Destruction at home

[Eejay]

Well the honeymoon phase is over.Lilo has started to damage her room. So it breaks my heart that i must keep her in her cage while im at work.
Was wondering if there is anything i could put on the wood trim of my doors and windows that would prevent her chewing them. So far i am lucky and only need to replace one piece.
I will be trying to set up a larger cage for her over the weekend so being caged wont be so bad.

[island rehabber]

Well the honeymoon phase is over.Lilo has started to damage her room. So it breaks my heart that i must keep her in her cage while im at work.
Was wondering if there is anything i could put on the wood trim of my doors and windows that would prevent her chewing them. So far i am lucky and only need to replace one piece.
I will be trying to set up a larger cage for her over the weekend so being caged wont be so bad.

Eejay, I don't mean to sound like I don't realize the severity of the situation, but I don't believe ANYONE here, after 10+ years of The Squirrel Board, has ever said they actually found a way to get a squirrel to STOP destroying everything.

I myself don't let my rehab squirrels have out of cage time at all. I have big cages and they just have to wait until release day. I've had far too many serious destruction jobs done here, one of which involved a total hard drive crash! Not happening, kids.

This is one of those reasons why we never recommend tree squirrels as pets. Legalities aside, there is just no way to get a chewer to stop chewing.

[Spanky]

You can try rubbing using Dial soap on the wood. I saw it recommended previously and have used it myself. Let us know if you find it effective?

I *think* I have good luck with it out doors on some wood beams the squirrel love to grind their teeth on... I say *think* because I am only 80% confident.. It seems to work for a while.. I stop paying attention then notice they have "attacked" it again. I assume the effect would be more long lasting in doors. :dono

Having said that, I have to agree that whenever leaving a healthy squirrel out of the cage unsupervised damage is almost a certainty!

[Eejay]

Ya..i kinda didnt think so. Thought id try my luck..
Lol she was so good until yesterday.lol..
I was going to leave the large cage in garage and wait for the temperatures to go up before putting her out in the garage and see how she would be out there, before putting her cage outside .Not certain what the spring will bring whether she will be ok to release or if i have coddled her too much and she will need to stay.

[Eejay]

You can try rubbing using Dial soap on the wood. I saw it recommended previously and have used it myself. Let us know if you find it effective?

I *think* I have good luck with it out doors on some wood beams the squirrel love to grind their teeth on... I say *think* because I am only 80% confident.. It seems to work for a while.. I stop paying attention then notice they have "attacked" it again. I assume the effect would be more long lasting in doors. :dono

Having said that, I have to agree that whenever leaving a healthy squirrel out of the cage unsupervised damage is almost a certainty!

Thanks i shall try that. And see if it works when i am home. At least i can hear if she starts chewing. Its only the door trim she chewed.. She previously chewed the bottom of the door.but that wasnt too bad...my guess was she was trying to get out of the room.lol.i have enough toys and branches in the room that she has been pretty good up until yesterday.

[stepnstone]

Well the honeymoon phase is over.Lilo has started to damage her room. So it breaks my heart that i must keep her in her cage while im at work.
Was wondering if there is anything i could put on the wood trim of my doors and windows that would prevent her chewing them.
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yes/yes-i-fully-agree-smiley-emoticon.gif This is the best case scenario for her safety as well!

I have used drywall corner protectors on the bottom of doors, window sills and on any corner of drywall that
my little one took a fancy to chew. Some pieces wound up with a few "teeth scrapings" before the interest
was lost but it proved to be successful. I personally preferred using the clear (transparent) ones, They can
be purchased inexpensively at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

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[RamaMama]

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yes/yes-i-fully-agree-smiley-emoticon.gif This is the best case scenario for her safety as well!

I have used drywall corner protectors on the bottom of doors, window sills and on any corner of drywall that
my little one took a fancy to chew. Some pieces wound up with a few "teeth scrapings" before the interest
was lost but it proved to be successful. I personally preferred using the clear (transparent) ones, They can
be purchased inexpensively at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

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Wish we had those here. We have to use cardboard and tape.... sometimes just layers of duct tape -it does work to a point BUT - the duct tape alone does "stick"
so then you have to clean the wood once it is removed. Ahhhh..... :tap it's what they do.

[Shewhosweptforest]

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yes/yes-i-fully-agree-smiley-emoticon.gif This is the best case scenario for her safety as well!

