Working in your backyard is a great way to get out and enjoy the fresh air and natural surroundings.
Bad weather is one way to ruin your plans, but finding a dead animal in your yard can ruin a perfectly nice afternoon quickly.
What do you do if you find a dead squirrel in your backyard?
Do not touch it with your bare hands.
A dead animal can carry harmful pathogens that can sicken you. Instead, call your local DEP or DEC office for guidance on how to properly remove a dead squirrel from your property.
Determine if the Squirrel is Dead or Alive
The first thing you want to do if you find a dead squirrel in your backyard is verify that it’s dead first.
The squirrel could just be recovering from a big meal in the same way you do after Thanksgiving dinner. It could also need a few minutes to recover before finding its way home.
The squirrel could also have fallen and landed wrong. As a result, if you found the squirrel lying there, it could be in shock.
- Go grab some thick gloves that you can either wash or throw away.
- Now, approach the squirrel. If it runs away, leave it alone and consider it a squirrel who is alive.
- If you can get close enough to the squirrel to pick it up, take a good look first. If the squirrel looks sickly, don’t touch it. If it is covered in sores, has missing patches of fur, or has large clumps of missing fur, chances are that it’s not healthy and you should remove it from your property.
- If the squirrel isn’t moving but looks healthy, pick it up gently and look for signs of death. If the squirrel is, in fact, dead, it won’t be breathing, it won’t have a heartbeat, it won’t have a blink reflex or twitchy eyelids, and the body will be stiff.
What To Do If The Squirrel Is Injured
If you are able to pick up and hold the squirrel but you see the squirrel is breathing or blinking, it is likely injured.
If this is the case, make the squirrel comfortable. Take an old box, line it with an old blanket or towel, put the squirrel in the box, and make sure there are air holes in the box and close the box.
Next, you will want to call a rehabilitation unit. They will be able to give you more information as to where to take the squirrel.
Most of the time, if the squirrel is in bad shape, they will recommend somewhere such as an animal hospital, and provide you with a veterinarian who will be able to treat the squirrel. If the squirrel is not in immediate need of medical attention, they may also recommend taking the squirrel to their rehabilitation program.
Contact Your DEP or DEC Office
If the squirrel is showing signs of death, you should contact your nearest Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) or Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
Also, these departments may want to collect the squirrel for testing purposes. Therefore, if you have reason to believe that the squirrel could have rabies, or if you are experiencing mass squirrel mortality, either the department or the testing center will likely take possession of the squirrel.
How To Get Rid Of The Body?
If the squirrel is not going to be processed by the DEP or DEC office and you wish to dispose of it, you have three choices.
Bury It
The first choice is that you could bury the body. If you plan to bury the body, be conscious of where the decline and burial are located to avoid contaminating the groundwater or surface water.
To do this, the body should be buried in an area that is at least two feet deep in the ground, and at least 200 feet away from any water supplies.
Bring It to a Landfill
You could also dispose of the dead squirrel by bringing it to a landfill.
Simply take a shovel, pick up the body, and place that into a trash bag. Tie the trash bag closed and then double or triple bag it.
Let it decompose naturally
If you live in an urban area, you can take the body to the end of your property and let it decompose naturally.
This method only will work well if you are on a large piece of property that is not located close to neighbors home. You should do this in an area that is brushy or has been left unmowed and away from where your kids or pets play.
Sterilize everything
Everything that was near the dead squirrel or touched the squirrel needs to be fully sterilized to kill any harmful pathogens that the squirrel could have been carrying.
Start by making a bleach solution of 1-part bleach and 10-part water. Place your shovel, or whatever tool you used into the solution and allow to soak for 10 minutes. When your time is up, scrub the shovel and rinse it thoroughly.
Then you will also need to sterilize your clothing. If you can not submerge your clothing into the bleach solution, spray them with disinfectant and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then just wash your clothes as you normally would.
Soaking your clothes in bleach solution is a better method to sterilize them, but spraying your clothes will not cause as much color fading or damage to the fabric.
Finally, you will need to sterilize yourself. Take a hot shower and use soap to clean your skin from head to toe.
If you have any bites or scratches you should call your doctor right away. You might even get prescribed antibiotics “just in case” the squirrel had infections or diseases.
Final thoughts
No one wants to find a dead squirrel in their yard, but if they do now you know how to take care of it quickly so you can get back to enjoying your space.
First, determine if the squirrel is dead or needs help. Remember to protect yourself by using gloves and a shovel to pick up and move the squirrel.
If the squirrel needs help, call a wildlife rehabilitation center; if the squirrel is dead, call the DEP or DEC. These calls will get you all the information you need for your next steps.