Too late to release? NIGHTMARE neighbors may be a problem

[Earltheofnutz]

So Irma brought us the luck of the Squirrel.lol our first little gurl passed and we were handed a male baby who needed care. We never thought,planned or wanted a squirrel but they both have stole our hearts.

Earl is now around 12 weeks old. I live in florida so its still warm but starting to cool down. He is Quiet the picky guy. Can miss his landings from time to time. Have a few concerns about release..

I kinda always had plans to keep him but i know he belongs outside and that is the part of me guilts me to release him.

My concerns about release are these. I live on a corner lot and the cats of the neighbor hood tend to use my backyard as potty box along with random animals that have a tendency to stroll thru my back yard because its open access. So cats are a big issue.

2nd my neighbor has friggin farm next door tons of dogs cats birds chickens etc im affraid he will fall on that side and be eaten as other squirrels have. Or even worse be loured to go there to eat food from the hens and end up the meal.

I havent begun tge process to move him outside yet and im really struggling with the idea because i do baby him.

Is this the right timenof the year to release him if i do decide to do it? Any suggestions or if i ecen should?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Hi Earl, I'm in your county (SE) . :) I have 6 Irma babies. I'm beginning to think that everyone in FL has Irma babies. :grin2 I was in the grocery store the other day and the check out lady asked how I prepared the acorn squash. I had to tell her that I don't eat them... it's for the squirrels. :rofl4 She said, OMG we have a squirrel baby also. :rotfl

My babies are approximately 13 weeks. I plan to release them the first week of Dec. While I prefer a spring release, in FL you can release in the early winter. I know a FL rehabber that releases year round. I personally don't release in Jan or Feb. Your baby could be released by mid December BUT the cats are a HUGE problem.
I have no doubt that your little one will be taken by a cat. It's just what cats do. They hunt. A young inexperienced squirrel wouldn't survive long.

You might want to think about having someone else release him for you in a safer area.

[Nancy in New York]

Can you explain what you mean by him missing his landings sometimes?
Is there anyway you can get a video, just so we can see him in action?
Do you think he may have problems with his sight?

[Earltheofnutz]

I personally feel like he has some sight issues but i havent taken him to the vet to verify. He can run up and down in his cage but he doesnt always make his landings i would say he makes 90% he tends to miss sometimes. I also recognize that he uses his sense of smell more. When placing things in front of him he does not always see it. I have to move it around and sometime place in his hands , he will sniff before reaching out to grab for items.

[Nancy in New York]

I personally feel like he has some sight issues but i havent taken him to the vet to verify. He can run up and down in his cage but he doesnt always make his landings i would say he makes 90% he tends to miss sometimes. I also recognize that he uses his sense of smell more. When placing things in front of him he does not always see it. I have to move it around and sometime place in his hands , he will sniff before reaching out to grab for items.

I think this may be true of most squirrels sniffing first and then grabbing.
I've noticed on some of mine, they seem to use smell more than sight to recognize some things.
I would be more concerned with him not landing properly 10% of the time.
Though if he does have some issues with his eye sight that could explain what you
are describing above as well. :dono