Earley family save baby squirrels

By Emma Midgley
BBC Berkshire

The baby squirrels are fed rehydration fluid before graduating to puppy formula milk. Cow's milk is too rich for the baby squirrels

A pair of baby squirrels are being successfully reared by a family who found them by an abandoned nest in their garden.

Henry Hepburne-Scott from Earley found the squirrels mewing piteously at the foot of a tree.

But with the advice of charity Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue he is weaning the pair back to health.

"Anybody who sees them is besotted," said father-of-three Henry, "they are just so cute."

He rescued the first squirrel on Sunday 16 August 2009.

"The squirrel had to be rehydrated." said Henry. "We mixed up a sugar and salt rehydration solution and then fed him through a syringe tube."

A baby squirrel is called a pup, a kit, or a kitten

"When he was rehydrated we could feed him some milk."

He found the second baby squirrel under the tree the following day, calling for its mother.

It was put on a similar rehydration regime, which Henry eventually replaced with puppy formula milk, as cow's milk is too rich for the tiny creatures.

"Now one of them is on formula but the other one is still on rehydration solution," said Henry.

"We had to buy a kilogram of puppy formula milk which will last them about 100 years, but that was the smallest size!"

Henry's three children Charlotte, Jemima and Oliver have been helping by preparing the milk, heating it up in the microwave and feeding them.

Henry said: "We're like anxious parents."