Sugar Stuck In the Trees!

[treeman]

I have had the most horrible weekend! My old kitty had to be put down on Sat and then on Sun while i was cleaning the squirrels' cage and prep-ing them for some time outside, Spice started attacking me. The commotion scared Sugar and she jumped and ran up a power pole. She sat frozen there right at the top and I tried to use the bucket truck to get her and she jumped again. I followed her up and around trees for hours and she wouldn't come to me. I called and called. I left Spice out for a while and she called too. I think I saw her climb into a nest this morning. It's 50'sF here and drizzling. She's only 10wks old and I just started giving an acron or two on Sat. I'm so upset. The only consolation is that she can obviously climb a tree pretty well with her damaged foot. I don't know what to do and Spice is so mean! :Cry

[Jackie in Tampa]

hang a box fast, close to her...rub your neck with fleece /tshirt and put in there with nuts, no fresh food ...ants:shakehead
make it easy acsess and where you can close off the entrance hole to get thje entire box down ..

[astra]

get a hav-a-hart trap from home depot (you can still return it - just wash it well). Set it under her tree. She will get hungry and will come down. Just be sure to monitor the trap all the time, so that if another squirrels gets inside, you can release her right away. Trapping is very stressful for them.
Also, you need to monitor it just in case she is too light and won't activate the trigger.

I am sure, other ppl will chime in.

At 10wks, with a bad foot, winter - the risk of her not making it is very high.

Were they in the outside cage?....
Put food in there, too...

but i'd sit there with the trap like a hawk, eventually she should come down, because there is no food around

[astra]

hang a box fast, close to her...rub your neck with fleece /tshirt and put in there with nuts, no fresh food ...ants:shakehead
make it easy acsess and where you can close off the entrance hole to get thje entire box down ..
:goodpost

[astra]

use all the suggestions - this way something will work out for sure

[treeman]

how about this?: i can move Little Boy's old set up (he isn't using it). It is a nest box in a cage with no door and is on a pully system that goes high in the tree. I can put the door back on but leave it open. The pully is so smooth that they dont know they are moving until its down. I can put food/water in the cage too. If she gets in it, I can lower it and close the door.

[Jackie in Tampa]

all and everything...10 weeks is not ideal for an escapee...


:Love_Icon Sugar, go home!tinfoil
I am involved in a few adventures myself right at the moment:shakehead oye.

[UDoWhat]

Try any and ALL of these suggestions. Something will work. So sorry about your kitty and this terrible nervous situation for you.:grouphug :grouphug

[Jackie in Tampa]

I am sorry about your kitty also:grouphug

[treeman]

thank you...i am quite a mess right now...can't find which way is up it seems! :flush

[treeman]

k i'm gonna use a plain nest box and the cage nestbox. Cant do the trap because the trees she's in are in the n'bors yard that has dogs and potentially dangerous cats (they are so old and fat that they don't do much or leave the porch but they might get interested in a oddly acting squirrel) so i dont want to lure her to the ground. its also next to the road. pecans for bait.

gosh im such a mess! took sometime off from work today because i also had a car wreck last week and had to meet the people. gotta find kitty an urn. xmas tree laying in the yard. i don't care that im going back to work in a couple hours i AM drinking a beer. AAARGghh! :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :soapbox

[stosh2010]

gosh im such a mess! . AAARGghh! :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :Cry :soapbox
Sending Good thoughts your way...from Costa Rica...
Take your mind off things for a sec...BREATHE---
---visit Rama's thread and chuckle a little--he's a silly BOY.... he can bring a smile...

Sorry to hear about the SPICE attack--I have been in that situation...too many times to remember...

[treeman]

thank you, stosh2010. Rama IS silly and very cute. :)

[UDoWhat]

Praying for a safe return. :grouphug

Marty

[Tara]

Hoping for good news! :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[treeman]

Sadly, Sugar is still lost. We put the big nestbox and the squirrel condo mid-level to high in the trees. The condo has a glass water bottle and the boxes are stuffed with poly-fill. Just after this I got sick with DunnoWatButItsWorseThantheFlu and developed pneumonia so I have been unable to search.:shakehead FYI: Watch Out! This nasty bug is just like a bad flu but causes pneumonia much faster than typical flu. I had no idea I was so sick except couldn't shake the fever. It's making the rounds here and driving the Dr's nuts. If you get sick with what you recognize as the flu get to the Dr quick. I got pneumonia in 4 days and ordered home-rest for 2 weeks!

Official Treeman has been checking daily with the bucket truck. He said Little Boy (our summer squirrel) came by to check out his old digs. He also swears that he saw Sugar and Little Boy together. Does that happen? An earlier release hanging out with a new release (escapee)? Are they likely to be more receptive than a wild? Especially male to female? :dono Little Boy seems to have made buddies with the wilds. There is a large dray of youths in the particular stand of trees. Little Boy moved out of the condo and into a nest pretty quickly. I can only dream he is showing Sugar the ropes.

The weather has been very mild, the acorns are plentiful, and there are still green things about...short of actually capturing Sugar, these and a little squirrel to squirrel friendship are my only hopes. :sad

Spice is fine and well...and feisty. She is so weird. :tilt I have some questions about her for another thread.

Alas, Sweet Sugar must be given over to the mercies of the Fates (as if she or any of us aren't always anyway). C'est la vie...:Love_Icon

[redwuff]

Wow treeman, it sounds like fate took a big limb and knocked you down with it. So sorry about your kitty, and your illness. Hope you are well now.

I often have to let go and let God. Its just hard to figure out when to do what. thank goodness that Little sugar has so much going for her with weather food and, hopefully friends

Trysh

[treeman]

:thankyou Redwuff. Yes, we've had quite a month but that seems to be the way of things around here often. When it's cloudy, the sun is peeking in somewhere. When it's sunny, there's a dark cloud on the horizon. If you're fat, you're getting thinner and if you're thin, you're getting fatter. Blessings come in the oddest packages!

My kitty's remains were returned in the most beautiful handcarved rosewood box...which I did not expect but am very pleased with. I will not have to watch him suffer with cancer through the holidays. My illness is not so terrible now other than making me tired and weak. Got me excused from work so I could rest and do some holiday decorating. Nothing a little wassail and a nip of brandy can't soothe...along with steroids, antibiotics, a giant shot in the butt, and codiene cough syrup :D Spice's behavior seems slightly improved after Sugar's escape and she will be easier for me as a onesie right now.

Just roll with wind and hopefully you'll land in a soft spot even if you have to hit a few rocks on the way!