Squirrel Box Amenities

[Dalek Nation]

Made a new post for a seperate question:

I've read a lot about 'sock-buddies' and small squares of fleece, etc.. that you folx put in your box's with your baby squirrels. I guesstimate my guys to be a little under three weeks old (pics from yesterday and from a week before can be found here http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39637

I don't have anything on top of the tea-towel with them... are they too young to have a strip of fleece/'sock-buddy' or any other items in there with them? I'm going to be changing thier set-up today to accomidate a heating pad I will hopefully find at cvs (only place in town I haven't checked.)

I would LOVE either a link to or posts of your guy's squirrel boxes for little ones this young. And do you change things much when the eyes finally open?

[xHiCCUPx]

Get rid of the towels. The loops can cause their nails to get caught and they can be injured. Replace it with fleece or old t-shirts. They aren't too young for rice buddies so you can add them, just make sure there are no hot spots that can burn them. Also, give them a small stuffed animal (with eyes/noses that aren't made of plastic) they will cuddle up to it and when they older will play with it. As for when they get older, a box won't suffice anymore (they will climb out and run amuck in your house) you will need a big cage. At first limit what they can climb on/the height they can climb so they don't fall and get hurt; but as you see them starting to become better climbers you can add branches to the cage so they have things to play on. You are also gonna want to put fleece or old t-shirts in their big cage just like you did the box, though they probably won't want to sleep on the bottom of the cage anymore so a nest box of some sort should be added. A lot of people also like adding hammocks and tubes for their squirrels to playin so when they get older, you can check those out as well :)

[Dalek Nation]

Thanks hiccup. I was unsure about putting anything in with them at thier age but that helps a lot. I alreadydo the bags of rice thing after every feeding, I can rewarm a sock buddy at the same time. My wife took away the terry-cloth towel the first day when she noticed what you described, the kitchen towel like in the last pic there in my other post is loop-less and smooth... i love the idea of the fleece though as I always worry about them getting cold.
IslandRehabber mentioned in another post that in a real nest they would be way down in the bottom of a buncha bedding, this makes me more confident that I won't smother them just by adding an additional strip of fleece in with them.
I keep thier box in an old dog kennel, I'm thinking of putting up mesh or wire on the outside of his crate when they get older so they can't slip out and use it as thier future home. Yes, I keep the box in the crate becasue I have a dog and cat; I am hoping they never see eachother though because ideally I would like to release these guys back on campus. I keep the crate in a guest bedroom with lots of plants and sunlight (not direct sun so the box won't heat).

[rusty's mom]

Thank you for understanding that release is best for a healthy squirrel. Nothing gives you more satisfaction than to see the life that you helped take off into the trees enjoying what they were meant to be. They are so happy to be free. :)

[farrelli]

Looks like your account has been approved, so now you can post all the pics you want! (Hint, hint...)

[farrelli]

Oh, seeing that you have a cat, you should know that cat bites, even nips, can be quite deadly. If that ever happens, antibiotics will be necessary. Cipro is best for most things, seeing that you're apparently proactively getting some on hand, which is a very good idea! Thanks for being such a contentious daddy!

[Dalek Nation]

As I get pics I'll start posting them (yay I have the little attachments icon now :) )
The cat should never be a worry, he's a lazy old thing that hopefully will never even see the babies. Thank you for telling me about Cipro though, I'll add that to the list of things I will find out if my wife can get from her work. My biggest fear is just the pneumonia right now, but I think I've read everything you guys have ever said about that (including watching the Fudgie video, with the clicky sounds) so I know what to look for and what meds are best.
Hopefully I can add pics tomarrow, I wish I had a before and after of "One's" belly... it looked so bad when I first brought her home and it is almost fully healed now. The vet tech who looked at it said she would be fine, but I wasn't so sure until yesterday.

thanks to all of you

[farrelli]

Sorry, I meant Baytril. Cipro is the human form of essentially the same drug.

[SammysMom]

:thumbsup
Sorry, I meant Baytril. Cipro is the human form of essentially the same drug.

[stepnstone]

IslandRehabber mentioned in another post that in a real nest they would be way down in the bottom of a buncha bedding, this makes me more confident that I won't smother them just by adding an additional strip of fleece in with them.
They will and do like to burrow, my girl has her box stuffed so full I have to wonder how she even gets in it.
It's basically one big ball of 6"x 8" fleece pieces that she's hollowed out a baseball size center that she curls up in.

[Dalek Nation]

Thanks for the reassurance guys. This weekend I'll try to pick up some fleece fabric, until then I've got strips from some old scrubs in with them, plus two sock buddies that I re-nuke at feeding time to keep the one warm while I feed the other.

Further info on thier story I'll post at http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=860207#post860207, which is your guy's Nursery section.