Assistance AGAIN with Frick

[Frickster]

I really apologize for all the questions I'm asking...but you guys have so much experience I have to use it. Frick is still inside recovering from whatever happened to him...he's definitely improving both physically and emotionally. Very playful but not overboard. We are trying to build a nest box this weekend for him. Now, here are the questions...

-Do I need to let his leg fully heal before taking him out? He still limps a little bit and doesn't seem to have full jumping ability.

-Is there a certain weight he should be if he's about 4 1/2 months old?

-How do I know when he's really ready to be on his own? He seems to have a habit of assuming he's ready and then finding out the hard way he's not. He hasn't come back to his cage at night when we've let him out to play. We've had to retrieve him. There are LOTS of woods around our house so I'm terrified of what will get him when he's alone.

-I know he's supposed to be able to just know how to build a nest....but he definitely doesn't. He starts a bunch in different trees or adds on to old nests...but he never sticks with one. How do I get him AND the other squirrels out there to know the nest box is HIS?

When he was off on his 3 day journey...I let his cage sit outside so he knew there was somewhere for him. Apparently some of the other squirrels decided to take free reign over it at times. It breaks my heart to think of him being picked on...but he's still just a baby. I don't want to make him lose the enjoyment of the wild, but I also don't want to let him go before he's ready. We have A TON of squirrels around here and he's only seemed to have found 1 nice playmate.

Again-thank you all immensely!

[island rehabber]

Well, I can only give you my opinion on one subject. :D I would NOT let Frick go "free" until the leg is healed 100%, and he has full use of it. You don't want anything to slow him down, if he sees a predator, or fall from a tree if a squirrel chase pursues. :shakehead
I agree with Gammas...:goodpost. A squirrel raised as an "only" faces enough of a disadvantage after release, without having a handicap as well nomatter how slight. If his jumping ability is not 100% you don't want to let him out there.

I'm also going to move this thread to Non Life-Threatening as well, ok? Posts in the Emergency forum trigger emails to some of our rehabbers' personal email accounts, and if it's not a true emergency we don't need to do that. :)

[Frickster]

For the first couple months, he was raised with his brother. Will he remember that at all?

[Apple Corps]

I would NOT release him until healed - probably several more weeks. Also, are you going to build a squirrel box and hang it in a tree in your yard?

[TexanSquirrel]

It's better to ask questions than to repeat someone else's mistake! Good luck with him!

[FallensMommie]

Let the leg heal completely....if he doesn't have full use of it he becomes vulnerable to prey or other squirrel attacks.

Don't know about the weight issue.

They let you know when they are ready, the problem is "things do happen!"
Fallen's been on a soft release program since 13 weeks...his choice. He would spend all day out then he spent the first week spending his nights in. Then after one week he would not come down he wanted to prove he was a big boy and spent the night in a old drey another squirrel had built. I cried but was happy to see him the next morning waiting on me...he wanted to eat. I let him go at his pace and soon he wanted to spend a couple of hours in the house during the day and some nights he chose to sleep outside and some nights in. He became a sole outside squirrel a couple of weeks ago. It took him about 3 weeks of being outside to build his first drey and then 2 weeks later another. They make several dreys. Now he is back in due to breaking his leg....so in saying all this we all worry about our little ones but in the end this is what they were born to do, and yes they will get into trouble :shakehead all we can do is support them and love them and care for them during the good times and the bad times :D

Fallen gets picked on too by the adult males, they all go through it. If a chase gets intense I do step in as Fallen is pretty good about going down the trunk....he knows where is home and momma is. When he first went into the wild the chases were more frequent, but with time they did ease.

[smoknbunny]

In my opinion excessive weight would be a problem - when he is released (after 100% healed) and while he is healing. I would avoid too many nuts and make sure you follow a healthy diet VERY strictly. No matter how pathetic he is acting:) They are masters of the guilt trip. A healthy diet should promote healing as well as address any weight issues. Do you have a picture of him?
Probably won't remember his brother but you never know! They grow out of the baby stage where they play pretty soon and get on with the business of being adult squirrels. But I do see some of my yard squirrels playing a bit sometimes:)

[Sciurus1]

:goodpost members!

I would like to add, that if a squirrel is not afforded a release cage to wild up in, when it is old enough, or fit enough to have one, to gain the strength they need, before their release, but is instead released from a small cage, it is not 100 percent either! They are far more prone to serious accidents, and injuries, beyond the usual ones that may occur around the time of a release, if not afforded this necessary step in their rehabilitation.

