Michigan Lady
10-20-2008, 10:01 AM
Hello everyone,
I am new to the board. I live in southwest lower Michigan, about 50 miles from the Indiana border.
We recently had a young male red squirrel come into our care.
Funny story how he came into our lives.
The squirrel was found down the road at my daughter's friends house. They had some men installing a new kitchen window, when one of the men about soiled himself when this little guy went crawling up his back and into his hair!
The other man helping install the window pulled the squirrel out of the other guys hair and realized how tiny he was. I am thinking he was 5 to 6 weeks old when he was found.
These men were wearing work gloves, but said the little squirrel never offered to bite, and actually seemed to WANT to be with people. He kept climbing up the legs of these workmen, even though they'd repeatedly put him on the ground.
My daughter and her friend arrived after school, and were told the story of the squirrel. Of course, they scooped the squirrel up... and off they went to the biggest sucker they knew... ME! LOL.
The kids were holding this squirrel bare-handed. I was amazed, because most of my experience with squirrels had been with my daughter's father years ago who was an avid squirrel hunter, and I was always led to believe they have razor sharp teeth and are not afraid to use them, and I was told they commonly carry rabies (although now I'm finding out this isn't the case).
This little squirrel sat quietly in my daughter's hands, never offering to bite. He actually seemed very clingy... which I thought was really unusual for any wild animal.
I automatically assumed by his behavior that he must be sick. Upon examining him, I discovered he had pneumonia. I have some experience in diagnosing this stuff as I have been a dog breeder for almost 15 yrs, and I have the equipment and knowledge to determine such.
I can only venture to guess that this little guy was not quite ready to leave the nest or ventured out of it out of curiosity, and couldn't find his way back and the cool overnight temps caused him to get sick. (I've been reading that only 22% of all baby red squirrels make it to a year old in the wild.)
I therefore began attempting to administer antibiotics. Ever try to give a shot of penicillin to a squirrel? LOL. Well, that's what I did daily for a week. He hated it and would make this growling sound, but he never tried to bite.. not even once!
He improved even 24 hours after the first shot, and in 7 days he was all better.
We gathered acorns for him and cut them open, although I have read on line now that acorns are not as digestible for red squirrels as pine nuts are, so I am planning to go buy him some pine nuts for him.
However, he really likes cheese, as well as corn, peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts and pecans. Pecans are one of his absolute favorites.
He has been eating like a fiend ever since he's gotten better and has put on weight and has grown a bit in length too. He was about 1/2 the size of an adult red squirrel when we found him. We have had him for just over 3 weeks now, and he has grown probably 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length, and has probably put on a few ounces of weight. I don't know exactly because I don't have anything that will weigh something that small.
I have gotten over the leariness I had of holding the squirrel without gloves. Never, ever has he ever offered to bite. Even at times when I felt he should when the kids held him, as they just yank him right off whoever's shoulder he's on, and I can see his claws dig into their clothes as the kids pull him, but he never protests at all.
As funny as it sounds, he seems "tame". I mean, we have owned hamsters & gerbils for years, and none of them were as trustable about not biting as this squirrel is.
And never has any domesticated rodent I've ever owned ever been as intelligent as this guy seems to be... not even rats, and rats are said to be very smart for rodents.
My 16 yr old daughter, Jenelle, who tends to be a bit overly brave with animals, was the first one to take risks in testing the waters with this little guy.
She will play games with him, having his jump and swing from her arms & etc. He enjoys every minute of it.. you can see that he is just having a ball!
I can hardly believe how smart he is. My daughter has taught him command words for little games they play together and he understands her & follows her commands!!!!
To my amazement, the little squirrel seems genuinely attached to us, and even responds to his name... my daughter named him Num Num... I know, it's a goofy name, but she named him that because he seems so food driven! LOL.
As soon as he hears my daughter call his name, he crawls out of the hole in the log planter we have in his pen (which his pen is a 40 gal long reptile aquarium that has metal vent plates in the back) and he will run up the oak branches we've put in the pen, and stands at the door of the pen, waiting for the door to open.
