Girls vs boys for release

[Kwill]

I have an almost 12 week old female squirrel.
I've been reading all I can, but all I see are talks about male squirrels and becoming aggressive and such. I'm wanting to release her, and begin the process, but I'm afraid she is just too domesticated. She always is clinging to me, always wants to be held, etc. I think she's still a candidate but I'm afraid she will be bullied or killed by alpha squirrels. Is this more of a fear for male squirrels? Will she easily become a mother in a squirrel harem? Are the females the aggressive ones?
I'm hoping all goes well, but I want to be prepared for the worst.
Thanks!

[stepnstone]

I have an almost 12 week old female squirrel.
I've been reading all I can, but all I see are talks about male squirrels and becoming aggressive and such. I'm wanting to release her, and begin the process, but I'm afraid she is just too domesticated. She always is clinging to me, always wants to be held, etc. I think she's still a candidate but I'm afraid she will be bullied or killed by alpha squirrels. Is this more of a fear for male squirrels? Will she easily become a mother in a squirrel harem? Are the females the aggressive ones?
I'm hoping all goes well, but I want to be prepared for the worst.
Thanks!
She's not "too" domesticated at 12 weeks, we've had members that had squirrels for a few years and still have had successful release.
With a proper pre-release she will wild up and be a squirrel just like the others out there. There may be exceptions but for the majority
their natural instincts are hard wired and come into play pretty fast once in their natural environment.
Following the protocol of pre-release (called "soft release") allows them time to learn the sights, sounds and the hierarchy among the wilds
already out there as well as learn the alarm calls of their species when there is a predator in the area.
I think males with their testosterone surges and having to compete for females can be more aggressive, that's not saying females are not
because some can even be more aggressive then their counter part. In season she will mate and become a mother, that's just a natural
evolution of the species and to be expected.

[Kwill]

Thanks.
I guess I'm just a worry wort.
We've built her outdoor cage and are just waiting till she's about 4 months old to begin the process of putting her out there for the day, until it's time to let her out and back in at night.
I've read all the threads, and think I have a clear idea of how to go about releasing her.. but for some reason people are telling me she would probably be much happier to stay with me. I can't imagine this to be true, but the squirrel community of Instagram insists she is too domestic to be out there.
I still disagree and plan to go ahead and release her when the time comes, but we will see what she does I guess.
Thanks again.

[stepnstone]

Thanks.
I guess I'm just a worry wort.
We've built her outdoor cage and are just waiting till she's about 4 months old to begin the process of putting her out there for the day, until it's time to let her out and back in at night.
I've read all the threads, and think I have a clear idea of how to go about releasing her.. but for some reason people are telling me she would probably be much happier to stay with me. I can't imagine this to be true, but the squirrel community of Instagram insists she is too domestic to be out there.
I still disagree and plan to go ahead and release her when the time comes, but we will see what she does I guess.
Thanks again.
You're not alone, we're all worry wort's when it comes to our babies....
Sixteen weeks sounds much better IMO, good to hear your waiting until she's older.

I disagree with the "squirrel community of Instagram" and we have many members including myself that can prove them wrong.
Many folks that are trying to convince you or themselves they are too "domesticated" for release are simply denying they themselves are
too attached to want to let them go. Squirrels are wild animals, a healthy squirrel should be allowed their freedom and their intended lives
in the trees. Rehabilitators promote raise to release (unless compromised) because we are putting the best interest of the squirrel first,
not our own selfish desires.
It's good to hear you want to do the right thing and are planning on releasing her. :grouphug

[cava]

I can't imagine this to be true, but the squirrel community of Instagram insists she is too domestic to be out there.
.

The "Squirrel community of instagram" consists of all sorts of people, some have experience, many just opinions.

The Squirrel Board consists of folks with years and years of hands on experience. If you let her go and she insists on climbing into your house via windows and back door that's one thing, but if you kept her and she got bonkers in one or two years, it sounds like you'd regret not giving her a chance at freedom, to mate and mother, etc.

Thanks for helping her and as someone who has released all of the babies I've ever had let me just say, there's nothing like watching them take their first outside steps, climbing that first tree and hippy hopping around the yard with joy. Mine still come every morning for food and you can have a different kind of relationship with them, both of you in your natural environment.

Best of luck!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Just another voice sounding in... the 'squirrel community of Instagram' is completely wrong.
Another thing to consider is that for the most part.... they make lousy pets, and that's coming from a person that totally loved them.

From my experience, some of my favorite girls have stayed close to home. The boys usually venture to establish new territory. I have a girl that was released 5 years ago. I still see her. I also have a girl released almost 2 years that lately I'm seeing every day. I just love her. She eats nuts sitting on my shoulder. It just thrills me.

:Welcome to TheSquirrelBoard

[Mel1959]

Just another voice.....After 12 weeks she is not close to becoming too domesticated, even with daily interaction.

I have two situations to share. I raised two brothers a couple of years ago. Because of various circumstances they were in their indoor cage and their release cage for longer than average, a total of 7 months. They bonded with each other and with us. They were released in my yard and have stayed ever since. They sleep together in a nest box in our oak tree and come daily for treats. I think it’s unusual for two males to stay together as long as my guys have, but they do.

The second situation is a female that I took in the beginning of last May. She was released with her sisters in early August. After being out for only a few days she took a fall and suffered some neuro damage. I brought her back inside and treated her and she made a full recovery. During the time she was inside she bonded to me and I thought she wouldn’t want a life in the trees. About a month ago she seemed to “wild up” a little as she was going through her heat cycle. It became clear that she may want a life in the trees, as that’s what she was born to live. I have had her in a release cage for the last month (it’s a very large release cage) giving her time to acclimate to outdoors. In the next week or so I will open the portal and let her go. If she chooses to stay or wants to return to a life inside the house that’s fine with me....but it will be her choice, not mine. At present she is over a year old and has only spent about a week of her life in the wild.

I hope you can see by these two situations that “one size doesn’t fit all” with squirrels.

And ditto what HRT said...a perfectly healthy squirrel makes a lousy pet. They are very messy and destructive!