Jackson
05-09-2010, 11:21 PM
Hi everyone,
Last Thursday...after some phone calls to wildlife experts and a trip to the mspca...I decided that the best thing to do for an orphaned squirrel found outside one of my work locations was to bring him home.
I work in the mental health field and visit various residential homes throughout the day. Upon arriving at one house I found out that earlier in the morning a staff member was walking up the driveway and a baby (young adult) squirrel ran right up to him and hopped on his foot. They put out a cardboard box and some food for him...and when I got there he was fast asleep. I picked him up and examined him...which might not of been the smartest thing to do...but he has ended up being the most docile wild animal I've ever encountered. I am bewildered by how friendly he is with humans. I was told by the wildlife people and the mspca to put him under a tree and that hopefully his mother would come claim him. I did that...put him on the lawn underneath the one tree in the vicinity of the house. I came out ten minutes later to find that he had fallen completely asleep right where I put him. Clearly he has no concept of prey/predator relations. I then put a box next to the tree and put him in there. Came out ten minutes later and he ran up to my leg and hopped on. I turned away and went back inside...called another wildlife expert from the basement office phone and while on the phone i turned around and found that he had attached himself to the window above my head and was staring at me. Left the room and went back outside a little bit later...and he had fallen asleep in the original box that staff had put out for him that morning. I stuck around for a couple hours to see if mom would come back...but i didn't see any squirrels whatsoever and staff hadn't seen any throughout the day. I decided then that I would bring him home and go from there.
He had mites, and I actually gave him a bath in the office sink before heading home. Of course the eco soap and water didn't clear up the mite problem...duh, not sure why I thought it would. But he was a trooper while getting a bath...far more mellow than any domesticated animal I've had. Took him home...made him a home in a medium sized dog kennel I had. He passed out for the night and into the next day. Stopped at petco on way home from work Friday and got stuff for ear mites as well as a spray to get rid of fleas...both products were for small animals like ferrets. Also got him a nut mix and some apple tree logs to chew on. Came home and spent the next hour administering the anti-mite products...followed by yet another bath. Yay...baby squirrel is mite-free. Roommates are vet interns at mspca and one of them brought home that canned milk for kittens because he hadn't eaten any of the food i left out the night before. Gave him the milk via a syringe that night since he hadn't woken up to eat the nuts/celery/etc. On saturday he started to eat the nut mix and celery put in his kennel for him...and he found the water bowl. Strangely...he had also used the small litter box I had put in the kennel (I was curious as to what he would do with it). Took him out on saturday (yes, i know i shouldn't be handling him)...let him run around a little bit and he crawled around on me. He isn't very graceful. Since saturday morning he has been sleeping a lot but has been waking up regularly to eat and drink...unlike thurs/fri. Before when he slept he was sleeping so deep that he wouldn't even wake up when i picked him up...I can't tell you how many times I thought he was dead! I stopped feeding him the kitten milk today since he seems to be up and handling feeding on his own regularly.
Soooo....now what? My roommate told me that if I take him to a wildlife refuge that there is a change that they'll put him down because he is so used to humans that they couldn't let him out into the wild. Now I know animals die in nature all the time...but not while I'm watching. If he can't go back to the wild...which I'm getting the impression that he can't...then I want to find him a home with someone who knows how to raise squirrels as pets and give them a good proper home/family. There is something a little bit off about him, and these are my thoughts on that:
1) He fell from a tree and has minor brain damage
2) He has eyesight issues
3) Another human found him as a wee baby and nursed him at home before releasing him as a young adult...which is why he is so friendly and comfortable with people.
He is a little ungraceful and wobbly...I don't know if this is his age or possible brain/eyesight issues. I don't know where to go from here but I cannot keep him (I cannot provide him a proper home due to lack of squirrel experience and I have roommates and a rabbit/dog/cat in the house)...but...I want to give him the best chance at life possible. I'm hoping that maybe someone on here can direct me to someone in the Boston/Mass/New England area that is experienced with squirrels and could give him a home? I will provide him with a home until I find a forever home for him...or someone can recommend a wildlife place that won't put him down if he cannot acclimate to living outside.
