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Hart75
04-26-2007, 09:00 AM
My younger son (8) was making a habit of getting Chip out and letting him run around his room every afternoon. Both really seemed to enjoy this, but the last 2 times, Chip has bitten my son and drawn blood. There didn't seem to be any reason for the bite & now my son is afraid of Chip and will not take him out anymore.

He bit my bf once as well. He nibbles at me, but has never actually bitten me. But, I always pull away, tap his head and say NO. Maybe that's why? Or maybe it's beacause I'm his primary caregiver (don't bite the hand that feeds you). I wondered if I got everyone else to start feeding him more often & giving him his favorite treats that maybe he wouldn't bit them, either? Or, do they need to do what I do with the tap and "NO".

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t163/garnetgirl29/Squirrel%20Pics/April151.jpg

acorniv
04-26-2007, 09:26 AM
Is this a pet squirrel or are you rehabbing? If you are rehabbing it is advised that you limit contact to one caregiver with one backup if possible. If this is a pet, you might at this point reconsider, because I don't think your little biter is pet material! They get much more aggressive when they hit puberty and if your squirrel is the age in the photo, you haven't seen real biting yet :D My neighbor showed me the scar he has on his thumb form where his pet one bit to the bone.

There are a few that don't bite, but I think I read it is one in ten? and it sounds like yours is not one of those. Mine play bites ( she is 10-11 weeks old) but is careful not to do damage. You are describing something different - an animal that is protecting itself. I'd look at each incident and what was going on that made the squirrel feel protective. It may be that the males in your life are rougher than you and the squirrel feels it has to respond in kind. Wild animals read body language far more accurately than humans do. We rely too much on spoken language and miss a lot of cues. If you learn to read squirrel body language ( which is as full and rich as our spoken one!) you will be able to anticipate biting moods and learn the whys of behavior which you can then manage better or work around. For example, mine gets hyper when she is anxious. We get scratched more then, so it's not fun for us, but it's also not a happy time for her. I put her in her cage so she can regroup and perhaps as little as 5 minutes later she is calm enough to try again.

Hope that helps! I'm sorry your little boy got bitten.

acorniv
04-26-2007, 09:34 AM
I wondered if you are in the South because your Chip looks exactly like my Miss Hickory at that age - right down to the black on his nose that most grays don't have. I was just describing her - as she grew her fur became sleek so she has no fluff at all, and she is tiny compared to others here. One of the rehabbers said that Southern grays are smaller and less fluffy because it's warm here. Chip will get saffron colored spats in a few weeks :Love_Icon

I agree with Gamma - Chip looks to sweet and innocent to bite - HA! :rotfl

Hart75
04-26-2007, 10:14 AM
Thanks so much for the info. I am planning to release Chip. I would love to keep him forever, but I honestly don't think it's fair to keep him as a pet. He's perfectly healthy and very energetic, so I feel that once he's old enough, he will be much happier as a free squirrel.

I think he is 10 - 11 wks. old now. I'm basing that on his eyes opening March 19.

Ok, I guess I just won't encourage anyone else to handle him sine I am planning to release him.

i very much hope that when the time comes, he will come back to visit me. I'll gladly give him treats or a refuge from bad weather if he'll have it.:D I just might have to keep these monkey biscuits on hand even after he's released since he seems to enjoy them so much.

Hart75
04-26-2007, 10:16 AM
Oops, yes we are in the south. NC. I'm originally from Indiana, and we mostly had black squirrels there. I did wonder about the red in Chips's fur.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t163/garnetgirl29/Squirrel%20Pics/April185.jpg

pamela lee
04-26-2007, 11:02 AM
My squirrel Peanut started biting at about that age. If he's sitting in my lap and someone reaches towards me he will lunge at them. He's drawn blood on my DH and BF. He only play bites me. The older they get the squirrelier they get. Which is really what you want if you will be releasing them to the wild. Peanut has a little black stripe on his nose. Picture 1 he's 2 months old. Picture 2 and 3 he's 3 months. 4 was right after his release 1 1/2 months ago. 5 is recent.