SQUIRREL BITES

[shizzy]

:tap SOOOO, mY NAME IS SHAY AND I HAVE REHABBED A SQUIRREL NOW FOR A YEAR THIS PAST SUMMER. HE WAS JUST A BABY KICKED OUT OF HIS NEST AND HE HAD SOME FIBROMA'S ON HIM. WE REACHED OUT TO YOU ALL ON THE SQUIRREL BOARD AND SOMEONE (OUR SQUIRREL GUARDIAN ANGEL) AND RECEIVED SOME MEDICATIONS FOR HIM AND WE HEALED HIM ALL UP. HE IS FAT AND HEALTHY AND LOVES HIS HUMANS. PLEASE NOTE I SAID "HIS" HUMANS. ANYONE ELSE WHO COMES INTO THE HOUSE IS BAD! ONCE THEY LEAVE HE BITES US. NOT JUST A LOVE NIBBLE, AS HE NORMALLY DOES, BUT A STRAIGHT UP BITE DOWN THRU THE TENDONS IN MY HAND MULTIPLE TIMES. ANYONE WHO HAS EVER BEEN BIT, KNOWS WHAT I MEAN BY MULTIPLE. I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH HIM, OTHER THAN STAY OUT OF THE ROOM HIS IN UNTIL HE IS CALM. WE CANNOT SURRENDER HIM BECAUSE THEY WITH EUTHANIZE HIM, THE RESCUES SAY I HAVE HAD TOO LONG. PLEASE HELP.... I CANNOT LET MY LITTLE GUY DIE. I AM INCLUDING SOME PICS

[HRT4SQRLS]

Hi Shay,
Unfortunately squirrels do bite. They also make lousy pets. We always encourage the release of healthy squirrels. Those sweet little babies can become wild and some even get aggressive.

Your best bet would be to keep him though the winter and plan for a release in the spring. A year old pet can definitely be released with the proper slow release method. Are you in a location where he can be release or do you need a rehabber to release him for you?

[LR]

Your picture makes it look like he has a sore on his right front foot. Could you check please?

[shizzy]

the rehabs say he will die, Is this true. and these pictures are from when we first got him, its possible he still had a few. All of his Fibroma is clear. he has a few lingering reminders that he had it, scars, if you will. Thank you for looking though

[shizzy]

his feet were really troublesome. he has a few toes that I think were possibly infected at one point or even broken, we call them his "odd pigs"

[shizzy]

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[shizzy]

those pics were from last christmas and this one. He is healthy and for the most, he rules the roost. I just don't know about the behaviors. Is it something I am doing. We know he can smell certain things and we do our best to not introduce different smells and change things to much because that will freak him out also. I thought about maybe a ferret cage, so that when he is having an episode, we have somewhere safe to put him so that he doesnt hurt us or hurt himself in the process, but just as he isn't meant to be a pet, he surely isn't meant to be caged!

[SophieSquirrel]

Check your PM (Private Message) at the top of your page under notifications. I have sent you some diet & tips links for him. Chocolate or salted pretzels are really bad for him. I see him nibbling a Poinsettia - this plant has toxicity and is not good for animals.

[LR]

Thank you Shay for letting me know about the pictures and when they were taken. You say you have talked to rehabilitators about releasing your squirrel. Have they told you why they think he will die if you release him? Is it only because he has been a "pet" or are they concerned about something else?

I think HRT is correct that he could be released using the proper technique. Maybe you could do it with some coaching or come springtime you could get him to a rehabber from here that could do it for you.

Everyone gets REALLY BUSY in the spring though so now is the time to start learning and/or make arrangements.

[shizzy]

we try and steer clear of sweets, once he has something though, its hard to take it from him, he eats mostly avocado and green beans and we mix in pistachios (his favorites, we call them STASHios lol) and we do a treat of oatmeal with a lil honey for him he also likes apples and mangos (he is a pricey eater lol) and he occasional steals an ice cube out of pepsi . PS the pointsetta was fake,
I have no real plants in the house he enjoys digging the dirt too much.
Check your PM (Private Message) at the top of your page under notifications. I have sent you some diet & tips links for him. Chocolate or salted pretzels are really bad for him. I see him nibbling a Poinsettia - this plant has toxicity and is not good for animals.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Shay, here is a link to the healthy diet pyramid.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

It's critically important that you get your little one on a healthy diet. Avocado, green beans and pistachio isn't a complete diet. He needs a rodent block of some type.
Nuts have to be limited because they are very unhealthy. They are given only as a treat. Too many nuts will lead to Metabolic Bone Disease which is fatal if not reversed. It can be avoided by a healthy diet.

[Diggie's Friend]

To help take the edge off his aggressiveness I would recommend doing two things. First stop feeding your squirrel by hand, if you do that is, as this promotes the expectation of food on demand, and burying nuts around the house, which the squirrel sees as its territory when it is allowed to store them there. This is why they most often become aggressive, save they are wilding up and rejecting humans. Also add either Magnesium citrate from, ("Frontier Naturals") 1 lb bulk powder (1/16 Tsp. + 1/32 Tsp.) /or Magnesium glycinate powder from (Swanson carries thes at a low price) to the diet. For the Swanson source with one scoop equal to 400 mg. add JUST just one eighth portion (50 mg.) to the diet. With either source, add half the reduced amount into each of the AM and PM feedings. Place the powders into a soft food like baked organic squash, or organic applesauce with no real or artificial sugars added, just what the source naturally contains. The Magnesium will help to balance calcium so it doesn't over excite the brain. It also supports bone mineralization.