Questions for the rehabbers...

[cascy]

I'm really thinking about sending "sister" to a rehabber. I want to MAKE SURE she ends up back in the wild.

She is not disabled in anyway, and is now a pretty healthy little fart... she's definetly full of energy and inside a house is not going to be a *place* for her for very long..

So my questions for you all as rehabber's are...

1)Do you always release if they are not disabled? Or have you ever gotten attached not ended up not releasing?

2) What age do you tend to release them? And how do you get the acustomed to finding thier own food and knowing to look out for dangers?

3) How do you decide where you release?

4) As someone with a squirrel, how do I know that a rehabber is ligit, and not going to just make a *pet* squirrel out of her, or someone just looking to play with one?



Ok, that it for now, sorry... Can you tell I'm a bit paranoid for her?

[foxsquirrels]

I always release my squirrels, sometimes it is hard but that is our job.
I release mine anywhere from 14 - 16 weeks old. I do a very soft release so they will have time to adjust. Squirrels do have the inborn tendency to be wild.
I release on my own property. We have alot of scrub brush and many tress that appeal to squirrels. We have many oak trees. I like releasing them close so I can continue to feed and watch them for awhile. Then they will find their own territory to live in.
We have a license issued from our state. I don't know what other states do. Ask for their state rehabilitation papers or license.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

:grouphug I would be asking the same questions if I had a squirrel I was thinking of giving to a rehabber. My answers are in blue
I'm really thinking about sending "sister" to a rehabber. I want to MAKE SURE she ends up back in the wild.

She is not disabled in anyway, and is now a pretty healthy little fart... she's definetly full of energy and inside a house is not going to be a *place* for her for very long..

So my questions for you all as rehabber's are...

1)Do you always release if they are not disabled? Or have you ever gotten attached not ended up not releasing?
The only way a rehabber would keep your baby is if she weren't wilding out or had some kind of injury. So, if she is happy and healthy like you described, she should be good to go :thumbsup

2) What age do you tend to release them? And how do you get the acustomed to finding thier own food and knowing to look out for dangers?
The release age differs among rehabbers. Some release as young as 12 weeks and others keep them until 16-18 weeks of age. It depends on the rehabber and the squirrel. I tend to keep mine longer, just to be on the safe side. The squirrels are put in a prerelease cage before going free to get them used to being outside and on their own. Their food is scattered around the cage and they have dirt (either a dirt floor or containers of dirt) to bury the nuts in. They would also have sticks to climb on and other squirrels with them to wrestle with.

3) How do you decide where you release?

Many rehabbers soft release their babies. They cut a hole in the cage and the squirrels are free to come and go. This allows the rehabbers to continue to feed the squirrels and they have a safe place to go when they are scared. I personally don't have a good yard for squirrels, so I release mine at other people's houses that have squirrels around and have feeders or lots of natural food around. I release them in their nestbox (I close them up in it and then put it in the tree and uncover the hole after they have calmed down) and put out lots of food for them so they have their box which they feel safe in and they don't have to venture far for food.

4) As someone with a squirrel, how do I know that a rehabber is ligit, and not going to just make a *pet* squirrel out of her, or someone just looking to play with one?
I don't think there is any guarenteed way to tell that a rehabber is ligit. Just ask them the same questions you asked us and see what they say. You could also call your wildlife officer and see who they recommend (they would only recommend licensed rehabbers). You can also ask how long they have been rehabbing, what they rehab, and how many babies they take in a year.


Ok, that it for now, sorry... Can you tell I'm a bit paranoid for her?

[cascy]

Thank you all for the responses...

Is there any other questions I should ask of a rehabber before deciding?

[foxsquirrels]

You might want to ask what they feed their released squirrels?

[Abacat]

Pretty much the same as above answers...

4) As someone with a squirrel, how do I know that a rehabber is ligit, and not going to just make a *pet* squirrel out of her, or someone just looking to play with one? Ask them to see their license, they must have it with them when transporting animals in the field or be publicly displayed if it's a wild life center. At least in NYS, I would think the same elsewhere...

You can read this for some more info...
http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=108

[FallensMommie]

Thank you all for the responses...

Is there any other questions I should ask of a rehabber before deciding?


It is vital to ask if they do a soft release program with their squirrels...if not I would keep looking until I did find one that did. I think they set up squirrels to not make it if they just open the door and never provide food or shelter.

I have a couple of rehabbers in my area that do not do a soft release. At 12 weeks of age the send them to a release cage which is not on their property, then 2 weeks later opens the cage, closes the door and never goes back to check or feed/water them :(

I obviously found another rehabber so if the occassion of having another squirrel comes into my life it will be in the right rehabbers hand :bowdown

[Sciurus1]

Can you share abouts where abouts you are located? No need to for an address, in fact never share that here, just a town, or district in your State. Perhaps we have a rehabber here that can help you with your squirrels release in your area, so you can have it your way.

Also know that there two basic schools of thought on releases, even so in some ways they do vary as you have described. One is the early release, that correlates to them being able to climb in the trees. The other is the later release, that correlates to when the mother squirrels would release their own young to go it on their own in the wild. The later release begins at 6 months of age, not at four months, as the early release does. If you are interested in learning more about that, just send me a request by Private message, and I will try to outline that for you. Best wishes in anycase on this release, and bless you for helping this squirrel to have a life in the wild!

[island rehabber]

I believe cascy has already given the squirrel to a rehabber nearby and updated her progress in a different thread. :peace

[Sciurus1]

Good to hear, I guess this one is done then.