babysitting territorial gray squirrel

[missPixy]

hello! my friend is going away for a week and I'll be feeding his 8month-old gray squirrel, Sophie.

Sophie is VERY territorial with him, he's rehabbed her from when she was probably 5 weeks old. whenever I'm over she makes the "ger, ger" sound of displeasure. when out of her house, she either jumps on my shoulder and makes the sound in my ears, or else keeps her distance.

also one time when we were all sitting on the couch, I went to pick up one of Sophie's toys and she nipped me enough to break skin and make me bleed a bit. I realize I shouldn't have tried touching any of HER things!

last week I fed her one night when my friend had a business trip. I brought her some tulip tree buds which she loves, and even as she took them from me she still eyed me suspiciously.

should I just feed her and forget about trying to let her out? I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get her back into her house, and really not sure how angry she might get with me, especially after my friend has been gone for a few weeks. any suggestions?

[Skul]

Unless you have an area that is secure and be assured of catching and recaging,
it might not be a good idea to let it out.
Maybe for the first day or two, you can sit very close, and offer food.
You'll have to judge the reactions and go accordingly.

[missPixy]

Unless you have an area that is secure and be assured of catching and recaging,
it might not be a good idea to let it out.
Maybe for the first day or two, you can sit very close, and offer food.
You'll have to judge the reactions and go accordingly.

tks Skul, I was thinking along those lines. last night I went over again to just hang out a bit to get Sophie more used to me... she seemed a bit better, but then out of nowhere (she seemed to be feeling more playful than anything) she jumped on me, bit my hand and jumped off. no blood, but it hurt. it's one thing when Emma does this with me, she's so tiny and doesn't bite as hard (usually!) but Sophie is a lot heavier.

I figured I would compromise by bringing Sophie different outdoor amusements each day: branches, leaves, bark, etc. they live on a busy street and don't have much access to trees and other squirrel needs. also I told my friend to leave Sophie a shirt he's worn for a few days so she can have his scent around her while he's gone... hopefully she will be less anxious with this in her nest.

[quagmire]

When Quagmire was a baby he allowed lots of people to hold him but not now. Anytime someone new wants to see him, they get bit, much like you described. Almost a hit and run thing. Not really trying to maim a person but just to let them know whose territory they are in.

Of course now, no one handles him but me and my wife.

Keep bribing Sophie, maybe that will pay off. Good Luck!

[missPixy]

When Quagmire was a baby he allowed lots of people to hold him but not now. Anytime someone new wants to see him, they get bit, much like you described. Almost a hit and run thing. Not really trying to maim a person but just to let them know whose territory they are in.

Of course now, no one handles him but me and my wife.

Keep bribing Sophie, maybe that will pay off. Good Luck!

yup, I completely agree with this assessment. Sophie is extremely territorial. I will see if the bribes work... tomorrow is the first day! I'll let everybody know and possibly take pix!