Once it does, he jumps straight out on our arm and proceeds to crawl up to our shoulder.
I have very long hair and I braid it, so when he climbs on my shoulder, he will take his nose and root around at the nape of my neck until he finds an entrance point and will crawl up my braid and lay against my scalp..LOL.
I always worry he might poop in my hair because he's been known to soil on us when he's held!
When my daughter holds him, he will wrap his little front legs right around her arm as if he is hugging her. He likes her warmth, and he will fall asleep when she will pet him and hold him close.
One thing I find bizarre as I don't know if squirrels really have the mental ability to know how to give affection, but my daughter will kiss him right on the mouth, and when she does so, his little tongue gets going and he licks her on the lips.
Is that strange or what?
It's like he is kissing her back.... just like a little dog or something! LOL.
He loves to be out with us, and hates going back in his cage (unless we just put some new food goodies in). When Jenelle tries to put him back in his cage, he will wrap his little front legs around her arm and hangs on, as if to say "Please don't put me down!"
He is very cute. He seems to be very intelligent, and also affectionate. I don't know if this behavior is quite unusual for a squirrel or not.
I've never seen anything like it and am surprised really, as I never thought squirrels had the IQ for the things this little guy does.
Since it is too late in the year for him to build a nest and gather nuts to last through the cold winter months, we intend to keep him and maintain him in our home until Spring 2009. At that time, we plan to release him on our 20 acres.
I guess my concerns are, what do we need to ensure proper health in maintaining him through the winter (special food, any special things for exercise... someone at the pet store recommended a rat wheel, but I don't know if a squirrel would actually use one), and then, the big question, will he be able to revert back to a wild life if we let him loose in the spring, or will be have become too dependent on us?
We don't mind keeping him for his whole life if need be, but since he is a wild animal, we feel returning him to the wild would give him his happiest and probably healthiest (and maybe longest) life.
I know this post is long, but we don't have any prior squirrel experience. I appreciate all help and guidance.
Thanks,
Michelle
:thankyou
I am new to the board. I live in southwest lower Michigan, about 50 miles from the Indiana border.
We recently had a young male red squirrel come into our care.
Funny story how he came into our lives.
The squirrel was found down the road at my daughter's friends house. They had some men installing a new kitchen window, when one of the men about soiled himself when this little guy went crawling up his back and into his hair!
The other man helping install the window pulled the squirrel out of the other guys hair and realized how tiny he was. I am thinking he was 5 to 6 weeks old when he was found.
These men were wearing work gloves, but said the little squirrel never offered to bite, and actually seemed to WANT to be with people. He kept climbing up the legs of these workmen, even though they'd repeatedly put him on the ground.
My daughter and her friend arrived after school, and were told the story of the squirrel. Of course, they scooped the squirrel up... and off they went to the biggest sucker they knew... ME! LOL.
The kids were holding this squirrel bare-handed. I was amazed, because most of my experience with squirrels had been with my daughter's father years ago who was an avid squirrel hunter, and I was always led to believe they have razor sharp teeth and are not afraid to use them, and I was told they commonly carry rabies (although now I'm finding out this isn't the case).
This little squirrel sat quietly in my daughter's hands, never offering to bite. He actually seemed very clingy... which I thought was really unusual for any wild animal.
I automatically assumed by his behavior that he must be sick. Upon examining him, I discovered he had pneumonia. I have some experience in diagnosing this stuff as I have been a dog breeder for almost 15 yrs, and I have the equipment and knowledge to determine such.
I can only venture to guess that this little guy was not quite ready to leave the nest or ventured out of it out of curiosity, and couldn't find his way back and the cool overnight temps caused him to get sick. (I've been reading that only 22% of all baby red squirrels make it to a year old in the wild.)
I therefore began attempting to administer antibiotics. Ever try to give a shot of penicillin to a squirrel? LOL. Well, that's what I did daily for a week. He hated it and would make this growling sound, but he never tried to bite.. not even once!
