Carmela the Squirrel

04/15/2025

AT CAPACITY - UNABLE TO TAKE ANY MORE SQUIRRELS AT THIS TIME…
We are sadly at capacity and no longer able to take in any more squirrels - not babies nor adults at this time. We currently have 41 orphaned squirrel kits here, of which 37 are still being hand fed. Normally we have several volunteers to help with feedings throughout the day, but this spring we haven’t been able to get the coverage we need which means that I am doing most of the feedings completely by myself. Each feeding takes over 4 hours when doing it alone. I simply cannot take in any more squirrels right now because I’m already overwhelmed with the number I have. Although many of them are starting to eat solid foods, they still require hand feeding of formula throughout the day and will do so for a couple more weeks. Please understand that this is a very difficult decision for me as I know that there are many squirrels that may not get the care they need because I simply can’t take anymore in. However, I cannot jeopardize the ones already in my care by taking on more than I can reasonably physically handle. As many of these babies will probably start the weaning process in 2-3 weeks, I am hoping to be able to reopen intaking squirrels again. For now, please keep me and the many squirrels here at the Sanctuary in your thoughts and prayers.

04/07/2025

Something amazing happened this weekend! On Friday evening a young couple found a baby fox squirrel near Wade Oval at the CWRU campus. They brought the baby to me and named her Ella. She was badly infested with fleas and ticks. They had seen her dead mother nearby. After they left, I bathed and combed Ella, gave her some CapStar and fed her unflavored pedialyte, then placed her in one of the temporary incubators along with a male fox squirrel named Michael of the same age that had come in the day before.
Now for the amazing part! Last night, a young lady contacted me about some babies she had found after watching them fall from the tree they were in. I told her to bring them to me, which she promptly did. When she arrived, I found out that she had found them near Wade Oval on the CWRU campus. Comparing the two she had brought to Ella, we realized that they are most likely her siblings!!! The three of them have identical markings on their noses, are the same age and were found in the same place. Here are the pictures… What do you think - siblings or not?

04/04/2025

MORE INCUBATORS NEEDED!
💗🐿💗 DONATIONS APPRECIATED 💗🐿💗

UPDATE 4/14/2025
We received enough donations to be able to purchase another incubator! Just in time as we continued to receive more orphaned squirrel kits and now have 41 of them on site at the Sanctuary and also have 14 others with a couple of our subpermittee foster homes. We are now saving up for one more incubator which should maximize our ability to care for the orphaned squirrel kits this upcoming fall. A huge shout out and thank you to all who have donated so far!

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We now have 29 orphaned baby squirrel kits here at the Sanctuary and another en route. Our incubators are full and we have had to improvise for the most recent additions. I searched for the best price on the 40L Brinsea Incubator and it turns out Amazon has it for about $80 less than Chewy and is definitely the best price at $717.
Please, if you can help by donating towards our incubator fund, we would deeply appreciate it! Donations can be made via:
PayPal: [email protected]
Venmo: -Enyedy
CashApp: $SuzEnyedy

03/15/2025

Friday evening, we received 5 more squirrel kits. 3 of them are Eastern Greys and 2 are Eastern Fox Squirrels.

The greys were found by a landscaper on Thursday in a nest in a satellite dish. They left the kits in an old watering can with nesting material overnight in hopes the mother would come back for them. Sadly, she didn’t, so he brought them to the Sanctuary. There are one boy and two girls. I named them Marcus, Sierra & Seraphina. The girls both have minor injuries but should recover with no issues.

The foxers were in a nest from a rotted out tree that was taken down by a tree service. The tree cutters told the homeowners there was a nest and they had seen the mother run off. Sadly, the homeowners found that the mother and one kit had been killed when the tree was cut down. There were two kits still alive - both girls. Although one of them had blood on her muzzle and in her mouth, I could find no injury so I can only presume that she had attempted to nurse from her deceased mother, getting the mother’s blood on herself. Both girls are healthy and doing fine. I’ve named them Sharona & Verona.

Please keep these kits in your thoughts and prayers. All five are almost 3 weeks old and their ears are starting to open.

03/14/2025

Spring is here and it’s officially Baby Squirrel Season here at the Sanctuary! So far, we’ve gotten in 4 litters of babies: 4 foxer squirrel kits, 2 grey kits, 5 foxer kits and 3 grey kits - so that’s 14 baby squirrels already! That’s just in the last two weeks and the season has just begun. So we are definitely in need of many supplies to keep us going: formula, syringes, ni***es, medications, blankets, rope baskets, laundry detergents, paper towels, etc., etc., etc… Check out our Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1YEV4NCAJIELH?ref_=wl_share

Donations can be made via:
CashApp to $SuzEnyedy
PayPal to [email protected]
Venmo to -Enyedy

We need volunteers to help with feedings, cage/incubator cleaning, and laundry. If interested in volunteering, please send me a PM.

