Bonding Advice?

[Mochi&Mocha]

Hello everyone :)

I have two grey squirrels. They are both about a year old and about a month apart. I would really like to get them to play together. They weren't raised in the same cage because the younger one has had a lot of different problems and I didn't want the older one to get sick. They know of each other and play with each other through the cage but have never really ran around in their room freely while the other one is out. Has anyone had any luck with bonding squirrels at this age? Lately I have had them out at the same time but while keeping a very good eye on them and even holding the one while the other is running around. Can anyone describe to me what it looks like when squirrels are playing versus trying to hurt the other one? They are both very sweet squirrels :Love_Icon

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

Hi !!:wave123

From what I understand, it is up to the individual squirrels whether they want to bond or not, some do, some don't. If they have already meet through cage bars, that's a good thing.
You can also take blankets from each cage and switch them out so they smell the other in their own cage.
I also would introduce them in neutral territory, or new territory, that one cant claim as his. Step back and let them decide, it doesn't matter what you want, it will be up to them.

[Mochi&Mocha]

I have switched out their blankets before so that's good! The room I have them in is THEIR room. I'm renting a two bedroom apartment just so that they can have their own room to roam and play in. I don't trust them in the rest of the apartment because of wires and etc. I can bring them into my bedroom but Mochi gets scared when she's not somewhere familiar. I can leave the door open in their room and she won't step outside of it. Do you think I should introduce them in their room or another? A few weeks ago I took both of them out and let them run around while watching them very carefully. They did very well but when they want on top of their cage Mochi (the oldest) did this scratching motion at Mocha. I couldn't tell if she was being mean or playing so I took them down. Do you know of any behaviors that I should watch out for to see if they are trying to fight or just play? The first ten minutes of running around they kind of ignored eachother or sniffed and ran off. I'm fine if they don't want to be buddies but I figured I would try and get them to be if they are willing :)

[Pennyorf]

I just went through the same thing with my two squirrels. It will take about a full 3 months of you being a watchful parent while letting them have free or outside cage time together before you can let your guard down.

You might have to run interference especially if one is more aggressive than the other. I was soooo scared that my older male would kill or seriously harm my younger female. Their is almost a 4 month age difference and she is just about 6 months old now.

He was not happy with her at first and tried to be aggressive and rude but now he is totally in love and she runs the show. She has taken over most of his nesting beds and if he tries to sleep in the same bed with her she will bitch him out and he will sulk away and go to a different bed.

They good news is, is that he is not aggressive towards her anymore. He loves her and chases her around like crazy but she has stopped running away from him and will actually go to him if he is not paying her enough attention. She has also started to allow him to groom her. So there is hope.

They can also be caged together now which is something I never thought possible. The only thing that they don't do is sleep in the same bed. But he attempts it and one day soon I'm sure she will allow it.

Oh, and they eat out of the same food tray without getting pissed at each other. They key to this is to never give them nuts in the shell. Shell the nuts first and it disarms their instincts some how and they won't fight over them.

Good luck. It will take some time but it should work out fine.

[Pennyorf]

I actually took all the nesting blankets and washed them and put them back so that they could start with a neutral territory. Got rid of all the markings of his territory so that they would be on equal ground. Seemed to work out fine because she didn't have to fight with whatever he had already marked at his. I hope this makes since.

[Mochi&Mocha]

I just went through the same thing with my two squirrels. It will take about a full 3 months of you being a watchful parent while letting them have free or outside cage time together before you can let your guard down.

You might have to run interference especially if one is more aggressive than the other. I was soooo scared that my older male would kill or seriously harm my younger female. Their is almost a 4 month age difference and she is just about 6 months old now.

He was not happy with her at first and tried to be aggressive and rude but now he is totally in love and she runs the show. She has taken over most of his nesting beds and if he tries to sleep in the same bed with her she will bitch him out and he will sulk away and go to a different bed.

They good news is, is that he is not aggressive towards her anymore. He loves her and chases her around like crazy but she has stopped running away from him and will actually go to him if he is not paying her enough attention. She has also started to allow him to groom her. So there is hope.

They can also be caged together now which is something I never thought possible. The only thing that they don't do is sleep in the same bed. But he attempts it and one day soon I'm sure she will allow it.

Oh, and they eat out of the same food tray without getting pissed at each other. They key to this is to never give them nuts in the shell. Shell the nuts first and it disarms their instincts some how and they won't fight over them.

Good luck. It will take some time but it should work out fine.

