what to do with Trooper while on Xmas vacation

[Trooper]

My wife has been planing a vacation to the mountains for a year now and our male grey Trooper, who is an adorable guy 5 months old today, was being prepared to come with us.

We found out rather late that the renters do not like pets. I cannot see how we can leave Trooper with someone else, as he seems to like mostly me (I was his surrogate mommy/daddy) and my wife. My son and usual friends whom all like squirrels have gotten bit bad when they got close to me.

So don't know how I can leave him on the care of someone else (stranger or family friend).

Any ideas as to how to handle this situation? We plan to be out for 10 days total; can someone come and feed him in his cage and not get him out during those days? If so, will he be traumatized? I am seriously considering cancelling my going to the trip but I feel that's unfair to my wife and son. I am sincerely thorn.

Any advise or word of wisdom will be immensely appreciated!

Trooper's dad

[Margie]

Trooper will be in a cage won't he? Will the renters be there to see if you have a caged pet? IF not, take him anyway. Smuggle him in, if possible. I've smuggled a cat and a pet rat into motel rooms that didn't allow pets. If the renters aren't there to inspect everything you take inside, or enter the premises to inspect it while you are there; take him with you. If they come in to clean during the day, take Trooper out with you for a little while. There are ways of making it work. What they don't know, won't hurt them.

[rocky63]

Trooper,
I go camping every year for two weeks in the summer. I have a friend Feed my squirrels. so long they don't open the cage food can be dropped into the bowl and the water bottle hangs on the out side of the cage.
I too would try two bring them with me but not in a tent.:nono he will miss you and you will miss him but it is only 10 days.
If you think no one is going to check bring him with you.
good luck:wave123

[Milo's Mom]

The BF and I have not gone on vacation together because of this kind of thing (we vacation in the Caribbean, so bringing Princess Ellie is NOT an option).

Personally, if I were you, I'd pack Trooper's suitcase and take him with you. Of course this is assuming that there is not anyone you completely trust with him. In order for you to have a nice vacation and enjoy the time away with your family, you either need to have Trooper with you or TOTALLY trust that he is being well cared for.
If he is with you or at home without you he will most likely be caged the entire time (you have no idea what has been sprayed or how the house you're renting has been treated).

[Jackie in Tampa]

I haven't taken a vacation in awhile..
but back when I had only one sq..he went everywhere with us.

I took a job away from home...for 6 months I lived in a motorhome
I had a cage permnently built in my van for him for the day time and he slept in a toasterbox in the MH at night.

Then as I started rehabbing ..I rented many condos and took many baby sqs...smuggling :D

THe one and only time I left Rocky...an accident happened and he no longer has lower incisors..
it was an accident, but I never allowed it to happen again...

I do not travel much anymore...and never at the same time as Fred.

PS Squirrels travel well, but someone needs to be incharge and make that commitment..
have fun...take him!!!:thumbsup

[Anne]

Just one? Take him! Most people renting out worry about damage to the furniture and floors (pet no-nos). There should be no problem with a caged animal. If he's not used to a cage, you have plenty of time to get one and train him before you leave.

[Trooper]

Thank you all for your candid and sincere advise. You've cemented my thoughts towards taking him, as the owners will not come to check us out and the condo we are renting will only have maid service, which at least for the sake of having Trooper by our side I am willing to bribe with a full size bag of pecans...ehmm.. I mean a nice roll of $20s!

Again thanks for the encouragement. My left side of the brain can rest now.

Have a merry Christmas and as of today Hanukkah too!

Trooper

[Margie]

I think you will enjoy your trip a lot more if
Trooper is with you. I haven't taken a trip away from home overnight for over twenty years. It isn't worth the anxiety about my fur children being ok. How can it be a vacation if I am worrying so much that I can't relax? My husband, on the other hand, takes several weeks away at a time and out of sight out of mind with him. They may have four legs and lots of hair, but they are my children and my reason to get up each day and face the pain to take care of them. One of the last vacations I took, my ex-husband forced me to go with him, for a long weekend. He could get very nasty if he didn't get his way. My doggy daughter had Lupus and kidney disease and was barely keeping it under control. The long weekend boarded at the vet hospital stressed her so much, she died a week later from complete kidney failure. My ex knew something like that would happen, because I told him I didn't want to leave her for fear of the complications. He did it for hatefulness. I never forgave him and as soon as I could, I left him. My current husband doesn't make me choose. If I don't want to go, he goes by himself. He know better than to ask me to choose between him or them! I know this is probably TMI, but the moral of the story is, what you might think is a minor decision now, could be a lasting influence on your relationship and the rest of your life.