I share this, not to add to the pain of anyone who had a squirrel injured at the time it was released, but to share with those who have hand raised a squirrel, the best chance they can give it for survival, with the least amount hardship on the squirrel, and themselves as well.

There is no hurry to get your juvenile out the door, even if it was fit to go, since this was a Spring baby, not a Fall one. Four months is just the minimum age at which a squirrel can be released, and then only under the best of conditions, as they have at Tomo's! It is not a bad thing then to wait to begin releases at 6 or 7 months of age, if they are fit, and the weather is favorable. It actually gives orphans an advantage they need to endure chases and territorial battles, with the established squirrels in the neigborhood.

Note: If you are seeking to do a release, and cannot afford to provide for this necessary step in the rehabilitation of a squirrel, contact a rehabber in your area, who can; or ask our members for a list of rehabbers in your area that are able to do that to complete this process of rehabilitation back to the wild.

[smoknbunny]

True about the release cage. S1 - small cage for recovery but don't let him go from there. He'll need some conditioning after being confined.:)

[Frickster]

I appreciate your responses...he's been quite an active little fellow today...ALL OVER THE PLACE! It's good to see. I am not sure what all you mean by some of the things you said. How big is a "small" cage and how big should the one be he's released from? Also, I'm a little fuzzy on the release processes. Everyone mentions a "soft release" but what does that mean and what other typs are there? Just call me the clueless one! I just wish I had known about this site earlier so maybe little Frack would still be here.

[Apple Corps]

Frickster - an outside cage exposes Frick to the sights, smells & sounds of his world. Something around 12' long by 5' high by 4' wide with some leaves and limbs in it would help. Don't freak out - it would be some 2 x 4s and wire mesh from the hardware store.

A soft release allows him to come in and out of the cage through a small opening at the top - too small for predators to get in and attack him. Keep plenty of water and feed in there and he will live in there for awhile and may stay or may move into the squirrel box you are building for him or he may build his own drey and live a bit in all three :jump :jump

Rehabbers & others with more experience dive in please :-)

[Frickster]

The nest box is almost done...my dad did it yesterday. As I've said...he has thought he was ready to leave before, but clearly was a little overly confident. He has been in this week recuperating and his leg is looking good. Still not jumping too terribly much....but definitely hopping and little jumps. He's rotating his hip more too. Everyone had said to not let him go out until it was healed so we've just been letting him play in the house as he wishes. The little bite mark on his face still has me a little concerned. Now that it's not swollen at all...it's a lot clearer. In the center of the area is one little patch of hair that's real scabby around the edges. The rest is pretty bare around it. I'm still putting the ointment and also have been putting cocoa butter to help with the scarring and the dryness. He's getting better about letting me put it on. Since he wouldn't come and go from his cage before his accident....will this soft release work with him. I'm feeling like the second I take him out to play in a tree he's going to take off again. We have TONS of woods by our house and the trees are HUGE. So I don't want to risk it until it's safe for him to have that overconfidence again. It's been hard not letting him out there to play...but he's been a little trooper and dealt with the indoor fun. Once the nesting box is built...what do I do? Do I introduce it to him in here and let him spend the night in it? AAAHHHHH! There are so many questions!

[Apple Corps]

Frickster - I'd let him get his scent in it for a few weeks in an outdoor release cage and then hang it in a safe tree location where hew can easily get to it from the soft release cage - make sense?

[Frickster]

Yes and no...right now he's in the house. So I build a cage without a hole at first and put the nesting box in it? Then put a hole in the cage and put the box in a tree?

[Apple Corps]

You got it - you have him in an outdoor release cage with a hammock hanging in there as well as his squirrel box for a few weeks. He will know them and have his scent on them. Squirrel box goes to a tree and the soft release cage is there for Frick to use as he sees fit.

[Frickster]

Ok...my dad's here with me too so here's new questions. The box plans I found said to use a non toxic stain. Is Minwax stain with regular shallack acceptable and do you do the inside AND out or no? Next...the cage you're talking about...is this 2 cages or 1. Not sure if the outdoor release and the soft release are the same or if we're talking about 2 different cages. When he's in the outdoor cage - he just stays in it all day? How do I know when to put a hole in the top? While he's in that cage do I bring him in sometimes so he stays accquainted with us and everything? Ugh...so many questions...I'm SO sorry!

