Honest Advice Needed

[rudyspappa]

Hi All,

First off, thanks to all of you for your professional help and moral support in helping me get Rudy healthy. Now it is time for me to decide in a day or 2 if I give Rudy over to a licensed rehabber or I go it alone.

I would love your opinions. I am obvioulsy a novice and only want what is best for Rudy. Under the current circumstances he would not be able to be re-released at my house because he will be raised with gray babies and I only have Fox squirrels here.

Anyhow... pros - cons on this issue. I know it will mainly be cons but I have to make sure I'm doing the right thing. Right now Rudy is a cuddly fuzzy little baby. I know he won't stay that way and it's not my intention to raise him as a pet. I want to be able to release him but what are the odds of his survival if he is raised and released alone?

Thanks in advance for the advice and support. I love all God's creatures and want only what is best for him. Off to feed Rudy!

Regards,
- Nick in Ohio

[ransacklv]

:wave123 Okay let me start off by saying I may have some people who disagree with what i am going to say **

I think since you took care of Rudy already you should stay with him. I know i raised a baby girl (kitty) eastern grey squirrel and we have had some trials but i think she is happy- and knowing that we struggle and help her- she knows who mommy is and she is excited and playful and learning everyday - didnt think a squirrel could understand things but she does- she is just like a kid- she knows exactly how to push daddy's buttons and that momy is a safe zone- she is learning our schedule and routine for mornings and when we come home - I couldnt imagine being without her- Most rehabbers agree that after they are healthy they should be released and i just dont think that fits all situations -

So really its up to but my opinion is keep him, love him, teach him, Keep him healthy and happy. And if ever in your heart as painful as it is if you think he'd be happier with the alternatives then take the neccessary actions. :) hope that helps

:peace Brittany :Love_Icon Kitty's momma

[Legomom]

It has been my experience (and I'm not a rehabber, just a foster sq momma), that singletons take much longer than multiples to be prepared for release. They don't get the same interaction as they would had they been raised with siblings.

Ask yourself:

1) Can I afford to raise this squirrel to at least 6 months of age? That would include the food, cages & possible medical issues that could arise.

2) Do I have a vet willing/qualified to treat him should it be needed?

3) If he is not ready for release by September (not sure about the Northern release time frames...I'm from Ohio but have been in Florida for 15 years), can I afford to over winter him? Again, food, cage & doctor....and time to offer him enrichment, play & running.

Squirrels are not cheap critters....even when all goes well, it's still not cheap. Our pre-release cage cost about $80 to make it ourselves. Call, PM or email with SquirrelsRule&Bunniestoo. If she were to take him & raise him, is there a possibility of him coming back to your property for release? That might be the best solution for you & Rudy. I know it's a tough decision, but try to keep in mind what would be best for Rudy, not what you want. :grouphug

[Reddliz]

True, they are a joy and very loving BUT usually only to one human, they will grow to bite anyone else and bond with only one. They are VERY expensive.....VERY needy......VERY fragile........VERY timid........VERY picky about what they eat.....and quite the handful in my opinion. They cannot be left alone for long periods of time and they can't be watched by anyone other than to give food, so vacations are out for mommy or daddy.

However, they are trainable very much so, and loving and fun to have as a pet....but like all pets it is a life changing decision and should be thought out carefully. I have said before ohhhh keep the baby they are so precious but knowing what I do after 2 yrs of raising Kola....I will just say, its a full time job and illegal in most states so finding a vet is trying to say the least.

Good luck with whatever you decide :thumbsup

[wheezer]

Thought I would add my 2 cents:)

Before I worked at a large wildlife rehab center I would have had no trouble keeping a able bodied squirrel as a pet. Now that I have been "up close and personal" with the beauty of animals in the wild, I feel terrible guilty if I kept one from living the life they were born to live. I have had 4 disabled squirrels as pets so I do know how they get right to ones heart:Love_Icon
I am not anti keeping squirrels as pets because I know some live happy lives but they are unusual and need lots of time, attention, money and usually only like one person...lots to think about:tilt

Good luck:grouphug

[Sarahrei]

I think if he's happy and healthy with you and you're willing to learn then you should keep him until he's ready to be released if thats what you want.

Pig Pen can't be released, as she's blind in one eye so she would be predator bait.

Good luck!

[4skwerlz]

My .02 is that for your own sake, as well as Rudy's, if you can find an excellent rehabber to release him, that is definitely the way to go.

Rudy will learn so many important survival lessons from being with other squirrels.

And you will drive yourself crazy worrying about him if you release him in your backyard.

If my precious Henry had to be released (unlikely since he is blind in one eye and a total pet), that's what I would do. I couldn't bear the responsibility of trying to wild him up and teach him survival skills. I'd be outside with him 24/7, probably sleeping in the tree with him.:D And then if anything happened to him I would totally blame myself.

