Squirrels are great climbers and lousy swimmers, and a pool with no way out is a death trap for them. The good news is that a drowning squirrel is usually easy to save if you have a skimmer or a ramp nearby, and even easier to prevent with a cheap device that lives at the water’s edge. I’ll walk you through both.
- Don’t grab a panicked squirrel with your hands. Use a skimmer or a float.
- A Skamper-Ramp or FrogLog gives wildlife a permanent way to climb out, and it’s the best money you’ll spend on this.
- Trim branches overhanging the pool, that’s where most of them fall in from.
- Call a wildlife rehabilitator after a rescue if the squirrel is cold, injured, or exhausted.
Prevention: Stop It Before It Happens
The best rescue is the one you never have to do. Squirrels end up in pools two ways: they fall from a branch over the water, or they slip trying to drink from the edge. Both are preventable.
- Trim tree branches so nothing overhangs the pool, and see my squirrel repellents guide for the rest of the yard.
- Install a Skamper-Ramp or FrogLog at the water’s edge. These floating ramps let animals climb out on their own.
- Cover the pool when it’s not in use, especially overnight and early morning.
- Keep bird feeders and garbage away from the pool so you’re not drawing squirrels to the water.
A Skamper-Ramp costs well under fifty bucks and takes a couple of minutes to install. It’s the single most effective thing you can do to stop wildlife drownings. Check it every so often to make sure it’s still floating right.
Rescue Gear to Keep Nearby
Keep these close to the pool, because when a squirrel is in trouble you won’t have time to hunt for them:
- Heavy gloves, leather or thick rubber
- A pool skimmer or leaf net
- A pet carrier or cardboard box with air holes
- Clean towels for drying and warming
- A floating ramp or pool float as a backup
Rescue Steps
- Approach slowly and quietly. Running or shouting makes a panicked squirrel swim in circles and tire out faster.
- Reach out with a skimmer, float, or long branch. Let the squirrel grab on. Don’t reach in with your hands, a scared squirrel bites.
- Guide it to the shallow end or the ramp. If you have a ramp installed, steer it that way. Otherwise use the skimmer to gently lift it out.
- Put it in a warm, dark box lined with a towel and close the lid. The quiet and dark settle it down.
- Call a wildlife rehabilitator. Even a squirrel that looks fine has been in chlorinated water and needs a check.
Don’t feed it or give it water. Milk, bread, and people food will make it sick, and a stressed squirrel can choke on liquids. And don’t release it somewhere unfamiliar, squirrels are territorial and usually won’t survive being dropped in a new place.
Care While You Wait
While you’re waiting for the rehabilitator:
- Keep it warm. A heating pad on low under half the box, or a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel. Never direct heat.
- Leave it alone. Stress kills rescued wildlife more than anything. Quiet, dark room, away from pets and kids.
- No food or water. Let the rehabber handle feeding.
- Wash your hands after any contact.
Pool Modifications That Help
| Modification | Rough cost | How well it works |
|---|---|---|
| Skamper-Ramp or FrogLog | Under $50 | Excellent |
| Pool cover | A few hundred to a few thousand | Excellent |
| Tree trimming | Free to a couple hundred | Good |
| A ledge at water level | Varies | Moderate |
| Knotted rope at the edge | Under $20 | Moderate |
Frequently Asked Questions
Not long. A squirrel tires out and starts to get cold within minutes, and without a way out most will drown within an hour. Cold water pulls heat out of them fast, so speed matters.
No. Remove the animal with gloves, double-bag it, and shock the pool with chlorine. Wait a day and test the water before anyone gets back in.
Yes. These ramps are designed for small animals and work for squirrels, chipmunks, mice, frogs, and even small birds. They float at the edge and give anything that falls in a textured surface to climb out.
No. They fall from branches, slip trying to drink, or lose their footing on a wet deck. Trimming branches and adding an escape ramp eliminates almost all of it.
Turn the pump off right away. Open the skimmer basket and carefully lift the squirrel out with a towel or gloved hand, put it in a ventilated box, and call a rehabilitator. Don’t release it right next to the pool or it’ll just fall back in.
The Bottom Line
Put a Skamper-Ramp or FrogLog in your pool now, before anything falls in. That one cheap device means most squirrels rescue themselves. If you do have to step in, stay calm, use a skimmer instead of your hands, and get the squirrel to a wildlife rehabilitator.
