Here I am, Kate! Been missing in action due to a hip injury that kept me sidelined for a couple of weeks, but I'm back now! I have been feeding birds for about 50 years and have tried every product on the market, and then some. Many work for awhile, many are just a joke. Spring loaded feeders that close when a heavy bird or squirrel gets on them will work until the squirrels figure out they can hang from the roof of it by their back legs and reach down to scoop out the seed without activating the lever that closes the feeder. Feeders enclosed in cages with openings only big enough for small birds to pass through will work for awhile...until you find (as I did) a dead squirrel hanging from one of the holes, where it got its head stuck trying to get in. It's very unpleasant to clean up. Also, caged feeders usually don't allow any of the larger birds in...not even cardinals. Safflower seeds are a good idea for feeders that you want completely accessible, as squirrels don't particularly like them. BUT...they WILL eat them when they are really hungry and if they can't find any other seed around. I usually keep one or two feeders with safflower in them because cardinals and titmice love them so much, but now and then, a really hungry squirrel will empty them. Personally, I think the very best way is to find a baffle that works for you. All of my main feeders hang from "shepherd's hook" type poles. About 4 or 4 1/2 feet off the ground, I mount a baffle on the pole, just under the hanging feeder. It completely stops the squirrels from climbing UP the pole...they run up, get stuck under the baffle, and run back down again. And if you get the height right, they can't jump OVER it, either. You have to locate the pole where they can't jump to the feeder from a nearby tree, of course, but other than that they are very effective. No squirrels are getting to any of my feeders now, and I probably have at least 20 that live in my trees and yard. There are several kinds of baffles. I use the cone shaped ones I get from PetSmart. They are relatively inexpensive (I think less than $20) and last forever. IF an industrious squirrel manages to jump high enough to grab at the baffle, it tilts and dumps him off. There is another type that my friend uses, which is also quite good. It is a cylinder about 6" wide that fastens to the pole. If they run up the pole, they are stuck inside. And if they jump up and grab the cylinder, it's too wide for them to hold onto and they drop right off. BTW, my squirrels have no trouble climbing up PVC pipe at all, no matter the diameter...it gets scratched and roughened quickly, and they can hold on to it with their sharp little claws. And in the same vein, forget about greasing the pole with Vaseline and the like...it melts in summer, runs down all over the ground, and they are soon running right up the pole. Not to mention, dirt and debris stick to it and the pole soon looks pretty bad. The link below will take you to one place online that sells several types of baffles. You can see samples of both the cylindrical type and the cone shaped ones on this page. And if you have hanging feeders, there are samples of the domed baffles here, too. Hope this helps. Good luck! Marcia (ps...I have 2 squirrel chasers, as well, but the trouble with them is, they are just as happy chasing the birds as they are the squirrels! *grin* ) Here is a link that might be useful: Baffle Samples

This is a story I told a while back, so mayby you heard it. A long long time ago we had squirrels in our attic. Every one told me they would chew the elec. wires and cause a fire. So they had to go. DH found the opening in the roof overhang and when they came out one morning he blocked it up with screen. As he was putting in the last staple a little head peeked over the edge of the roof. When he left it went to the patch and bumped its head against it several times. Then the second squirrel appeared and they just stared at the patched hole. I felt so bad and he asked me if I wanted him to remove the patch. I told him no, I was afraid they would indeed chew on the wires. That night I was looking trough a magazine I believe (Womens Day), and I came across an ad for a sampler (a embroidered message) It had two squirrels on the top and the message was "Blessed is the Home that Shares it's Shelter". I felt so guilty after that. The hard part is that they mate for life and my neighbor in back caught one of them in a have a heart trap and that was the end of that family. I personally enjoy watching them and decided I can't have everything my way and choose to co-exist.

I did not have any luck last year waiting till 'first blush' to pick my tomatoes as the squirrels didn't care what color they were; they'd grab them, eat half of them and toss them in my yard. Before my first year of gardening (last year), I actually liked squirrels. I'd think to myself "They can have some and I can have some and we'll all be happy". But no. They had some and I had one. They dug up all my chamomile, basil, thyme and oregano and left them in the sun to die. I don't like them anymore and think of them as a rodent infestation that the city refuses to deal with. Maybe it's different for those of us that live near parks full of them, but this year I am fencing around my garden with strips of bird netting twisted like barbed wire 3 feet up all the way across. If that doesn't work I'll be going with a capsicum based spray around everything. And if that doesn't work I'll be posting warning signs in my yard and setting up an electric fence. Very frustrating. :(

Caring for it is complicated, especially if there is just the one.....I wish you luck. Several online places said rehabber first of course but in an emergency don't start with formula... "INITIAL FEEDINGS NEED TO BE REHYDRATION SOLUTION Orphans that have been without their mother will be suffering from chill and dehydration. They must be thoroughly warmed first, and then, although they are starving, they must be given warmed rehydration solution before any milk formula is offered. Their dehydrated little body is simply unable to digest food (i.e. the milk solids in formula) and if given formula or other food before they are rehydrated it can kill them, or cause debilitating diarrhea. Pedialyte is a rehydration solution made for human babies, and is available in drug stores ��" it often comes fruit flavoured, but if you can find the unflavoured kind that is best for wildlife babies. It should be heated to body temperature and offered frequently: every 30 minutes to babies that will take only a small amount, or every 2 hours to those that take a larger amount. Feed only Pedialyte for the first several feedings ��" as much as the baby wants until it is rehydrated and producing lots of light yellow urine when you stimulate it. Stimulate it at each feeding using light feathery strokes. In an emergency, a homemade rehydration solution can be made by mixing: ý teaspoon salt + ý tablespoon of sugar + 2 cups of water ��" warm slightly to dissolve sugar and salt. Use this homemade solution only until you can get to a drug store. Pedialyte is a balanced electrolyte solution, much better for the baby. '