Secret Squirrel Wildlife Rehabilitation

06/06/2026

When you aren’t home and the nuts get delivered, the boxes are a lot lighter 🤣❤️🐿️

06/06/2026

Extraordinary Effort funding #2

Truth be told not rehabbing sucks and I’m having a hard time with it. But what doesn’t suck is the opportunity to provide help to other people still fighting the good fight against extraordinary odds.

Meet Laci. About 3 weeks ago I got a call from a Rehabber, late late evening asking for advice on a Hbc female that she just got. After getting the video the odds were grim. Helping over video wasn’t going to work. She was roughly two hours away and so at 10:30pm I got out of my pjs and hit the road to get a hands-on look and see if I could help until her vet was available 3 days later.

I’m not gonna lie, when I first saw her my first thought was, “no way”. Pain management was the highest priority. Doing injury inventory her teeth were knocked out, I assumed the jaw was fractured and the front right leg wasn’t weight-bearing but could move. She was already having agonal breaths as her lungs were no doubt flooding with blood. Luckily I had brought everything but the kitchen sink including my oxygen set up. By the time she was done with immediate triage, 3 ish hours had gone by and I crashed into a coma-like sleep on the couch. My new rehab friend had to work the next day, so I stayed and kept watch. Laci was a hot mess but she was a fighter. She readily ate Critical Care from a syringe. Just surviving the night was a miracle. But she did so much more than surviving, at one point she squirted out of my grip and hobbled all over me, having already determined I was friend-shaped, she was completely at ease despite the pain she was clearly still in.

Once the Rehabber was back I told her what I’d do for continuing care, kissed sweet Laci goodbye and told the Rehabber to call me from the vet if Laci survived and I’d cover what she couldn’t. 3 days and $335 vet bill later, the injuries were… substantial. The important thing was the injuries, with appropriate care were survivable.

Because someone cared enough to stop.
Because a rehabber wasn’t too proud to ask for help
Because Secret Squirrel Society continues to get your support
Laci is on the long road to recovery

Thank you for trusting me to continue the fight, in a new but important way.

Becky

06/04/2026

When Evergreen Tree and Pest gets calls for trees loaded with dreys or nests they call me in advance in case wildlife is impacted. Every nest was checked BEFORE the first cut. Sending huge thanks to Evergreen and all the other tree businesses that prioritize wildlife and ethics over profit. We love you guys!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588585234783&mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

06/04/2026

Artie and her kids are ruling the yard now🤣🐿️❤️

06/02/2026

Count Texas in as yet another state costing lives needlessly. At a MINIMUM existing rehabs with more than allowed subs should be able to keep what they have. Do better Texas.

🚨 Texas wildlife rescuers are split over new rehab rules.

Texas wildlife rehabilitators are divided after state officials approved major changes to the rehab program. The rules aim to improve training and oversight, but critics say they could leave fewer people available to help injured animals.

05/31/2026

I don’t have blueprints however for reference this is the simple, minimalist nook I build. Here it isn’t assembled, only set together. For orientation and sizing, the back panel is 26 inches long. Raccoons have anywhere from a 16-19 inch reach so box DEPTH plus a predator guard combined are needed to prevent nook/box raiding. Raccoon paws are extremely dexterous, and squirrels like to build tall nests. Assume 3-5 inch rise from nesting materials and you start to understand why cheap, short boxes are a death trap. Hope this helps.

05/29/2026

After claiming an empty enclosure Artie also claimed a prime nesting nook lol. She’s very much enjoying her freedom ❤️🐿️

05/29/2026

BOLO - Morris Lake area / Balden Road intersection area. This otter was Hbc and is paralyzed. I hunted every ditch, culvert and up in the woods and couldn’t locate him (caller left). If you see him get help www.ahnow.org this is past Hawthorne coming from Gainesville

05/28/2026

Yesterday I took a nesting nook inventory. Every box I have is occupied. I looked in part because a rehab I follow was promoting a squirrel box on Amazon.

First let me say the price on the box is enticing, $70 and shipping is free. Looking further into it, I immediately got concerned. First the box needs to be assembled, second, if you have raccoons I’m not sure the box provides adequate protection. Third the box is… made in China. Please use caution when buying nest boxes online. I spent almost a decade refining what I thought was a good design. Garbage made in China probably won’t last and may even be harmful to the very Squirrel you are trying to protect. There are some great, US based options out there, but they aren’t cheap and shipping is getting more and more and more expensive with fuel cost hikes.

I haven’t purchased this particular box, but I’m considering it just to see if the safety problems I anticipate are actually there. I’ll report if I decide to do so. One CONSTANT problem I see with these cheap boxes is the orientation of the screws. Squirrels chew their boxes and if screws aren’t placed precisely and correctly, protruding screws become a serious hazard to squirrels.

I completely understand how prohibitively expensive boxes are but I’m not sure a cheap box, not made by someone who even understands squirrels, is the answer. If you’re looking at a box take the time to really think it through. Your squirrels thank you❤️🐿️

05/26/2026

Driving down a busy 4 lane city road this morning and in morning rush, literally thousands of people had just driven by this poor Box Turtle. He was desperately trying to get up an impossibly steep curb and was just wedged in place with absolutely nowhere left to go. I don’t know how long he’s been there but he’s in a bad way. He’s on his way to UF now. Send him love and light, he needs it❤️🐢