Moving/concerned about dependent squirrel

[TJW]

Hello,

For about the past two years we have fed a squirrel who frequents our backyard on Staten Island. We have been giving him large servings of nuts about once (sometimes several times) a day, and he knows us well enough not to become frightened when we approach. He waits and begs in the same place each day. He used to be the most dominant, assertive squirrel around - would chase other squirrels that would come for his food. Recently, though, he seems to be slowing down, and will sometimes get chased away - I think he is, perhaps, getting old, and has become more dependent on us than ever. We will be moving to New Jersey in a couple of weeks, and are sorry we did not consider this matter sooner so that we could have weaned him slowly from his dependence on us for food. We are moving to a house with a huge backyard and a private, fenced in, section of woods. The previous owners tells us he's seen few squirrels--mostly chipmunks--in the area.

Question: if we trapped him and released him in the new backyard, would he stay, become acclimated, come to us for food, and possibly survive, or is this an unrealistic thought?

We would greatly appreciate any feedback. Thank you.

[ALittleNutty]

Really not sure what advice to give on this one but I am responding so it will :bump your post back up to the top of the page for the morning crew.

[CritterMom]

Poor boy. There is no real answer for this. To relocate him you would need to have a large outdoor release cage that he could live in and acclimate himself to the area before he was released into it. Which would mean he would need to cooperate with being caged for a bit. Otherwise you are taking him from everything he knows.

Is there anyone of your neighbors that might give him treats if you bought them for him?

[TubeDriver]

It will be tough to leave your little friend. But if he is essentially a healthy wild squirrel, he will be fine without your treats. He will miss you and your treats but he will quickly fall back onto his natural diet, he probably stills eats some wild food in addition to the treats you provide.

Trapping and relocating him will put tremendous stress on him. The trapping itself can go wrong, he could injure his teeth on the cage bars and then being released in a new place where he does not know the neighbors, other animals, where shelter, food and water are located is a huge risk.

In my opinion, get some pics of your little friend, give him some extra treats and say goodbye. He will be fine, after all he is an old tough, wild squirrel!:thumbsup


The only other option is if you know any animal friendly neighbors, you could give them whatever bags of treats you have and hopefully they will take up where you left off!

[MollyBear361]

I feel your pain....I recently moved and had to leave my boy behind. Not even a wild I befriended. But my released boy I hand raised since he was a baby. He was wild but would still come like a dog when his name was called and he would wait all the time at his same spot on our fig tree for treats. It is a very, very difficult thing to do. But the best thing to do is to leave him in his wild home...where he knows the territory, he has dreys built, he knows where to find food and water (trust me, he knows where the wild food is), he knows the pecking order with his fellow squirrels. I know it is VERY HARD. I still cry when I drive by my old neighborhood because I miss Joe. Unless there is something obviously wrong with him - like a serious injury - he is best left where he is.
I asked about this exact same scenario in December. It is hard but you need to do what is right for the squirrel, not you. 99.99% of the time, he is better off where he is in this scenario.
I am just repeating the same things everyone told me. Yes, wean him, or see if the new tenants or neighbors want a new friend....
If you trap and relocate - you risk injuring or even killing him with the stress of the trap and cage. Wild animals don't fare well being confined. Since he is wild....you also risk breaking his trust of you...and he wont be the same with you. You would need a large cage and to do a soft release. And there is absolutely no guarantee he will even stick around when you release him at your new home. He may also be run off and or killed by local squirrels. They all have territories and pecking orders. Also, if he is getting older, you are putting him at even more risk by moving him to some strange place where he has no dreys, no other "friends", he will have to fight for new territory, he won't know where to find wild food, what predators are at his new spot, where to find water, etc.
You can almost always wild up a tame squirrel - it rarely happens the other way around.

[Bravo]

:yeahthat Well said.

[czarina]

The others have said it well, sad though it is. But he truly would be better left in his own territory, where he knows his way around.

Perhaps, you could set up some feeding and watering stations at your new place? I know it wouldn't be the same, but it might help you feel better. And you would be surprised, how just by putting out a few bird and squirrel feeders, visitors start showing up.

Also, if you are friends with any of your old neighbors, maybe you could keep checking with them to see what kind of new people move in, and if they seem "nice", perhaps contact them, and explain about your old squirrel, and maybe they would continue feeding him. You never know. On the other hand, if they are a bunch of hooligans with obnoxious rock throwing kids, don't waste your time.

But sometimes, life surprises us, in nice ways.
Good luck.

[JLM27]

I agree. Unknown to you he is part of a " bachelor" pack where he has his place due to seniority and past strength. This pack is as much a part of his world as the trees and bushes. He will be OK. The pack is a huge part of his support. He would have to fight his way into a new one. Leave him in his kingdom.

[TJW]

Thank you so much, everyone who has replied. Your experienced, thoughtful, sympathetic advice has been extremely helpful. As difficult as it will be, it looks like the best option, then, will be to leave him in his natural habitat. I will try as well to speak to the new owners about the possibility of continuing to feed him after we leave. I'll take some closeup photos of him so that they, hopefully, will be able to distinguish him from other squirrels. I'm also going to leave them a large store of nuts to get them started. Perhaps they too will grow to love this squirrel and will continue to feed him after this store runs out.

[TubeDriver]

Thank you so much, everyone who has replied. Your experienced, thoughtful, sympathetic advice has been extremely helpful. As difficult as it will be, it looks like the best option, then, will be to leave him in his natural habitat. I will try as well to speak to the new owners about the possibility of continuing to feed him after we leave. I'll take some closeup photos of him so that they, hopefully, will be able to distinguish him from other squirrels. I'm also going to leave them a large store of nuts to get them started. Perhaps they too will grow to love this squirrel and will continue to feed him after this store runs out.

I think that is a wise choice and the best one for your squirrel friend. Maybe get a sense of whether the new owners are animal friendly or not before letting them know about your squirrel friend. Some people are just rabidly anti-squirrel and I would not want them to know about your friend. On the other hand, plenty of people are animal lovers so get a sense what they are like before filling them in!

Good luck with your move, I am sure your squirrel friend will miss you but I bet he will be just fine!:thumbsup

[Bravo]

I know it will be sad to leave him behind, yet best for him... and as others have said, I hope the new owners are good people.

[BigNibbler]

I know it will be sad to leave him behind, yet best for him... and as others have said, I hope the new owners are good people.


TJ the absolutely most important thing to do is help the new owners see him as an asset!
A cultural - historical part of their new home.
It would be terrible if in addition to losing you - he finds himself with a hostile new human.
Do everything possible to instill the love and respect you have for Joe, in the new family.
Hopefully you will not get a vile response - like they like squirrel soup or something - someone just said that to me.

Good Luck To Joe!