Today my neighbors came to me, one of them holding a white towel in her hands.  She'd found a baby animal lying on the ground and wondered what to do for it.

The little guy is hairless, the length of my thumb, has sharp little claws, and make BIG yawns.  He's very active and wiggles all around and stretches his little legs.

Yaaaawn!

I'm pretty sure now that he is a baby squirrel.  I know that normally one should not pick up the baby so the mother can claim it, but in this case I think the right choice was made. It seems like the baby was already abandoned on the ground for at least an entire night (the neighbor heard squealing noises last night) and he is also wounded, as you can see in the picture above and below.  It looks like maybe a cat tried to bite him. It's scabbed up already, and I hope it will be okay but for such a little guy it's sort of big looking.  He also has a scrape on the back of his head.

Next to a quarter, for size reference.

The neighbor has decided to take care of him (rather to my disappointment. I got so attached!)  I printed off these instructions for her to take care of the squirrel.  She'll have to keep him warm, feed him regularly, help him potty, etc.

Lucky for him that he was found today, because just after I brought him inside to identify him, it started pouring outside. Imagine this little orphan caught in the rain!  Too many cats outside, as well. I'm amazed that he survived whatever attacked him the first time.


If he lives through the next few days, then things will look good for him! I have hope because he is such an active little thing, wiggling all around the way he did.

I decided to call him... Chance.  Because I'm a sucker like that. :-P  Here's to hoping!

ETA: It died.