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Thread: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

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    Default Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    I have an adult squirrel named peanut and i want to let him outside to play and forge. He is too domesticated to be released knowing that he is not scared of dogs nor cats one bit and around where i live there are many stray cats who hunt squirrel. But i would like him to venture out and meet more squirrels and play in trees but i wanted to know if he would come back to me. I have taken him outside before and he did not just run away but he would get carried away sometimes and walk a little far but then i would just go and grab him. Im worried if he climbs up a huge tree he wont come down and i cannot get him. What should i do? and if he will try to venture away when i let him outside, what are some ways i can teach him to stay close?

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    You can't. If he is so 'tame' you cannot release him, then it is too big a risk to let him out to play, IMHO. I am sure others will chime in.
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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    If you take a squirrel outside to "play" he will definitely not come back for long. If he is with other squirrels he is going to want to stay with them and live the life of a squirrel in the trees. If there is nothing wrong with him and you think he is longing for the life of a wild squirrel you might want to consider allowing someone in a safer area to do a soft and gradual release.
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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by pappy1264
    You can't. If he is so 'tame' you cannot release him, then it is too big a risk to let him out to play, IMHO. I am sure others will chime in.
    agree.
    Even outside dogs and cats get lost, but this is essentially a wild animal with instincts. He WILL get carried away and he WILL get lost eventually, or he simply won't come back because these daily outside plays will be very similar to a release process, when one day a squirrel decides to move out completely.

    Besides, outside smells and sounds and all this outside play "in the wild" will awaken his wild instincts, he may start to wild up and will no longer be content with the indoor life.
    BUt since he cannot be released, his life will become miserable: he will long for what he can never have.

    Just create a fun and stimulating environment for him inside

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by pappy1264
    You can't. If he is so 'tame' you cannot release him, then it is too big a risk to let him out to play, IMHO. I am sure others will chime in.
    Yea he is too 'tame' to be released so you guys can go ahead and rule that option out. I know without a doubt he will get killed. anytime someone walks through the door and peanut is out he will jump on their shoulder all the time. He is also not aware of the natural predators that exist such as foxes or hawks.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    I agree with everyone here. You cannot have it both ways: if you have tamed a squirrel and acclimated it to your predator house pets, then you can never also allow him to enjoy the wild. "You are forever responsible for what you have tamed....", as the famous quote says.

    ALSO: you said "anytime someone walks through the door and peanut is out he will jump on their shoulder all the time." This is a recipe for disaster. Do NOT have him out when people come over. There have been countless squirrels who were thrown against walls or kicked to death by people who did not appreciate geting jumped on, and who immediately panicked because they thought the squirrels "had the rabies!!!" DON'T DO THIS. My personal story on this subject is when the neighborhood Cool Guy, who looks just like the actor who played McGyver and the lead in StarGate, started leaping around and screaming like a girl when my released squirrel ran up his leg. Thank God my Squirli jumped to me, instead of staying on him -- who knows what this dopey guy would have done? (Needless to say, the Cool Guy slipped down about 18 pegs in my book, after that........)
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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by island rehabber
    My personal story on this subject is when the neighborhood Cool Guy, who looks just like the actor who played McGyver and the lead in StarGate, started leaping around and screaming like a girl when my released squirrel ran up his leg. Thank God my Squirli jumped to me, instead of staying on him -- who knows what this dopey guy would have done? (Needless to say, the Cool Guy slipped down about 18 pegs in my book, after that........)
    hahahahahahahah rofl at "screaming like a girl" dude. hahahahahahahah


    I would sometimes take my last squirrel to a very small Magnolia tree in the yard about 10 feet tall and let him climb in it.... but he was blind.

    IF you try this tree thing, DON'T put him in a tree that you can't reach the top of to get him out! That rascal WON'T come down on his own out of a big tree.