I have used drywall corner protectors on the bottom of doors, window sills and on any corner of drywall that
my little one took a fancy to chew. Some pieces wound up with a few "teeth scrapings" before the interest
was lost but it proved to be successful. I personally preferred using the clear (transparent) ones, They can
be purchased inexpensively at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

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This is exactly what we use, in our squirrel room, on the window trim:great has definitely worked for us also :grin3

[lennysmom]

Yep, I use the same thing and it works well.:thumbsup

[cava]

I agree with not leaving any squirrel unsupervised with your stuff for any amount of time. I pack in when I'm getting them out and have a minor panic attack if I have to leave the room because I forgot something. Then I watch them playing, and even though I am literally watching them they have destroyed a phone charger, pulls to the blinds, paint, etc before I could stand up and stop them. My new rule is remove everything, cover things with blankets, grip tape all cords to the walls and floors, etc.

Duct taping a folded towel or a 2x2 piece of wood on the thing that they are currently obsessed with works. But as you probably know, they are ADHD and will find something else within days. Bringing in fallen tree branches, changing the scenery and toys helps around here a lot. They don't chew the windowsill if Mommy made a new tree for them to explore. (Although those drywall corners are a great idea!)

I am in the habit of getting my ferrets out of the cage twice a day for an hour or two for exercise so I felt it was right to do with the squirrels and since I have no trouble getting them back in it works out, but I will say getting them a gigantic 6 foot tall cage that sits in front of a window and keeping a routine helps.

Good luck. Start shopping at Lowes for your spring repairs now. :grin2

[Eejay]

my bedroom has been pretty much emptied of everything. left the bed dresser and a shelf. bed is covered by blankets that dont really matter. all electronics removed from room. i have had branches and cat tree and sheets turned into jungle gym since she was young. i add something new each week. but now that she will be caged when im at work i need some more ideas for her in her cage. i have toys an branches in there. i also leave her keenex to build nest. and oatmeal flakes for foraging

[Eejay]

would a whole coconut(drained) be a bad idea to leave her with for the day? thinking it would take awhile to chew through..or would she over eat with it?

[Shewhosweptforest]

A coconut would be a fun distraction....I know someone who slices a coconut...shell and all and gives it to their squirrels...with no problems :great

[Eejay]

she doesnt hate me yet. but has started to chew one of her plastic shelves. i will end up adding more branches for her to sit on this weekend instead

[cava]

You mean like this?

The top shelf

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The middle shelf.

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Aaaaand, the bottom that, as of yesterday, had a squirrel sized escape hatch chewed through so I had to come up with whatever I had in the house while they were out playing. It's working quite nicely...for now.

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[Eejay]

haha.wow. not that extreme.. Yet but getting there...i wondered why she seemed to start at the edge closest to the wall. i shall post a pic as soon as my phone is charged.

[Eejay]

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[cava]

This just goes to show what destructive pets they make. I honestly think these two could chew a hole through the wall and escape through this brick house, given enough time.

[Eejay]

would a whole coconut(drained) be a bad idea to leave her with for the day? thinking it would take awhile to chew through..or would she over eat with it?
well after giving her a coconut.. i wasnt prepared for a nut aggressive reaction to it. (my bad)
thankfully it was directed at the broom when i was sweeping close to her.
was my first time witnessing this with her.
ive only seen it happen with my wild lil reds that i previously befriended outside towards each other.

[Rexie]

I give my boy a whole drained coconut every few weeks for his teeth. We call it dental day!! Yes he will become highly aggressive with it, so be careful. I only let him chew a hole the size of a walnut in the Shell so he won't eat too much coconut and get a belly ache. He does a great job on his teeth with them and enjoys the treat . His fur is so silky too.

[lennysmom]

well after giving her a coconut.. i wasnt prepared for a nut aggressive reaction to it. (my bad)
thankfully it was directed at the broom when i was sweeping close to her.
was my first time witnessing this with her.
ive only seen it happen with my wild lil reds that i previously befriended outside towards each other.

Oh I have a little guy who gets aggressive with the broom too if he happens to have a "stash" somewhere - I don't give him shelled nuts in the winter for that reason. But it's interesting to hear someone else have a squirrel that gets broom aggression.:shakehead:grin2 In fact, I've already had to replace it once!

