twiddling our thumbs here

[thundersquirrel]

still got fox girl and red boy. they're still indoors most of the time, too (against a window, at least). and i feel totally....helpless.

foxy (fox squirrel, ya get it) is starting to get fat. her cage is not the best for jumping around in. reddie is starting to get reclusive. he spends all his time (as far as we can tell) sitting in his box. if you shake the cage, he just growls.

my mother and i aren't really doing much for them. we clean their cage, we give them food and water, and we try to leave them alone. but that is NO life for such beautiful squirrels. both are alone and bored.

if you were in my situation, what would you do to improve things? we can't let them go until probably march, depending on the weather. until then......what to do, what to do.....

just twiddling our thumbs here....

[squirrelfriend]

new toys! I find that a Burger King paper bag crumpled real tight keeps some of them occupied for a while. new bedding or perhaps a new nest box. Redecorating should give them something to do. Mine love it. are their cages next to each others? they can keep each other company. How about a full spectrum light? you said their cages are against a window but do they get full sunshine through it or just ambient light. another thing to try is different things in their diet to break the boredom or fix a potential missing vitamin in their diet?

I see that you are a rehabber so you probably know more than me but I thought I would just give a few ideas. Let me know how they are doing. Photos are always nice to see.:D

[Abacat]

:morning
I'm kinda in the same boat, I have one Red (Riley) that I've had indoors since 11-29-06. I'm not a rehabber, just looking out for the little guy since his hawk attack...I take him out ( caged) for periods to work on his winter coat, per Gabe...He does seem bored, like your squirrels...Reds are suppose to be more solitary, but that's probably an adult... how old are your squirrels? I do put fresh branches in for him to chew, apple, maple, or pine, pinecones too, that keeps him occupied for awhile.
Squirrelfriend, what do yours do with the BK bag, shred it?
I am making him a release cage, where he'll have more room to run , jump...right now his cage is too small, 2 X 2 X 3...he has 2 nests, one lower and his "Loft" nest...I do talk to him, to let him know, I'm here if he needs me:D
:wave123 Keep us posted...pics would be nice...

[GhosTS]

Hey thundersquirrel..good see you again.:wave123

And good to hear that foxy and reddie is doing...good.I dont have anything other to say than what squirrelfriend suggested..Keep them occupied with something.

[island rehabber]

Hi TS! Only things I can pass along to you are what I used to keep my fuzzers somewhat happy before release. You may already have these: dangling socks, tied to the top of the cage bars and dangling down so the squirrels can hang on 'em and attack....corn husks (don't know why but mine loved to play with the corn husks and then use for bedding)....wooden bird toys that hang from the top of the cage....and of course new branches and chewy stuff every day if you can. March isn't so far away -- just keep praying that the weather gets warm early.

[Mars]

Other ideas

Hang sesel (sp) rope clothline style or from the top of the cage to create a swing.

hide their food in crumpled brown paper lunch bags or use paper towel tubes shuff the ends with paper towels and the middle with goodies

get stuffed dog toys for them to wrestle with

Hang card board tunnels from sides and top of the cage.

Large sheets of bark from a dead tree (no poison ivy:thumbsup ) will be chewed on and climbed on.

The idea is to keep changing things. Got to keep the little ones on their toes. It's easier to do at night while they sleep. Stuff a towel into the door of their nest box and keep a nut in your pocket as a bribe just in case. Work quickly and quietly and don't forget to remove the towel when your done.:D

Hope this helps.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

One of the hanging hammock cubes!! Mine adored them. All 3 in one cube, split the seam in one week then peeked through the hole.:D

[Mrs. Jack]

foxy (fox squirrel, ya get it) is starting to get fat. her cage is not the best for jumping around in.
Hi TS good to see you :)
Is a bigger cage not a possibility?

[thundersquirrel]

nice to see you all too. :D

a bigger cage isn't much of an option right now. we aren't putting the squirrels outside at the moment (weather is TERRIBLE right now, see the pic below) but we plan to do so when the next "heat" wave (about 40 degrees) comes along. taking them outside entails bringing them down the stairs and out the back door. it's not terribly easy to do that as it is, and a bigger cage would be difficult at best to move.

for now i think i'll try hanging things. it'll take some creativity, but i can manage. the thing we don't want is to imprint these guys, especially foxy (she's already extremely calm every time we come to feed her).

our squirrels are both relatively young, in their first year. i'd say foxy is around 5 months, reddie is around 6 or 7. they aren't getting direct sunlight (not much sunshine in michigan this time of year anyway).

here's the view from the squirrels' cages. you can kinda see the cages. we got an ice storm last night, and are expected to get more tonight. :shakehead