HI and help!

[SquirrelMum]

Hi, I need to introduce myself again. I am Olivia and I was on here last summer, but it was a stressful summer, and then I lost my password, and it sent me another one, but it didnt seem to be working still. Phewie! Finally got another one. Well here I am again.
So...we rescued Winnie last May. We have had him almost a year now. We spent a few months trying to decide whether we should release him by Spring. A lot of internet resources made us feel guilty because they kept saying he is not a pet....da da da. Well we decided to keep him and he has turned out to be very affectionate. He is also a handful. I am afraid of him getting hit by a car, eaten by some predator...that sort of thing. Which brings me to my next mission. I have a million questions to unload. and I hope in time they can get answered. I welcome any support because I need it bad!
1. He jumps at the window, is this normal? will it stop? does anyone elses do that?
2. Can he be an outside squirrel and an inside one? Im afraid of letting him go outside freely because he might run away? DOes that even make sense? Do squirrels run away?
3. His diet is a problem. WE try to give him vegetables and nuts. The shelled ones which are good for his teeth. but he would rather eat the nuts, and I dont want him to get the bone disease. Im not even sure how to attack that one.
4. WE keep him in the cage for part of the day. HE gets very hyper. Then we let him out to roam around. Does anyone else do that? Should I not let him roam around? Should I not let him in the cage? What do I do? Yikes....as you can see I need some answers for our little guy
THose are my questions for now. Thanks for the help
Olivia

[Gina]

Hi Olivia! Glad you were able to get back on TSB as it is a great resource for helping with our squirrels whether they are to be released or kept inside. This is one of those choices that only you can make because you know your baby way better then any of us. As he matures he may become more aggressive, especially if he can see and smell the outdoors. This could be a sign that he will wild up to become a great outdoor squirrel - OR it could be a temporary stage.

Will try to answer your questions based on the behaviours of Wayne & Garth:
1) Yes, normal. Wayne did this more then Garth.
2) This is a tough one - in some cases is just a personal choice. For us Wayne would have been released if it were not for his teeth (he is non-releasable) He showed all the signs of wilding up and I think he would have made it out there if he did not have this problem. Garth suffered from MBD and even though he appears to have made a full recovery I do not feel that he would survive out there because he is just too tame. He did go through a week or so where I thought maybe he was wilding up but reverted right back to his cuddly self. No matter what - they cannot just be put outside.... very, very important to do soft release if you decide you want him to be outdoors. There is a seperate thread just for this.
3. Diet is very, very important. It took me a while to get my boys on track. I make my own HHB's and Boo balls, plus they eat fruit & veggies. See Nutrition thread, lots of ideas to make them eat good.
4. Lots of people let their squirrels roam the house - or have a special room for them.
Here is Wayne & Garth's thread, I had issues with diet, housing, you name it.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21338

Go to Rama's thread... Winnie is about the same age and Rama recently went through squirrel puberty:dono
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27141

I look forward to seeing some pictures (hint, hint):rotfl

[SquirrelMum]

Heaven help me, I think I read that you said you put a ferret leash on one of your babies? Where did you find that? I thought maybe I would have to find a custom made one. We bought a small one, one time but he chewed it off. I would love to be able to put one of those on Winnie, and take him outside withou him having to be in the cage. So you are going to keep them then? Where do you keep them during the day, and at night?
Do they still jump at the window? I will try to put up pictures

[Rescue04]

Well, just our 2 cents! We try to release every squirrel that comes to our home - they should just be free in our minds. This time of year and then near the fall we have NR that tend to get a little more aggressive (heat). Then they go back to themelves. OK here is our take in order:

1. Leroy and Rascal with shake the floors of thier cage till we open the front window for them to look out! Then they pounce at it and chatter - especially when they see babies in the yard.
2. Your second issue is soft - release, and yes it is possible for babies to be indoors and outdoors. This is thier choice obviously. We have never had a true soft release, but we have had ones that would come home and play with us, then take off to where they came from. Leroy likes to go outside on my shoulder but freaks out whne he hears or sees a bird.
3. Nutrition, boy that can be a task if you do not get it started off right. Give him a variety, here is what we feed ours daily (fruits based on season): Rodent blocks, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Mushrooms, Cucumber, Apples, Canteloupe, Blueberries, Strawberries, Honeydew, Boo balls, a few walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts. Peanuts and Pecans are a treat - not in the bowl everyday. They really like alphalpa sprouts too!
4. As for cage rules.... our spend 80-90% in them (for now). Some like to come out, others do not. Leroy likes to ride on our shoulders, so does Lisa (in short doses). Rascal and Rose like to be in their cages - they hate coming out when we clean their cages! We are actually in the process of building a squirrel room - one where we can let them out for periods of time to raom and stretch thier legs. We have given our babies BIG cages - so they have lots to do.

Hope this helps:wave123 :multi

[SquirrelMum]

Yes, thank you. So you have them in a cage outside? interesting. We dont have our own yard so we cant really do that. We do take his small cage and let him outside for just a bit for sun and air. Right now, he has his own room with his own nest. But we are in the process of ordering a very large cage to keep him in during the day when we are not here, so he has more room to play in. And also looking for a small leash so I can try and take him on walks. We have had him for a long time, so Im not sure he is releasable. Also there are a lot of cats around here and cars.

Well, just our 2 cents! We try to release every squirrel that comes to our home - they should just be free in our minds. This time of year and then near the fall we have NR that tend to get a little more aggressive (heat). Then they go back to themelves. OK here is our take in order:

1. Leroy and Rascal with shake the floors of thier cage till we open the front window for them to look out! Then they pounce at it and chatter - especially when they see babies in the yard.
2. Your second issue is soft - release, and yes it is possible for babies to be indoors and outdoors. This is thier choice obviously. We have never had a true soft release, but we have had ones that would come home and play with us, then take off to where they came from. Leroy likes to go outside on my shoulder but freaks out whne he hears or sees a bird.
3. Nutrition, boy that can be a task if you do not get it started off right. Give him a variety, here is what we feed ours daily (fruits based on season): Rodent blocks, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Mushrooms, Cucumber, Apples, Canteloupe, Blueberries, Strawberries, Honeydew, Boo balls, a few walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts. Peanuts and Pecans are a treat - not in the bowl everyday. They really like alphalpa sprouts too!
4. As for cage rules.... our spend 80-90% in them (for now). Some like to come out, others do not. Leroy likes to ride on our shoulders, so does Lisa (in short doses). Rascal and Rose like to be in their cages - they hate coming out when we clean their cages! We are actually in the process of building a squirrel room - one where we can let them out for periods of time to raom and stretch thier legs. We have given our babies BIG cages - so they have lots to do.

Hope this helps:wave123 :multi

[Rescue04]

Well actually all of our babies are inside till it is time for release. Our NR's live in comfort....LOL they are so spoiled!