Need some general information on release, feeding etc.

[Lee8179]

We recently found 4 baby squirrels out near a tree in our front yard. One of the squirrels was very interested in people/our other pet that was outside to go to the bathroom. He continued to follow us around as if he was in need of attention. When I gave him a piece of apple, he immediately took it and started eating it. After continuing to follow us around we decided it would be best to take that one in and give it immediate attention. I am not sure what happend to the other babies but there was a dead squirrel in the street that we believe was possibly their mother. All 4 squirrels had fur and a skinny but bushy tail. I believe after doing some research that the one we have is probably somewhere around 14 weeks old. He has a fully bushy tail with white on the edges. This one seemed to be the smallest of the group.

After consulting with rehabilitators, it was our final decision to try to help this little guy ourselves. Currently he is in a large tall ferret cage with a large branch in it so that he can climb up and down. He also has a little birdhouse home that he is very happy in. He has made his own nest inside of it. Although he really liked the apples and fruits/formula at first, he doesn't prefer them anymore. We would like to release him back into the wild but we are not sure what the best method is. One rehabilitator that I spoke with said that they would hold him until the spring and then release him. So I would love some information on the following questions:

1. When and how is the best way to release him back into the wild? It is getting very cold out here in the North East and we would not want anything to happen to him. He has been with us for a few weeks now inside.

2. We would like to know what foods are best for squirrels. We have been giving him an assortment of nuts(hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, acorns, almonds) and romaine lettuce(he really likes this). Is there anything better that we should be giving him? Anything that should not be given to him? I have heard that peanuts and sunflower seeds should not be given, can these be a treat or not at all?

3. He is constantly going to the bathroom when we take him out of the cage. Is this normal? I have seen him dragging his behind in the cage but he is clearly not having trouble going to the bathroom.

Any help on these topics would be great. Thanks for your help!

-Lucky thanks you.

[Lee8179]

Please keep in mind when referring to the release that it is very cold outside currently. Today it was only in the 30s. Should we over-winter him inside? he would be over 20 weeks by then.

[Somebody's Mother]

you need to make sure he gets calcium in his diet. try kale and sweet potatoes and offer him a kuttle bone(bird beek thingy) or if you can get your hands on antlers they work nicely also. oh yeah and the going to the bathroom thing, i think that is about normal. do they resemble black ants?

[Lee8179]

For the most part yes... sometimes they are a medium shade of brown.

[Critter_Queen]

I would winter him over if it's that cold and no leaves on trees.

There is a section on this board that's all about Baby Squirrel care...with lots of links inside...I'm on my way out the door or I'd post more.

I would say it sounds like the poops are how they should be, pelleted and brownish/blackish.

Sorry I can't be more help at the moment!

[Lee8179]

To Winter them over means just keep him inside until it starts to warm up?

[Mars]

Yes, wintering over means until the leaves unfold on the trees and the weather is warm. I then move the babies outside for at least a week before openning the cage for a soft release. I continue to support feed until they disperse on their own. This takes about another week or so. Remember - if you are planning to release do not teach this little one it's okay to climb on you or that dog and cats are okay friends. Those are the quickest ways for the little one to get in deadly trouble once out on their own.

The best diet is based on a high quality rodant block. Nuts and veggies are good treats. Peanuts and sunflower seed are not good foods for squirrels and should be avoided. Pumpkin seeds are great, raisens, cranberries, banana chips, pine nuts, carrot sticks, cherrios, dried corn on the cob are all good. I avoid fresh fruits in the winter as they do not find them outside this time of year.

Baby will need plenty to do. Branches and tunnels, rope swings and toys, bones and antlers (these can be bought at Chriss' Squirrels and More) to chew on. Plan to switch things in and out. He will need as large a cage as you can provide. Mine are 24x36x72 and they are made so I can abut two or more of them together to enlarge as needed.

I hope this helps. But I would recommend giving the little one to a rehabber in your area. We really do do our best to help and get them back out in the wild where they belong.

[Somebody's Mother]

i agree with mars recommendation to give the squirrel over to a rehabber. they have the proper equipment and knowledge to take care of and release them back into the wild. and if there is some illness or other problem they have access to vets with wildlife experience.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Keep him away from cats. Cat saliva can kill a baby squirrel within 24 hours. Very important.

[island rehabber]

Lee8179, you've gotten some great advice here from everyone who responded so far. I agree that giving your squirrel to a licensed rehabber with squirrel experience is the very best choice you can make at this point. He should be wintered over in an outdoor pre-release cage, if possible, or if necessary in a very large indoor cage (at least 6 x 6 x 4'). He should be allowed to 'wild up', and not be handled or made into a pet if you plan to release him, as others have mentioned. I'm in southern NY state and it's already too cold to release a baby that's been indoors for awhile, so if you're north of me it's definitely not a good idea. A rehabber who has other squirrels his age in an overwintering enclosure would be the very best bet. We can help you contact one if you need to....your only alternative is to keep him caged in your home until late March, but not turn him into a pet in the process. This will be very, very difficult to say the least. :peace

[Gabe]

I agree also, if he were to go to a rehabber he would be with other squirrels and not alone. You say you have talked to other rehabbers, where in NY do you live?

