Katie
06-05-2017, 07:12 PM
Hello all, I am a middle-aged animal lover. About five years ago, I fostered three squirrels for a local rehabber. It went great. I followed the directions and they were released in my yard to two squirrel houses and had their own families there. I did not sign up to rehab again again because, as an animal lover, it was truly difficult not to pet them and bond with them. But I did it.
Fast forward to this April. One baby, fox squirrel, about five weeks old, fell from the tree in our backyard. We waited to approach. The mother came and went, came and went without picking him up. When we finally approached, he had puncture wounds along his right side (starling maybe). Right rear leg was dangling as he weakly tried to drag himself. I approached slowly; he grabbed onto me, then I picked him up and brought him inside to warm up.
I called the rehabbers and the vet. They both told me he would be euthanized because of the injuries.
He was in shock or stunned, very quiet, and somewhat interactive, holding my finger and curling up in my hand. This had not happened at all with the other orphans I had fostered. He was hurt, but calm and did not seem "painful". So I bought Pedialyte, ordered the recommended formula powders, and after a few days, he perked up a lot.
His wounds eventually became huge abscesses; I used the rehabber's technique and he is almost completely healed. He limps a little still. He has some other differences that make me wonder if he fell on his head...
He is about thirteen weeks now. I tried to find him a squirrel to be caged and released with, but his wounds were still open when he was eight to ten weeks old and there were no similar aged squirrels in need from the local rehabber. One candidate was placed with a gray squirrel and sent out of town to be released.
I am not sure he is okay to be released for a few reasons: limp and strange gait though climbs pretty well, falls down sometimes due to rear leg not working, extreme spaciness and "freeze" reaction where he will not respond to stimulii for up to a minute (I am afraid this could get him killed, but maybe it is normal behavior I have never seen as I am new. He has only had this response when he is in his outdoor cage.). Lastly and worst of all, I could not resist him and held him when I fed him, let him climb on me, and sleep on me, though I have always caged him.
He has been outside in a release cage for a week-and-a-half. I have heard not to release prior to fourteen weeks. Is that timing correct?
He doesn't really like it outside and always greets me enthusiastically when I come out and climbs onto my arm the moment I open the cage. When I bring him back to his indoor cage to clean the outdoor cage, after a little exercise indoors, he goes to his indoor house and does not come out until he is very hungry.
What would be best for him?
Needless to say, I adore him, am concerned for his future. I have read all over the place that a squirrel is not a pet, which I agree with completely. I understand that his behavior will change and be hard (or impossible) to deal with as he grows up to be his own squirrel. I want to release him if he is in good enough shape. Currently, there are about ten - fifteen fox squirrels in our yard and most of them are male.
Fast forward to this April. One baby, fox squirrel, about five weeks old, fell from the tree in our backyard. We waited to approach. The mother came and went, came and went without picking him up. When we finally approached, he had puncture wounds along his right side (starling maybe). Right rear leg was dangling as he weakly tried to drag himself. I approached slowly; he grabbed onto me, then I picked him up and brought him inside to warm up.
I called the rehabbers and the vet. They both told me he would be euthanized because of the injuries.
He was in shock or stunned, very quiet, and somewhat interactive, holding my finger and curling up in my hand. This had not happened at all with the other orphans I had fostered. He was hurt, but calm and did not seem "painful". So I bought Pedialyte, ordered the recommended formula powders, and after a few days, he perked up a lot.
His wounds eventually became huge abscesses; I used the rehabber's technique and he is almost completely healed. He limps a little still. He has some other differences that make me wonder if he fell on his head...
He is about thirteen weeks now. I tried to find him a squirrel to be caged and released with, but his wounds were still open when he was eight to ten weeks old and there were no similar aged squirrels in need from the local rehabber. One candidate was placed with a gray squirrel and sent out of town to be released.
I am not sure he is okay to be released for a few reasons: limp and strange gait though climbs pretty well, falls down sometimes due to rear leg not working, extreme spaciness and "freeze" reaction where he will not respond to stimulii for up to a minute (I am afraid this could get him killed, but maybe it is normal behavior I have never seen as I am new. He has only had this response when he is in his outdoor cage.). Lastly and worst of all, I could not resist him and held him when I fed him, let him climb on me, and sleep on me, though I have always caged him.
He has been outside in a release cage for a week-and-a-half. I have heard not to release prior to fourteen weeks. Is that timing correct?
He doesn't really like it outside and always greets me enthusiastically when I come out and climbs onto my arm the moment I open the cage. When I bring him back to his indoor cage to clean the outdoor cage, after a little exercise indoors, he goes to his indoor house and does not come out until he is very hungry.
What would be best for him?
Needless to say, I adore him, am concerned for his future. I have read all over the place that a squirrel is not a pet, which I agree with completely. I understand that his behavior will change and be hard (or impossible) to deal with as he grows up to be his own squirrel. I want to release him if he is in good enough shape. Currently, there are about ten - fifteen fox squirrels in our yard and most of them are male.