    Hugs
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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    dont worry i wont let anybody hurt peanut because i always tell them before they come in my room that my squirrel is out so they know what theyre getting themselves into. Also contradictory to what EVERYONE has been saying, i have seen squirrels get the best of both worlds. someone with a squirrel so loyal to his owner that he would just stay on the the owners shoulder everywhere he went like a parrot. I have also seen where people have released three domesticated squirrels together and they live in the wild but stay around the persons house at all times and always comes back for treats and just to play. So i do know there is a solution

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by Jakebb8100
    dont worry i wont let anybody hurt peanut because i always tell them before they come in my room that my squirrel is out so they know what theyre getting themselves into. Also contradictory to what EVERYONE has been saying, i have seen squirrels get the best of both worlds. someone with a squirrel so loyal to his owner that he would just stay on the the owners shoulder everywhere he went like a parrot. I have also seen where people have released three domesticated squirrels together and they live in the wild but stay around the persons house at all times and always comes back for treats and just to play. So i do know there is a solution
    do you personally know that squirrel who sat like a parrot on the owner's shoulder? do you know ALL of that squirrel's story, or just what you see on the outside?
    There is no such thing as 'domesticated' wild animal
    there is a huge difference between a rehabbed squirrel (is that what you mean by 'domesticated'?) AND a squirrel that has not fear of cats and dogs and jumps on every human.
    A lot of rehabbed squirrels wild up fine, but not all rehab squirrels jump on every person that walks by.
    There is also a HUGE difference between three squirrels and a singleton.
    Three squirrels know that they are squirrels and adjust to being wild squirrels better b/c they were raised with their own kind.
    Singleton is a different story - Your SINGLE guy does not know how to interact with other squirrels, he may not even know that he is a squirrel.
    Singleton is a TOTALLY different story.

    So, YOUR single squirrel CANNOT be compared to anything you might hear/read about and see.

    If you want to take chances - well, no one can stop you
    But your little squirrel's life is ENTIRELY in your hands and ENTIRElY your responsibility And whatever happens to him - is your responsibility for the rest of his squirrelly life.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by Jakebb8100
    dont worry i wont let anybody hurt peanut because i always tell them before they come in my room that my squirrel is out so they know what theyre getting themselves into. Also contradictory to what EVERYONE has been saying, i have seen squirrels get the best of both worlds. someone with a squirrel so loyal to his owner that he would just stay on the the owners shoulder everywhere he went like a parrot. I have also seen where people have released three domesticated squirrels together and they live in the wild but stay around the persons house at all times and always comes back for treats and just to play. So i do know there is a solution
    Not sure what your question is then....
    You are getting advice from people that have years and years of experience and
    have also seen first hand the consequences of what you are describing....not a good situation AT ALL.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    my original question was how i could i let my squirrel play outside. I knew it was possible because i have seen it but i didnt know exactly how to do it or how to know weather or not he would run or stay or come back. Yes i saw the guy with the squirrel at the flea market so that is what led me to believe that it was possible to have a squirrel play outside. Obviously im not going to go up to the guy and ask what was the life story of your squirrel but seeing this let me know that it was actually POSSIBLE. i just didnt know how and that is what i was asking!

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    I am NOT an experienced squirrel owner, but I have heard about people putting leashes on their squirrels (like ferret leashes) and lettin them run around the yard and up SMALL trees (trees that you can easily reach the top) that way if he would get tangled you can save him. Other then that I don't think it's a possibility because they are wild animals. They aren't like dogs, cats, or horses which have had thousands of years to be bred and evolve temperaments of "domesticated" animals. I'm not saying your squirrel isn't tame and adjusted to living with humans, it's just that he still has A LOT of wild instincts (unlike most of today's "domestic" animals. I'm gonna have to agree with everyone else, either he is an indoor squirrel or an outdoor squirrel. You can try putting a leash on him but I don't think you will ever be able to just let him run free if you ever want to see him again :/

    Maybe the guy at the flea market had the squirrel since he was a baby and had taken him everywhere with him and this sitting on the guys shoulder is what he knows? Maybe the guy had a leash that you didn't notice? I don't know, it just seems risky to let your squirrel run free, especially if he is a tame as you say. If he does run away he will surely be killed.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Probably he don't even know about Hawks and Owls and such to be on the lookout for them.

