squirrely Q&A

[ah_nuts]

ok folks, here we go!

1. what kind of heating pad are most of you using? i have one that i use for my back some times, but i think even the lowest setting is too high for him.

2. he absolutely will not eat formula anymore. he has his rodent block and he gets wallnuts and almonds occasionally, along with the recomended greens, but he seems quite uninterested in the formula. he's only 7-8 weeks old now, is this too early for him to stop eating formula? if so, is there another supliment/solution i can give him so he gets all the nutrients he needs that the solids might not give him?

3. how often can/should you handle these little guys? i usually let him run around me when i'm in the recliner and he usually ends up passing out on my lap or in my hand. i dont mind this, but i think he's getting too used to it and doesnt want to sleep in his own home now.

hmm, only 3 questions...i know i've got more than that! this will do for now though. on a side note, Louies foot is all well and good and he's back to his playfull self again. now if only i could get him to stop sitting on the top of my head when i'm sitting in my chair and get him to stop sitting on my hands when i'm trying to type! :D

thanks!
nick

[island rehabber]

ok folks, here we go!

1. what kind of heating pad are most of you using? i have one that i use for my back some times, but i think even the lowest setting is too high for him.

2. he absolutely will not eat formula anymore. he has his rodent block and he gets wallnuts and almonds occasionally, along with the recomended greens, but he seems quite uninterested in the formula. he's only 7-8 weeks old now, is this too early for him to stop eating formula? if so, is there another supliment/solution i can give him so he gets all the nutrients he needs that the solids might not give him?

3. how often can/should you handle these little guys? i usually let him run around me when i'm in the recliner and he usually ends up passing out on my lap or in my hand. i dont mind this, but i think he's getting too used to it and doesnt want to sleep in his own home now.

hmm, only 3 questions...i know i've got more than that! this will do for now though. on a side note, Louies foot is all well and good and he's back to his playfull self again. now if only i could get him to stop sitting on the top of my head when i'm sitting in my chair and get him to stop sitting on my hands when i'm trying to type! :D

thanks!
nick

Hi nick! Louie sounds adorable. I'll take a stab at answering your questions:

1. Any heating pad will do so long as it does not have Automatic Shut-Off. You can always put a towel between the pad and the baby to block the heat. However, Louie doesn't need one anymore. Once they're fully furred and eyes are open (about 5-6 weeks old) they're done with the supplemental heat unless they are ill.
2. If Louie is eating rodent block and greens he's getting good vitamins and calcium. If you're worried about him weaning early (And I have two like that, so I share your anxiety) either make sure he gets some real sunshine every day (not thru a window) or try a full-spectrum light on him for a few hours while he's indoors or in his cage. That way you know he is using all the calcium he takes in from those nice greens.
3. How often to handle depends on what you would like Louie to be when he grows up. If you plan to release him into the wild -- handle him as little as possible. Put his cage outdoors and start leaving him food at night after he goes to sleep, so he doesn't associate you as The Food Guy anymore. I know, it's hard. But he will run up to every human he sees if you handle him and then turn him loose outside. If you'd like him to stay with you, then play with him as much as you like -- but recognize that the choice ultimately is HIS. If he decides at 12...16....20 weeks old or even later that he wants to be a wild squirrel, he will let you know by drawing blood. From you. :D

[ah_nuts]

thank you!

alrighty, so i'll just remove the heating pad - i guess that means i get to use it again :D

i had read a few accounts of baby squirrels going cold turkey on the formula before they usually do, so i'm glad to hear that it isnt that it isnt a bad sign. i do take him outside with me, he really enjoys basking in the sun.

i'm still kind of on the fence on what i'm going to do with him. i'd really like to keep him since he's grown on me quite a bit, but i dont know if its in his best interest. i'm sure he'd be quite happy with his squirrel friends in a tree. but in the mean time, he at least seems content. and like you said, its his decision, if he wants to go, he'll certainly be allowed to.

thanks for the info, much appreciated :)

nick

[taylorsmom13]

hi your baby squirl sounds cute

i fed my baby squirl puppies milk
and i too wanted to keep my squirl which i named rocky
but i had a little house built for him and put it in my front yard
in the big oak tree.

rocky is doing great
comes to me every morning and evening for his little rubs and peanuts
i also feed rocky broccli and carrots

[ah_nuts]

Louie was drinking water out of a dish yesterday, seemed like he got carried away and got some up his nose. since then, he's been sneezing and wiping his little nose on whatever he can find.

i've read that when bottle feading, they can pull too much if you're not carefull and can get sick from getting fluid in their lungs. sounds scary! could this have happened to Louie? are there any other signs to look for if he might be getting sick?

thanks!

nick

[island rehabber]

Just keep listening to his breathing....the snorting isn't a problem because squirrels do that a lot. It's any kind of clicking or wheezing when he breathes that is a danger sign....if you hea that you must get him some antibiotics immediately. Otherwise, don't worry. :)

[ah_nuts]

something is quite wrong with Louie. 10 minutes ago he was fine and happy, but then he started shaking and got very weak. he then had what i can only guess was a seizure. eyes rolled back, legs straightened out, and he peed.

this completely freaked me out! the seizure passed but he's still very weak and shaking.

his diet hasnt changed, and nothing else out of the ordinary has happened either. what could've caused this? he was acting totally normal and only 10 minutes later this happens.