He improved even 24 hours after the first shot, and in 7 days he was all better.
We gathered acorns for him and cut them open, although I have read on line now that acorns are not as digestible for red squirrels as pine nuts are, so I am planning to go buy him some pine nuts for him.
However, he really likes cheese, as well as corn, peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts and pecans. Pecans are one of his absolute favorites.
He has been eating like a fiend ever since he's gotten better and has put on weight and has grown a bit in length too. He was about 1/2 the size of an adult red squirrel when we found him. We have had him for just over 3 weeks now, and he has grown probably 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length, and has probably put on a few ounces of weight. I don't know exactly because I don't have anything that will weigh something that small.
I have gotten over the leariness I had of holding the squirrel without gloves. Never, ever has he ever offered to bite. Even at times when I felt he should when the kids held him, as they just yank him right off whoever's shoulder he's on, and I can see his claws dig into their clothes as the kids pull him, but he never protests at all.
As funny as it sounds, he seems "tame". I mean, we have owned hamsters & gerbils for years, and none of them were as trustable about not biting as this squirrel is.
And never has any domesticated rodent I've ever owned ever been as intelligent as this guy seems to be... not even rats, and rats are said to be very smart for rodents.
My 16 yr old daughter, Jenelle, who tends to be a bit overly brave with animals, was the first one to take risks in testing the waters with this little guy.
She will play games with him, having his jump and swing from her arms & etc. He enjoys every minute of it.. you can see that he is just having a ball!
I can hardly believe how smart he is. My daughter has taught him command words for little games they play together and he understands her & follows her commands!!!!
To my amazement, the little squirrel seems genuinely attached to us, and even responds to his name... my daughter named him Num Num... I know, it's a goofy name, but she named him that because he seems so food driven! LOL.
As soon as he hears my daughter call his name, he crawls out of the hole in the log planter we have in his pen (which his pen is a 40 gal long reptile aquarium that has metal vent plates in the back) and he will run up the oak branches we've put in the pen, and stands at the door of the pen, waiting for the door to open.
Once it does, he jumps straight out on our arm and proceeds to crawl up to our shoulder.
I have very long hair and I braid it, so when he climbs on my shoulder, he will take his nose and root around at the nape of my neck until he finds an entrance point and will crawl up my braid and lay against my scalp..LOL.
I always worry he might poop in my hair because he's been known to soil on us when he's held!
When my daughter holds him, he will wrap his little front legs right around her arm as if he is hugging her. He likes her warmth, and he will fall asleep when she will pet him and hold him close.
One thing I find bizarre as I don't know if squirrels really have the mental ability to know how to give affection, but my daughter will kiss him right on the mouth, and when she does so, his little tongue gets going and he licks her on the lips.
Is that strange or what?
It's like he is kissing her back.... just like a little dog or something! LOL.
He loves to be out with us, and hates going back in his cage (unless we just put some new food goodies in). When Jenelle tries to put him back in his cage, he will wrap his little front legs around her arm and hangs on, as if to say "Please don't put me down!"
He is very cute. He seems to be very intelligent, and also affectionate. I don't know if this behavior is quite unusual for a squirrel or not.
I've never seen anything like it and am surprised really, as I never thought squirrels had the IQ for the things this little guy does.
Since it is too late in the year for him to build a nest and gather nuts to last through the cold winter months, we intend to keep him and maintain him in our home until Spring 2009. At that time, we plan to release him on our 20 acres.
I guess my concerns are, what do we need to ensure proper health in maintaining him through the winter (special food, any special things for exercise... someone at the pet store recommended a rat wheel, but I don't know if a squirrel would actually use one), and then, the big question, will he be able to revert back to a wild life if we let him loose in the spring, or will be have become too dependent on us?
We don't mind keeping him for his whole life if need be, but since he is a wild animal, we feel returning him to the wild would give him his happiest and probably healthiest (and maybe longest) life.
I know this post is long, but we don't have any prior squirrel experience. I appreciate all help and guidance.
Thanks,
Michelle
:thankyou