Sibling squirrels as pets

[sparky]

Hi,

Does anyone on TSB have siblings they have raised as pets? I'm simply curious as to how well they get along when they get older. I know that they sometimes stay together for a while in the wild, but as a pet, I don't know how the human equation affects them. If they bond with the human owner, does that affect the bond with their sibling?

Thanks for any input,

Sparky

[pamela lee]

Based on what the rehabbers have said about getting and raising siblings, I'd think the opposite would be true. I would think they would tend to bond closer to eachother and not the human. But as we know all squirrels are individuals and gender may also play a part.

[FLUFFYTAILNUT]

Based on what the rehabbers have said about getting and raising siblings, I'd think the opposite would be true. I would think they would tend to bond closer to eachother and not the human. But as we know all squirrels are individuals and gender may also play a part.
...THIS is a cockatiel...THING..but since they share the same foods..lol..I dont know..maybe it may apply...BUT..cockatiel birds..if YOU are there primary...association...YOU are their family..NOW..if you get another cockatiel..in the mix...the HUMAN..will not be the important one...SO, I'd have to agree..with Pamela lee..and think the othr squirrel..would bond more with it's OWN..kind..and you'd be the out sider..looking in...Just my two bits...:dono :bowdown :thinking :peace :jump

[pfukuda]

I have one set of "Twins", a brother & sister from the same litter and I also have a female from a different mother, about 4 weeks older than the twins. They have all bonded and get along fine. I have noticed that the girls bond together maybe just a bit more than with the boy. Also, the boy tends to bond slightly more with his twin sister over the other girl. The Twins were approx 3 weeks old when I got them and the other girl (Miss Aster) was 8 weeks old when I got her. I got all of them within one week of each other, they are all Hurricane Ike babies.

I have also noticed they tend to bond more to each other than to me. The girls come to me, climb me & play. They like to do the flirting, they panic a little when I hold them & kiss them. They will settle down after a little bit. They stay in their kennel outside now more than they are inside. They become a little more wild as they stay outside. This is the way rehabbing was intended I think.

I have another male Squirrel I got after Hurricane Rita in 2005. He was barely 2 weeks old when I got him. We still have him, he lives at my husbands house in Texas. He just seemed to really pursue my husband so I let him go live with him. He loves having the whole house to himself. He loves me still, and I visit him every month or 2. He is bonded to us, especially my husband, I doubt he could be released at this point. He spends little time outside in a kennel, only because there is nobody there to watch out for him while he is outside during the day. When I move there in a couple of months, he will then spend more time outside every day. I believe he is more bonded to us because we are all he knows. The 3 little ones play with each other and don't depend on me as much for playing or attention. I am more of a novelty to them because I see them daily to bring food, water, toys or new bedding for their houses. They look forward to me coming out to the kennel.

Next month, I plan to bring my 3 little ones back to Texas to live at my husbands house (inside the house). My older, male Squirrel (Rocky) may not like it very much. We will see. If not, I will have to separate them until I bring the 3 little ones back to the area they came from for release. We have the Squirrel houses built and ready for the release (they use them now). The weather will dictate when they are released, sometime after Feb-March. I will worry about them like my own children.:Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

[lelliott]

...THIS is a cockatiel...THING..but since they share the same foods..lol..I dont know..maybe it may apply...BUT..cockatiel birds..if YOU are there primary...association...YOU are their family..NOW..if you get another cockatiel..in the mix...the HUMAN..will not be the important one...SO, I'd have to agree..with Pamela lee..and think the othr squirrel..would bond more with it's OWN..kind..and you'd be the out sider..looking in...Just my two bits...:dono :bowdown :thinking :peace :jump

This goes for all parrots - they will bond to people but it doesn't take long to break that bond if you introduce another bird. Ask anyone who thought it would be a good idea to buy their tame pet budgie a companion.

I tend to think it would be the same for squirrels.. There's a reason they say not to raise a squirrel alone if you intend to release it - growing up with siblings helps them tap into their wild sides..