Lily the squirrel is getting ready to move!

[teareon]

Hey there,

I posted a while back asking for advice on what to do with our Lily when we move in a few months.

We had previously been looking homes within a small town, but instead opted for a large property out in the boonies, lol, so bringing Lily with us won't be a problem.

to give you a bit of her story as a reminder... Lily was rescued as a pinky (totally furless) and was raised in our home. Our nursing cat at the time took her in as one of her own and has helped raise Lily since. The squirrel is now 18 months old and spends most of her time outside, but is totally dependent on us for food. She is very tame, comes to her name, and likes to hang out around us when we are outside. A very sweet girl indeed :)

Ok, so now I need advice on the best way to transport her to the new house. Because she is an outside squirrel she is no longer used to being caged. We have a rather large dog crate (with the bars spaced apart small enough that she can't get through), would that be an ok place to hold her in? The trip will be about 3 hours... I worry that being crated for that long will freak her out. Any tips on how to make it easier on Lily? Would putting a blanket over the crate help? should we give her sticks and leaves to hide in? food for the trip? water? nothing?

thanks in advance for your help guys!

[teareon]

Also... we will be building her a state pf the art squirrel house to help ease the transition. Hoping that the familiarity will help her a lot. Anybody have any links to a site with squirrel house plans or blue prints?

[stepnstone]

I personally think a smaller more confined space would be safer for her travel, less area to freak out and bang around in. Did she sleep in a nest box or cubby of some type? She might feel safer if that was available to her inside whatever enclosure she transports in.

[Skul]

I personally think a smaller more confined space would be safer for her travel, less area to freak out and bang around in. Did she sleep in a nest box or cubby of some type? She might feel safer if that was available to her inside whatever enclosure she transports in.
I kinda think there may be some truth in the smaller cage idea.
Seems the smaller ones do give a bit of a security feeling to them.

[jo_schmoe]

Hey there,

I posted a while back asking for advice on what to do with our Lily when we move in a few months.

We had previously been looking homes within a small town, but instead opted for a large property out in the boonies, lol, so bringing Lily with us won't be a problem.

to give you a bit of her story as a reminder... Lily was rescued as a pinky (totally furless) and was raised in our home. Our nursing cat at the time took her in as one of her own and has helped raise Lily since. The squirrel is now 18 months old and spends most of her time outside, but is totally dependent on us for food. She is very tame, comes to her name, and likes to hang out around us when we are outside. A very sweet girl indeed :)

Ok, so now I need advice on the best way to transport her to the new house. Because she is an outside squirrel she is no longer used to being caged. We have a rather large dog crate (with the bars spaced apart small enough that she can't get through), would that be an ok place to hold her in? The trip will be about 3 hours... I worry that being crated for that long will freak her out. Any tips on how to make it easier on Lily? Would putting a blanket over the crate help? should we give her sticks and leaves to hide in? food for the trip? water? nothing?

thanks in advance for your help guys!
Is the dog crate plastic? If so...she will be out of it in 5 minutes.

[teareon]

no, of course it's not plastic!

It's not like she just appeared in our lives recently, Lily has been with us over a year and a half, I'm more than aware of my squirrel's chewing abilities :)

[teareon]

she used to sleep in the crate but has been an outside sleeping squirrel for months now. The house we plan on building her will have about a foot squared on the inside, really not that big.

We had though that by making her a home now so she can get used to it, then bringing it with us so she has something familiar in her new forest. It will fit inside the dog crate so maybe I'll transport her like that.

I just don't know if we should keep the crate darkened during travel, should we add foods and water for her? There's really nowhere i could find on the internet that has decent advice

[astra]

I would think that darkening the cage/carrier might be a good idea, just to be on the safe side and keep her feeling secure.
Some squirrels are fine during travel, but some aren't. So, instead of finding that out, it might better to just keep it covered.

And yes, food and water could be good, too.
Especially, water - car drives can be very dehydrating (at least for me).
And it will keep her occupied, too.
Lots of blankies, too, for her to snuggle and snooze.

