Have I Ruined My Squirrel?

[Gardentoes11]

My almost 6-month old Jazzy is hearing the call of the wild these days, alternating between wanting to answer it & being his usual playful, affectionate self. Here in Ohio, I'm running out of time to release him before the snow flies, & it's a situation where I can't release him nearby cuz of too many cats, dogs, & roads, so it's not as if he can come home whenever he wants. I'm back & forth about releasing him as much as he seems to be about wanting to go or stay. He's a singleton, & he's still very attached to me. He rides around on me all day long, still sleeps curled up on my chest sometimes, jumps on me for comfort if something scares him, etc. those things all concern me, since release would mean stopping all of that cold-turkey. My biggest concern us that Jazz is not the least bit afraid if my dog. Skruffie is a husky/cattle dog mix, about 40 lbs, & she's more afraid of him than he is of her! I'm scared to death that in the wild he wouldn't try to avoid other larger, less-friendly animals & find himself to be their lunch! This house is so small that there really isn't the option to have Jazz in his own separate part of the house. I'd like to become a rehabber, & that'll mean moving in order to have an acceptable facility separate from my living quarters. Meanwhile, though, in my novice-ness, have I ruined my squirrel for release? When I got him, I was just trying to keep him alive & see him through to adulthood--wasn't thinking at all about what kind of adulthood he'd have. Now I half-fear & half-hope I've raised a NR. The half-fear part is for him, & the half-hope part is for me! In case it makes any difference, I wouldn't be doing a hard release, it just would have to be at my parents' house 30 min away, so I wouldn't be able to be there every day to ease him into it. Dad would take care of feeding him & closing/opening the release cage, etc. TIA for any advice.

[stosh2010]

The dog issue will be addressed by others..but it can be a liability. Don't know how to reprogram a squirrel to be fearful--again.
But to release you will need a large outside release cage...where there is no physical contact for 2 weeks to allow for adjustment to the sounds, smells, temperatures of the outside world. It must be strong enough to withstand any night critters from getting into it. You will need a way to supply fresh food and to clean the cage of old food and poop etc, with out touching or holding him. My cage had a pull out shelf on the bottom. I covered half the top with a slanted roof to keep foul weather out of their nest box.

Your dad could be a big help in this matter--
others will make other suggestions... There are links on TSB-- to diagrams and photos of other release cages

[TubeDriver]

A proper soft release is the way to go. I do not have much squirrel experience but I think once your squirrel has "wilded up" after several weeks in a soft release cage, he will avoid most if not all larger animals including dogs. Others with more experience will post up here shortly.

[Gardentoes11]

Thanks, guys. Dad & I can build a release cage together. I've seen some of the ones on here & am sure Dad & I can put together something sufficient. Guess we'd better get on it!

[stepnstone]

Thanks, guys. Dad & I can build a release cage together. I've seen some of the ones on here & am sure Dad & I can put together something sufficient. Guess we'd better get on it!
You have plenty of time...
You can not start a release protocol now, too late in the season.
This baby will have to be over wintered.

[TubeDriver]

You have plenty of time...
You can not start a release protocol now, too late in the season.
This baby will have to be over wintered.


:goodpost


During the winter when he is inside, you can minimize or eliminate exposure to dogs! That way, when spring comes and the soft release starts, he will be more likely to fear other animals.

[Gardentoes11]

Hmm, thought I had more time to release him. Well, I'm not exactly heartbroken about having to keep loving & cuddling & caring for him all winter! But the dog issue... Won't be possible to keep them apart all winter--our house is just too small. But no one has said so far that he'd be NR because of that alone....right?