Squirrel scared of cage

[WaltersFamily]

Hello all, we were just looking for some guidance with the squirrel we rescued. The situation is as follows, a few months ago we found a baby squirrel stranded on the ground in front of our house. His eyes were not open, and after giving him several hours to be taken in by his mother, we made the decision to bring him in temporarily. After stabilizing him, we attempted to find a rehabber to take him in. We were unable to find anyone who could take him and were advised to either have him euthanized (as he was considered vermin) or put him outside and "let nature take its course". These were obviously not viable options. As such, we decided to take him in and do what we could to help him along as best we could.

We had him in a birdcage to start, but we moved him to a larger double layer cage about two weeks ago. He had been doing quite well, enjoying the extra the space and playing with all his toys until just a few days ago. He has suddenly become tentative about the bottom of the cage, and us as well. We are not sure what might have caused this, and our research has not come up with any results. We want to help him, but we are not sure what is the cause of the problem. Any help or advice would be appreciated, and we will do our best to answer any questions anyone may have about the situation.

Thank you in advance for your help, we appreciate it, and Walter does too!

[SammysMom]

I think most of them go through a "fear stage". It seems to pass for them and they get more sure of themselves again. Be sure there is enough padding (fleece) on the bottom so there won't be any falls taken to the hard floor.:grouphug

[WaltersFamily]

Thats what we had figured, our only concern is that he WAS fine for a few weeks but now he is fearful. We aren't sure what would have changed.

[SammysMom]

It is something in their own head that changes. Not environmentally...mentally :D

[WaltersFamily]

Thanks for the advice, I hope nobody minds if we keep the situation up to date on this thread if there is any improvement or change in the situation. Say hi to Sammy!