My 13 week old is loose outside!

[virginia_arce2280]

Okay, my Sally, who is very fiesty and loves to escape her cage has managed to get herself outside. :sanp3 She is 13 weeks old. We live on 4 acres of woods and there are other squirrels around. I have my cats contained and my dog is tied up. I have food and water outside for her. what should I do!?! I've looked all over and can't find her anywhere. It's been about 4 hours. Do the babies normally come back when they're tired of their adventure? I am so sorry this happened and can't believe I let her get outside. :dono Any advice is very much appreciated.

[SammysMom]

Start by putting her cage outside where she can find it. She may just come back to that when she is done playing for the day. :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[daniellenc]

My male is MIA right now too, escaped while I was polyfilling their nest box in their cage. He came back after 2 hours, but the minute I opened the door ran off again. His cage is outside and dinner is there- they know where they live.

[virginia_arce2280]

OKay, well, I've got a little cage opened with food and water next to her cage with her brother and 2 other roommates outside where she escaped, so hopefully she'll decide to come back.
Thanks for the suggestions. I have been beside myself all day. I know she could find plenty to eat, but I'm worried about her sleeping arrangements if she decides to overnight this.:thinking

[Jackie in Tampa]

she'll just pancake on a branch and wait for morning once it gets dark..
however, it's feeding frolicking time right now...
the sqs are active at dusk...
hope she shows.

[virginia_arce2280]

Well, still no sign of her and I looked all around the house and saw some squirrels, but they looked like they knew where they were supposed to be. I have no idea where she could have gone. Hopefully she does okay through the night. I even put a pecan and some sunflower seeds in the cage with the food to hopefully entice her. Should I think about a have a hart trap? I don't have one but maybe I can borrow one? :shakehead

[daniellenc]

My male is out for the night too I'm sure he's fine. I saw him in the tree before dark and he came down only to be scared off by me. She'll lay low for the night and come on home tomorrow. At 13 weeks they wouldn't be in the nest with mom. They would be out learning to get food, nest, and live like a squirrel. I watched him traverse many trees with much agility for his first run, eat an acorn, and he even ran into his sister who is kept by my neighbor. Believe me when their good and ready they come home, but slowly they will eventually leave our manmade nests and build their own:(

[virginia_arce2280]

That is encouraging. I hope she will be okay.
Well I got up at the crack of dawn and fixed all the squirrelies breakfast and walked outside to see if I could call her down or saw her on the ground. I couldn't find her anywhere. I did see some smaller squirrels being chased by bigger squirrels in the trees. One could have been her, but never made an attempt to come down. I was able to get close to a young one almost exactly the same age as 3 of mine, but it wasn't her, so I'm wandering if they find one around the same age, will they hang out together?
She's easy to spot, because she's blind in one eye and that eye is smaller than the other one. I just hope she'll be okay. I go outside periodically walking around looking for her and calling her name with food, but inside when she would get out, she would never come to me and I don't think she'll come to me now that she's got a lot more space. For about 2 weeks now, she had been gnawing away at the bars like crazy trying to get out and was always ready at the door to slip by my hand. Any experience out there with these little ones surviving this young? I have been incredibly sad yesterday and this morning. I don't want to be the cause of her having a short life. Out of the 7 squirrels, I have 2 that are escape artists and always trying to find a way out and one was her.:shakehead

[jbtartell]

That is encouraging. I hope she will be okay.
Well I got up at the crack of dawn and fixed all the squirrelies breakfast and walked outside to see if I could call her down or saw her on the ground. I couldn't find her anywhere. I did see some smaller squirrels being chased by bigger squirrels in the trees. One could have been her, but never made an attempt to come down. I was able to get close to a young one almost exactly the same age as 3 of mine, but it wasn't her, so I'm wandering if they find one around the same age, will they hang out together?
She's easy to spot, because she's blind in one eye and that eye is smaller than the other one. I just hope she'll be okay. I go outside periodically walking around looking for her and calling her name with food, but inside when she would get out, she would never come to me and I don't think she'll come to me now that she's got a lot more space. For about 2 weeks now, she had been gnawing away at the bars like crazy trying to get out and was always ready at the door to slip by my hand. Any experience out there with these little ones surviving this young? I have been incredibly sad yesterday and this morning. I don't want to be the cause of her having a short life. Out of the 7 squirrels, I have 2 that are escape artists and always trying to find a way out and one was her.:shakehead
I think if she was that eager to get out she wiill be fine as long as she is weaned, she has spunk.. just leave some food out for her and if you have a nest box put it on the tree she ran up if possible.. now the other squirrels will eat too but usually when they are chomping to gett at a older age and weaned and act crazy to get out they are ready.. dont worry too much she should be fine:Love_Icon

[jbtartell]

and yes sometimes they will find some buddies to play and sleep with..:thumbsup

[virginia_arce2280]

and yes sometimes they will find some buddies to play and sleep with..:thumbsup


That makes me feel a lot better, thanks jbtartell.
The only problem with the nest box, is that I don't know what tree she went up. My dog kind of got excited and was chasing her a little (in a playful way, but the squirrel didn't know that) before I could grab the dog and chain her, I don't know which direction Sally went from there, so I don't know what tree she went up. I'm wandering if I should put out a couple where I know there are nests close by?