Nipping?

[Joelle]

I'm having trouble finding info on this... forgive me if there's already a thread on it! Otis occasionally likes to groom my hand.. which consists of mostly licking, and a couple of light "grazing" nips. However, I'm not sure if he doesn't like my finger nails, or he's testing me, but occasionally he bites pretty hard on my fingers. He hasn't drawn blood or even broken the skin, but I'm afraid that if I just let it slide he will when he gets a bit older. I had a temperamental sugar glider a few years back that would bite, and when he did I'd push his head back firmly with my thumb so it was straight. It helped a bit, but it doesn't seem to be doing much for Otis! Does anyone else have any suggestions to keep the "harder" biting to a minimum (or prevent all together?)

[Nancy in New York]

Well there are some that would say to get a paper towel roll and give them a little tap on the backside...I find that they do start to get a little rough, I just say no, and then if they do it again, say it again a little louder. This is a hard one, because they all react differently. You may actually have one that wants to challenge your authority...I usually wear gloves then. I'm not big on swatting the behind, that shows them aggression, and I'm a whimp, only with the little fuzzers...Try just saying no and pull your hand back and then if he does it again do the same thing...I hope that helps.:dono
If he is doing it in a playful/fun manner and if you stop letting him do that and just walk away from him, perhaps he will learn...:dono Hopefully someone else can give their suggestions...:grouphug
Here I just found this link, go here and scroll down to see what seems like it may be a topic for you...there are some really great ideas and these are all different threads about squirresl biting...
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/search.php?searchid=777940
Are you going to release this little one?

[Joelle]

Well there are some that would say to get a paper towel roll and give them a little tap on the backside...I find that they do start to get a little rough, I just say no, and then if they do it again, say it again a little louder. This is a hard one, because they all react differently. You may actually have one that wants to challenge your authority...I usually wear gloves then. I'm not big on swatting the behind, that shows them aggression, and I'm a whimp, only with the little fuzzers...Try just saying no and pull your hand back and then if he does it again do the same thing...I hope that helps.:dono
If he is doing it in a playful/fun manner and if you stop letting him do that and just walk away from him, perhaps he will learn...:dono Hopefully someone else can give their suggestions...:grouphug
Here I just found this link, go here and scroll down to see what seems like it may be a topic for you...there are some really great ideas and these are all different threads about squirresl biting...
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/search.php?searchid=777940
Are you going to release this little one?

The search link isn't working for some reason :/

I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing with Otis. Initially when I received him I was planning on keeping him and building or buying him a nice huge cage. I had flying squirrels once, but one escaped through my sister's open window in January :(, and I gave the other away so he wouldn't be lonely.

The more I read about rehabbing and release, the more I became interested in that. Plus where I am, it isn't legal to keep a squirrel as a pet, and I'd hate to have some kind of circumstance where somewhere down the line I had to give him up.

However, I'm still torn. He's so sweet and loves to cuddle... and I adore him. My boyfriend has really bonded with him as well and wants to keep him... but it's not his decision! I imagine giving him up may be harder than I thought initially... and living on Long Island and seeing road kill doesn't make it any easier. Ugh I counted 4 today on my way to work :(

How did everyone else make their decisions?

[Jackie in Tampa]

Squirrels are wildlife...and after watching them in the wild and knowing how hard it is to keep them happy and healthy in captivity says alot!
Good luck...
for the nipping, try blowing in their face, and you can tap them on the nose and say no firmly...or gloves!:thumbsup