:confused:

[ah_nuts]

ok, he's doing better now, has most of his streangth back it seems, and he's not shaking. that was pretty scary though, i'd really like to know what caused that so i can make sure it doesnt happen again.

the only thing i can figure it could've been was there was a baby in the house yesterday. Louie was never even in the same room as the baby, but the babys dad came in and pet louie once. could that be enough to cause all that? if not, then i dont know what happened, it all took place in like 10 minutes too. weird, and scary.

nick

[ah_nuts]

well he's got his rodent block, and it said it has kale and other good greens as well as calcium, so i thought he was getting enough, but maybe not. i just got back from the pet store though with some calcium blocks though, so if a lack of calcium is what caused it, i hope this will fix it from happening again.

i work at home so i bring louie outside with me several times a day, usually for a half hour or more at a time. i guess i dont know how much sun light he needs, but i thought that might be enough, but again, maybe not. i'll get a full spectrum light today.

thanks,
nick

[ah_nuts]

Louie seems to be his normal self, no other problems since! he's getting more calcium now, he seems to like the calcium block and he's been spending more time outside in the sun.

thanks for the info on the calcium deficiency. i had read about it, and i thought he was getting enough calcium, but apparently not. he should be getting enough now though, and he still loves to bask in the sun :)

thanks again!

nick

[ah_nuts]

:D

still no lights, but he's outside for several hours a day now. he really likes it out there, usually doesnt want to come in even after almost all day. he's been fine ever since that day, so i'm hoping a lack of calcium or light is all it was - he's getting pleanty of both now :)

he's also getting so big, close to a year old i think. cant believe he's been with me for over a month now! his coat is getting darker and more defined, and he really likes to play. we have a few games that he's always in the mood to play...i usually cant tell who's more entertained, me, or him :D

nick

[ah_nuts]

oops, i just reread my post...looks like my fingers were typing one thing and my brain was thinking another, happens all the time :D he's probably around 2.5 months old now by my guestimate, they really do get big fast! last month at this time he was only twice the size of my thumb, now he barely fits in my hand. and now soon he'll be off to college, then work, wife and kids...its hard being a mother :D

he sticks by close when hes outside, unless he's by the tree. i've been bringing him out there for a week or so now. he rummages around on the ground looking for food and burries a lot of what he finds, like a good squirrel should. i'm usually out there with him, but he's pretty self sustaining out there.

i built a nest for him in the tree, he went up in it and 10 minutes later he was asleep. when he's ready to come inside, he just sits on one of the low branches and waits for me to come close. then he crawls on me and we go inside. its amazing how much they instictively know when they're in their element though, very cool animals, great personalities for a wild animal too.

nick

[4skwerlz]

Forgive a newbie contribution. My wild squirrels would still be nursing big-time at his age. I know early weaning is a very common problem that can lead to deficiencies and seizures. Has anyone ever tried mixing a bit of peanut butter :D with the formula?? Just curious.

BTW, Louie is an absolute DOLL BABY!!!!

[pamela lee]

Just a word of warning, from experience, be careful letting Louie out in the trees by himself. He's still to young to be out and not in a cage of some type. I was letting my squirrel Peanut enjoy some outside time and something startled him and he was up the tree before I could do anything:nono . Let me tell you that was one of the worst night of my life. My DH still tells people that he should have moved the bed out under that tree. I was out there all night with a flashlight begging and crying for him to come down:Cry . He finally did but not till the next day.I learned the hard way. If Louie is only 2 and half months old he probably still has atleast 1 more month before before it would be safe out of a cage outside. If I'm wrong someone please correct me.BTW he's awfully cute, keep up the good work. Don't forget we love pictures.
Pamela

[ah_nuts]

well we have a pretty good routine going, i bring him outside in the morning and he plays till around 12 or so. once he starts getting sleepy he hangs around the low branches and waits for me to bring him in. he sleeps for a few hours and then goes back outside till around 7 or 8, and again he just hangs around low where i can find him.

