Sadie (of Sadie and Stitch)

[Spanky]

This is not necessarily an intro, but in Feb 2014 I reached out to TSB about one of a pair of "pinkies" I was helping; specifically Sadie and Stitch... here is that original post:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44593-Swollen-bloody-genitals-sucking-damage-!/page2

I was asked to post pics of Stitch's sis Sadie when she was grown and released. I did not think it appropriate to post in the original life threatening thread so here are some pics of Sadie. Quick background: Sadie arrived here on Feb 4 and started roaming outside during the day outside on April 7, 2014. I work from my home office so I saw her frequently with the dozens of wilds here (and the occasional chipmunk) and three other greys we have released here. She would return to her cage every evening for many, many weeks... more than any of the other babies we’ve had to date. May 1, 2014 was her first night outside… I spent most of the evening watching her construct her very first nest (that is no longer occupied). She did return to her cage and nest box one particularly stormy, cold night about a week later (sorry do not have exact date). After getting a good dinner she went right into her nest box and was not heard from until morning… after a good breakfast, out the door she went and has been there since. Visiting often for treats (hard to ignore her staring into my office windows; think Snoopy from Peanuts… a trick she learned from a male (Shep) released last fall!). She is now a regular fixture in what I have termed our “squirrel pit” where literally dozens of fuzz balls visit most every day. Sadie is doing great and is a very social with humans (a little worrisome?) and is quick to climb all over anyone that wanders out onto our deck and seek out treats.
Here is Sadie just before she started exploring the great out doors on April 2:
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Here she is around the time she started spending most days outdoors. She is on our "squirrel" bridge that runs from the deck to a big oak. All the squirrels use the bridge but it has been there since our first release... the little ones have a hard time returning to their release cage on the deck without the bridge:
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And here is Sadie today munching on some almonds and blueberries:
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[SammysMom]

Sadie is beautiful!!! Good job!!!:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

[VtVince]

She's so cute. You still see her every day? That sounds like a perfect outcome.
:highfive

[Spanky]

Sandy has recently had babies and her habits have changed tremendously... we released her 3+ years ago and I would have thought she had litters previously, but this is the first time I have noted significant changes. We live in a remote area with lots of trees and plenty of wild land... and dozens (literally) of almost daily squirrel visitors. Sandy, who would visit me in my office almost daily, with very few exceptions, only comes around in the extreme late evening or extreme early morning... but I only know that now. Sandy’s pre-release cage was in my office… she spent several weeks there before release and is well acquainted (she was about 7-8 weeks old when she arrived here). I was recently panicked after we had not seen her for more than a week. In the past I could actually call out her name and she'd usually come acrobatically through the treetops to visit me (and get treats). After some diligence I discovered her visiting in an extremely late evening and early morning pattern. Not only that but she is very stand-offish with me. She wants nothing to do with entering the house (office); previously she'd “knock” on the office door when I was there and I would open the door a crack and she'd come and go as she pleased, climbing on me at times when she was not able to locate any treats. Only Sandy and a couple of the other releases are brave enough to enter my office!

And I have also noticed lately, on the rare occasions when she does make her presence known, that she is apprehensive of me, but not so much my wife or my daughter. To illustrate, I had observed her late evening visits (I proclaimed with “65% certainty”) to what I affectionately refer to as our "squirrel pit"… but I was still not certain it was Sandy. I spotted this squirrel I suspected to be Sandy while my daughter was here and asked her to confirm that the squirrel I thought was Sandy, was in fact, Sandy as she is well acquainted with Sandy. My daughter called out Sandy's name and she scampered right up onto the deck and took some treats right from her hand... all the while ignoring me (purposefully). That confirmed my suspicions that this visitor I had been spotting was Sandy, despite the total change in behavior. A few days ago (I was out of town), Sandy spent nearly a half hour with my wife extremely early in the morning (first crack of sunlight) while Sandy had a hearty, healthy breakfast. Sandy’s change of habits has been significant, and I had been tempted to ask the TSB folks, with their vast amounts of experience, if this is typical (I guess I just finally just DID ask?). Sandy is the sweetest thing, always gentle and I, at one time, would have told you she had no (zero) fear of me… in fact I may have gone so far as to say I may be her best friend? But things have changed. My assessment is that her visits with me in the office (she always hated the "crowds" in the squirrel pit... and I thought she relished the special treatment?) is not acceptable to her any longer… too much risk of being trapped in the office… or that cage that is still there (typing this makes me think I should try relocating that cage at least for now?). That’s never happened before, her being “trapped” inside, but maybe she does not want to risk that now that she has little ones? And my wife and daughter’s past interactions were mostly outdoors (it’s a theory!). So she is around, just with a much busier schedule and a shift in priorities.