[astra]

I think you will enjoy your trip a lot more if
Trooper is with you. I haven't taken a trip away from home overnight for over twenty years. It isn't worth the anxiety about my fur children being ok. How can it be a vacation if I am worrying so much that I can't relax? My husband, on the other hand, takes several weeks away at a time and out of sight out of mind with him. They may have four legs and lots of hair, but they are my children and my reason to get up each day and face the pain to take care of them. One of the last vacations I took, my ex-husband forced me to go with him, for a long weekend. He could get very nasty if he didn't get his way. My doggy daughter had Lupus and kidney disease and was barely keeping it under control. The long weekend boarded at the vet hospital stressed her so much, she died a week later from complete kidney failure. My ex knew something like that would happen, because I told him I didn't want to leave her for fear of the complications. He did it for hatefulness. I never forgave him and as soon as I could, I left him. My current husband doesn't make me choose. If I don't want to go, he goes by himself. He know better than to ask me to choose between him or them! I know this is probably TMI, but the moral of the story is, what you might think is a minor decision now, could be a lasting influence on your relationship and the rest of your life.
:goodpost :grouphug Margie:grouphug

[Trooper]

Hello from Trooper and his dad. If you are checking this tread, just wanted to report that we took Trooper to our by-the-lake vacation of Xmas and NYear, and it was a blast!!
Trooper was a bit stressed the first day after the noisy trip by car, but on the next day, he claimed a tall spiral staircase that went from the 1st to 2nd floor, and literally any traffic on it had to be discussed with him, as he defended it with his teeth. After a few petting on his head as a bribe, he allowed safe thoroughfare along with the once in a while nut donation by his step.

One thing I discovered in this trip is that he does not recognize my toes as part of my body. I mean, if I were barefooted he would attack them as a total stranger and I look as if I walked a mile on thorny ground! What's up with that?? what can I do to make sure he recognizes my whole body as me? he sometimes bites me on my hands if a stranger tries to pick him up (and bites the stranger too, 3 or 5 times in 5 seconds, very fast..!).

Is there a way to teach him my feet are me too?

Any advice is appreciated,

Trooper's dad.:thankyou

[astra]

Hello from Trooper and his dad. If you are checking this tread, just wanted to report that we took Trooper to our by-the-lake vacation of Xmas and NYear, and it was a blast!!
Trooper was a bit stressed the first day after the noisy trip by car, but on the next day, he claimed a tall spiral staircase that went from the 1st to 2nd floor, and literally any traffic on it had to be discussed with him, as he defended it with his teeth. After a few petting on his head as a bribe, he allowed safe thoroughfare along with the once in a while nut donation by his step.
:jump :jump
so glad everything went well - was wondering


One thing I discovered in this trip is that he does not recognize my toes as part of my body. I mean, if I were barefooted he would attack them as a total stranger and I look as if I walked a mile on thorny ground! What's up with that?? what can I do to make sure he recognizes my whole body as me? he sometimes bites me on my hands if a stranger tries to pick him up (and bites the stranger too, 3 or 5 times in 5 seconds, very fast..!).

Is there a way to teach him my feet are me too?

Any advice is appreciated,

Trooper's dad.:thankyou
honestly, this is so common.. i'd be surprised if he recognized your toes as belonging to you...
my guess, it might take many and many years for him to realize that those weird looking things are part of you...
same for the hands - they, too, look too weird to be part of you...but, to bring you some hope and comfort ;): they do come to recognize that hands are part of their human, eventually...

but as to how to achieve that - hopefully, someone experienced will share (would love to learn that, too :))

[Trooper]

Phew! I thought I had a weird one on my hands, but hey; for those few moments of cuddling time while watching TV or giving him a warm sponge bath, I'll walk the whole thorny patch again and again!

I just can't put my finger as to why they touch your soul in the way they do? could it be their wanting to be with you all the time like Trooper does? I must admit, I had out-of-the-ordinary pets in my life (Burmese Python 10' long, armadillo, stork, emu to mention a few) but squirrels take the cake in cuteness and their ability to want to cuddle and hug them. Don't you all agree, or am I just a sucker for rodent's kisses?

Thanks,

Trooper's dad

[astra]

I just can't put my finger as to why they touch your soul in the way they do?
Thanks,

Trooper's dad
that's called "squirrel magic" or "squirrel mystery", hence ... it's inexplicable...
they do work some kind of magic... once you get under that spell, you are never the same person
"once a pickle, never a cucumber" ;)

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

To me they are the fairies and lepeprcons of the forest so no wonder they put magic on us.