Do squirrels leave their babies on the ground?

Question

I was mowing a bushy area of my grass and realized that I had mowed right over a bunch of baby rodents in a burrow. (They were not hurt by the mower). I felt bad for disturbing their area so I put a piece of board over the burrow to protect them but then propped one corner so it's mother could get in and out.

1. do squirrels burrow in the ground like this or are they more likely bunnies? the ears are still shortish so I couldn't tell just based on that. They are brown all over with fur and about the size of a fist.

2. will my makeshift protection work, or because I mowed the long grass will the mother not come back?

3. how will I know if the mother is coming to feed them?

Answer 1

yea i think theyre on the ground because theyre young so they cant climb...im sure your protection will work for the time being...until she comes to get them...and puts them in a safer place...

good job...

Answer 2

sounds as though you have ground squirrels you can pile some long grass on top of the burrow to give them some cover from hawks and the like, for now they should be ok , you can setup a camcorder outside the burrow and let it record for a while , then review it later to see if the mother is returning to feed them .

Answer 3

No, they're not squirrels. Squirrels nest in trees and the babies don't come down to the ground until they are almost as big as the adults. That's why you seldom see 'baby' squirrels. They are probably chipmunks or rabbits. They will either stay there or move somewhere else. The mother will not leave them she will care for them.