Release questions

[Dree]

Hello,

My babies are now 16 weeks old and I'm starting to get ready for release. I have a number of questions and was hoping I could get some advice.

I have two Eastern Greys. They have been outside in a large ferret cage for 6 weeks now. Their nest box is 12"x11". I added a second wall inside with a 2"x2" opening in the top left corner. The sleeping space is 10"x11".

They have been doing some redecorating. :) I looked inside the box the other day and they had chewed the hole inside the box so it now spans half the width of the box. Is that a problem? I thought that was supposed to protect them from predators. Is the box too small?
I still need to put the hole in the bottom of the box..just got to get the proper drill bit.

I have noticed that when they get scared whoever is in the box won't let the other one in. Do I need to put two boxes in the tree so that when one is kicked out it was somewhere else to go?

I had planned to put their box in a cluster of Maple trees in my back yard however, just last week a family moved into that cluster of trees. Would they be ok if I put them on the opposite side of the cluster or is it too close?

What is the best way to release them? I read about attaching the empty nestbox to the tree and then opening the cage at the bottom of the tree but I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on what is best.

Also, there are a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood. There are giant 100 year old maples that line the streets as well as a number of giant chestnuts. A number of squirrels have been quite curious about the babies in the cage and often come by to check out what is going on. (especially at feeding times)

How do I know if there are too many squirrels in the neighborhood. I don't want my babies chased away...that would break my heart.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Andrea


P.S. I posted about a week ago to get some advice on how to get Otis to grow. Thanks to all of your wonderful advice he has been gaining weight and general size. Thanks so much! The smeared peanut butter has been awesome! I give them broccoli that way and the. They actually act like it's a treat (they were never too crazy about broccoli) :)

[Scooterzmom]

Hi Dree: :wave123

Welcome abord :)

What city are you in? I am in Canada too - in a suburb of Montreal called Pointe-Claire - and there are TONS of squirrels around here also. So, all your questions are quite pertinent and I'm curious about the answers myself since I, too, will be releasing 2 of my little fuzzers in a few weeks. They'll be my 1st releases - all my other ones were released before at a wildlife refuge I found because there are way too many cats and other predators in my neighborhood and I have a neighbor who'd report me to the city if she even saw a cage with squirrels inside in my backyard and, most of all, I don't even have a tree in which to place the nest boxes in my backyard :(

All this is about to change though.... :) We have bought a new house in St-Lazare (a town that is full of trees and a haven for squirrels) and I'm hoping we'll be there in time for me to release my babies before it gets too cold outside.

Just wanted to say hi and wish you good luck with the release. It would be great to keep in touch since there are not too many of us Canucks here on the board :)

[Kristal]

The sleeping space might be a little cramped for them since they like to stretch out and stuff in there. They are still growing, too. I don't know, but I would go with adding 3 or 4 inches to at least one side.

I wonder if putting out more than one nesting box would be a good idea? I know that they can evict each other if they find another house that they like better and think that they are tough enough to take the occupants. Maybe giving the existing family their own nesting box at the same time might prevent them from taking yours? Eastern Greys are, at least, not very territorial from what I read and see. If there is enough food in the area then hopefully the native squirrels won't feel the need to start a fight with your little ones.

[Scooterzmom]

I know that there always seem to be some "boss squirrel" in the bunch - well, in my backyard at least - and I have seen some greys kick others out of the nest to make it their own. But then again, I've also seen small groups of babies playing together in the tree with an adult female "supervising them. That's when I realized that some grey moms will be "babysitting" other females' babies - I have seen this with my own eyes - and when the real mom would return she'd take and/or lead her babies back to their nest. It was quite a heart-warming thing to observe. So, for me, it's hard to say how they would behave and what you may expect exactlyin your area.

I wish I could be more help.

Personally I would try to put at least an extra nest box for the wilds who are already there and a couple (one each) for the newly released babies. That way, the worse that could happen is that one box remains free if the babies decide to stay together. I'm with Kristal on the size though and I would check with JakesLittlePrincess about that... jake's boxes are SUPER!!!!

[Dree]

Hi,
I'm in St Catharines which is about 20 minutes East of Niagara Falls. Nice to meet another Canuck! :)

[Jackie in Tampa]

Hello,

My babies are now 16 weeks old and I'm starting to get ready for release. I have a number of questions and was hoping I could get some advice.

I have two Eastern Greys. They have been outside in a large ferret cage for 6 weeks now. Their nest box is 12"x11". I added a second wall inside with a 2"x2" opening in the top left corner. The sleeping space is 10"x11".
The question is depth...can a raccoon reach them from the hole?
Add another piece of wood to cover part of the hole making it smaller...can you say REPAIR!!!!:D .
Also I have noticed some sqs want a double entranced box, and yes air/vent holes on sides and drainage on the bottom, 1/2 inch spade bit perfect.

They have been doing some redecorating. :) I looked inside the box the other day and they had chewed the hole inside the box so it now spans half the width of the box. Is that a problem? I thought that was supposed to protect them from predators. Is the box too small?
I still need to put the hole in the bottom of the box..just got to get the proper drill bit.
If the floor space is 10x11, that's fine for two sqs. Add some poly fill and some of their used fleece and some with your NECK smell rubbed on it, then they will KNOW it's their box. This sometimes help other sqs from moving in also. Do not hang the box for the first few days, leave it in release cage. If they do not come back 1st or 2nd night, hang it directly above their release cage if it is under tree. Your gigantic maples sound awesome.
I have noticed that when they get scared whoever is in the box won't let the other one in. Do I need to put two boxes in the tree so that when one is kicked out it was somewhere else to go?
typical, it's summer...so they really won't stay in that box too long...UNLESS, storms, big mean critters or they lose their nest...
it takes awhile sometimes foir newbies to learn nest building skills....mostly they wanna play. So often the first night mine are released , one doesn't make it back before scarey dark. They get to lolligaggin' and forget how to be sensible. It usually only takes once or twice to remember dark comes at the end of the day!:D
I would not hang another nest box for the two sibs, however I would hang a few so there isn't territory wars...Momma sqs like nest boxes for the first 3 months after birthing...they WILL steal a box if they so desire...
I had planned to put their box in a cluster of Maple trees in my back yard however, just last week a family moved into that cluster of trees. Would they be ok if I put them on the opposite side of the cluster or is it too close?
they will earn their territory, or not!

