Thinking of releasing

[Mandee]

Hello everyone. I have a squirrel that just turned two years old at the beginning of the month. Do you think I've had her for too long to release?
It's not that she HAS to go, I'm just trying to think whats best for her with out sending her away.

[SammysMom]

I think she could still go at 2 with a very soft release. I'm sure the experts will be along soon.
What state are you in? Maybe a TSB member could do a soft release for you.

Is she usually caged for most of the time?

[pappy1264]

Can I ask why release now? Is she aggressive? She can most likely still be released, but she will need time to wild up before she can be released.

[Mandee]

Originally Posted by pappy1264

Can I ask why release now? Is she aggressive? She can most likely still be released, but she will need time to wild up before she can be released.

I seem to have allergies to her /: She is aggressive to other people, to me she is generally nice but if there is food she is nasty.

Really I'm thinking it'd be best to build an outdoor pen for her. What would I build it out of?

[pappy1264]

2x3's or 2x4's, plus 1/2"x 1/2" wire stapled onto the frame. If you look in the cages section, there are lots of pics of cages. Why was she not released sooner?

[Pashen]

Was she raised alone?

If so, she needs to be with other squirrels before she's released, because she doesn't know how to be a squirrel and she will not survive long out there.

If you need to find a rehabilitator close to you, I'm sure people here can help you. She would be introduced to other squirrels, learn from them then be released with them once she had the tools to survive in their world. And it's not too late after 2 years for her to be successfully reunited with squirrels and learn their social behaviors, learn that she is one of them and not your owner.

Don't be afraid to let her go. I know from experience how difficult it is to raise them once they have started to go into heat. And the conflicted thoughts that come with thinking about letting her go.

If you go with an outside cage, it should be --

http://squirrelrefuge.org/squirrel_r...b_site_012.htm

You need a bottom on it too so that you don't have predators getting up into the cage. My cage is raised off the ground so that I can rake stinky leaves out from under it and add more to it.

Keep in touch!