Help? :thankyou
pic of him...
http://i39.tinypic.com/2ijg0si.jpg
Last Thursday...after some phone calls to wildlife experts and a trip to the mspca...I decided that the best thing to do for an orphaned squirrel found outside one of my work locations was to bring him home.
I work in the mental health field and visit various residential homes throughout the day. Upon arriving at one house I found out that earlier in the morning a staff member was walking up the driveway and a baby (young adult) squirrel ran right up to him and hopped on his foot. They put out a cardboard box and some food for him...and when I got there he was fast asleep. I picked him up and examined him...which might not of been the smartest thing to do...but he has ended up being the most docile wild animal I've ever encountered. I am bewildered by how friendly he is with humans. I was told by the wildlife people and the mspca to put him under a tree and that hopefully his mother would come claim him. I did that...put him on the lawn underneath the one tree in the vicinity of the house. I came out ten minutes later to find that he had fallen completely asleep right where I put him. Clearly he has no concept of prey/predator relations. I then put a box next to the tree and put him in there. Came out ten minutes later and he ran up to my leg and hopped on. I turned away and went back inside...called another wildlife expert from the basement office phone and while on the phone i turned around and found that he had attached himself to the window above my head and was staring at me. Left the room and went back outside a little bit later...and he had fallen asleep in the original box that staff had put out for him that morning. I stuck around for a couple hours to see if mom would come back...but i didn't see any squirrels whatsoever and staff hadn't seen any throughout the day. I decided then that I would bring him home and go from there.
He had mites, and I actually gave him a bath in the office sink before heading home. Of course the eco soap and water didn't clear up the mite problem...duh, not sure why I thought it would. But he was a trooper while getting a bath...far more mellow than any domesticated animal I've had. Took him home...made him a home in a medium sized dog kennel I had. He passed out for the night and into the next day. Stopped at petco on way home from work Friday and got stuff for ear mites as well as a spray to get rid of fleas...both products were for small animals like ferrets. Also got him a nut mix and some apple tree logs to chew on. Came home and spent the next hour administering the anti-mite products...followed by yet another bath. Yay...baby squirrel is mite-free. Roommates are vet interns at mspca and one of them brought home that canned milk for kittens because he hadn't eaten any of the food i left out the night before. Gave him the milk via a syringe that night since he hadn't woken up to eat the nuts/celery/etc. On saturday he started to eat the nut mix and celery put in his kennel for him...and he found the water bowl. Strangely...he had also used the small litter box I had put in the kennel (I was curious as to what he would do with it). Took him out on saturday (yes, i know i shouldn't be handling him)...let him run around a little bit and he crawled around on me. He isn't very graceful. Since saturday morning he has been sleeping a lot but has been waking up regularly to eat and drink...unlike thurs/fri. Before when he slept he was sleeping so deep that he wouldn't even wake up when i picked him up...I can't tell you how many times I thought he was dead! I stopped feeding him the kitten milk today since he seems to be up and handling feeding on his own regularly.
Soooo....now what? My roommate told me that if I take him to a wildlife refuge that there is a change that they'll put him down because he is so used to humans that they couldn't let him out into the wild. Now I know animals die in nature all the time...but not while I'm watching. If he can't go back to the wild...which I'm getting the impression that he can't...then I want to find him a home with someone who knows how to raise squirrels as pets and give them a good proper home/family. There is something a little bit off about him, and these are my thoughts on that:
1) He fell from a tree and has minor brain damage
2) He has eyesight issues
3) Another human found him as a wee baby and nursed him at home before releasing him as a young adult...which is why he is so friendly and comfortable with people.
He is a little ungraceful and wobbly...I don't know if this is his age or possible brain/eyesight issues. I don't know where to go from here but I cannot keep him (I cannot provide him a proper home due to lack of squirrel experience and I have roommates and a rabbit/dog/cat in the house)...but...I want to give him the best chance at life possible. I'm hoping that maybe someone on here can direct me to someone in the Boston/Mass/New England area that is experienced with squirrels and could give him a home? I will provide him with a home until I find a forever home for him...or someone can recommend a wildlife place that won't put him down if he cannot acclimate to living outside.
Help? :thankyou
pic of him...
http://i39.tinypic.com/2ijg0si.jpg