This is not in any way to criticize people who release their own squirrels; many have done it successfully! These are just some aspects for you to consider. I think it depends on the squirrel, on you, and how well your backyard and neighborhood is set up for squirrels. Every case is different.

[PBluejay2]

I forget Rudy's age, but if he's still a baby and is to be released, I agree with Lego that he needs to be put with others his own age; otherwise he will bond to you and you only, and that bond will only grow stronger as time passes. I avoid if AT ALL possible raising one as a single for that reason and the fact that even if they if get to a releasable status, they have great difficulty "learning the ropes" as far as socializing with wilds and defending themselves against the locals. If you have a rehabber you trust, my opinion is that you should do Rudy the favor of being raised with others--or perhaps the rehabber will enlist you as a foster parent and give YOU some more to raise with Rudy! Yeah!:jump

[Secret Squirrel]

Thank you for caring and loving this little guy. It is a hard chioce you have to make. Baby squirrels can be so sweet.:grouphug
Do you live in a state that lets you wildlife as a pet?

You said you have full intentions in releasing and not keeping him as a pet. :thumbsup
If you don't have a place to release him then I would start by....

A) looking for a place to do a soft release.
The squirrel will need to stay outside in a large pre release cage for 2 weeks. Then do a soft release which could take up to 2 more weeks depending on the squirrel. Singles will either get run off by older squirrels or hang around the cage for safety and food. Do you have the time and money for doing this properly?

B) find a rehaber who can raise and release him properly.
As a rehaber I encourage the finder (you..:D ) to let the rehaber (me :) )have the baby as soon as possible.
Because, it much easier for me to raise a baby to release age. They squirrel grows up to know me, trust me and makes handleing them much easier and less stressful to the squirrel.

There are times I get older squirrels for release, wether it was somesone pet that got too wild for them to handle (very sad but it happens) or it was another rehaber who didn't have a release site. Those squirrels are upset and usually hate me...just because they don't know me and are in a strange envoroment. When released they usually hit the ground running and never look back.
I hope this insite from me helps. :Love_Icon

As you can tell by this board, we love squirrels and it's all about the squirrel.
Best wishes for your baby and you.

[rudyspappa]

I have made my decision and with tears on my keyboard as I type this I will be turning Rudy over to SquirrelsRule&Bunniestoo this afternoon God willing. Thanks to all of you for you kind words and excellent advice. The 2 1/2 weeks I have been able to spend with Rudy have and will always be precious memories.

I live in Northeast Ohio in Girard and extend my yard to any and all that need a safe place to release Fox Squirrels. Again thanks to all of you.

Best Wishes,
- Nick in Ohio

[Legomom]

I know it wasn't easy, Nick, but you are doing the right thing. He will be in great & loving hands with SR&B2. If you two are as close as I think, perhaps you could visit occasionally (if it's not too hard) & offer a hand in helping her out. I know she's got her hands full out there & would probably welcome some volunteer help. :thumbsup

[PBluejay2]

You're a good person and did the right thing. They steal your heart so quickly!

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Rudy is here now. I know it was and will be very hard for Nick giving up Rudy and not having him to care for. I know that feeling very well from when I had to give up my first squirrel, Skip. It was soooooooooooooooooooo hard for me to see him go, but when I visited and saw him playing with the other squirrels, it was so nice. It was just the leaving part that made me sad. You did the right thing, though Nick. I am thinking he may just be able to be released there too after all if you have grey squirrels nearby. I will work on getting fox squirrels to put him with as well, I already called another rehabber who doesn't have any but is going to get the word out that I am looking for an 8-9 week old foxer to put with Rudy.

So, with a little luck he will get a foxer buddy, but if not he has the greys. I put him in with them for a couple minutes and they sniffed him over, but Rudy seemed a little frightened by them, so I took him back out and put him by himself for now. I will slowly introduce them and I am sure they will be good friends in no time.

Thanks again for bringing Rudy over, you have done an amazing job with him, he is very happy and healthy (a little spoiled, but that is OK since he is still a little guy :D). He weighs in at 191 grams, which is right on for how much he should weigh!

I fed Rudy and he is quite the little piggy. He drank 10cc (how much have you been feeding per feeding?) and peed and pooped. His poop is nearly white, though, so I am thinking his constipation problem may be because he is lactose intolerant and the formula upsets his tummy :dono. I have had a couple bunnies like that, but they didn't gain weight when they had the light colored poop. I will try adding a little lactaid though and see if that helps.

I also gave him some regular food. He likes apples :D. He was chewing on one while I held it for him. He also nibbled on some cheerios.

