relocating grey squirrel

[youshouldaboughtasquirrel]

i work in a parking garage booth where i feed these squirrels. most come when i call, but mainly are scared of humans. but theres this one who comes every day no matter what, hes not scared of me or my co workers and follows me if i leave the booth. well the building behind me has hired someone to trap and remove the invading squirrels. the guy turned out to be pretty cool, today i asked if he caught mine, would he let me take him to my backyard. im afraid where he releases them, this one squirrel is too tame, and wont forage well. he said ok, so ive been wondering a couple of things. ive noticed a group of 3 trees in my yard that dont seem to have any squirrels residing there. i want to know how i could encourage him to go to these trees. i know when i did free one trapped squirrel he took off really far and im afraid if that happens here, he wont come back to my yard, where he is garunteed a lifetime supply of munchies. i just want him to run up those trees and make his home there! would he go to a box if i put one up there with peanuts in it? any suggestions would help, as this could happen anyday. thanks!

[Secret Squirrel]

Hi youshouldaboughtasquirrel !! ( i hope I got it right)
This is just friendly advice from one squirrel lover to another!!
The squirrels in my yard seem to have territories, along with some being more dominate than others.
I released a squirrel in the fall and she was run ragged. She was chased down by her own mother (that's a different story) and siblings.
I did a soft release and hoped she would stay close by. Her nest is in our neighborers yard, however she comes back to feed and play in my yard daily. You can try to keep him in a large cage under the trees for a few days until he gets used to the surroundings. Just keep plenty food and water and see what happens. Your yard will be perfect for a city squirrel!!!:crazy
Becca

[thundersquirrel]

if you can find a large enough cage, i suggest doing what Secret Squirrel suggested but give him a wooden nest inside the cage.

if you have a wood box, you can put a hole in it with a circumference of about a tangerine or small-ish orange. you could also buy a squirrel house, or buy a large bird house and enlarge the hole. put that in the cage, give your squirrel nesting material (old clean t-shirts, dish cloths, dry leaves, etc.) and he'll make it his home.

after his adjustment period in the cage (i'd give it a week unless he seems really uncomfortable in a cage) wait until it's a nice, warm day outside. in the morning, when he's in the box, cover the hole of the box, take it out of the cage, and hang it on the tree about ten feet up (make sure the nail(s) is/are already there). put out lots of food that day, both for him and the locals, cause usually squirrels fight when there's a lack of food.
this way, he'll have a home already established, and if he runs out he will most definitely come back in the evening.

if you have any questions or concerns about this process, talk to me! i'm on spring break, i'll be here all week. ;)

[Scott McCargar]

... put out lots of food that day, both for him and the locals, cause usually squirrels fight when there's a lack of food.


Wild squirrels suffer 75% attrition in the first year of life because they get
pushed out of the only place they know by the established landholders.
When four new eastern grays were released in my yard, I saw that all the
nuts I put out for them were commandeered by the enormous western grey
who owns my place. The little guys were chased every which way.

My backyard is a hillside with really dense shrubs at the top, under the
trees. I bought a slingshot (no, it's not what you're thinking), and
some unshelled walnuts and almonds from the supermarket. I commenced
my practice of lifting mortar shots into the bushes all across the back
of my yard.

The big western gray now has plenty of food, so the territorial pressure is
reduced. And anyway, the thicket is thick enough that he can't see kids
copping nuts in the left side of the bushes if he's on the right. It's out of
his control.

If you can scatter nuts all over, newcomers of any age will have a better
chance to establish themselves.

I'm tapering the food supply now. There may yet be a shakeout,
but the new guys will be much bigger and more savvy about the
wild when it happens.

[ Am I too wordy? ]

-- Scott

[muffinsquirrel]

What a neat idea, Scott - I'm gonna keep that in mind.

muffinsquirrel

[youshouldaboughtasquirrel]

thanks for all the suggestions! is a 3 x 2 x 2.5 ft dog cage good? if i end up doing this, at least now i know what to do. im already looking around town for a squirrel box, since im no carpenter. so it'll just be up to whether or not he freaks out.
when i put seeds and nuts in my yard, i do spread it all out in the yard, if i spread it out far enough, ill have a dozen little squirrels n birds in the yard, (mostly) keeping respectful distances from each other. my dog, cat, and i all sit at the window and watch them like tv.
the slingshot idea is funny, and good. it sure would keep me from stepping in dog poo!
thanks again, ill keep you updated.:thankyou

[thundersquirrel]

i submit to Scott about the food. :)

i think the cage will be fine if it's only for a week or less. but just to let you know, the cage we have outside is 4 x 4 x 8.

prrrrrretty big. and we're JUST meeting the DNR standards. so make sure it's a small amount of time that he's in there.