A nutty week for the Wildlife Center of Virginia

While Virginians in the path of Hurricane Irene braced for power outages and flooding last week, veterinarians and caretakers at the Wildlife Center of Virginia readied in a different way.

“When we see a hurricane forecasted, we know that means lots of baby squirrels coming in,” said Amanda Nicholson, director of outreach for the center. “Unfortunately hurricane season coincides with the second season for squirrels—late August and early September. At the end of last week, rehabilitators started getting into crises mode and thinking about how many they could handle.”

When the storm passed, wildlife caretakers took to the woods, searching for young squirrels blown from or washed out of their nests.

The center added 29 tiny squirrels to its patient registry Monday, in addition to the 29 already in its care.

A second influx of 80 squirrels rescued from the Virginia Beach area came to the center Tuesday.

A majority of the squirrels, which ranged in age from one to three weeks, had not opened their eyes.

“Caring for them is pretty intensive,” said Susie Doell, a rehabilitator. “They have to be fed four to six times per day so that means each feeding continues into the next.”

Beyond a door marked with signs reading “babies sleeping, quiet please” and “no baby talk,” Doell and three other rehabilitators gathered in a small room, each feeding a hamster-size squirrel some formula from a tiny syringe.

“We try not to talk to them and especially not use baby talk because we want them to grow up to be scared of us, as they would be naturally in the wild,” Nicholson said.

In aquariums outfitted with towels, empty Kleenex boxes and a mixture of vegetables, seeds and nuts, the few squirrels with open eyes darted in and out of tissue-box shelters.

Those with eyes closed lie asleep, curled next to one another, as nature sounds from a white noise maker filled the room.

“It helps keep them calm and drowns out the noise of the rest of the hospital,” Nicholson said.

Several other baby squirrels, packaged in cardboard boxes with holes to allow air in, waited for transport to other wildlife rehabilitation organizations throughout the state.

The squirrels will be weaned when they are about eight weeks old and will be ready for release at about 12 weeks.

Upon arriving at the center, each baby squirrel was examined by a veterinarian, given fluids and quickly placed in a warm environment.

“Our first and foremost concern when they come in is hypothermia,” Nicholson said. “They can get cold very quickly, especially when they’ve been down away from mom for any period of time.”

The feeding schedule is also critical, she said.

“They can also become malnourished,” Nicholson said. “We’ve got some skinny guys in there.”

Nicholson urged anyone who finds a baby squirrel not to attempt to feed it, however.

“We’ve had some that have aspirated because people tried to feed them,” she said. “Often people’s first inclination when they rescue one is to give it food, but the very first thing it needs is to be warm.”

To provide warmth, Nicholson suggested using a hot water bottle or filling a sock with bird seed or rice and microwaving it for 20 to 25 seconds. Baby squirrels should also be kept in a box with towels or blankets and in a dark room away from people, she said.