What is the best way to release them? I read about attaching the empty nestbox to the tree and then opening the cage at the bottom of the tree but I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on what is best.

Also, there are a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood. There are giant 100 year old maples that line the streets as well as a number of giant chestnuts. A number of squirrels have been quite curious about the babies in the cage and often come by to check out what is going on. (especially at feeding times)

How do I know if there are too many squirrels in the neighborhood. I don't want my babies chased away...that would break my heart.
Where such wonderful trees grow...there will always be lots of sqs!



Thanks so much for all your help.

Andrea


P.S. I posted about a week ago to get some advice on how to get Otis to grow. Thanks to all of your wonderful advice he has been gaining weight and general size. Thanks so much! The smeared peanut butter has been awesome! I give them broccoli that way and the. They actually act like it's a treat (they were never too crazy about broccoli) :)
Hope this helps..and Welcome to TSB!:Welcome :wave123

:poke PICTURES PLease!:D

I love polyfill, as it acts as a barrier to the skitters and ants, dries quick and has great air flow.

[Kristal]

Hi,
I'm in St Catharines which is about 20 minutes East of Niagara Falls. Nice to meet another Canuck! :)

Actually, we have quite a lot of canucks on this board, considering we are only 1/10th of the population of the US. I guess we are just nature-lovin folks ;)

[Scooterzmom]

Hi,
I'm in St Catharines which is about 20 minutes East of Niagara Falls. Nice to meet another Canuck! :)

Ahh K. The previous owners of our current house moved there when we bought this house here 33 years ago. Beautiful area, yessss...

[Dree]

Jackie,

Thanks so much for your detailed response.

To be honest, I'm not sure if a raccoon could get them or not. In the 2 and half years I've lived here I've only seen one. If they were at the back of the box, I would say, no, but I've been amazed at what a determined animal can do in the past. Do raccoons eat squirrels? I'm confused about this.

So, I do need to repair the hole they chewed... I was wondering if it was worth it if they were just going to chew it again. Is 2"x2" too small?

I knew I needed to make the second entrance, I just haven't gotten the drill bit yet. I'll make that door 2" in diameter too. Is that big enough?

I did not know about drainage holes. Can they just be drilled with a regular drill bit? How many should it have? 4? or one every few inches? The box does have air holes already.

Thanks for the tips about the poly fill and the 'scented' fleece. All they have in their box right now is leaves.

Their cage is not directly under the tree I plan on putting them in. I lock their cage in my shed each night to protect them from predators. In the morning I roll it outside to they can enjoy the day. The tree they will be in is directly behind the shed so they can't really see it. Should I move the cage under the tree for the next little while?

Otis escaped tonight for about an hour. He climbed up that tree and had an absolute blast. I think he knew where the cage was in relation to the tree cause when he was ready for bed he ran along the roof of the shed and looked down at the cage. Then he came over to me and I put him back. (Crazy kid had me a little worried!) That's the last time i clean the cage by myself!

So you think I should hang 2 extra boxes in the same tree but not put any scented fleece in them? Just leave them empty and move-in-ready for whoever wants one?

I hope you don't mind clarifying. Thanks again.

I tried to post some pics but it seems that most of them are too big. I'll try to do some editing when I get a chance and post more. I'd love for you all to meet my lovely babies. :-)
Andrea

[Dree]

Oh! One photo worked! That's Otis sitting on my widow sill looking at all the giant trees and dreaming of what happened today. :-) They both liked to do that when they were little. What a little cutie.

St. Catharines is very pretty....lots of vineyards. :) Of course we canadians love nature! We're a bunch of tree-huggers, didn't ya know?! eh!

[Kristal]

You have an adorable, little guy :)

[Scooterzmom]

What a sweetheart :Love_Icon

P.S. I resized it and brightened it a bit for you ;)
143200

[astra]

what a precious little face.:Love_Icon
He looks kind of young to me, I mean, a bit too young for a release...but maybe, it's just the photo?...

[Runestonez]

Yes he does look young.
Is that an older photo or from today?

[gs1]

Oh! One photo worked! That's Otis sitting on my widow sill looking at all the giant trees and dreaming of what happened today. :-) They both liked to do that when they were little. What a little cutie.

St. Catharines is very pretty....lots of vineyards. :) Of course we canadians love nature! We're a bunch of tree-huggers, didn't ya know?! eh!

:D yes we are!!!!


ps: if that picture is from today ... you've got at least another 5 weeks of enjoying him/them.... (he doesn't look like 16 weeks!!! )

[Dree]

Lol! No, no, that picture is quite old. Sorry to confuse everyone. I posted a bunch of pics including some more recent ones but this is the only one that was small enough to actually show up. I'm having trouble accessing the photos taken on my iPhone in my editing software so I haven't been able to shrink any of the other photos yet.

Doesn't he have the cutest little face!? (no offense to any other squirrel parents out there) I couldn't help but include this picture. Too cute for words.

Thanks so much for brightening it and resizing it for me! :)

[Kristal]

I do think a 2" entry/exit hole is too small, you know. I think 3" is the general guideline.

[Dree]

Ok, thanks Kristal. I wondered about that. I'll make 3 inch holes.