And now on to Sadie… she was release spring 2014 and we are sure she is now pregnant... maybe 4-5 weeks? I witnessed her being wooed by a hoard of males in early July sometime. Sadie was a daily visitor until just the past week or 10 days. Her routine is becoming more and more unpredictable. Just wondering if I should expect the same sort of patterns from Sadie we’ve seen with Sandy?!?!?

:thankyou

[lovesmice]

I love success stories. You did a wonderful job and your Sadie is a beautie. As for your Q about behavior, I just feed the locals so do not have the experience as a rehabber to answer, but I hope I can somewhat help by suggesting you post this under the Grey sub-category of the Breed Specific category, too. It is a very popular category so you will get a lot of Grey squirrel people reading it. (Go to "Breed Specific, Pet Squirrels and UK Information" then go to "Breed Specific" then go to "Grey Squirrel Forum".)

(I like how you have a bridge for your squirrels. My husband made one for our squirrels from a huge tree branch so they have access from the ground to the deck and it sees constant use.)

[Spanky]

Thanks for the reply LM, and suggestion to post my "behavior" questions to the "Grey Squirrel Forum". Since posting this, Sandy is coming around much more often.. more frequent but still very businesslike (food!) and she is definitely nursing.

Sadie on the other hand, has been a no show for several days. I suspect she has had her babies and I pray she is doing well and will be back to visit very soon.

So... now I am seeing the same pattern with Sadie. While that does not represent a significant (statistically?) sample pool, I think I have stumbled over the answer to my own questions (or maybe worries?!).

[Spanky]

[My last unquestionable Sadie sighting was 9/9. At that time I am certain she was pregnant and squirrels were becoming scarce around here. I believe in part because 2 females (Sandy and Ms. Tyson) had nests with babies and they were being very territorial.

This week I had been seeing a lactating female that looked very familiar. Or maybe I just want her to look familiar? She is wary, but not as much as the wilds but at the same time not willing to get more than 10 feet from me. Today this female got onto the window sill outside my office but when I went outside she ran off. She came back later and I got some pics. I really want to believe this is our Sadie. She was born in January and its been over 2 months now, so I would think it perfectly reasonable to expect she has wilded up quite a bit... not to mention having had babies?

Here is a side by side if Sadie in June and the squirrel from today:
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And another of Sadie in April and what I hope is Sadie today:
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Whaddayathink... could this be the same squirrel?!?!

[Spanky]

Sadie came back!

This time I have zero doubt; my previous definitive visit with Sadie was September 9.

At first I thought is was our Sandy, who visits every day... but this girl was was at a feeding station Sandy never uses. So I walked out and said hello. Since this girl did not move... and Sandy is the only one around (recently) that will let me walk right up and hand her a treat, I did not think much about it. By the time she was ready for her second treat I realized this was not Sandy, so I made her stand on her hind legs to get her treat... I needed to know if this was a boy or girl. This was a girl. So I petted her, and she was perfectly fine with that (I bet she would have given armage if she were not eating!)... Sandy only allows me to give scritches on rare occasions. And this girl's tail was longer, was not as full as Sandy's and Sandy's tail has a distinct "torpedo" shape (though her babies have this trait as well). And this one had too much gray and too little brown coloring to be Sandy. And she was thinner than Sandy is right now; she had that thin look the mommies get for a week or two after the babies stop nursing. And, and, and (there were lots of signs)!

I am also now wondering if the very small baby I have been seeing, thinking it was Ms. Tyson's runt but seemed too small, might from an entirely different litter.... maybe Sadie's?!?! But mid-visit with Sadie I caught a glimpse of a large bird and then another flying around the scrub brush at the shoreline and I had just seen a squirrel down there moments before so I went to investigate; it turned out to be a pair of pileated woodpeckers and not the RTH I feared it may be. When I got back to the deck Sadie was leaving but I saw her go off in the opposite direction from Sandy's home! The direction Sadie always goes.

I am just thrilled and extremely relieved. I hope she starts coming around regularly again... you know I will be looking for her tomorrow (my wife missed her today and I will be so thrilled to reunite them!!!).

:serene

[HRT4SQRLS]

Great news Spanky. :thumbsup

I'm so glad that Sadie returned to let you know that she's fine.
What a special day. :grin2