Need some info

[Debby111]

Hi everyone! I have a baby squirrel named Peanut Butter. I found her over the summer in August in a restaurant parking lot in the middle of the exit. She was only 2 weeks old, so I was told by the vet. She is about 4 months old now and is the love of my life. She is such a joy to watch playing for me and my husband. For the first two months she was great with other people but now she rushes them and wants to hurt them but is very affectionate to me and my husband. Why is she doing this now? I am going to release her in the spring but right now no one can come to my house unless I put her in her room. Also her tail is realy raggy at the end. It looks like new tail fur is growing in but all the other squirrels I see don't seem to have this.

[squillgurl]

:Welcome
Congratulations! You have a normal squirrel.... :D
Most squirrels bond only to one, MAYBE 2 family members. There are a few members here who have more social little guys, but in general....squirrels aren't social butterflies. They will attack other family members, and yes, guests who come into the home. Mine will even attack my cat.

Im not sure about the ratty looking tail. There are plently of members here who know tons more than I do and Im sure they can give you some idea.
What is her diet like? Do you have pictures? Any details you can provide will help them help you!

[Tomo]

Hi everyone! I have a baby squirrel named Peanut Butter. I found her over the summer in August in a restaurant parking lot in the middle of the exit. She was only 2 weeks old, so I was told by the vet. She is about 4 months old now and is the love of my life. She is such a joy to watch playing for me and my husband. For the first two months she was great with other people but now she rushes them and wants to hurt them but is very affectionate to me and my husband. Why is she doing this now? I am going to release her in the spring but right now no one can come to my house unless I put her in her room. Also her tail is realy raggy at the end. It looks like new tail fur is growing in but all the other squirrels I see don't seem to have this.
First, thanks for saving this little girl and raising her. This behavior is normal. Healthy squirrels will attach themselves to one maybe two people at most and go after any one else. You and your husband have become surrogate parents to Peanut Butter and she is just protecting her family and her territory.

What are you feeding her? The hair loss on the tail is most likely diet related. Was she on formula? Does she eat fresh greens? You can look up the "Healthy Squirrel Diet" on the board here and see lists of foods that are good for squirrels and high in calcium, which they need.

If you are planning on releasing her in spring, you really need to keep her away from people and animals, which means you need to limit your time with her as well. The more you play with her, the more imprinted she will become and her release may not go so well. So if she has free run of your house, you are countermanding her wild instincts and she will have more difficulty when you release her.

My advice, if you truly plan to release her, is to find a rehabber in your area that will add her to other releasable babies so she can bond with them and have buddies when she goes out. Too many people are selfish and want a single squirrel they've raised to be in their yard so they can visit, but that is not in the best interest of the squirrel.

So if she is truly healthy and there is nothing that would stop her from being released, she needs to be with her own kind now, not later. She needs to be socialized with squirrels in order to live successfully in the wild when she is released or another squirrel from the area, who has claimed your yard as theirs, will chase her off and she will have no skills to find food, water, or defend herself.

Hope this helps. If you have further questions, please feel free to send me a PM (private message) and I will help any way I can.

Tomo :)

[SquirrelsinSingapore]

squirrely tail could be indicators of how their health status is. Be careful of the diet, make sure they have calcium, vitamin D, etc.

In anycase should you decide to release her, pls instead do a 'soft release'. This will allow your squirrel ample time to react and adapt to hash outdoors environments.

anyways, really look forward to seeing it on photos!:sanp3

[rozdow]

If her diet is good, then she is probably molting (mine guy is in the middle of a molt right now).

[lilidukes]

:Welcome Debbie111 :Welcome Peanut Butter

You can't get much better advice than from Tomo :thumbsup

Best of luck, glad you found TSB

[Debby111]

Thank you everyone for the info. She is on leafy greens like kale, green beans, and broccoli. She loves fresh corn and granola. She also eats alot of acorns that I collected for her. She got away about a week ago from my husband. I have an outside cage for her as well as inside and put her out every day for a while and let the other yard squirrel climb on her cage so she can interact with them. When my husband went to take her in she was scared of some barking dog in the neighborhood and squirmed away from his hand and took off. 71/2 hours latter and alot of crying and calling brought her back to me in the dark. Thank god, it's been so cold at night and she is not used to it yet. I do intend on doing a soft release come the spring because I know it's the right thing to do but it's gonna kill me!:thankyou :wave123

[Rhapsody]

Every one here has given you good information on why your sweet princess is acting the way she is and I just wanted to chime in on one more issue, NUTS - please do not let her accumulate a stash of nuts or ever come between her and her nuts or you and your husband could discover first hand just how feisty she can be as a wild squirrel.

[SquirrelsinSingapore]

I do intend on doing a soft release come the spring because I know it's the right thing to do but it's gonna kill me!:thankyou :wave123
Well theres still chance of keeping him. If he chooses to stay and be a home squirrel. Well, its squirrel's decision. We should respect his wishes if he doesnt want to go too :)
ps, pls limit his daily amt of acorns... and put some pictures of him for TSB soon =)
:Welcome to the family