[jo_schmoe]

no, of course it's not plastic!

It's not like she just appeared in our lives recently, Lily has been with us over a year and a half, I'm more than aware of my squirrel's chewing abilities :)
Good that you are aware of your squirrels chewing abilities....:thumbsup .....but can you run it by me one more time....why you are taking this released squirrel out of it established environment??

[teareon]

we are moving her because she has again and again chewed through our bedroom window screens AND our dryer duct vent to regain access to the house, and we can't have the next people living here dealing with that. Also, she is mostly dependent on us for food, she doesn't have the squirrel foraging abilities needed to make it on her own. Where we live it';s winter for 7 months of the year and without proper feeding and storing abilities Lily won't make it through the cold months. Lily is also very tame and has no issues going up to people. Our neighbourhood right now is very tightly packed and full of kids, and on more than one occasion I've had to go and tell the kids to leave her alone (chasing her up the trees, cornering her, trying to feed her junk).

Leaving Lily behind would be a stupid idea and very detrimental to her health. And THAT is why she will be coming with us.

[teareon]

as I am sure you know, just because a squirrel has made her sleeping quarters outside, doesn't mean she is fully dependent and capable of fending for herself.

I spent countless hours and sleepless nights nursing Lily back to health, I'm not going to give up on her now, nor am I going to abandon her.

We are moving from the city to the country, and chose our new home with Lily in mind :)

[jo_schmoe]

we are moving her because she has again and again chewed through our bedroom window screens AND our dryer duct vent to regain access to the house, and we can't have the next people living here dealing with that. Also, she is mostly dependent on us for food, she doesn't have the squirrel foraging abilities needed to make it on her own. Where we live it';s winter for 7 months of the year and without proper feeding and storing abilities Lily won't make it through the cold months. Lily is also very tame and has no issues going up to people. Our neighbourhood right now is very tightly packed and full of kids, and on more than one occasion I've had to go and tell the kids to leave her alone (chasing her up the trees, cornering her, trying to feed her junk).

Leaving Lily behind would be a stupid idea and very detrimental to her health. And THAT is why she will be coming with us.

Sounds like Lily knows where the "good stuff" is....smart girl!
Now...when you get to the new place...will you be caging her outside for release again?? I guess Im just concerned that the move will ( no matter how dark and small the container is)....cause some stress. This isn't a case of a NR....that doesnt know the trees and freedom yet....she's a released free squirrel.....with a claim on her territory.
She will have to adapt to the new surroundings....and claim new territory. That takes a bit of time...also...its mating season where you are at so dont be surprised if when you get to your new place....she takes off for awhile. Im not too awful far from you...so I know all about winters...ours last about 7-8 months.
Sounds like you have done a great job with her....:peace

[teareon]

Thanks <3

I haven't decided yet how to do the release, but I know it will be slow. I plan on researching the heck out of it before the move, getting as many opinions and advice as possible. We aren't moving until the end of the school year (my kids want to go now though!!!) so I've got plenty of time to figure it out :)

[teareon]

hey guys!
so we've built a house for Lily and have started getting her accustomed to it. We have it built to be able to transport her in it without the risk of her chewing her way out. It's all wood so she can try, but it's extra fortified so she won't get anywhere, lol.

Our trip will take us about 3 hours. Lily will be confined to her house in the van, right by my side so I can comfort her if in distress.

Once we arrive at our destination, how would be the best way to release her? Do we just place her house in the woods and open the door? Is the a better way? She already associates her little home with her feeding station so I'm pretty sure she will know to return there for food, and hopefully it won't take long for her to build up her new nest inside.

Anyways, any tricks anyone?

I'm going to upload some pictures of her new home but they make it look really small!

[teareon]

pics of Lily's house

[CritterMom]

I would treat this just like a first time release - set her cage up outside and leave her closed up inside it for a couple weeks so she can start scoping out the area visually, meet the current occupants of the property without having to actually deal with them etc., then start opening the door during the day for her.