Is this normal

[Oliver's mama]

I have had Oliver for almost 2 years. His eyes were still shut when I saved him from a hawk. He is very loved. He has a large cage and is out 3 or so hours everyday. He is very healthy and playful, also very loving. Every so often he gets mad ant makes his clicking noise and will attack.We get a little scratched up but he calms back down. A few weeks ago my boyfriend dropped a nut and Oliver thought we were taking it away from him, so he bit him and then I came down and got bit also. He calmed back down after we left him in the cage a bit. Every since he will all of a sudden get mad, not everyday, but more often the last two weeks. He clicks, makes his noises and flips his tail. He runs around and attacks, but like 5 minutes before he was laying on my lap and "cleaning" my face. Is this normal? We are just devastated, he is truly our little boy. I know that it is the end of mating season, could that be it? He is very healthy, and has plenty of exercise. Most of the time he is very loving. Please let me know if anyone has any thoughts~ Heartbroken....

[SammysMom]

Remember it is not personal! It is likely mating season related, but possibly he has a stash of nuts somewhere. You might want to really check the area. A stash can turn them into big jerks...:rofl4

[Oliver's mama]

I am hoping this is true. Up till the last few weeks he was always pretty good with his nuts. We would give him some and he would run and hide them. Now he acts like he is crazy. He has never seen outside so I really don't think it is because he is unhappy. Thank you for responding, I am praying it is true.

[SammysMom]

One nut is all he should have. If you give him more, he will hide them and then feel he needs to protect them.

[lukaslolamaus]

I'm not one of the experts here, but I know that they sometimes don't like changes.
Have you maybe started using a different laundry detergent or lotion?

[farrelli]

Also, what does he eat every day? It's usually one of the first questions we ask because diet is SO important for them and can negatively effect behavior.

[kastillo]

Diet is important. Please listen to the folks on here about that.
That clicking he's doing is probably teeth chattering. They do it when they are upset, but also after they've been chewing on stuff to file their teeth.

If you give him nuts and he stashes them in his cage, etc... the biting could be over him protecting his stash, you need to be careful about cleaning out his cage and his "stashes" often, so he does not get upset over protecting it, and biting you in the process.

Please look over our nutrition section here on diet, diet for captive squirrels can mean life or death if you don't get it right.

Also, your baby might be wilding up, have you ever considered releasing him? P.S. are you sure it's a him? Post a pic of the privates and we can tell you, LOL.

[grampyngramy]

Heck like they say if you own a squirrel you will get and scratched. Butters when he is feeling good will climb up my pants and sit on my shoulder then when I try to move him he will nibble at me, not always but sometimes. My can handle him just fine except when she gets ready for work she can't handle him after she puts on her body spray he will draw blood sometimes when she tries to pet him.

[pjjere]

I started a thread that sounds much like this one. Our squirrel, Nutkin, has undergone a bit of a personality change lately. He is still very energetic and playful but is much more likely to bite (hard sometimes) and scratch than he used to be. He is about 6 months old and his diet has not changed but I have stopped giving him any treats at playtime. This seems to have helped. Once he realizes that I don't have a treat for him he is less focused on my hands and pockets and mainly runs around his playroom like a lunatic (or a young squirrel having fun). BTW the treats we typically gave him were acorns or pecans and I agree that having acorns or nuts stashed all around his playroom is a recipe for aggressive behavior. To each his own but we are planning on soft releasing Nutkin in a month or two. He is too wild and healthy for indoors. Here is a link to the thread.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44837-Nutkin-has-turned-wild!

[Oliver's mama]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I do know that Oliver is a boy because his "parts" are about as big as his head;) I have raised two other squirrels Gigi and Rocky. When they were about 4 months old they started getting wild and I could no longer hold them. I did release them and they now live in my willow tree in the back yard. They still come and visit:). Oliver won't even leave the basement room he is in. I could leave the door open and he doesn't even venture out. I feel that he is too domesticated at this point, however if I have to I will take him to an animal rehab.

We cleaned out his cage tonight, which was frightening, but hopefully for the better. I won't mention how many nuts he had stored over the winter. We put those away for later and he is probably thinking vengeful thoughts right now. Lesson learned, clean out his cage more and watch his nuts. His diet includes carrots, fresh greens, snap peas, apples, and corn cobs. Nut wise I have acorns, hazlenuts, pecans, and walnuts. He also gets rodent pellets. I will try to post pictures, it will never let me when I try!!!

We so appreciate all of the responses! Like I said he is usually such a sweetie, laying on us watching tv or playing with his stuffed animals, which he still does it is just every so often the not fun side comes out! We will see if he is still angry tomorrow!

[farrelli]

That is his whole diet? No rodent blocks? If so, he's probably in poor health with MBD or well on his way to it, which is painful and can cause moodiness. Please let us know if he's not been getting blocks. We'd have to tell you how to treat him to get him on the road to recovery. His temperament may or may not have anything to do with it, but it is very serious. Here's what his diet should be:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[Oliver's mama]

I did state that he eats Rodent Pellets, I should have said blocks. While I may need to cut the nuts down a bit, it looks like the rest is exactly what we feed him. He is very healthy and active as you can see from the pictures I posted. Thanks!! :)

[farrelli]

Can you tell us what kind of blocks? Some are really horrible, made from corn, pressed seeds, etc. and can be as bad as no blocks. Don;t mean to harp, just want to make sure everything's OK.

[Oliver's mama]

You're fine! I'm at work right now so I am not sure. What would you recommend? I am always open to try new things!!

[farrelli]

The bare minimum that most people offer are Kaytee Forti-Diet (blue bag) or Harlan Teklad, but the vast majority of people here use Henry's (link below). They're the only ones made specifically for squirrels and are considered the gold standard. A bag lasts a month. Most people feel that the higher cost balances out in the end because you have to give more of the cheaper blocks to equate to the two Henry's that you're supposed to give every day. Some people on a budget will give one Henry's (HHBs) a day and supplement it with cheaper blocks.

http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

Do tell us what kind you have now though, or at least the ingredients. If he's got or on the way to MBD, we've got to start treatment.

[toybox]

:tinfoilHi Oliver's Mama,
I know from experience, exactly what you're talking about with Oliver.
He's got two NORMAL things going on.. It is mating season as you suggested and squirrels have had a thousand years to Go Nuts twice a year (in most climates). It's not personal.. that's who they are! Second, the "food aggression" with the nuts and biting is exactly what farrelli said it was. Squirrels have to fight for their food in the wild. You and everyone in your house knows Oliver is inside... except Oliver.
(Peeing at you is another un-pleasant thing you're probably used when he's in a 'mood'.) These bits are as natural as climbing trees to a Squirrel.
Sounds like you saved Oliver's life! But... Don't wait for a "thank you card". He is always going to be looking for a mate or 5 !! :poke

The pictures below are of Faraday. Thought you'd like to see a little guy who has "whooped up" on me and everyone else since he came home with us. He's about 6 1/2 months old. Recovered from a broken leg (a dog bite as a pinkie). He's being RELEASED TOMMOROW..
He can't wait to grab that last pecan and head for the trees!!
Guaranteed.. he won't say "thank you". But everyone who'se ever met him loves him. I know he'll have a wonder filled life!! I love him! (sniff...)
I Talk Too Much!:grin2


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