"Ben" Red Squirrel losing hair behind ears and back of head

[gunpackingrandma]

My rehab red squirrel is 22 weeks old and weighs 240 grams. Ben is very healthy and active. His daily food is Henry's blocks twice a day with fresh fruit and veggies. We also feed him a piece of a snack stick from Henrys a few times a week and a quater piece of walnut twice a day. Ben is still on 20/50 formula, drinking out of his Bowl. He doesn't want to give up his milk yet. He does drink plenty of water. Ben is housed in a Critter Nation double cage. We let him out into a big room for three hours a day to play. There is nothing in his cage to cause rubbing of his fur off the back of his head. The fur is not totally gone, more like his undercoat is exposed. Also, the gray shading is starting to appear on his back. Could Ben possibly changing to a winter coat? We live in Montana. Thank you in advance for any input! We have raised Ben since he was two weeks old and want to continue to keep him healthy and happy!

[Nancy in New York]

I too had a little red that went through some funky molting from red to "grey".
Here's a few photos, sorry about the size, I can't resize from photobucket.

We did have a member on whose little squirrel started developing strange
"balding/thin fur" issues, and it turned out that it was her hand soap,(dial) and
the repeated pattern of her scratching him. The thinking was the dial was an irritant
to his skin. :dono

Your little one is PRECIOUS! :klunk

http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv95/nancym518/Baby%20Jeffrey%202009-20011/IMG_8088.jpg (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/nancym518/media/Baby%20Jeffrey%202009-20011/IMG_8088.jpg.html)


http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv95/nancym518/Baby%20Jeffrey%202009-20011/IMG_2577-1.jpg (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/nancym518/media/Baby%20Jeffrey%202009-20011/IMG_2577-1.jpg.html)

[DaSquirrelMom]

Yes, he is growing his warmer winter coat. Reds molt their fur twice each year.

[gunpackingrandma]

Thank you for you answers and pictures! I really appreciate knowing there are folks like you who can share your expertise with me! I hope soon Ben will be back to being fluffy everywhere! He has been such a pleasure raising! I am going to change my hand soap and find a new place to rub him in hopes it will speed the recovery of new fur growth...Thanks!

[gunpackingrandma]

We are now at the end of February and Ben still hasn't finished getting his new coat on his back. Is this normal to take so long? The fur between his ears finally came in nice but now I'm worried about the rest of him. It won't be too much longer before the times comes to start the soft release journey. Montana will be cold at night, even in spring. He needs all his fur...Could the process be taking longer because Ben lays in my hand to get his belly and armpits rubbed? Yes, he is very spoiled...

[DaSquirrelMom]

He's precious!

Providing belly rubs isn't slowing down his molt. That depends on other variables. Age, body fat, whether they are lactating, ambient temperature, and whether they are captive or wild are variables that have been found to change molting patterns in mammals.

He will need to be acclimated to your colder temperature for several weeks before he begins his soft release (in an outdoor release cage for weeks.) You can put his indoor or travel cage outside in the daytime (a safe place from nosy cats/dogs, under shade, and with some type of wind-blocking protection) for a few hours each day until he tolerates staying outside all day long. (You will see him coming out and running around his cage as opposed to hiding in the warm blankets/nest box). Once he tolerates staying outside all day, you can begin leaving him outside for a few hours at night adding more time each night. Make sure his cage door is wired shut with multiple wires as raccoons are very smart. The rate at which he is molting might change when he is exposed to lower temperatures.

I live in PA and the licensed rehabber for whom I'm a permittee allows 2-3 weeks to acclimate animals that have been living indoors. Because its significantly colder in Montana, I'd add more weeks to his acclimation "process" to ensure his body is ready.

[gunpackingrandma]

Thank you for the wonderful information, I will follow your recommendations for Ben. I want to give him the best possible chance of a great wild life...

[gunpackingrandma]

Ben's fur hasn't changed in the past several weeks. Will his lack of a full coat change the slow release process? I don't believe he could survive next winter with his current condition. It will be another month before we can start any release procedures as we still have alot of snow and expecting another foot tonight. I will start with just a hour outside and work towards a full day to acclimate Ben to outside temperatures before placing him in the release cage for 30 days. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Nancy in New York]

Ben's fur hasn't changed in the past several weeks. Will his lack of a full coat change the slow release process? I don't believe he could survive next winter with his current condition. It will be another month before we can start any release procedures as we still have alot of snow and expecting another foot tonight. I will start with just a hour outside and work towards a full day to acclimate Ben to outside temperatures before placing him in the release cage for 30 days. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

The good thing about spring release is that it doesn't HAVE to be spring to release, it
can be later.
You could release May, June, July, August, September, and perhaps even October.
It doesn't appear that Ben is unhappy where he is right now, so as long as he isn't fighting
captivity, and his fur is still thin, think maybe further down the line and don't stress about a spring release.
I just adore Ben! :Love_Icon

[Lighten-Up]

The good thing about spring release is that it doesn't HAVE to be spring to release, it
can be later.
You could release May, June, July, August, September, and perhaps even October.


