one of my 12 wk boys is attacking me -- help!

[lilbear]

One of my three grays, Cody, started biting about 2 weeks ago. He bit my daughter while she fed him from the syringe and was refilling. I was sitting right there so I know she was doing everything correctly and with love. It barely pierced the skin.

But in the last few days, he's become aggressive/defensive. While cleaning their cage on the screened-in patio, I let them scurry around a little and the kids give them nuts, hibiscus, etc. to keep them busy. In the last week when I try to pick up Cody to either get him off the screen, feed him his formula (weaned now thankfully), or put him back in the cage he tries to bite me. He's always been the vocal one and grunted angrily whenever we picked him up. He's added biting to that, and today "maniacal" is on the list as well.

This evening while the kids (10yo son and 12yo daughter) and I cleaned their cage, they were loose as usual. When I tried to get Cody he turned around and bit me on the thumb, hard! A bit of blood so I got cleaned up and tried again. He bit me again (middle finger)as I TRIED to pick him up! Ok, cleaned up again and determined to put him into the cage I pick him up and he repeatedly bites my right pointer finger, while I'm holding him, until I think to scruff him like a cat with my left hand. This completely imobilizes him (Praise God!) and we successfully get him into the cage (without throwing or dropping, I might add). Thankfully my hubby helped me get washed up (a LOT of blood now) only to find my finger swelled up and with 4 different bite wounds!! While he was biting me the last time, I remember seeing him just dig into me and not let go at one point. What would make him do that?

Right now the swelling has gone way down, but I'm very concerned about Cody, his two brothers safety, and how we're going to care for him until release. Also, we're planning to go camping next week and the rehabber who has been advising me is supposed to care for the boys in her home (with the massive amount of animals she already is rehabbing). I can't call her for advice because SHE's on vacation until Saturday.

Please, please, please give me some words of advice. I'm stressing here.

[Peaches]

Sorry to tell you but this is normal squirrel behavior. He's wilding up as he gets older. Squirrels raised with litter mates usually bond less to you and have more natural instincts. You dont have to worrry about the other squirrels, he wont hurt them. Some simple things will trigger a bite. Never touch or get too close to a squirrel who's eating, they are very food possessive. Try not to touch him when your hands have just been washed or especially right after a shower, you wont smell right to him. His cage is his castle and your not welcome in it anymore. Squirrels are one person animals, it could be your not the person he's picked. They will bite anyone other than their chosen person as they get older. I suggest getting a fairly thick pair of leather gloves. You dont need welding gloves just a nice pair of winter leather gloves for handling him. He's about ready for release now unless you need to over winter them. If so see if you can spend some quality time with him and reconnect. Sometimes its just because they spent more time with siblings and didnt bond well enough to you.
Good luck and be careful.

[FallensMommie]

Could also be he has a cache of nuts in that area, I would go throught the screened in area where they are and remove any nuts that they have hidden.

[lilbear]

Squirrels are one person animals, it could be your not the person he's picked... If so see if you can spend some quality time with him and reconnect. Sometimes its just because they spent more time with siblings and didnt bond well enough to you.
Good luck and be careful.

Bonding with a wild animal that I'm going to release? Won't that make it harder for him on release if we're bonded?

[Mars]

I play by simple rules. I never feed them outside of the cage so if they want to eat to have to go back in. :D And they do,:thumbsup all by themselves. They are only allowed a nest box inside the cage. The cage is their space and my babies know they get time out to play but they also know breakfast is only served inside the cage. :)

Hope this helps.

[wheezer]

You are right. Some little squirrels "wild up" quicker than others! So maybe this one needs a big cage of it's own with lots of tree and climbing things and a nest box etc.

Are you keeping them over the winter? If so then your others can join this little boy when they need to be squirrels and wean from humans. I had one like your little boy too. Quite the "wild one"!

Good Luck:grouphug :grouphug

[lilbear]

Here's this morning's status. I opened the cage and all 3 jumped out to explore, but I didn't feel okay with Cody loose. Using a pair of welder's gloves my husband bought for me, I caught Cody (who proceeded to bite the glove with ferociousness) and placed him into a big empty fish tank with a mesh lid. After cleaning up and putting food into the trio's cage, I put Brego and Pip back and went to get Cody, but he got out and thus began an almost 10-minute event to catch him. When I finally did, he again attacked me like before. Did he think I was a predator? I'm very tempted to open the patio door and let him go. The gloves are great; I don't feel a thing from his teeth. But his running from me and having the defensive stance makes me nervous. Will he run at me and attack my feet? Jump at my face? My husband is building a release cage to put out back when we return from camping. I was hoping to do a soft release for the little guys when they're 16 wks. But now I'm not so sure. Any thoughts?

