View Full Version : I think this squirrel has major mental problems.
KNewton
04-08-2016, 05:40 PM
So, about a month ago, a mother squirrel threw her baby out of the nest and he hit the roof of our deck then fell to the ground. He wasn't hurt, just stunned, so I brought him in over night then tried to let him got 2 days in a row and every time I would put him outside on the tree then come back out several hours later he would climb up my leg. He was about 6-7 weeks at the time so now he's 10-11 weeks old. He is eating food and drinking water but he is terrified of heights and can't jump for crap. Yesterday I was standing about 4' from his cage and he tried to jump on me and missed me by a foot to the right. This isn't the only trouble he has had trying to jump on things, he has tried to jump from our recliner to the bar (about 2') several times and didn't make it. He will not leave my side when I take him out and if I close the sliding glass door he freaks out and starts jumping into it until I open it.
Like I said, his mother threw him out and tore the nest apart, then the next day she rebuilt the nest. I have held him out to her and she runs off. I think she is pregnant again. I don't think he will ever be able to be let go, but any advice will help tremendously. I have never had a squirrel before. My parents raised them before I was born, but that was over 30 years ago and they can't remember much.
Shewhosweptforest
04-08-2016, 05:49 PM
Oh my...poor lil bub :Love_Icon thank you for being there for him :bowdown sometimes when there is something wrong with a squirrel the mother will abandon them....usually when they're younger :dono it does sound like he has some issues...especially with balance which would make him a no, no for release. It would be great if we could get a pic of him....and a video of him moving would be even better :great if you have to keep him....the no. 1 first concern is his diet....there are many complications that can come from a bad diet....and believe it or not...a typical squirrel diet is bad for a "kept" squirrel :( so please let us know what you've been feeding him and get a few pics of him :great
:thankyou:Welcome to TSB :Love_Icon
stosh2010
04-08-2016, 06:54 PM
Thank You---for caring for a helpless little fuzz-head. Have you given him a name? If you have trouble posting photos here...you can e-mail them to me & I will post them for you... ( stosh@jpcfl.com ) If you do... put TSB in the message line so it doesn't go to spam.....
lennysmom
04-08-2016, 07:44 PM
Oh goodness, poor little guy - it does sound like there may indeed be something wrong with him. Thank you so much for caring enough to take him in and help him. :) As Shewhosweptforest has already mentioned, the right diet is VERY important! What are you feeding the little guy? And yes, a pic would be tremendously helpful.
Welcome to TSB! :wave123 I'm glad you found us!
HRT4SQRLS
04-08-2016, 07:45 PM
:wave123 KNewton
:Welcome to TheSquirrelBoard
Thank you helping the baby. Here is a link to the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels
If you use this as a guide, your friend will be healthy. :tilt
Please don't feed a lot of nuts. I know it's a temptation because squirrels love nuts but they are very unhealthy and can cause a deadly illness called Metabolic Bone Disease. When they eat their healthy diet they can have one nut per day.
Nancy in New York
04-08-2016, 08:09 PM
He will not leave my side when I take him out and if I close the sliding glass door he freaks out and starts jumping into it until I open it.
Please do NOT take him outside without a cage being around him.
Too often we see little squirrels get spooked and run away before you
even could catch him. You'd be surprised at what they can do when scared.
I also wonder since he has had head trauma/a fall, if his eyesight is impaired.
A video would be great if you can get one.
Would you like us to try to find a rehabber for this little one?
Rexie
04-15-2016, 05:03 PM
So what became of your little squirrel friend?
