Handicapped Squirrel We Kept Too Long?

[NewSquirrelCareTaker]

Hey everyone. My wife and I have been taking care of this squirrel since.. December? She's cute as a button. A little crazy but not too bad. Got her as a baby, took care of her. She had a problem with her tail at some point. We believe she chewed on her tail too much or something. Took her to the vet and the vet had to amputate her tail :(. Apparently, she started doing it again to what was left of it. The doctor had glued the tail instead of stitches I think? Anyways.. the squirrel had issues with that bleeding too. Took her back to the vet and she took the tail down to just a little stump now. I am now doing all this reading about squirrel ownership and am regretting not reaching out to someone sooner.

I'm not sure what to do. If she stayed this way, it wouldn't be so bad. Sure, her nails are tough. But I'm tougher. Yes, she nibbles but it's not bad. I read plenty of warnings about how they get older but I also see YouTube videos of happy squirrel owners.

What am I to do? I don't mind a professional taking her but I don't think she can be released into the wild without a tail and I don't want her put down. But I also don't want this to get harder as time passes.

She was just being fed bread, peanuts, various nuts and of course water for a while. We did some more reading and have brought in carrots, lettuce, much less peanuts, pecans, macadamian nuts.. I'll occassionally give her pieces of weird things like cookies because I assume as scavangers they'll often pick up whatever they find and are often around humans. Oh and tomatoes too.

I saw some people talking about sending to someone you can trust. Because some places will put her down?

What are my options. I think she's 4 months old now? 5 tops? I just can't remember when we found her.

Anything I do, I want to do by the book. So if I should keep her I'll want one of these permits.

Please, help.

Regards.

[Jackie in Tampa]

I am in Tampa..south Tampa..
how can I help?
I have vets and semi experienced...
I am familiar with nerve damage and disorders common to sqs..
where are you at in TBArea?
Sqs can be released without a tail.... if that's the only issue..
if she has been chewing there maybe some nerve damage...
Would love to see a pic of her..
no permit needed for a pet sq in Florida!

[stepnstone]

Definetly touch base with JIT, she's being modest but she is a squirrel guru. Don't think there is much with a squirrel she don't know, hasn't been through or can't find out.
Also, read our forum on squirrel nutrition, she needs to be eating some kind of block. That "diet" your feeding your little one is not good! :nono It's going to put your little one in serious danger sooner or later.

[NewSquirrelCareTaker]

Hey guys! I love the fact that you're all over this board. So I'm not sure what I want.

Firstly, thanks for clarifying the permit thing. That was a big concern. I only just now found a government site that said it. Everyone else pointed to independent sites.

My wife wants to keep the squirrel. I'm no stranger to work but we live in an apartment complex.

Obviously, we made it through what I thought was the hardest part (the bottle feeding). But does it really get worse? I hear so many horror stories. And I'm always the one that has to make the hard decisions.

Oh, and it turns out I'm wrong. Apparently we've had her since Memorial Day? September? And the doctor says based on what we told her she was 6 weeks old on Memorial Day. So she's like 8 months old.

I just want to know what to do. Do I go to home depot and put together a nice tall cage and wear protective gloves and keep her caged her whole life? She would be alone.. but alive. I hear squirrels can live up to 10-12 years but most of them only live up to a year because they're killed by falling off powerlines, cars, cats, etc.

I will upload a picture in the morning. She's not chewing on the tail anymore (or what's left of it). -Probably because she can't reach it now.

If we send her to someone what are they going to do? Rehabilitate and release or keep her? We have money. That's not really an issue. Not a lot. I mean, the 2 vet bills hurt us pretty bad but she needed it.

She's in a 3ft. tall by 2ft wide bird cage right now. I put a sheet over the cage every night and at some point she pulled part of the sheet in and has slowly built a nest with the toilet paper and sheets of paper and stuff we put in there.