[Lee8179]

I am in Southern New York.

[Lee8179]

So just to confirm...
You all think that the best idea is to hand him over to a rehabber. However, if we choose not to hand him over, you are saying that we should feed him the above listed foods with the above listed activities and keep him inside the house. Like I said he is currently in a large ferret cage that is about 5' or so high and about 3' across or more. He does plenty of climbing on the bars and the tree that we have inside. We should leave him in there and not handle him or teach him to go onto people since we plan to release him. The only person that he relates to right now is another member of the household. Can he come out of the cage on his own and run on top of the cage etc? I am not certain that I understand how a rehabiliator would be caring for this squirrel. The squirrel would have to be indoors because it is too cold outside, the squirrel would be just spending the winter inside as he would be here.

[Gabe]

Actually, some rehabbers would have him in an outdoor cage, but they would have gotten him outdoors before the weather got this cold, giving him a chance to grow a nice winter coat.
Other's have an inside outdoor area that has minimal heat. Mine, for example is 8'X8'X8'.
If he is indoors for the winter, then the cage will go outside in the spring.
Here are some of the things that rehabbers would assess him for before release;
-Has he been socialized with others of his species? Improper socialization will result in rejection or attacks from members of his own species.
-Has he had access to natural foods and learned how to forage? There is no esbilac and rodent block in the wild.
-Is he familiar with blowing leaves, rain? does he know that not all branches will hold his weight?
-Does he know not to stay in the open?
-Has he had the opportunity to hear the distress call of his own species? Or will he be the only one sitting around when everyone else runs for cover?

The important thing in NYS is that he is afraid of people when he is released. People in NY are rabies phobic, and if a wild animal walks up to them, they immediately think rabies then proceed to kill it.
Can you do all of this for him? That is a decision that we cannot make for you. But, we're here to help you out if you have questions.

[Mars]

It sounds like we have a new possible rehabber. It so very easy to fall in love when handed a helpless fuzzy soul. Believe me I know. I fall in love over and over and am very protective of my babies. There is a lot to know.

Your cage is fine for now. Small but I have wintered in one that size before. You will have to be very inventive and create new enrichments for the baby. Letting her/him out is up to you. The hard part is conviencing them to go back in the cage. To make this easier never feed them outside the cage and keep a large bath towel handy to bundle her in when you have to. Watch for repeating habits like pacing or circling. You will have to break these patterns so they don't become ingrained.

One person contact is best. I go in twice a day to feed and clean and am happy to say the four greys I raised from pinkie don't want my attention any more.

At this point, yes, the baby needs to stay inside for the winter. It would be easier if you had two. If you decide to do this we will try to walk you through it. Remember their are no dumb questions. We all started pretty much just where you are. And we have learned one fuzzy little soul at a time.

[Lee8179]

Thank you Mars,
I am uncertain as to what we are going to do with him at this point. One of the other members of my family has been caring for the squirrel with feeding, cleaning and even holding. I have tried to stay unattached to this squirrel due to the fact that I know that it is a wild animal and that we will have to release him someday to run around in the wild again. I would feel terrible. You can't help but get a little attached though. He is so cute. I would definitely not want anything to happen to him and all of us would like the best care possible at this point to make for an easy transition once spring comes. I am currently speaking to another rehabilitator who is trying to give me some rehabilitators in my area. We will see where we will go from there. Thank you for all of your help.. I will be sure to stay online and let you know what is happening and if I have any questions.

Thank you very much.

[island rehabber]

The important thing in NYS is that he is afraid of people when he is released. People in NY are rabies phobic, and if a wild animal walks up to them, they immediately think rabies then proceed to kill it.
Can you do all of this for him? That is a decision that we cannot make for you. But, we're here to help you out if you have questions.