This is great to hear :). I've been letting them run around out together every night almost now and they've been okay. Neither of them is very aggressive but Mocha (the younger one) is very nervous I guess you could say. She gets scared easy and then she gets defensive but they haven't crossed paths really yet. I've only been letting them out for maybe 10 minutes together and then giving each of them some quality time. They are really attached to me so they both want to be on me at the same time and I do not want my face to be in the middle of the fight...seeing as they like to sit on my shoulders lol. Only once has Mochi done like a scratching motion towards Mocha. Mocha is blind in one eye as well so she gets spooked easy. So far so good though! Thanks for all the amazing information! I'll probably always just feed them nuts separately because the shell helps Mocha wear down her teeth. How are yours with Henry's Blocks? Those seem to be the food that they get very protective with as well.

As far as the scent and territory, I'm really glad you said that because I was planning on washing their entire room this weekend. It could use a good clean but I wasn't sure about their beds. I will definitely wash those as well :)

It sounds like you have some cute squirrels!

[Pennyorf]

I allowed my squirrels to use me as interference while allowing them to run all over me like a tree. Meaning if Mocha is the shy one, when they are both on you lift her away with your free hand from the other squirrel and kind of protect her with your hands or shelter her with your hands allowing the other to sniff her through your hands. Keep doing this over and over again if Mocha allows it.

She might allow it for a split second but split seconds add up. It is okay to be more protective towards one squirrel than the other. In my case, I was much more protective of my baby girl. Still am and she knows it. I think that it gave her the confidence that she has now.

Pawing at each other is normal in squirrel play. So is nibbling and rolling around on the floor together like kittens would do.

I am not afraid of my baby girl at my face. She gives kisses but the boy can be a mean biter and is scary at times but he never goes at her.

When they are on me I always choose her first, protect her and give her kisses and he will watch that closely. He witnesses how trusting she is with me and then decides to be nice because he just saw that I would not hurt her for the world. Which is weird because I had him first and bottle fed him from infancy but he has a mean evil streak that some squirrels develop no matter how much love you give them. HORMONES! BOYS!

[Pennyorf]

As far as henrys block, my squirrels have refused them. I'm left with spending spending tons of money at the grocery store buying a variety of fruit and veggies for them daily and also nuts. I fortify their water with calcium that you can find at your pet store. I also give them fresh oak branches to wear their teeth down which also provides them with ant larva for protein. They also love hibiscus flowers. When the palm date gets ripe- be careful of which ones you choose- some are dangerous- then they will get the non dangerous ones. Also in the winter they will get their acorns which they love. They also love avocado and endamamies.

[Pennyorf]

They will also eat a dead rolly polly, frog bones and live lizards which is gross and something you don't to witness but apparently they do that in the wild. Supposedly they will eat small birds and small rodents too. Who knew? There are you tube videos of grey squirrels devouring lizards.

[Pennyorf]

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[Mochi&Mocha]

I allowed my squirrels to use me as interference while allowing them to run all over me like a tree. Meaning if Mocha is the shy one, when they are both on you lift her away with your free hand from the other squirrel and kind of protect her with your hands or shelter her with your hands allowing the other to sniff her through your hands. Keep doing this over and over again if Mocha allows it.

She might allow it for a split second but split seconds add up. It is okay to be more protective towards one squirrel than the other. In my case, I was much more protective of my baby girl. Still am and she knows it. I think that it gave her the confidence that she has now.

Pawing at each other is normal in squirrel play. So is nibbling and rolling around on the floor together like kittens would do.

I am not afraid of my baby girl at my face. She gives kisses but the boy can be a mean biter and is scary at times but he never goes at her.

When they are on me I always choose her first, protect her and give her kisses and he will watch that closely. He witnesses how trusting she is with me and then decides to be nice because he just saw that I would not hurt her for the world. Which is weird because I had him first and bottle fed him from infancy but he has a mean evil streak that some squirrels develop no matter how much love you give them. HORMONES! BOYS!

I'm not too worried about them biting me or anything but I get pretty scratched up when they get upset. I just brought Mocha to the vet the other day (which she hates) and I got tore up lol. So I'm worried if they are both on my shoulders they might freak out and scratch my face in the process. Neither of them have ever hurt me on purpose luckily! They know that they can't bite me as hard and will play nice. What me and my boyfriend have also been doing is each of us holding one squirrel and letting them smell each other that way. They are pretty good with this but they get fed up with it and then they struggle to get away lol. Mochi tried to nip Mocha once but it looked more playful than anything.

[Mochi&Mocha]

As far as henrys block, my squirrels have refused them. I'm left with spending spending tons of money at the grocery store buying a variety of fruit and veggies for them daily and also nuts. I fortify their water with calcium that you can find at your pet store. I also give them fresh oak branches to wear their teeth down which also provides them with ant larva for protein. They also love hibiscus flowers. When the palm date gets ripe- be careful of which ones you choose- some are dangerous- then they will get the non dangerous ones. Also in the winter they will get their acorns which they love. They also love avocado and endamamies.