My squirrels should have been a spring release after they were overwintered; but situations happened and it took me until June to get the release cage done. :eek It was Mid August until I released them, I had been concerned about that, but all was fine. Their being older seemed to help, not hinder anything.

Note: My one girl was in heat the week I released them (did not know it at first-but then it was obvious what was happening), that did not go so well, as she was brand new to the outdoors and being chased by 4 males. She was scared and not happy, having no familiarity with anything out there. I was able to run interference, working from home, and all was fine after that. When she came into heat the next time, she did it in style, calling, and enjoying the attention. She had an entirely different presence about her, I was not concerned in the least, she looked confident. I was so happy to see her fully become an outdoor squirrel doing things as squirrels do them.

:serene

[gunpackingrandma]

Thank you! I have really worried about the release timing and Ben's coat. I want to make sure Ben has enough time to acclimate to his surroundings and gather his winter food stashes. This is so much harder than getting my children off to college, I knew the kids would be fine when I gave them a credit card! Lol! But Ben, he is so small. I will always worry about him and my ability to properly prepare him for the big outdoors...

[Mel1959]

I kept my boys in their release cage for over two months because I wanted them to be older and more savvy. It worked very well.

[gunpackingrandma]

I thought after reading several posts, 30 days was the magic number. I can and will do 60 days. Anything to better prepare Ben. We already have alot of reds on our property. With Ben spending 60 days in his release cage do you think the residence Squirrels will give Ben some space as his own?

Ben is wondering if Spring will ever arrive....

[Nancy in New York]

There are many members that do things differently.
I know with Mels little ones they were completely content in the RC.
BUT remember there were 2 of them.
Little Ben, being a red, and a single will most likely react differently.

Rehabbers that have limited release cages typically release
much sooner than 2 months time in the RC cage,
in order to get the next group out.

Some will keep them as little as 5 days - 4 weeks, and others up to 2 months,
which is actually the longest I've ever heard of............
but it worked, so it was SUCCESSFUL! :w00t
Good for you Mel for not giving them
the boot. That's the part I really hate. :(

[Lighten-Up]

I don't think I mentioned it exactly, but mine were in the release cage for 2 months also. Part of the reason I kept them longer than one month, was that a stray cat decided to take up residence at the base of the release cage that first month, really??? I needed a little extra time to figure out what to do as it unnerved me, it started catching bunnies etc, in the yard, anyway, we made it an indoor only cat, we took it in, and then I released my girls.

There were two of them so they kept each other company, and the release cage was 12x12 feet so they had plenty of room to run. All was very well, but the week I released them, or the week before that, I KNEW they were ready, they began to look for a way out. Up until then, they were content.

[Nancy in New York]

............we made it an indoor only cat, we took it in, and then I released my girls.

That will teach him to come in your yard! :hissyfit
Bring him into the lap of luxury. He'll never
want to go outside again!
A win, win for everyone!!!!!!!!!! :w00t:blowkiss :thumbsup

[gunpackingrandma]

Ben's release cage is 4x4x8. Would love to have a 12x12!!! If I get any Squirrels this spring I will sweet talk my husband into having the cage doubled or tripled in size. I will keep a close eye on Ben's temperament as he gets to the 30 day mark, then decide what is best for him. I'm getting more gray hair worrying about Ben's future:grin3!!! I think I would have been better off with multiples!!!

Would love to Rehab flyers as my next adventure, but will take in anything that needs my help!!! So happy to be retired and able to spend so much time with Ben. I don't know how anyone can do it and work. I'm exhausted at the end of the day!!! Lol!!!

[gunpackingrandma]

Yeah!!! Ben's fur has finally returned! One step closer to starting his slow release. Ben's release cage is 60" X 94", powder coated metal cage. Nothing like spending 1k on a 8oz Squirrel... LOL! Will post pictures soon. It really is amazing how much money is costs to save these precious babies. Ask me if I would do it again, absolutely yes!!! Looking forward to my next adventure!
I was the manager of a Humane Society for many years and have done several years of rehabbing. The only rehab facility in Northwest Montana is for raptures which were only interested in Ben for food. I have decided to obtain recertification as a rehabber to cover my area and to assist other people who find themselves in a similar situation as I was this past fall. We are in the process of building a 50'x120' building and will take a portion of it for a nursery. I wish I could use all of it but my husband would have a heart attack if I took away his man cave! Anyway, we live on almost fifteen wooded acres with a private lake and live ten miles from any populations, perfect for rehabbing. All I need to do is figure a way to remove the raptures from the property...wish us luck!:serene

[gunpackingrandma]

I just read through the earlier posts, Ben weighed 240 grams in December. He now weighs a hefty 269 grams! Looks like he put on some winter weight like his mom, lol!!!