It was a squirrel. In nature. It belonged there and you didn't need to rescue it. This was totally your fault.

I managed to save one last week if that makes you feel any better. :/

Ah, nuts!

googling first was the right thing.. for your own safety, like any diseases they may carry.

Mother birds don't actually reject their babies because of smell. This is a myth. I work at a wildlife rescue, and we receive hundreds of 'orphan' birds that have been kidnapped. Birds are actually known to feed anything with a mouth in their nest, that's why parasitic nesters like the cowbird can lay their eggs in another bird's nest and split.

Mammals, on the other hand, have a great sense of smell and will sometimes reject their young if they smell like a predator. A great way to mask your smell on the baby is to rub an apple core or grass clippings on it, and only handle them with thick gloves such as gardening gloves to protect yourself from any bites or scratches.

My roommate and I found one last year in the rain. Poor thing was so weak it couldn't even open its eyes and his nose was bleeding. We just scooped him up in a grocery bag, carried him out of the rain to the animal hospital down the street but it was closed closed, so we took him home and called animal control. Little guy got picked up and made it out okay

I'd rather say F the squirrel's life

this generation relies too much on technology, sometimes you need to just experience life, and save that squirrel without needing to google how to do it

who can say where the road goes