In late November, 2020, I took a video of a very busy squirrel perched on the ladder in the back yard. It was stripping a burlap bag of material to put into its nest (probably the squirrel cabin outside my bedroom window). The squirrel looked a little wobbly, but I thought little of it. They’re wild animals with wild lives. Until I saw it again in January, hanging upside down under the park bench, wobbling around while looking for bird seed.

A couple of days later, I saw the squirrel spinning around the base of the tree:

Oh boy. I had an injured or neurologically impaired squirrel to look out for. So I tossed it out an acorn, which it found in short order. OK, so not helpless, just having extra challenges in getting around.

Assistance measures for a disabled wild animal

Over the next few weeks, I keep an eye out for it, and made sure it always found a supplemental tidbit. I was glad to have already put “squirrel ramps” out there: old boards propped on the ladder against the fence and to the patio. They made it easy for squirrels to get up on the patio from a different part of the yard.

I continued to monitor the situation through February, where I found out that he/she had no trouble climbing the wall, and even hang upside-down using its back legs, no problem.

Considering that the squirrel had plenty of compromises, I also put out a “bus shelter” for it, so that it would have a secure space sheltered from the elements in which to eat its snacks and maybe catch some repose. It got in the habit of retiring here to eat its daily ration of chestnuts and peanuts:

I also found out Neuro-Squirrel had a friend, as I saw them both climbing the wall at the same time, and hanging out together, having their food (video):

Unfortunately, over the course of February and March, Neuro-Squirrel degenerated and needed even more help. I fixed up a heat lamp in the corner of the patio door. Infra-red heat transmits through glass, and it would help him or her feel more comfortable; I added extra straw to the Bus Shelter.

Here she/he is looking a little worse for wear. In fact, she (I had to handle her to get her out of a jam, and she really didn’t like that!) was having a really hard time getting around. I could see that, though she valiantly survived this long through the winter, it was end times for her.

On her last night and her last morning on earth I kept the heat lamp on her, and –though protesting my presence if I imposed upon her a little too much – added softer Polyfill bedding to her Bus Shelter. She had as good a sleep as I could imagine her having, without her friend to keep her company.

On this day, after her early morning runabout, she took this long nap in the box. When she next got up, she wandered off…and never came back.

RIP, Neuro-Squirrel. May you have enjoyed your short life to the fullest, and may your death have been an easy one.

If you’ve been looking up at the tops of the trees or watching neighbourhood feeders, you’ve noticed the flitting of birds newly arriving on their spring migration. If you’ve been walking around with open ears, you’ve heard the sweet musical call of the robins and almost-raucous regular trill of the red-winged blackbirds. Spring has arrived and it’s in full swing. And so we must hone our attention on our surroundings (not a hard task!)—while for some us, work begins.

Basically, if you find a bird that’s been injured by a window (or a passing vehicle), it’s stunned, and it needs your protection. And you’re a very frightening predator from its perspective, so you have to be careful to not get in its face while helping it!

1. Gently pick it up, such as by wrapping your hand around it from the top, with your palm against its back and its head peeking out between your index and middle finger. This can help immobilize its wings—struggle could hurt it further.
2. If you have to carry it any distance, ask a nearby store for a paper bag to put it in. Fold the top down and carry it as gently as if it contained an egg!
3. At your destination, fashion a donut (a twisted ring) out of bathroom paper towels, put the ring in a box, put the bird in the ring, and after assessing its state of alertness, close the box to give it some rest.
4. Call a bird or wildlife rehabber and inform them of the situation. They will advise you further. You may have to deliver the bird to them.

Read on for what to do about baby birds!

If, instead, you found a baby squirrel, go here. It has a flowchart questionnaire to help you do what you need to do to help the baby.