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View Full Version : Release of more than one squirrel, different ages....??



YamahaGirl
08-30-2016, 10:38 AM
Right now we have 2 female squirrels, one is a grey, about a year old, we had to over-winter her due to when we got her. We also got a black squirrel, female, last March, who is about 7 months now. The black one was very "wild" and we released her last weekend, she is doing well, she is gone all day and comes back around dusk to eat the food we are providing for her in a feeder attached to a tree in the back yard.

My question is, I want to get the grey squirrel released as well NOW, so she has time to do her squirrel things before winter, which I know will be harder for her since she has been in a cage since birth. Anyway, is it ok, safe, to release her at the same time the black one is out back? I have never had to release more than one so close in time before, we have always released one, it would leave and then we would release the other.

Will 2 females fight? Be territorial? I dont want to endanger the grey by releasing her in the same vacinity as the black. We have 5 trees in the yard but they are close enough to each other that I think the 2 are going to obviously see each other and come in contact.

Also, we have tried 2 methods that I was advised by different people on here to try 1) put the nestbox the squirrel has been using up in the tree, then release the squirrel (they never seem to use the nestbox using this method) 2) cover the nestbox hole with squirrel inside, place the box up in the tree to release the squirrel (this is what we did with the black squirrel and again she does not touch the nestbox anymore! I dont particularly care for this method as it seemed to spook her) What is a better method of release so they have the nestbox for protection????

Thanks in advance for the help!

Rhapsody
08-30-2016, 12:25 PM
I would advice that you wait a good few weeks before releasing the other squirrel so the first squirrel can have time to acclimate to her new wild surroundings and make it hers own before having to battle with another squirrel for possible space.

YamahaGirl
08-30-2016, 02:19 PM
I would advice that you wait a good few weeks before releasing the other squirrel so the first squirrel can have time to acclimate to her new wild surroundings and make it hers own before having to battle with another squirrel for possible space.

Ok, sounds good, next question based on that is, when is TOO late to release her, we will start to get cold up here soon, Id prefer to not have to over-winter her again, I was told she would need time to "gather and store" for the winter as well as find a good place to live if she doesnt take to the nestbox in the tree.....suggestions?