B: Eastern grey squirrels have two breeding seasons, spring and fall, so expect to be rescuing baby squirrels from late February through May, and again in late August through October.

Many baby squirrels will fall from their mother's nest, high in deciduous trees. Assessing a baby's condition is key to determining the level of help it needs.

A baby squirrel should be brought to a rehabilitator in the following cases:

(1) It was handled by a cat. Cat's have a Pasteurella bacteria in their mouth (and on their claws from all that washing) that can cause severe infections in most anything they bite or scratch. Rehabilitators have specific antibiotics to treat these infections.

(2) It was bitten by a dog. While dogs do not have any Pasteurella bacteria in their mouth, their large jaws can crush small bones and/or cause internal bleeding from compression injuries.

(3) It has been following people around. When juvenile squirrels lose their mother at a young age, they tend to follow any creature larger than they are, in hopes of getting fed. Any young squirrel exhibiting this behavior needs the good nutritional and squirrel-social care that rehabilitators can offer.

(4) It was hit by a car. I think the reason for this should be rather obvious.

(5) It was attacked by another wild animal. Young squirrels can suffer severe injuries if they are attacked by a predator or a non-mom adult squirrel. If the youngster appears injured and can be caught, it should be taken to a rehabilitator.

(6) It was abandoned by its mother. This one can be tricky, though, as baby squirrels regularly fall out of mom's not-quite-so-airtight nest. If the baby under the tree (or on the sidewalk) is out of harm's way and appears uninjured, place it in a small box and give mom an hour or two (weather dependent) to retrieve her baby. If the baby has injuries (or mom has not come to claim it), it will need a rehabilitator's care.

Note: the difference between an adult squirrel attacking a younger and a mom squirrel carrying her baby is all in the sound. As some mom's may have trouble carrying their babies (by the scruff, much like cats and dogs), the behavior may look iffy. But if it is indeed mom, the baby will not utter a sound, regardless of how awkward it may appear.

If the baby squirrel needs a rehabilitator's help, the most important thing to remember is WARMTH. Babies need to be kept at a much higher temperature than their adult counterparts as some may be furless (baby squirrels are called "pinkies" when they are in their first week of life due to their lack of fur and bubble-gum pink skin), and most cannot fully thermoregulate until their fifth or sixth week.

Keeping a baby warm, however, means keeping it in a small box (nestled in some old linen) on a heating pad set to LOW. Keeping a baby warm does NOT mean holding it in your hands all day. How would you feel being held by something much larger than you; that you believe is going to eat you at any moment? Remember, our eyes are on the front of our faces, the universal sign of a predator.

The second most important thing to remember is to NOT feed the baby anything. Unless you are a rehabilitator yourself, the chances of you having the proper formulas (SCWC mixes together two separate powdered formulas in order to obtain the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorous, protein to fat) are very slim. Baby squirrels have very sensitive digestive systems; even a few feedings of the wrong thing (e.g. cow's milk) can do irreparable damage. Baby squirrels also aspirate very easily and inexperienced hands can send fluid into the lungs, ultimately resulting in pneumonia. If you cannot get the baby to a rehabilitator within a few hours of finding it, give them a call for more advice.

Ok, I think I have purged my brain of all the most relevent squirrel information. Tune in next week for chapter III - rabies vector species.

Questions or comments about the Nut House blog? Comment below or email Brittany at nut.house.ab@gmail.com. Want to learn more about Second Chance Wildlife Center? Simply go to www.scwc.org.