[Apple Corps]

No stain or sealant at all - leave the wood natural - it will weather and last for many seasons prior to needing replacing.

The outdoor cage / release cage are one in the same. Simply a cage big enough to let him exercise and outdoors for sights & smells from the outdoors and an entrance / exit for him to use as he wants to.

[Apple Corps]

He stays in the outdoor/release cage day and night. I'd activate his own lil door to the release cage after about a month - we want to make sure he is totally healed up and aware of the outdoors.

Rehabbers chime in please....................

[Apple Corps]

I would not bring him in - you are trying to "wild him up" - so so so necessary for his well being in the wild.

[Frickster]

ok so at first there's no way for him to get out, correct? and i don't let him out to play at all? do i spend any time with him in his cage so he's not completely alone? i guess my fear is that he's going to go crazy being trapped in a cage. i know you guys know what you're talking about so i'll do whatever you think is best. when his brother died, he was mopey for a bit and we figured he was probably grieving. he held him and tried to take care of him the night he died and stayed in the bed with him until we came to check. i just don't want his little curious and frisky adventurous spirit to be lost. does that make sense?

[Apple Corps]

It does make sense - but you are preparing him for release. You can let him out to play but run the risk that he runs off before fully prepared. I'm not suggesting you give him the cold shoulder at all - you just want to get him balanced between the cuddly world he has been in and the realities of nature.

[Frickster]

ok...if you don't think he'll lose his love of life by being in the cage it makes me feel better. AND you've done this before which makes me feel better. with his face looking the way it does, do i need to wait more for it to heal before attempting this. do you by any chance have any pictures of a release cage just to give my dad the idea? does it need a floor in it so he can't dig out? i thought he was about 4 months old, but looking at some other people pictures of 4 week old babies, i'm not sure i was right. if i sent in pictures of when he first came to me would people be able to age him? as far as not giving him the cold shoulder...does that mean i should go in the cage and play with him some?

[Apple Corps]

Frickster - no - I have not done this before - all of our fuzzers are free in the trees. My advice is from what the rehabbers on the board have been sharing - sorry if that lowers your confidence in my advice.

Sure - you continue to interact with him. Our outdoor fuzzers come into our house for treats - pee on the freshly cleaned carpet - have been lost in the house a few times & panicked - grab onto my hand while eating treats - but they are wilded up for sure.

Some people attach the outdoor cage to the house and use the side of the house as one of the sides. There are some examples that I've seen on the board - I'll search around some.

Did your Dad put a predator block just below the opening on the squirrel box?

[Frickster]

a predator block on the inside or the outside? it called for a shelf (optional) just below the opening on the inside. not putting a seal or stain on it won't cause it to rot? he wants to make sure the hole is supposed to be 2 1/2 inches wide and how high it should be from the base of the box.

[Apple Corps]

Yes - the "shelf" blocks a predators arm (racoon) from reaching inside and being able to grab the fuzzers. It will rot, but take years to do it. Stains and seals can give off odors that make wildlife reluctant to move in sometimes.

I'll send you a plan that I think works - the hole for an Eastern Gray should be about 3" in diameter and near the top of the box.

[Frickster]

thank you so much...my dad and i appreciate it! a plan for the outdoor cage?

[LynninIN]

i thought he was about 4 months old, but looking at some other people pictures of 4 week old babies, i'm not sure i was right. if i sent in pictures of when he first came to me would people be able to age him?
Yes, a picture of when you found him would help. From the recent pics you've posted I would guess a couple weeks older. Squirrels teeth do not start to turn orange until they are 4 to 5 months.

[Frickster]

here are two....one of him taking a bath and one of him and frack rescued from the middle of the road

[Apple Corps]

OMG - so cute :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[Frickster]

thanks! definitely adorable little furballs! i went a little camera happy....i've got TONS! can you tell how old they look here? as for the cage, is that what you're going to send a plan for?

[adoptedmom]

Frickster, he's ADORABLE! I can't give you any advice on the soft release, but I wanted to say I think you and your dad are wonderful people for caring so much and giving so much. Frick is lucky he found you!

[Frickster]

thanks! my mom too...we all adore this little guy. we're definitely the ones that are blessed! he's the funniest, sweetest little creature ever. well....1 of the 2 funniest sweetest little creatures ever. frack was just as much so...and such a cuddler!

[LynninIN]

Frick looks about 5 1/2 weeks when you first found him. So cute!