I can't agree with you enough, Gabe -- excellent point. The Dept of Health in NY and the local media have conspired to convince every "downstate" resident that evil rodents (including squirrels) and psycho raccoons are lurking around every garbage can, dripping rabies virus from their fangs. (oy vey.) People want them destroyed immediately, and they've been taught that any sign of friendliness is a sign of rabies. :shakehead They also don't believe you when you tell them rodents are not rabies carriers. A squirrel who is released MUST be afraid of people.
Last week I visited the nature center again where I released three of my squirrels, to replenish their overwintering place with nuts & goodies. Mine were not around, but a little squirrel --maybe 12-14 weeks old -- came bounding up to me out of the woods and ran up my leg. As I stood in the enclosure and emptied nuts into the bowls, he sat happily on my forearm, picking pecans out of the bag I was holding and munching away. I had two thoughts: "How adorable!" and "Ba-a-aad rehabbing job." What I mean is, that squirrel should not have been so friendly to any human, let alone a stranger. He was obviously made too much of a pet by his rehabber and thank God he's at a Nature Center because he probably will be OK there, being tame. Out in the street, he'd be dead by now I'm sure. :nono

[island rehabber]

Lee, I just wanted to add that I also use the ferret cages for my squirrels. They're great up to a point, however mine are 5' by 3' but only 18 inches deep. Once a squirrel reaches about 15 weeks and can really fling himself around, that is too confining of a space for him. What I've done is put three ferrret cages together by taking the sides apart and widening the whole thing....and still, I had one squirrel this year who rubbed all the fur off his forehead because he chewed at the bars all day. Overwintering a healthy squirrel indoors is not for sissies. :)

[Mars]

Lee,

You're doing fine. Tell the care giver to insist on manners when handling. Gently discourage him from climbing above the wiast. Sitting in your lap is okay. But remember "up" means safty to a squirrel and a spooked squirrel will climb for the top without regard for your face. At the very least you could end up with some very nasty scatches. I think you can imagine the worst. Baby's nails should not be trimmed. They need them and they are opaque making it impossible to safely judge where the quik is.

And it's okay to become attached. It's impossible not to. The hard part is doing what is truely right for your baby. And there is no greater joy than watching them run free knowing you made it possible. And yes it's hard to let go.

Hang in there. And I look forward to news.

[Gabe]

Lee,
The hard part is doing what is truely right for your baby. And there is no greater joy than watching them run free knowing you made it possible. And yes it's hard to let go.



I agree, doing what's best for the squirrel is not always what's the most fun for us. It is hard to let go, but in the end, you know that you have given them a second chance at life.

[Lee8179]

Thank you all,
We have received information from Gabe on a name of a rehabilitator in our general area. After speaking with her I found out that she has an outdoor cage with several other squirrels in it that is open to the outside so they can come and go as they please. I am a little concerned at this point that Lucky will have trouble going into a cage with several other families of squirrels inside since they are territorial. I am wondering if it is best to do this. Currently, after speaking to her, we have put Lucky's cage outside in the yard (doors shut) to get him use to a little colder weather. Whether or not he will be spending the winter with this rehabilitator is unknown but either way we are hoping that he will be spending it in a cage outdoors where he can safely come and go as he pleases and still have some food and a nest to support him a little. It is very hard to make these decisions since everyone has different experiences and even the rehabilitators tend to disagree on the best method. We will see what the next week holds. I am not supposed to speak with her again until Saturday. I will keep you all updated on how he is doing but for now he will be outside for a little each day while the weather is still a little warm. Thanks all for your help. P.S. I got him some sweet potatoes and Kale today for his calcium intake. Thanks for the advice.

[Gabe]

Well, we all raise our children differently, why not our squirrels? Generally, there is no right or wrong, just different opinions and options.
I'm glad you found someone that you believe will help your little guy out. In all fairness, she was recommended by Island Rehabber who has two of her squirrels there for release also. I'm sure you could private message her for moral support. Good luck, keep us posted.

[Lee8179]

Ok all... my squirrel update...
We are a little concerned that the rehabiliator that we called might not be a safe place for our little one. My whole family is a little worried that he will be the new squirrel in a large cage with other families and they, being territorial, may not react to him well. He is still small, definitely not the size of a regular outdoor squirrel yet and may get forced out of the cage and have no where to go.
Currently, we were preparing him to go outdoors so we have put him outdoors a few times in his cage so that he can observe wildlife but he has tended to sleep in his house more than observe. He sleeps in a spare bedroom with the windows somewhat open so it stays a little cooler in there for him to develop a little winter coat. We have tried not to interact with him so much to try to wild him up a little. We are fully capable of preparing the cage that he is in to be animal safe and winter safe to release him here. What do you all think of that? After speaking with the rehabilitator, it seems that she will be just putting him in a large outdoor cage with other squirrel families and an open exit to the wild where he can come and go as he pleases. I think that we could do the same thing here while still giving him some food and water and not so much of a rowdy situation. She would not be giving him any major care or even noticing if he came back to the cage. Do you all think that he would be ok going outdoors at this time of the year in NY? He may still be a bit friendly also. Please keep this in mind. Let me know what you think. This would not be keeping the squirrel so there is no risk for any of you. Talk to you soon!

[island rehabber]

Lee I'll PM you with my thoughts, OK? :)