Night owl squirrel

[Neely]

I just have a strange question, I have 3 now 8 month old squirrels fixing to be released next week, a female an 2 males. The female since she opened her eyes stays up most of the night, she still does this. She doesn't sleep a lot during the day either. Is this a normal thing or is she just strange? The boys go in the nest box at dark an stay there until daylight!

[Rhapsody]

Have you started the squirrels on their soft release yet? --this is where you place them in a release cage outside so they can become acclimated to the wild, the sounds around them and the light verses day and night..... this time usually takes 30 days, but can take longer for some squirrels --during this you no longer have contact with the squirrels other than feeding time so they can wild up and get to know the wild life around them.

[Neely]

They've been outside for about 3 weeks now, I can look out my back door and see the cage is how I know she's awake. Today or tomorrow I'm moving the cage out to the woods.

[Rhapsody]

A few more questions......
Does she have a nest box in her cage so she can retreat to it and hide away at night? How far away from the house is her cage and is it around trees where other squirrels can visit her?

If moving her cage further into the woods does not help acclimate her to the wild then you will prob have to consider giving her to another rehabber to wild her up..... I have taken in a few squirrels from other people when their squirrels would not wild up for them, but they did for me "a stranger" --keep trying and know that for your precious squirrel to wild up you must distant your self from them.

:grouphug

[Neely]

She has a nest box, the cage isn't very far from the house, I bet moving it to the woods will help. A few other squirrels stop by an visit the cage. She will only come up to me she doesn't like anyone else. She's in a cage with 2 males to they seem a lot wilder than her, I've had all 3 of them since last October so I think they kinda think they are pets!