We used to do these things at around midnight where I'd come in and she'd be like a baby again. I'd rub her chin and underarms and she would be so calm. I would just hold her against my chest and we would just sit.

She has less moments of.. calmness. We put a stuffed animal in there after seeing a youtube video of a squirrel that kept it like a security blanket.

Again, we're not new to difficult work. The wife and her family raised wolves for years. But I want to make sure I don't keep her out of selfishness.

Nails can be trimmed. Teeth.. eh. We give her wood chips all the time and anything I can find for her to chew on but her teeth get sharper every day. Her bites are getting little bit worse each week.

What are my options at her age and what are your experiences? I want wants best for her.. but also for my family. I just read about some lady that almost lost her finger to her "baby". I like my fingers. I'm working on a career in computers. That wouldn't go well for me! But.. where there's a will.. there's a way?

I'm ranting now. I'll be up late. Message me any time. Also, how to I get the email updates? I had to log in and find my post to see replies?

[NewSquirrelCareTaker]

Sorry Jackie, I didn't answer your question. I'm in Pinellas County. And the tail was the only issue I know of.

She's actually quite spunky. I wish I could take her out more to roam. She's only getting about 45 minutes a day. We get home after 6pm, we immediately let her out. Then we have to get to things like dinner, school, and I got 2 turtles I'm taking care of! LOL.

But I think we need to make a decision soon on weather we're keeping her permanently or not. If so I'm gonna build something big for her.

I'd love to learn what I can from you. I'm up for phone calls, lunch meet up, or continued posts. :)

[HRT4SQRLS]

What are my options at her age and what are your experiences? I want wants best for her.. but also for my family. I just read about some lady that almost lost her finger to her "baby". I like my fingers. I'm working on a career in computers. That wouldn't go well for me! But.. where there's a will.. there's a way?

:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl Sorry -no advice here but I have to agree with you. "I like my fingers" also. :)

:Welcome NewSquirrelCareTaker to TSB. You found the perfect site for everything 'squirrel'.

[NewSquirrelCareTaker]

LOL Thanks. Yea, love the site.

[patjones]

Sometimes what everybody says and what really happens are not the same thing. I do think it is common for them to wild up a bit in captivity and then settle back down after a year or so as they mature. They are definantly indivuals and personality plays a big role in how well they do in captivity. Sometimes they will let you know it is time to be released and then I read threads about released squirrels with nothing wrong that come back home to live and won't leave just because they like the indoor life better than the wild life. Nobody knows your baby like you do and I am sure she will let you know what to do . \

[astra]

HI and welcome!

Yes, what everybody said.

as stepnstone pointed out - her diet needs improvement, otherwise she will get MBD. Please check out Squirrel Nutrition forum.

AS for taking her outside...

IF she is to be kept indoors as a "pet," you don' want to take her outside.
If she is to have a happy content life indoors, she needs to be as tame as possible. And that's not an easy thing b/c yes, squirrels do wild up to a certain degree. But it is possible.
HOWEVER, outside smells and sounds speed up the wildling up process, making it worse. It awakens their instincts and who knows what else ;) and they become much wilder than they would be otherwise.
IF she does end up being non-releasable, it will be in her best interest not to be outside. Having wilded up, but being unable to be released, she will be miserable, always pining for something she cannot have. And that will make your handling of her extremely difficult.

If she turns out to be releasable, during the release process she will go outside and she will catch up.
BUt for now, until you know for sure whether she is releasable or not, I would suggest not taking her outside and not exposing her to the outside sounds and smells.
PLay with her and spend as much time with her as you can so that you can build the kind of trust you need to many years to come. (And again, if she is releasable - she will go outside in the release cage).

[NewSquirrelCareTaker]

So, Jackie (or anyone), have you heard of this Florida Vet Services? My mom says they'll take any kind of squirrel and they get to just sit and play with other squirrels.. of any age? I was given this number: 813-933-8944. Of course.. I'd want to see this place first. Make sure it's okay.