Help with aging our new baby squirrel

[goodmomofmany]

Ok, well our squirrel came to us about 2 wks. ago. Honestly, this squirrel was way smaller then she is now.....(I am saying SHE from the net pics I have seen). I guess squirrels frow quickly? This baby is very friendly, does not bite, goes to everyone, is very curiuos about our other animals, and is such a character to watch! She will chew on oat cereal, bark, sunflower seeds, but she loves to be fed formula. She sits up, curls her tail, washes herself, hangs from the cage upside down, darts really fast, and drinks from a water bottle in her cage. She is about 7 in. long (body only) and her tail is bushy but thin. I believe in MD it is illegal to have squirrels as pets....so we havent told anyone but very close friends.

I have a few questions for someone-

1-Can you tell from my pics, how old our squirrel really is?
2-Can you tell me how long do I have to feed her formula?
3-Can you sex my squirrel (incase Im wrong- which could be)?
4-Do all squirrels urinate while hanging from a corner of their cage? (it goes all over the floor so I have a plastic mat down)
5-Will the squirrel get nasty as it grows up?
6-If we decide to let the squirrel go, at what age would this be good AND can this even be possible after allowing it to get used to people?

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ok, for SOME reason I cant insert pics-so I posted some pics on a blog spot site.
http://ourbabysquirrel.blogspot.com/

[squirrel princess]

Did she have her eyes open when you found her because they open their eyes right at 5 weeks? When she gets bigger you will be thinking Talon as in Talons on a big bird Yikes they get sharp.:shakehead
You will get all your answers to all your questions soon:thumbsup

[goodmomofmany]

Yes, she had her eyes open.

[Feeze]

Well unfortunately my squirrel experience is limited to what I have read on the board and observed in the wild. I don't know about age, but if you could get a picture of Talon's belly, I'm sure we could sex him/her for you.
I can almost guarrantee that Talon will become nasty (or wild up, as we say here). Usually they start to become very food possessive, and then they find one person to love. That will probably be you (if you are the primary care giver). After they would normally leave the nest they usually become more and more detached. However, all squirrels are different, while they ARE naturally wild, some have developed continuing relationships with their families. I hope that answers Q5 for you.

[4skwerlz]

From the pics, I believe your baby may be closer to 9-10 weeks old.

Most rehabbers release at around 14-16 weeks old.

Some squirrels get nasty; some don't. Hard to tell at this point. However, keeping a pet squirrel is NOT something to take on lightly. I have two and I know. If you let them run free in the house, they will gnaw everything in your house--your furniture, your walls, your kitchen cabinets, and, well, everything! They'll climb your curtains, lamps, and anything else they can hook a claw into. If you have knick knacks most of them will end up broken. They will also pee and poo pretty much everywhere, including on top of your stove and kitchen counters--I have to clean all mine twice a day. And cooking is difficult for worrying about them jumping on the hot stove. The pee pee really reeks after a day or so, so you must have some enzyme spray handy and use it daily on your curtains, furniture, etc. Another alternative is to give her her own room. One bedroom completely dedicated to her use. It will still require squirrel-proofing and daily cleaning. As for keeping her caged--well, they really aren't happy kept in a cage and I can't endorse that.

I hope you enjoy your time with Talon, however long it may be.:grouphug

[TexanSquirrel]

:Welcome Your little one is precious!

[goodmomofmany]

Well after alot of thought, I think our Talon would be happier in the wild when she is ready. After seeing all these posts and reading almost every post in this site, its probably better for Talon. She is a wild animal and just to see how she isnt content in her cage, makes me sad. Unfortunately, I cannot have her running all over the house uncaged, weeing/pooping all over (which she does continously it seems?) and I dont want to get mad at her for tearing up my house. She is a squirrel and squirrels like to play and she shows me that every day. She wants to wrestle with my hand, she bats at me with her paws and she has an open mouth, she doesnt bite me....its very clear she wants to play--AND ALOT.

I've spoken to my children and although they are reluctant, we believe we will release our little bundle when she is ready. Probably by mid summer. From the link in this thread, I think she is a good 8 wks. old...coat is not full full and her tail is not full full. Its funny how much change I can see in her every day. I've got to ready over and over a 'slow safe release'.

It will be sad and hard...we know. Talon is already getting soo attached to us and so are we to her. This is why I dont want to wait months and months.... I will keep you all updated with pics and info. I hope she hangs around our house once we let her go......I still havent figured out how we will know her from all the others.... hehe

[FallensMommie]

If I had to guess at age from your original post and pictures I would have said your baby was approx. 6/7 weeks old. 5 weeks tail is still thin, so I would age it a week or two more. At 9/10 weeks tail is full....so about 6/7 weeks, according to my pictures of my Fallen at that age.


Good luck w/ a release, I'm not sure if mine will want to go......only time will tell. He is 10 weeks old and just a doll, but may wild up one day.

[thundersquirrel]

you're making a very wise decision, gmom! we always appreciate it on the board when a person is in tune to what their squirrel really wants- no matter what it is.

if you plan to release, you should start decreasing your handling to just two or three people, and only when it's time to feed. you can play with her a bit after feeding, but when she hits 10-11 weeks old, the playtime needs to stop.

she'll need an outdoor cage, not too large because she's a single squirrel. i'd say 2x2x4 would work, with the 4 feet being height (squirrels like to be high up). the cage should be double wire, with some space in between the wires. this will allow you to put the cage outside unmonitored; it keeps some distance between the squirrel and snooping cats or raccoons.

in the meantime, does she have plenty of sticks to play on? does she have a nest that's high in her cage? a fun make-shift nest is an empty oatmeal can; just put two holes in the side, string a wire through, and tie it to the top of the cage. you can put some bedding in there to encourage her in.

before release, she needs to be able to jump, climb, run, crack open nuts, forage (bury and search for nuts), use her tail for balance, avoid loud noises, and most importantly recognize predators. this includes strange humans (it's ok if she only likes you; just make sure she doesn't like strangers).

it's possible, though unlikely, that she will reach about 14 weeks old and still wish to stay inside and be loved by you all. if that happens, you may want to reconsider letting her go. but most likely she will develop into the squirrel that her mama would have made her into. :Love_Icon