Help needed raising baby East of the GTA

[Canadian Shake]

6 week old (currently) male Grey squirrel (black in colour) saved about 2 weeks ago in the Durham Region.
Currently thriving after a steep learning curve. He has just about doubled in weight. Eyes open, front teeth erupted in the last week.
We had food/ferret cage/toys/heating blankets/bedding before he even got here, so he has everything he needs, short of a real mom.
4 hour feeding schedule. We are trying to introduce new "solid" foods (avocado) without any luck yet.
We/I don't have the situation here to effectively rehab the little guy past week 7-8 (we have 4 dogs, a cat and fairly dense neighbourhood with many more squirrels/dogs/cats. A soft release will be impossible). He needs more space and a better learning environment than we can offer.
Toronto won't take him and the nearest "licensed" rehabber is 90 minutes in any direction. We have not yet called to see if they will even take him because we are dealing with back to school priorities.
We sent a message to the FB page of a local woman at the beginning of the week. She calls herself the squirrelwhisperer and seems to have raised a couple of them. We didn't hear back so thought we would try here.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

And no, we won't be handing him over to someone who doesn't already have verifiable experience. :-)

Thanks for your help!!
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/images/smilies/bty.gif

[Canadian Shake]

Fellow members,
Please, please, please read my original post.
I am not sure why I am not getting any responses, but seriously, ANY suggestions you can offer would be most appreciated.
Is there a rehabilitator, another website, a person I can call..
Anything..
While this is not immediately life threatening, it will be in a week or 2.
And I don't want to euthanize him, but I am running out of options here.
Should I be posting this somewhere else?

[Milo's Mom]

Euthanize? I'd drive a mere 90 minutes before I even thought about euthanasia with someone else's brain!

Maybe you should call some of the rehabbers that are 90 minutes away...maybe they will know of someone that is closer to you with experience and space...just a thought...

[daniellenc]

I would start calling these people that are 90 minutes away asap. Winter is fast coming and s/he will need to be over wintered anyway. If you know your not up to the task then driving 90 minutes is a small service to make sure this guy get's the life he deserves. I have 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 kids; but the squirrels have their own room where we can keep them safe. It happens to be my daughter's room but other than sleeping and getting clothes she's just not allowed in without me there to make sure the door is shut and no animals can get in-she's actually been sleeping with me or in her bro's room since they came, lol.

Euthanasia is for animals that are already dying and not a means to rid someone of the responsibility of an animal they took in. Since you want him in experienced hands I am sure your not serious about that though just frustrated with squammy duties:D

[Scooterzmom]

Trying to contact someone from Toronto area for you. Don't give up... we can find a solution for you and this little one. Thank you for caring for him. At this age, however, he should still be on formula, 4 times a day - at 5-7% of his body weight per feeding. It's too soon for him to be relying on solids. You can offer a Teklad block for him to chew on but it won't be sustenance at this point, it's just for his teeth and for getting used to the taste of it.

You should read the Nutrition sticky, to make sure your little one has a good start and the best chances of survival.

[squirrelfriend]

Hi. I am in Mississauga. Where are you? I have lots of experience with squirrels.

[Canadian Shake]

Scooterzmom, thanks for your helpful reply. We have all the food/bedding/health issues secured and can manage him for another couple of weeks easily. It is really just preparing him for release that is impossible here.
Squirrelfriend, thank you for your reply and PM... you should have a repy PM in your inbox.

[Sher]

Scooterzmom, thanks for your helpful reply. We have all the food/bedding/health issues secured and can manage him for another couple of weeks easily. It is really just preparing him for release that is impossible here.
Squirrelfriend, thank you for your reply and PM... you should have a repy PM in your inbox.


Hi my name is Sherrie
and I rehab squirrels.
I've raised about 20 or so that TLC would not take because they were closed eyed.

We have an indoor out door sanctuary even in the city. We also took the ICS wild life and conservation course.

I would be more than happy to help raise the little guy.
We have a farm in orangeville with a barn where they may go safely once ready for release.

feel free to email me at
pandamonia_omd@yahoo.ca

thanks so much.
I'm here to help all squirrels in need.
Sher

"you can judge a nation by the way it treats its animals' Ghandi