[Eejay]

I give my boy a whole drained coconut every few weeks for his teeth. We call it dental day!! Yes he will become highly aggressive with it, so be careful. I only let him chew a hole the size of a walnut in the Shell so he won't eat too much coconut and get a belly ache. He does a great job on his teeth with them and enjoys the treat . His fur is so silky too.
how long can the same coconut stay in the cage if she hasnt chewed through it as of yet? wondering how long it takes to go sour..im gonna have to remove it in stealth mode for sure when i do

[Eejay]

Oh I have a little guy who gets aggressive with the broom too if he happens to have a "stash" somewhere - I don't give him shelled nuts in the winter for that reason. But it's interesting to hear someone else have a squirrel that gets broom aggression.:shakehead:grin2 In fact, I've already had to replace it once!
lol usually she loves the broom.. she climbs it and sits on my arm trying to play with the handle when i sweep.. this was first time ive seen her get aggressive toward protecting her stuff
ill have to see if she is still angry at the broom when i get home from work.lol

[Jen413]

I'm gonna have to try that drywall corner for the top of my window trim. That's a fantastic idea. My guy likes to sit on the curtain rod and he will climb on the plantation shutters and bite into the trim. I'm fortunate that because of his messed up jaw he doesn't chew too much and when he does it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little wood putty. I can't believe how chewed up y'alls plastic shelves are!! I've only had one that chewed his cage and by the time we opened the release cage it looked like swiss cheese! He also chewed the drywall behind his cage when he was inside! I'm thankful Sammy doesn't have the jaw power to do more damage than he already does or my house would look like I kept termites as pets by the time we try to move! I've got two two story cages connected sideways to each other and that's what Sammy stays in while I'm at work. He comes out in the morning while I fix his food and get ready for work. Then when I get home he gets out of cage time after dinner for about 2 hours. He stays out a lot more on the weekend. I always feel bad leaving him in the cage but Lord help me if I didn't! Good luck with caging your baby!

[Eejay]

I'm gonna have to try that drywall corner for the top of my window trim. That's a fantastic idea. My guy likes to sit on the curtain rod and he will climb on the plantation shutters and bite into the trim. I'm fortunate that because of his messed up jaw he doesn't chew too much and when he does it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little wood putty. I can't believe how chewed up y'alls plastic shelves are!! I've only had one that chewed his cage and by the time we opened the release cage it looked like swiss cheese! He also chewed the drywall behind his cage when he was inside! I'm thankful Sammy doesn't have the jaw power to do more damage than he already does or my house would look like I kept termites as pets by the time we try to move! I've got two two story cages connected sideways to each other and that's what Sammy stays in while I'm at work. He comes out in the morning while I fix his food and get ready for work. Then when I get home he gets out of cage time after dinner for about 2 hours. He stays out a lot more on the weekend. I always feel bad leaving him in the cage but Lord help me if I didn't! Good luck with caging your baby!
yep i pretty much rum same schedule with my Lilo she has run around time while i get ready in the mornings and then after work till bedtime. sundays are our play all day, days.

[cava]

Jlee, I hear ya.

We rent this nearly 100 year old craftsman style house where if you even bump the wall the stupid plaster that they're made of just crumbles. We can't even hang artwork without an ordeal and generous repairs afterward.

Frances started in on the original hardwood floors, which have a microscopic layer of finish still on them and now I have an "area" that's going to require a sander and stain and varnish, damn it! It's currently covered with upside down carpet squares Gorilla taped to the floor. (Easier to clean the rubber side).

My bookcase is the only thing left with any belongings on it because I used tiny nails to affix a blanket over it that I can put down and shove into the shelves when they are out playing.

The other day I got so excited when I realized I get to have my room back in a few months. Yaaasss!!

I mean, I love these guys and I was happy to do it, but they are healthy and don't belong in a house, that's for sure!

[Jen413]

I love our weekend time! I love that he plays so hard he has to go take a nap before he can play some more. It makes me feel less guilty for keeping him in a cage all day.

Yeah, that would be a more sweet than bitter release Cava! That's how I was with my Petrey a few years back. It was sad, but such a relief...I think for both of us. He was definitely meant to be a wild!

[riefderrico]

Coconut will mold and ferment if not allowed to dry out. I break ours in pieces and give the girls a piece about the size of a quarter or so. That way if it gets stashed it will quickly dry out and not mold. Coconut milk is also good but will mold within a day if left in open.