[squirrel princess]

12 weeks is too early since the moms don't kick them out until about 14..is there anyway to get the release cage bult before you go camping:dono I know this is scary for you the guys can be quite ferocious to be so small:grouphug

[ShesASquirrelyGirl]

You can't just release them because they have turned aggressive which is completely normal for a wild animal. You chose to raise them , now you need to deal with it until they are ok to be in a release cage or go to a rehabber. Just feed and water them until the rehabber gets back and she will know how to handle them. The will not hurt each other.

I have had many that I raised from only a few days old turn aggressive as young as 5-6 weeks. People have to understand that just because they are raised by humans doesn't mean they are domesticated or are going to stay friendly. It just doesn't work that way.

I just got attacked by one I raised from only 1 week old the other night trying to put him into a release cage. My hand doesn't look very pretty right now and my arms look like I have a cutting problem but it comes with the job.:poke

[JLM27]

Have you had tetanus shots? You don't get tetanus from a squirrel. but tetanus is all around us. It is dormant until it gets a nice anaerobic environment like a puncture wound to live in and then it wakes up and does its life cycle with unfortunate (fatal) results to the human host. So please check into that and ALSO (not instead) soak your fingers about two or three times a day in salt water so hot you almost can't stand it.

The little guy is wilding up and has declared his intention to BE wild, so that is normal. (Not every squirrel can be a Bean or a Fallen, I guess.) Looking for nuts is a good idea. Only feeding inside the cage sounds good too. Don't let him around the kids.

[JLM27]

PS. Maybe you shouldn't have named him after Buffalo Bill!

[lilbear]

Have you had tetanus shots? You don't get tetanus from a squirrel. but tetanus is all around us. It is dormant until it gets a nice anaerobic environment like a puncture wound to live in and then it wakes up and does its life cycle with unfortunate (fatal) results to the human host. So please check into that and ALSO (not instead) soak your fingers about two or three times a day in salt water so hot you almost can't stand it.

The little guy is wilding up and has declared his intention to BE wild, so that is normal. (Not every squirrel can be a Bean or a Fallen, I guess.) Looking for nuts is a good idea. Only feeding inside the cage sounds good too. Don't let him around the kids.

Thanks for the tips about infection. I'll also definitely soak it in hot salt water.

[Peaches]

Bonding with a wild animal that I'm going to release? Won't that make it harder for him on release if we're bonded?

I ment if you had to over winter him, so you wouldnt have a six month old unsocial squirrel running around attacking people. As long as they are in a group they wild right back up in the release cage. Nature has them hardwired.

[lilbear]

You can't just release them because they have turned aggressive which is completely normal for a wild animal. You chose to raise them , now you need to deal with it until they are ok to be in a release cage or go to a rehabber.

No, I'm not going to release Cody or his brothers before 16wks. Seeing as this is my first time with squirrels, and my rehab-mentor didn't mention anything like this, I was a bit freaked out. But things are going along okay for now. Pip and Brego are still friendly, tho Cody tries to rip a hole in the welder's gloves everytime I catch him. He also stays in the hammock sometimes until I'm mostly finished with cleanup then makes a dash outside the cage for a now 5 minute chase. By the way, I only use the gloves when I catch him. They smell like leather/suede, so maybe he's freaked by that. But I'm not letting him have another go at my bare hands, so the gloves are staying. It's good that he's "wilding up" since I want him to be able to protect himself when he's released. I just hope his brothers catch up once they're in the big cage in 2 weeks.

[squirrelfairy]

I am sure if I looked on my hands I have scars for the 12 week ++ babies that went from lovin' momma to bite the crap out of her! She's evil!! LOL!!! Thats when they go to the outside pre-release cages at another rehabbers house, for me.
Yep, it sounds really normal, Cody should be ready for the great outdoors, even though he is only 12 weeks, sometimes they mature faster in captivity and I would just go with his behavior and what its telling you. When they are ready, thats it.

Good luck!