we have a nice big L shaped row of pines, 3 rows deep, and thats his little playground. he knows when he's hungry or tired to come to the oak tree where he can get some food or take a nap in his little home a few branches high.

i didnt actually intend on letting him run about, he kind of decided that for himself. once he was used to doing it, he would have no part in staying inside most of the day. cant blame him. i'm not too worried about him being out there, he already knows how to forrage for food and how to store/hide it, and he can scamper up any tree faster than any animals around here (which there are very few of). he is a squirrel, afterall :D

otherwise, he's still doing quite well, seems to get bigger every day!

nick

[ah_nuts]

yeah i figured as much. have to admit, a part of me kinda hoped that since he's spent so much time around me and in the yard that he'd stick around, but i know its mostly wishfull thinking.

it would be fun to keep him till he gets old, but he's had a taste of the outside and i'm pretty sure there's no bringing him back from that, so i wouldnt even want to try.

but again, he seems very happy and in very good health. he's sitting on my shoulder right now, taking a little rest. we've developed a few games that he loves to play too - i never would've thought a squirrel could be so entertaining (i'm pretty sure i'm far more entertained with our games than he is!).

so far i havent worried much about him being out there, but today i saw another squirrel. over the past 2 years, i've only seen 2, maybe 3 squirrels, so i figure there's a good chance that it might be louies mom or dad. but seening another squirrel did get me a little worried. are squirrels territorial? would the larger squirrel, mother or not, try to chase louie away?

heres a couple pics from today. the 2nd one is during a game of "catch the hand." he loves that game!

thanks!
nick

[4skwerlz]

but seening another squirrel did get me a little worried. are squirrels territorial? would the larger squirrel, mother or not, try to chase louie away?

If it makes you feel any better, even wild squirrels have to go through that. When they're weaned by their mothers they get kicked out of the nest, out of the tree, and out of the territory by mom. They have to scurry to a new place, build a nest, fight for territory, the whole thing. If anything, your Louie might have an advantage, because it sounds like there aren't too many squirrels around. Plus, he has a "backup plan"-----you! IMO, the sooner he "meets" other squirrels and learns how to play and fight with them, the better off he'll be. If he comes home with a few scratches, don't worry. He needs to learn to fend for himself.

Louie is a total sweeetie pie!:Love_Icon Not sure I could let him go......Loving a wild critter can be heartbreaking.

[drakkonia]

Adorable pictures! That second one is definitely an "action shot." :rotfl

[ah_nuts]

thanks! he is quite adorable isnt he? he can be a little spazzy sometimes when he's really hyper and running about, which can be pretty funny to watch. but when he gets sleepy, he's like a little teddy bear wanting to be squeezed to peices :D

he doesnt sleep on my lap anymore, but if i hold him and pet him, he'll just lay there and take it all in. but once i stop petting him, he tries nibbling on my fingers to get me to start again. how could i say no to that??

i do go outside on a regular basis when he's out there, just to check on him. he's still small enough that our rows of pines must seem endless to him, but its small enough for me that unless he's up high, i can always find him and he always comes down to say hi and play. all i do is call his name a few times and listen for rustling in the trees and there he is.

kinda bummed to hear squirrels are territorial though. i assumed that they continued to roam about for food and shelter. the few squirrels i have seen are very rarely in our yard, and dont really seem to stick around, i usually see them just running by at full speed. good point made by 4skwerlz though on them being kicked out, i kinda figured that would happen at some point with wild squirrels, but its always good to hear it from someone else too!

thanks!
nick

[ah_nuts]

ah no worries :) its a good question about the lack of squirrels around here. we never used to have squirrels, only in the past couple years have we seen them. dont know where they have come from, but i suppose its just as possible that more will show up at some point - for good or bad.

for the time being though, at his age, its probably better that there's not a lot of other squirrels around. at least this way he can continue to learn the basic things a squirrel needs to do without being harrassed by others.

i'm sure when he gets older, if he wants some friends, he'll probably find them. our neighborhood is pretty well laid out for a squirrel it seems, TONS of trees everywhere, very little traffic, and pretty much everyones pets stay in their own yards. kind of surprising there arent more squirrels around, now that i think about it...

nick

[pamela lee]

Hey Nick, Louie is adorable. Looks to be very happy and healthy, you've done a great job. When I released Peanut he was already 7 months old and it took him a couple of months to wild-up. He won't let me touch him anymore, I had hoped he was going to be a Buddy, but no such luck. He still lives in our yard, well in the woods next door, and we have tons of squirrels and he wasn't been chased off. So maybe Louie won't be. Good Luck and just enjoy him while he'll let you.
Pamela

[TexanSquirrel]

That second pic is totally awesome. You should enter it in the next contest! The first one is adorable, too!