took on too much...

[goddessmary]

Hello.....so I took in ivan aroouund the 2nd week of septrmber. He was about 5/6 wks old. I feed him henrys healthy block, fox valley, veggiess and limit the fruit and one nut a day. He gets free range of the house, currently sleeps in a hammock in a large bird cage at night and we have a large dog kennel that is set up with braches and hammocks and lots of fun squirrel toys and this is where I usually feed him, since the idea was to transition him into it when he is bigger. Lately, he has been very grumpy and actually bit me enough to break the skin when one of my friends was over. He totally flipped out. He is a singleton and I thnk he is lonely. I work from home so he gets me all day until my hubby gets hime and takes him. We play with him all the time...but he has so much energy and the roughness is starting to bother me. He made a nest today in a shoe box in my office which was fine but when he woke up and saw me, he freaked at me again and went to bite me. I am wondering if I should give him to someone with a few squirrels. Even tho it would break my heart to do so......

[ALittleNutty]

Sounds like pretty normal behavior to me. When he starts getting too rough then you need to squeal or do something that lets him know to stop. His litter mates would have done that when things got too rough and since he didn't have those he just doesn't know.

[kastillo]

You shpuld probably start the soft release process in the spring. He probably would not accept other squirrels at this point. Sounds like he is already being territorial with you two, he would be much worse to another squirrel. Yoy have to remember he still is a wild animal and even though raised alone , heis wilding up and being territorial towards you and the husband.. You guys are just going to have to understand is the wild squirrel and start the soft release early in the spring.

[stepnstone]

Just for clarity, when you took on Ivan what were your intensions then ?
Raise to release or other... ?

The aggression/ stranger danger when the friend came over,
not unusual. :sorry

The shoe box thing makes me curious if he didn't have something
"stashed" in there. They can get real protective over their stash.

I yelled at my girl once for biteing the dog's tail while he slept...
she attacked me about 10 minutes later coming at me like a little
Edward scissor hands! They don't forget much either!
Welcome to the world of the wild.:rotfl

[farrelli]

Has anything changed in the environment? Locations of stuff, deodorant, soap, anything? We see this A LOT and sometimes they will have to be released, unless they are unreleasable due to health issues, friendliness with cats, etc., but usually either a solution is found or they calm down on their own. He also could be in heat. It's a little late for it, but it would not be unheard of.

[Duckman]

HLately, he has been very grumpy and actually bit me enough to break the skin when one of my friends was over. He totally flipped out. He is a singleton and I thnk he is lonely. I work from home so he gets me all day until my hubby gets hime and takes him. We play with him all the time...but he has so much energy and the roughness is starting to bother me. He made a nest today in a shoe box in my office which was fine but when he woke up and saw me, he freaked at me again and went to bite me.

I started having this with Rex, when he was about 6 months old. Because Rex is a non-release due to seizures, soft release wasn't an option. I ended up having him neutered (not optimal, but if your guy is not releasable, and is getting too aggressive, that might be your only choice). Luckily, we have a good wild vet here, and the procedure went without a hitch. One thing on that though, is that he will put on more weight after the neutering, so you will have to watch his diet, otherwise he will run a greater risk of diabetes.

[Unikorngrrl]

Most squirrels don't care for stangers, especially once they start maturing. The fact that he bit you with a stranger there is not unusual at all. Personally, I don't back down if they show any sign of agression. I go ahead like they aren't behaving any differently, b/c I don't want them to think they can intimidate me. I do have to take care of them and be able to handle them if they get sick. It's keeping the aggression issue at bay for me b/c none of them are aggressive. Make sure he doesn't have any food or nut stashes. For one they don't need that many nuts, 2- stuff gets yucky and you don't want him to eat it, and 3 (as already stated) they will get aggressive over a stash. Everyone is right though, he is wild and this behavior should be expected. It's one of the main reasons we don't recommend trying to keep healthy squirrels captive. Good Luck :thumbsup

[goddessmary]

Thank you all! He's back to his oold self today. I swear, he has pms sometimes!

[CrazySquirrelLady]

If you think he needs a new home, we will try and find someone to take him. It is my experience that when boy squirrels start biting, it just keeps on happening. they make a death rattle noise, chittering their teeth when they are about to bite most times.

[BigNibbler]

This is excellent advice! I know a lot of people talk to sqees like they are babies, but then go silent when talked back to, or just blurt out an something bad.
They do not have words they communicate with sounds, and with touch.
I make sounds to convey the good and the bad. Basic sound, not words.
If one tries to bite, you have 3/4 of a second to respond with sound and action for them to identify that response with their causality.
I like to accompany that with a tight restraining for about five seconds.
This definitely works.
It is important to remember they are either frustrated, made a mistake or most likely trying to tell you something with their limited means.



Sounds like pretty normal behavior to me. When he starts getting too rough then you need to squeal or do something that lets him know to stop. His litter mates would have done that when things got too rough and since he didn't have those he just doesn't know.

[ellymay]

Ya know I had similar problem with my Trooper. Looked like I had gotten a manicure from Freddy Kruger. But I started making squeaky injured animal noises and gently yet firmly restraining him for a few seconds when he got too rough and it took me being consistent for a little over a week but I just make that same noise of squeakiness and he will stop right away. I think squirrels get moody just like any other animal and yes territorial. But the squeak and consistency really helped me. I hope things work out for you!