I took some pictures of him, I will post them tomorrow, or later tonight (probably tomorrow though).

You can visit him anytime too, I know it is a long drive though.

[island rehabber]

Way to go, Nick :bowdown. I can imagine how devastated you feel right now as we've all been there at one time or another. But you're doing the absolute right thing for Rudy, putting HIS needs before your own, and that's perfect. SR&B2 has released many squirrels and she'll know when he's ready so that he gets the very best chance to have a perfect squirrelly life out there. I'm really looking forward to pix :poke of this boy, and thank you from the bottom of my rehabbing heart for giving Rudy his life back. :thumbsup :thankyou

[Jackie in Tampa]

:thumbsup :bowdown :grouphug

[rudyspappa]

Rudy is here now. I know it was and will be very hard for Nick giving up Rudy and not having him to care for. I know that feeling very well from when I had to give up my first squirrel, Skip. It was soooooooooooooooooooo hard for me to see him go, but when I visited and saw him playing with the other squirrels, it was so nice. It was just the leaving part that made me sad. You did the right thing, though Nick. I am thinking he may just be able to be released there too after all if you have grey squirrels nearby. I will work on getting fox squirrels to put him with as well, I already called another rehabber who doesn't have any but is going to get the word out that I am looking for an 8-9 week old foxer to put with Rudy.

So, with a little luck he will get a foxer buddy, but if not he has the greys. I put him in with them for a couple minutes and they sniffed him over, but Rudy seemed a little frightened by them, so I took him back out and put him by himself for now. I will slowly introduce them and I am sure they will be good friends in no time.

Thanks again for bringing Rudy over, you have done an amazing job with him, he is very happy and healthy (a little spoiled, but that is OK since he is still a little guy :D). He weighs in at 191 grams, which is right on for how much he should weigh!

I fed Rudy and he is quite the little piggy. He drank 10cc (how much have you been feeding per feeding?) and peed and pooped. His poop is nearly white, though, so I am thinking his constipation problem may be because he is lactose intolerant and the formula upsets his tummy :dono. I have had a couple bunnies like that, but they didn't gain weight when they had the light colored poop. I will try adding a little lactaid though and see if that helps.

I also gave him some regular food. He likes apples :D. He was chewing on one while I held it for him. He also nibbled on some cheerios.

I took some pictures of him, I will post them tomorrow, or later tonight (probably tomorrow though).

You can visit him anytime too, I know it is a long drive though.

Dear Lynn and board members,

Thanks for the update and kind words. It's funny now, but I actually had to pull over on Rt. 90 and throw up I was blathering so hard. Man that was tuff. Anyway, I had the rare honor of being able to visit a real certified rehabber and I am so at ease with Rudy in your care Lynn. With that said I will still miss the little guy and 71 miles is nothing for me to drive so don't be surprised if I ask for visitation rights :)

I will be praying with all my heart that you will be able to find another foxer. I would be the happiest man on earth if Rudy could eventually be reunited with his siblings in my yard. And rest assured he would be spoiled rotten with treats. I'm looking forward to updates and hope you all have a wonderful evening. Thanks to all once again for the guidence and support.

Regards,
- Nick in Ohio

[Reddliz]

awwww such a sweet ending for Rudy :grouphug

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

You can feel free to come over anytime Nick. I put 2 of the greys in with Rudy and he was much more accepting of them in the 10 gallon tank, perhaps because that is what he is used to :dono. After I put them back in their own cage, he got a sudden interest in his food and has been munching away ever since. I think he realized that the other squirrels could eat his food so if he wants it he better eat it. Next step is learning that if you are full and still want to keep the food for yourself and not let the others eat it, you bury it. That one will take a little longer for him to learn. He sniffed the others and seemed to like them.

Be sure to keep an eye out for greys in the woods behind your house. All it takes is one grey squirrel and I am confident they will be fine there.

[Pointy Tale]

To love someone so much to give them up, set them free, or simply turn them over to a more experienced person is truly an act of unselfish love—you should feel proud of yourself, for not many would make that decision. Perhaps, when release times comes, Rudy will be returned to your yard where you will enjoy years of friendship. The best part of this new situation or adventure for Rudy is that you can follow his progress right here and still be a part of his life. Kudos to you Nick. Wishing Rudy continue success and praying for his return to your yard to be spoiled as only you can do.

[NaturesGift]

*hugs* rudyspappa I know your lil Man will do well with SRBT. and Im sure she will keep you and us upto date with pics!:poke

[philomycus]

Good job Nick. SR&BT is AWESEOME and your baby is in great hands. His chance of survival is much greater being with others. I know it was hard on you. Only other squirrel people understand that. Kudos to you.:thumbsup