I guess I'm lucky that my squirrels love rodent blocks lol. That is their favorite. Sometimes they'll even choose those over nuts. Have you tried the picky eaters ones? Or the wild bite ones? When I have the wild bite ones I feed some of the squirrels outside them and they love it. I'm worried about giving them branches because I don't know what my apartment complex sprays on their trees/plants etc. I do get them some pinecones from my Moms house every once in awhile though.

[Mochi&Mocha]

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Awe what cuties! I'll upload some of my pictures when I get on my laptop tonight :)

[Mochi&Mocha]

They will also eat a dead rolly polly, frog bones and live lizards which is gross and something you don't to witness but apparently they do that in the wild. Supposedly they will eat small birds and small rodents too. Who knew? There are you tube videos of grey squirrels devouring lizards.

Yuck haha! I was just reading that thread on here the other day!

[Pennyorf]

I bought all three stages of Henrys block for 4 months or so. My squirrels would just hide them and would never eat them. Ever!

I too worried about pesticides with outside plants, trees, etc. but after a good rain and seeing wild squirrels and bunnies play in the brushes and trees I figured that they are ok and they are.

You do see wild squirrels in trees right? Maybe at your doctors office, hospital, or in gated communities? Those plants and trees are treated or groomed but squirrels still live in them.

I was a nervous wreck when I first got my squirrels and thought everything and anything would kill them. That is not the case however.

They are hardy and healthy and are rodents, like rats but with prettier tails.

I got pissed when my co worker called my babies rodents but in true actuality they are. They are hardier than you think they are. Not every little thing will kill or harm them or change their poop.

I would never steer you in the wrong direction.

[Pennyorf]

When I first joined this board I spent hours on the emergency help section because I was a first time squirrel mommy or squammy and was a nervous wreck.

[Mochi&Mocha]

I bought all three stages of Henrys block for 4 months or so. My squirrels would just hide them and would never eat them. Ever!

I too worried about pesticides with outside plants, trees, etc. but after a good rain and seeing wild squirrels and bunnies play in the brushes and trees I figured that they are ok and they are.

You do see wild squirrels in trees right? Maybe at your doctors office, hospital, or in gated communities? Those plants and trees are treated or groomed but squirrels still live in them.

I was a nervous wreck when I first got my squirrels and thought everything and anything would kill them. That is not the case however.

They are hardy and healthy and are rodents, like rats but with prettier tails.

I got pissed when my co worker called my babies rodents but in true actuality they are. They are hardier than you think they are. Not every little thing will kill or harm them or change their poop.

I would never steer you in the wrong direction.

Yeah I guess that is true! I guess I just worry so much because I have had a million problems with Mocha. I just spent $270 at the vet :(. I didn't think she would make it when I first got her but she is such a fighter :Love_Icon. The good news today is that I had both of my girls out today and although Mocha kept running away, Mochi is more than ready to play with her. She chased her around and tried to play but Mocha wasn't ready yet. No fighting/biting/scratching/or bad noises just chasing lol. Mocha tried to hide but she wasn't freaking out like I was worried she would. She was just sketched out and didn't want Mochi near her lol. I'm really proud of both of them :). One day at a time! I can't wait till Mocha is ready though. That sucks that yours won't eat rodent blocks :/. It makes things so much easier for me lol. They act like it's a treat every morning and night and it's healthy for them as well.

[Mochi&Mocha]

Here's a few pictures of my girls!

[virgo062]

Oh you will know the difference:rotfl Squirrels can be vicious...I would be careful with them around your face. They are wild animals and if spooked could really hurt you. Knothead just hangs on my chest but the other day Rick opened the oven door and scared him which made him fly up my chest and bite me on the chin:sanp3

[Mochi&Mocha]

Oh you will know the difference:rotfl Squirrels can be vicious...I would be careful with them around your face. They are wild animals and if spooked could really hurt you. Knothead just hangs on my chest but the other day Rick opened the oven door and scared him which made him fly up my chest and bite me on the chin:sanp3

Yeah they've gotten me good a few times after getting spooked. The worst has to be the vet though! Every time I bring them I walk out bleeding :rotfl. I'm just thankful they've never hurt me on purpose :Love_Icon.

I am very proud of both of them right now though! They are doing a great job! Mochi is dying to play with Mocha which I am happy about :multi. Mocha is still sketched out about Mochi but she is improving! She just doesn't want to play with her yet lol. She'll go near her but once Mochi goes to chase her or try and play she runs off and hides. Neither of them have been aggressive though which I am VERYYYYYYY thankful for :jump