On this page

The grip is on the belly, not the scruff, and the kit does half the work by wrapping itself around the mother’s throat.

Development, and what is normal at each stage

agestage
0–4 wksblind, hairless, entirely dependent
4–5 wkseyes open, fur coming
6–7 wksstill carried if moved
7–10 wksleaving the drey, exploring — normal on branches
10–12 wksweaning completes

A well-furred kit the size of a tennis ball, out on a branch and moving confidently, is doing exactly what it should. That is the one most often “rescued” unnecessarily.

Leave it, or act?

situationaction
Warm, uninjured, no dangerleave, watch 2–3 hours from a distance
Mother visible nearbyleave
In direct sun or on a roadmove to shade at the tree base, then watch
Cold to the touchrehabilitator
Bleeding, limp, or a cat had itrehabilitator, same day
Flies or fly eggs on itrehabilitator, urgent
Crying continuously for hoursrehabilitator

No food, no water

A cold or shocked animal cannot digest, and fluids given by mouth are aspirated. Warmth, dark and quiet, then a rehabilitator. This is the most common well-meant mistake and it kills kits.

Helping a move succeed

  • Shut cats and dogs indoors for a few hours — she will not approach otherwise
  • Stand well back, out of sight; she is watching you as much as the kit
  • Place the kit at the base of the right tree in a shallow open box if it must be moved
  • Do not seal the box or add bedding it could swallow
  • Postpone tree work until autumn if a drey is occupied

Handling does not cause rejection

The idea that a mother abandons a handled baby is a myth in squirrels. Minimal handling is still right — for the kit’s stress and your safety — but having touched it is not a reason to give up on reuniting them.

Common questions

How does a squirrel carry its babies?

In the mouth, by the loose skin of the belly rather than the scruff of the neck. The kit responds by curling itself around the mother's throat and gripping, so the two form a compact bundle that can be carried up a trunk and along branches. A mother will move an entire litter this way one at a time, making repeated journeys between the old drey and the new one.

Why would she move them?

Disturbance, parasites or damage to the drey. Tree work, a predator finding the nest, heavy infestation with fleas or mites, or a drey broken up by wind all trigger a move. Squirrels maintain more than one drey precisely so that an alternative is available, and a mother will relocate a whole litter within hours of deciding the first site is no longer safe.

I found a baby squirrel on the ground — what should I do?

If it is warm, uninjured and there is no immediate danger, leave it and watch from a distance for a few hours. A mother that is mid-move will come back for it, and the commonest reason a kit is never collected is that people were standing too close. Keep cats and dogs indoors, keep children away, and check again after two or three hours before doing anything else.

When should I intervene?

If the kit is cold to the touch, bleeding, obviously injured, covered in flies or fly eggs, or crying continuously for more than a couple of hours with no mother appearing. Also if it is in direct sun, on a road, or a cat has already had it. In those cases put it in a ventilated box with a soft cloth somewhere warm, dark and quiet — no food, no water — and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Can I put it back in the nest?

If you can see the drey and reach it safely, placing the kit at the base of the correct tree in a shallow open box is better than attempting to climb. The mother retrieves from ground level readily. Do not seal the box, do not add food, and keep it out of direct sun. The idea that a mother rejects a handled baby is a myth in squirrels, but minimal handling is still the right approach.

How old are kits when they are carried?

Carrying is practical for the first six to seven weeks or so, while the kit is small enough to curl round the mother's neck. Squirrels are born blind and hairless, open their eyes at around four to five weeks, and begin leaving the drey at seven to ten weeks. A well-furred kit the size of a tennis ball out on a branch is exploring normally and does not need rescuing.

Backyard Weekly

Know what to plant, week by week

Join the weekly email for seasonal jobs, fixes for what is going wrong, and gear worth buying.

Not ready to subscribe? The planting calendar is free and needs no email.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. Grow In Backyard will never sell your address.

Keep reading