    Now where can I get a squirrel leash? Hmmmmm.... LOL.

    Hugs
    CSL

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    It looks like you want the best of both world and that is never going to happen.
    Sorry to be so blunt but if you let your squirrel outside it is going to be a death sentence especially since it is not afraid of other animals as it should be.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Maybe a screened portch area? Or one of those little miquito net tents they sell at walmart?
    I keep my girls in front of a window...
    I must agree though...If you take him outside a lot he will want to stay out...
    It's impossible to take the wild out of wildlife.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    I have a "singleton" squirrel, i have raised her from 3 weeks old, she is now a year. I would never think of letting her outside for a number of reasons:
    1. She sees my cats and doesnt seem afraid (they are NEVER in contact with one another )
    2. She is "people" friendly
    3. She has been handled by many hands when she was a baby, now its just me and my son, but she is not afraid of anybody
    4. I would worry that she would not only go run wild, but THERE are many cats and other squirrels in the area
    So, I would have to agree and say that even if she knew she was a squirrel, I think it would stress the crap out of her and she would be scared.
    I have also seen a guy that would walk around town with a squirrel on a harness, everywhere he went, store, bar, etc. NOTE: I have not seen him in several months. I did ask him what he did with it, how he fed her and take care of her, and I offered this Board to him (mind you, the guy didnt even know it was a girl I had to tell him that his "boy" was a girl)
    Let me ask you this, does Peanut try to get out? does he pace a lot seeming to want to be out there? Are you able to build or purchase a release cage outside? Are you willing to prepare him for a soft release? Are you willing to loose him for the rest of his life if he should go run off with the other wild squirrels and choose to be wild?? AND, sorry to sound a bit off here, but, Are you willing to deal with yourself if he gets killed by a cat or animal that you say are all around your area?
    Things to think about for your Peanut. Just thinking about whats best for Peanut. I know I want what is best for my Skeeter, and outside is not an option because I, like you, have a lot of animals around out there.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    ohhh no no leash.. I made the mistake sith sam and well it was not pretty and deffinantly not fair.. worse than a cage.. and dangerous..

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by CrazySquirrelLady
    Probably he don't even know about Hawks and Owls and such to be on the lookout for them.

    Now where can I get a squirrel leash? Hmmmmm.... LOL.

    Hugs
    CSL
    If anything you want to try, a harness. A leash can actually strangle them.
    You can get a harness in any pet store. Oh, have fun trying to get it on
    Skeeter rather chew it than even let us put it on her, so we gave that up real quick, but some have had luck. There is someone on here that always has their squirrel in a harness. Im just not sure of who it is.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by shellyb1018
    If anything you want to try, a harness. A leash can actually strangle them.
    You can get a harness in any pet store. Oh, have fun trying to get it on
    Skeeter rather chew it than even let us put it on her, so we gave that up real quick, but some have had luck. There is someone on here that always has their squirrel in a harness. Im just not sure of who it is.
    I did have a harness but a squirrel can squeeze out easily unless you tighten it and you risk the chance of choking.. I did this and her eyes bulged she was choking I threw it away.. and yes unless they are use to it umm good luck getting it on saftley.. I would not reomend it to any one for a squirel.

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    Default Re: Can i let my pet squirrel play outside???

    Quote Originally Posted by jbtartell
    I did have a harness but a squirrel can squeeze out easily unless you tighten it and you risk the chance of choking.. I did this and her eyes bulged she was choking I threw it away.. and yes unless they are use to it umm good luck getting it on saftley.. I would not reomend it to any one for a squirel.
    I agree!
    My harness sits in its pack because she just simply wont let us! So she decided!!!

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