If you’ve found a baby squirrel, you’re probably wondering how old it is. Figuring out the age of a baby squirrel is a little tricky but not impossible. It’s especially important to have this information if you plan on raising the squirrel and need to decide what to feed her, when to release her, etc.
Most methods for determining the age of squirrels have been developed by scientists for research purposes. For example, X-rays can be used to measure bone fusion and growth, and the weight of a squirrel’s eye lens gives a reliable indication of age as well.1 Obviously, these methods don’t help us because a.) they require expensive, specialized equipment and b.) we don’t want to sacrifice and dissect our baby squirrel.
Fortunately, there are alternative ways to gauge the age of squirrels. These methods rely on observations of both the time of year and the baby squirrel’s physical development. Even though there’s no way to know precisely how old a squirrel is, you should be able to make a pretty good approximation using the following information.
Using the Time of Year to Age Baby Squirrels
The month in which you find a baby squirrel can give you a rough idea of its age. Since we know most squirrels are born in either March or July, simply count backwards on a calendar to estimate her age in months. Squirrels become self-sufficient at around 10 – 12 weeks of age,2,3 so you shouldn’t find any “baby” squirrels that are more than 3 months old.
Using the Rate of Physical Development to Age Baby Squirrels4
Like people, squirrels are born without any hair or teeth. Their eyes and ears are also closed at birth. Noting the development of these characteristics can give you a fairly accurate idea of a squirrel’s age in weeks. This method is only useful for very young squirrels because by the time they’re about 6 weeks old, all these traits will be present.
Fur – Hair first appears on the backs of squirrels at around 2 weeks of age and will grow to be 1 mm long by the third week. When the white hair on the tail is 2 mm long, the squirrel is about 4 weeks old. Fur will cover the underside of the tail (facing the belly) when the squirrel is 6 weeks of age.
Teeth – The appearance of a squirrel’s incisors, the sharp, prominent teeth in the front of a squirrel’s mouth, can also be used to help age a squirrel. The lower incisors come in first at about 3 weeks of age. Typically, the upper incisors don’t come in until the squirrel is about 4 1/2 weeks old.
Eyes – The age at which baby squirrels open their eyes can vary by several weeks. Most squirrels will have open eyes, either clear or cloudy, by the time they’re 5 weeks old. However, baby squirrels have been known to start opening their eyes by as early as 3 1/2 weeks and as late as 6 weeks.
Ears – Baby squirrel ears usually open when the squirrel is 3 – 4 weeks old.
Every child develops at a different rate, and as you can see, juvenile squirrels are no different. Instead of relying on a single attribute to determine age, it’s better to take all of the characteristics listed above into account along with the time of year. You can also use this handy tool to estimate the age of your squirrel.
Example of How to Estimate a Baby Squirrel’s Age
As you can see in the example above, this young squirrel’s eyes and ears are open, so he’s at least 3 1/2 weeks old. However, we know he’s younger than 6 weeks of age because the fur on the underside of his tail hasn’t quite filled in yet. The white fur on the tail is definitely longer than the 2 mm usually seen at 4 weeks. Therefore, this squirrel is probably about 5 weeks old.
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References
1 Dubock, A. (1979). Methods of age determination in Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Britain. Journal of Zoology, 188(1), 27 – 40. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230109361_Methods_of_ageing_Grey_squirrels_Sciurus_carolinensis_in_Britain
2 Reid, F. (2006). A field guide to mammals of North America (4th ed.). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
3 Webster, D., Parnell, J., & Biggs, W. (1985). Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press.
4 Uhlig, H. (1955). The determination of age of nestling and sub-adult gray squirrels in West Virginia. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 19(4), 479-483.
I found a baby squirrel on the 18th. He is pink,eyes closed and no fur at all. He looks like a new born not much older than a week. Today when I was feeding him I noticed his 2 bottom teeth coming in. Is he too young for teeth or am I wrong about his age.
Do you still have your squirrel?
Does this apply to ground squirrels-one recently dug a hole under our cabin and I want to live trap her and release her in the nearby habitat to avoid structural damage. But I also have wondered if there are babies and since it is July-thought it might be wise to wait. Any and all advice from is deeply appreciated:)
Yes
I have a baby squirrel about 3 1/2 weeks that has the two bottom teeth. He has had them over a week, before he had hair so should be normal.
When does baby squrriel start walking properly?
Does baby squrriel need a massage?
My baby squrriel is 5days only an her mother has die due to some injurise?an i have no idea how to deal with this?but still im feeding baby make then do poop im takeing care but still i need some guidince….help me out plz……..
Be sure and keep him warm. I keep a carrier laying over a heating pad half on and half off of the pad so if they get too warm they can move off of it. I line the carrier with fresh towels as to keep them off direct heat. The very young one l wrap in a wash rag much like a burrito. I don’t know when ya posted this but he should have hair, probably eyes open any day and starting to crawl around some. I start feeding every two to four hours but by now they can last up to six if necessary. All have different appetites. Once they’re moving around I move them to a cage. Usually with a limb inside. Be careful not to put poisonous tree limbs in. Start adding solids and they’ll let you know when they’re finished bottle feeding. I’m a few short weeks he’ll be ready to go. I wish you luck and thank you for helping this little one make it.
Kathryn – can you help me? I just found a baby squirrel. You can find and message me on FB messenger:
Christalyn Sotelo
I have 2 baby squirrels about 1 week old, I estimated they where born on August 14th 2019
Thanks for the useful information. One thing, though – human babies are often born with lots of hair on their heads!
