On September 17th, 2025, a group of five, young Eastern gray squirrels were found with their tails all knotted together in a phenomenon known as a “Squirrel King.” The finders, who were from Janesville, successfully captured the entire scurry (which is a real term for the group), placed them in a bucket, and brought them to DCHS’s Wildlife Center for an emergency admission appointment. It was theorized that these babies snuggled together for warmth and comfort inside of their cavity nest or dray (a leaf-nest) and came into contact with tree sap while they were growing. As the sap spread, it thickened and hardened, and the squirrels continued to squirm around each other while they got bigger. In doing so, the knot in their tails worsened over time. 

Squirrel Kings are thought to be uncommon, or it may be that situations like this are seldom encountered enough by humans to report. However, DCHS’s Wildlife Center has documented at least three cases like this over the last fifteen years, and Wisconsin Humane in Milwaukee reported another case in 2018. Individual squirrels like this have been saved through wildlife rehabilitation as a form of intervention, whenever possible.  At least 25 natural occurrences are known according to Wikipedia, where they describe the cause of Squirrel Kings to be similar circumstances as seen in black rats – a term that is at least as old as 1564 called a Rat King. Wikipedia’s informational page also states that the record number of rats stuck together, or the most well-known and preserved specimen of a large Rat King, comes from 1828, is housed in a museum in Germany, and is made up of 32 rats stuck together. That fact alone really puts things into perspective considering seven squirrels appears to be the largest number of individuals in a Squirrel King documented in North America…  

As for this year’s rodent quintet here at DCHS, it has been quite the memorable experience for many. Will Wagner, one of our expert Wildlife Reception volunteers and a former Wildlife Rehabilitation Intern, talked the finder through safe capture and containment over the phone, Will, a full-time Admitting Technician at DCHS, was first on the scene to triage their arrival. He recalls the situation like this:  

“I remember the finder calling and sounding panicked about a group of baby squirrels that were seen at the bottom of a tree," Will says. "First, I asked if she could see the nest or reach it, thinking that they unexpectedly fell out and could be returned to the care of their parents. But then she said something along the lines of: “I don’t think I should do that, considering they’re stuck together,” and I was like “what??”!  

She confirmed what she said: “it looks like their tails are stuck together.” I thought it would’ve been two or three squirrels at the most, but then she said it was five! When I reported it to the rehabilitation staff (Erin), she immediately identified it as a Squirrel King but noted that five of them stuck together was unusual. When they got to DCHS, the finder was on the verge of tears, hoping that we could save them,” Will shares.  

After the squirrels were safely admitted, Will further helped our team to deconstruct the complex tangle of tails. Their immediate goal was to detangle the mess, alleviate pain and suffering, and minimize the damage. Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators Geneva, Jacob, Jessica, Kaylie, Dave, with extra assistance from Will, each held a squirrel while simultaneously attempting to free them from each other. 

“I remember that they were screeching so loudly! We tried to cover their heads with a towel, which was hard to do since staff needed to access the knot in the middle," Will says. "They stopped screaming as soon as they were free from the group.” 

With what we hope to describe as “a relief” to these squirrels, they spent the first night of their lives apart from one another and had a renewed chance of survival – all thanks to an incredible team of people trying to help.  

Wildlife Medicine Coordinator (UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine) & Senior Wildlife Veterinary Technician (DCHS’s Wildlife Center), Erin Lemley, took lead the following day to assess their medical condition. With help from her many groups of 4th year veterinary students in-training, Erin cleaned up their tail wounds and began an initial course of antibiotics. From then on, they needed continued pain relief, regular veterinary check-ups, and a safe, clean environment to heal properly – which inevitably took a lot of time and careful planning. 

Thinking back on their early rehabilitation, she states, “They were so feisty! Only one day of being separated, and they had already started to chew off the necrosed tail tissue themselves (which would have eventually fallen off). It looked like a lot of damage in the beginning, but somehow, they healed great. So, good job, squirrels!”  

As of today, these squirrels have thrived and stabilized. They remain outdoors and well-fed until their final pre-release exam, which is scheduled in late October to early November. Our hope is that they may be soft-released in a nest box before winter arrives, which would be placed on private property with good habitat and natural food sources. Soft-releasing squirrels would entail giving supplemental dietary items through the remainder of the year into early next spring since none of the babies had an opportunity to cache winter food supplies. They would likely succumb to starvation if they were released today without any additional provisions. As long as the soft-release involves minimal human disturbance and interaction, their nutrition is provided for, and they have a warm home to sleep in (i.e., a squirrel box), then they may have an excellent chance of living a long life and honing their survival skills for the future. Holding them in captivity for a prolonged period, such as over-wintering in a small outdoor pen, risks their complete loss of independence and reduced fears of dangers in the wild – where they need to return to and ultimately belong.  

– Jackie Edmunds is the Wildlife Program Manager at DCHS's Wildlife Center

Great news! The five squirrels that had comprised the Squirrel King were successfully rehabilitated and released on Tuesday, November 11th. After speaking with the finder, they were returned to their property along with a nest box. The finder has agreed to carefully supply food throughout the winter to help the squirrels since they did not have time to collect winter supplies.