KNewton
04-20-2016, 10:18 AM
Oh my...poor lil bub :Love_Icon thank you for being there for him :bowdown sometimes when there is something wrong with a squirrel the mother will abandon them....usually when they're younger :dono it does sound like he has some issues...especially with balance which would make him a no, no for release. It would be great if we could get a pic of him....and a video of him moving would be even better :great if you have to keep him....the no. 1 first concern is his diet....there are many complications that can come from a bad diet....and believe it or not...a typical squirrel diet is bad for a "kept" squirrel :( so please let us know what you've been feeding him and get a few pics of him :great
:thankyou:Welcome to TSB :Love_Icon
We have been experimenting with different rodent foods and have found his favorite to be ferret fruit and veggie crunch treats. On warm days we let him play outside. He always comes back to the door and bangs on it until we let him in then goes to his cage. He has never bitten any of us. He did find a dumdum suckered the other day and went nuts with it lol. He never came back last night so I'm trying to find him now. Hopefully he's ok and just found some friends or his mother. I will try to post photos and videos if I can figure out how from my phone. Will post them in a reply.
KNewton
04-20-2016, 10:19 AM
Please do NOT take him outside without a cage being around him.
Too often we see little squirrels get spooked and run away before you
even could catch him. You'd be surprised at what they can do when scared.
I also wonder since he has had head trauma/a fall, if his eyesight is impaired.
A video would be great if you can get one.
Would you like us to try to find a rehabber for this little one?
He stays around the house. But last night he never came back. You can read about it in my previous comment.
KNewton
04-20-2016, 10:20 AM
So what became of your little squirrel friend?
He's basically a part of our family now, although he never came back last night. Hopefully he will return today. He has never wandered far from our house at all.
KNewton
04-20-2016, 10:21 AM
Thank You---for caring for a helpless little fuzz-head. Have you given him a name? If you have trouble posting photos here...you can e-mail them to me & I will post them for you... ( stosh@jpcfl.com ) If you do... put TSB in the message line so it doesn't go to spam.....
His name is Sammy lol
KNewton
04-20-2016, 10:35 AM
I made a flipagram video of all the photos of Sammy.
https://flipagram.com/f/nvkZEUaejU
Mel1959
04-20-2016, 06:16 PM
Have you found Sammy? If the pics you posted are current and that is the size and age of Sammy he is way TOO YOUNG to be out on his own! If he returns he needs to be kept in a cage until he is at least 4 mths old and should be fed formula until he chooses to wean himself. Ferret diet is not a good choice for squirrels. He needs a good rodent block, like oxbow regal rat or Henry's healthy blocks which can be purchased online at Henry's Pets. If this little guy has serious issues, then he may not be able to be released at all.
Rocky1
04-20-2016, 06:26 PM
Thanks for the pictures. He is adorable!
Just to rule out diet as a potential cause of trouble*, I would recommend two Henry's blocks a day for a while. Just two a day are suppose to contain all the necessary nutrients for a squirrel. The biggest pitfall of squirrel diets that I am aware of is too much nuts and too little calcium. So encouraging calcium rich foods and limiting the number of nuts is always beneficial to them.
*Squirrels are known for enjoying "junk food" or overeating foods that taste good to them but are problematic in large quantities (similar to how some kids are prone to eating too much candy).
http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/
Cesta
04-21-2016, 08:42 AM
Is he home today?
I don't want to stress you more than you already are, you did a great thing by taking him in and committing to him when you realized he was not releasable...
But, you can't let a squirrel that little outside to run around on him own. For one, as others have stated, he could get spooked and run off, especially if he can't find YOU, his mom.
Second, he his great predator bait. A little squirrel bumbling around outside because he's not "quite right" would be easy pickings for a bird of prey, cat, dog... you name it. If he comes home, PLEASE keep him inside.
:Love_Icon :grouphug :Love_Icon
island rehabber
04-21-2016, 08:50 AM
:goodpost
Mel1959
04-21-2016, 09:33 PM
Have you seen Sammy? :hello:hello
Daisy'smomma
04-28-2016, 09:13 AM
Any updates on little Sammy? Did you ever find him or did he come home?? :grouphug:Love_Icon
Mel1959
04-28-2016, 09:37 AM
It's very distressing that there are no updates on little Sammy. It makes me fear the worst. :sadness
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