I have read that a squirrel and chipmunk can’t mate. I have a squirrel? that looks like a red/brown squirrel on the top but has a black line separating the top and the belly which appears white. The rascal is very fast. I have been watching him for at least a month now waiting for the color to change. It appears to be appx. 10 – 12 inches in body size sans tail. Wondering if this is really a squirrel ?
I found a baby that fell out of a palm tree a week ago , I don’t know how old he is I’ve been bottle feeding him 50/50 kmr/pedialite the pics online aren’t very clear as to how to age the little guy and when to convert milk to food please help me any input would be greatly appreciated thank you a animal lover for ever 🤗
I just rescued a baby squirrel from the street, his nose was a little bloody he has fur, from the looks of it he looks like he’s maybe 4-5 weeks old. He just seems to want to sleep a lot. He curls into my
Hand quite comfortable haha. Anyway I’m new to this, can someone tell me the basic needs to care for this animal? It’s also a male and his little dingaling looks a little red and swollen, don’t know what’s that about! Help
I have a young squirrel outside my house who I’ve watched fall out the nest twice now. It has cut teeth. Can move around on its own it even climbed back to the nest the first time it fell out. But now it is just hanging out under my carport, very lethargic. Not doing much, but if you try to move him/her or get too close it just Skittles away a few feet and trys to go back to sleep. Any ideas as to what might be wrong?
My grandpa found a little abandoned squirrel the day after a hurricane. Going by this page, she was around 5 weeks old as she had fur, open eyes and ears but no fur on the underside of her tail and no top teeth.
He tried releasing her back into the trees but the next time he walked through the yard, she charged him, climbed up his body and burrowed into his jacket. She was terrified.
He asked us to take over her care.
I’ve had her ever since. It’s been a month. She couldn’t eat hard foods at first. I fed her puppy formula as I read that was the closest supplement.
I have her in a tall cage with perches and toys, she eats a variety mix I bought from the pet store along with apples and pecan nuts. I’m still offering her the formula once a day but sometimes she doesn’t drink it, some days she will.
Shes entirely reliant on me at this point. I have no rehabilitation center near by. I called the animal control and asked ‘hypothetical’ questions as I know it’s frowned upon to raise a wild squirrel. The woman told me they are a nuisance animal and not worth the time to transport to a center.
Also, I have 5 kittens I found and bottle fed that are now a bit older and they interact with the squirrel. There’s no fear on her part. Which is bad, I realize because cats would be a predator in the wild.
So. The question is, how to I transition her into the wild without essentially sending her out to her death?
I found a squirrel in a live cage about dead. It is oct 13. It is about 7-8 in long excluding tail. Its weak and cant hardly take water from a small hose water bottle i made. It moved a little more before i got it in some bedding. Its mouth stays open a little and breathing is sbort unlezs i startall it. Now it just barely moves but still alive the next morning. I guess its a grey squirrel. Im in NE -Tennessee
My son-in-law works for electric company and when taking down poles to replace, ends up finding baby squirrels,which he brings to me. Last ones still had cords on. I feed them with eye dropper and dog milk from vets office, or cheaper when bought at feed store. I keep on heating blanket covered with rags and keep them covered. I change rags daily, you also have to stimulate when they are that young to go to bathroom, if not waste will build up in their system. Mine are almost 6 months and about ready to release. I love doing this as they are a hoot to raise and release.
I have a baby squirrel found on 11/15/2019. By this article it’s about 5 weeks old. It’s in good condition. I find it unusual that it has notched out for its mom at all. So, now that I have become mom, when do they change over to fruits? Are the any important things to know, besides dehydration? Thanks.
Hi, my squirrels are 6 weeks old.
They are all eating well. 6cc to 9 cc for the biggest one.
They will chew on carrot pieces and pecans.
What do I need to do now to get them ready to release.
Thanks, Janice
Found a baby squirrel he’s about 4 to 6 was what do I feed him think he is still nursing
I have a squirrel about 5 weeks old. Is it best to leave him free outside my home and feed him everyday or is it best to bring him in where he can’t get hurt. Very friendly., walked right up to me and eats out of my hand. Do I cage him and keep him safe and warm ?
I found a baby squirrel last week he was good but stopped drink milk and has alone of button on it’s back.. I think he is dying what can I do need help quick please
I found a baby squirrel with a big magott in his back. It’s been removed and hes recovering. After three days, the baby still looks very weak, hungry but with diarrea and bloating. I giving him 2 cc of pet milk every 3 hours.
Have been raising a, Eastern Gray squirrel since I found her on the ground in the back yard in late April. She is missing her right front paw so I don’t know if she fell or was pushed out of her nest. I was advised that “deformed” babies are abandoned but, personally, I don’t think this happened. If the mother were going to push her out, I think it would have been much earlier. I believe she was about 4-5 weeks old when we rescued her. She has been easy to raise, gradually self-weaned about 6 weeks after rescue, loves to jump and play outside of her large cage in which she has built two different “nests” in two different boxes. She is constantly “burying”nuts in her cage, hilarious to watch. We hope to release her in our back yard – lots of trees – but are concerned about her being able to compete/defend herself with her missing front paw. Do you have any advice you can offer.
How old is a baby squirrel that is pink, eyes and ears still covered….at what age do they eat and what? What should I do?
I found a baby squirrel he’s about 4 weeks old I gave him peanut butter when I first found it I didn’t know what to do for it I did some research and I just want to know more so I can help it to the best of my ability to survive