Together, we can make a difference! Thank you to all the people who have supported us through the years and who continue to support us with their time, talent and treasure!

03/12/2025

Pearl came to us last fall at just five weeks old but covered in fibromas from an advanced case of squirrel pox. Despite the odds, she survived and has thrived! Having been kept over the winter, she is very strong now and will be released into the wild soon. Here’s a Short of her eating salad yesterday. You’d never know she nearly died a few months ago…

Pearl the Squirrel Survived Deadly Squirrel Pox & is Almost Ready for Release!
https://youtube.com/shorts/kHr8HlftUOI?feature=share

02/28/2025

Very important information!
We don’t take opossums here at the Sanctuary but know rehabbers that do. You can also locate Ohio rehabbers thru the listing on OWRA.org

Baby Opossum fact... opossums do not “nurse” from their mom. Mom has what is like feeding tubes instead of teats, 13 of them, 12 of them in a circle and 1 in the center within her pouch. THEREFORE, when infant opossums are rescued we rehabbers have been trained on how to tube feed them because they don’t nurse or suck a bottle/nipple. It is a very intricate type of feeding using special tubes.
So if you find baby opossums your job is to keep them warm and find a rehabber asap.
Opossums are not rodents, they are marsupials. Babies are born at only 12 days after their parents mate! The babies had no placenta and finish physical development in the pouch. Therefore they are super small, about the size of a small honeybee. Moms can have up to 25 babies in one litter, however the first 13 to crawl to her pouch and swallow her feeding tubes (which then swell up in their mouth so they will stay latched) will be able to survive. They do not have umbilical cords, therefore they need their mom's milk for all of their immunities. Never feed any wildlife cow milk.

So if you find a severely hurt mom and babies, please try to bring mama with the babies because she can be treated too. As long as we can keep her alive it gives her babies a better chance, that is what she would want too.

If you have any questions about these amazing animals, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are not in Texas we can help locate your rehabber near you as well

02/27/2025

We picked up our first babies of the season this evening. Found by cable company workers in a box at the top of a utility pole, Mama ran away and didn’t return for them. There are 4 of them which is unusual for Eastern Fox Squirrels that usually have between 1 and 3. They were brought to the fire station across the street from where they were found, which is where I picked them up. They’re between 3 & 4 weeks old - their ears are already wide open. They are very healthy and have already had their first feeding. They’re now resting peacefully in the incubator. Named by the station crew, they are Hozier (m), Nitro (m), Sq**rt (m) and Joules (f).

02/01/2025

It’s that time of year when you’ll see a group of squirrels chasing each other around… watch this video to find out what is happening and why…

https://youtu.be/NjcIYU6HUBY?si=cGftqclfqSw1OqXW

Have you ever seen a bunch of squirrels chasing each other around? Then it's likely that you've watched part of a mating ritual. In this week's episode, Suz ...

01/30/2025

This possum decided to take advantage of the warm spell and fill up on Sunflower seeds. 💗💞💗

01/30/2025

Rylee brought special treats for the squirrels today. Chuck sure loves cantaloupe!!!

https://youtube.com/shorts/a8h8ECM4Je8?si=BoibWoX9zRpw4_ZC

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01/18/2025

COMING SOON!
The Happy Flapper Pouch for Squirrels!!!

All the versatility of the original which I designed for sugar gliders but modified to be more rugged for squirrels! The bottom has a 4.5” plastic mesh circle between the two layers of fleece to give extra support. The flap corners have metal grommets with 1” split rings and heavy duty carabiners for hanging at the top of the cage. These pouches hold even the heavier fox squirrels with no problem. These will soon be available in our Etsy store at SanctuaryOfSquirrels.etsy.com

To see the many different uses and ways the Happy Flapper can be hung, watch this YouTube video about how the original was designed for gliders. It can be used the same way for squirrels.
https://youtu.be/MASOiruPs-Q?si=hCGjsC11_9U1lTcT

*special thanks to Tish Juist for the pictures of Gomez the Black Squirrel in one of our new Happy Flappers for Squirrels 💜🐿💜

01/08/2025

8 years ago, I made this video about fleece quality to help sugar glider owners be able to find fleece that would hold up and that would be safe for their gliders. I know many people use it for squirrels, too. So here’s the video link. I think you’ll find it helpful in determining what is truly safe for using with squirrels, should you have occasion to need it.

Ever wanted to buy some fleece to make stuff for your gliders but you just weren't sure of the quality. In this video, Suz shows you how to do some prelimina...