LOVES his dirt!

[Buddy'sMom]

Buddy's release cage was (finally!) finished this weekend. Currently it's still in the garage because of a TERRIBLE weather week (cold, VERY WINDY, then rain tonight); he goes outside (in smaller cage!) during the day but it's too nasty for his first nights outside, until Sat. (we hope) when it looks good for a few days. (To add to the outside stress, out nextdoor neighbors have been planning, but not starting, an addition for about 18 mo. Last week they gutted the house and this week has been 12 hour days of sawing, drilling, hammering, loud voices. Not a happy squirrel, but he's adjusting.)

Anyway: I bought a plastic sweater box, which we screwed to the bottom of the cage, drilled holes thru box and floor for drainage and filled up with dirt, With pine straw on top. HE LOVES IT! Went immediately to investigate, then found a nut and spent about 30 minutes burying .. and re-burying ... it. [I wanted him to learn how to bury stuff but apparently no learning curve was really necessary. :thumbsup :) )

[pia]

:) do you have photos?

[nutnbutlove]

Thats very cool! I am thinking of making something to hold dirt and place it in the bottom of Tink's cage just for her to dig around in and stuff.

Pics would be cool!

[Buddy'sMom]

Sorry, no pics. I really want to share/show off both my husband's handiwork and our (usually!) adorable Buddy. Think I'm the only one in America without a digital camera! I did buy disposable cameras but wasn't able to get the first ones developed at a place that could make a digital disk. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

[Luv2Spare]

When litter box training failed, it became their play/bury sand box. LOL

[pia]

i do not have digitalcamera, but i can take photoes with my mobilephone:)

[Buddy'sMom]

How do you get the picture from phone to computer??

[pia]

i send it to my emailadress:)

[Buddy'sMom]

Wow! Cool! :D (Who knew?) Thanks, Pia!! :thumbsup :thankyou
(I did a test pic of office artwork to figure it out. Will be back at "Buddy's house" tonite, so I'll take some pics tonite or tomorrw and then figure out the posting part so we can show off.) :thankyou :thankyou (maybe the picture cellphone was worth getting after all?)

[Momma Squirrel]

Buddy's Mom, sounds like you guys did a great job, can't wait to see some pictures.

[pia]

:) the photos do not get as good from a phone, as from a camera, but it works:)

[Buddy'sMom]

OK, here's a picture of the lower portion of the release cage with dirtbox in rear and pinestraw everywhere. He like to bury stuff in that also, not just the dirt.

Also, picture of upper part with nestbox.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

aww he even has his own pumpkin, what a good mom to get him his halloween decoration. The cage is beautiful, he has a good mom & dad:thumbsup You have thought of everything.

[Buddy'sMom]

aww he even has his own pumpkin, what a good mom to get him his halloween decoration. The cage is beautiful, he has a good mom & dad:thumbsup You have thought of everything.

Well, I must confess, the pic is a bit misleading -- we were not quite that generous as I didn't want to clean pumpkin insides from the whole cage. So I took it back out and we have been giving him chunks -- which he seems to like very much. Maybe I'll get him another and see what he does with it .....

[Gabe]

nice picture, that is a beautiful cage

[pia]

done a good job:)

[Momma Squirrel]

Good job mom & dad :thumbsup any squirrel would be proud to call that home.

[Buddy'sMom]

Thanks, All. Buddy and I are quite proud of the job B'sDad did on this! :thumbsup (but it took a MONTH -- and today he wants to tack a few shingles on the top ("so the plywood doesn't warp when it rains" -- yes, of COURSE!). Buddy seems pretty content (at least so far), so I guess it's a good squirrel cage.

Gabe, your story about the squirrel that jumped visitors hits home as that worries me. Buddy has not been around others, except from a distance, and seems afraid of unfamiliar voices. I thought that meant he would stay away from other humans, but maybe not. We DO sometimes have guests in the yard. (What happened to your squirrel? We would either have to relocate him or move!)

We have been having a debate about WHERE to put the release cage and this may be the deciding factor. Thought it would be in garden along side of garage (on the yard side, kind of forms a courtyard). Somewhat sunny, away from prevailing winds. BUT about 30-40 feet of open yard to get to large maple tree ("his" tree). Concerns about predator-birds made us wonder if we should locate it close to the maple trunk instead. But this gets only a little sun and is more in the wind. (We would put plywood up on the wind side of the cage, and stake the cage so it can't blow over)

Now with increasing desire to orient him further from the house and garage entries, I think I am agreeing with my husband that we should put him out by the tree and just add some wind protection.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I remember reading when a squirel is placed outside it memorizes every tree in the area, before its even released. Thought that was intersting.

[Gabe]

That is interesting rnl, I know baby song birds need to see the night sky to learn proper migration patterns.
Buddy's Mom - That squirrel disappeared after a few months, we believe a hawk got him, because one day he just wasn't there, and he never missed a meal. But it was before I was a rehabber. Once I learned the do's and dont's of rehabbing I realized that I kind heartedly released many animals to their death. It makes me sad to think about it.
I think Buddy might be okay where he is, it's not their mating season now. You will probably have him released before then. Our mistake was holding him to adulthood.

[Mrs. Jack]

hee hee your squirrel has a passion for argyle socks, I see.

:thumbsup It's a great looking cage.

[Buddy'sMom]

Well, you may be right, he DOES seem to play with these more than the first pair (apparently boring solid color!)