Melvin
06-03-2020, 02:38 PM
We found a red squirrel that couldn’t use his back legs 3 weeks ago. Initially I thought we could bring him to a rescue and problem solved. Unfortunately the rescue said we had to bring him to our local humane society for assessment. If he was potentially releasable, the Humane Society would send it to the rescue. Our local humane society doesn’t have the best record (euthanizes perfectly healthy animal) so I didn’t go that route. Contacted a few other people that I thought could help but no one could help.
I did a pinch test and he still has reflexes in his back legs (less in one of them) and tail. I figured maybe he just needed a little rest. Each day, he would get a little better and become more active. He’s still very apprehensive of us and tries to swat our hand if we get too close. We gave him branches to practice climbing and he was successful but not the most graceful. So on the weekend, we planned his release. We had him in a box with his fleece blanket. We waited 1 hour and he didn’t leave the box. We left him there and checked back an hour later and he was gone. An hour later, we see him on a branch in our neighbors big pine tree. An hour later, he’s still on the same branch, not really moving, just kinda munching on the bark. It was almost dark and I was starting to regret my decision. Once it was dark, we checked the tree with a flashlight and we couldn’t spot him. We left the box outside with the blanket in case he came back. I worried all night and woke up at 6 to check the box. It had been turned on its side but no Nugget. We looked in all the trees but couldn’t spot him. There are lots of black, grey and red squirrels around our yard and we have lots of large mature trees. Then in the afternoon, we notice he was back in the box, curled under his blanket. He looked exhausted and that’s when we noticed he was dragging his weaker leg.
He’s been back indoors for 24 hours but he’s not acting the same. He’s either depressed or maybe he injured himself. He’s sleeping a lot and just seems down. It’s apparent to me now that he’s not releasable. I’m at a lost on what to do. Do I invest in a multi –level cage and keep him as a pet? Will he be happy? Is he too wild for this? Would it be better to have him euthanized?
I’m so lost. I just want to do the right thing.
PS I’m not even sure if Nugget is a he, maybe it’s a she.
I did a pinch test and he still has reflexes in his back legs (less in one of them) and tail. I figured maybe he just needed a little rest. Each day, he would get a little better and become more active. He’s still very apprehensive of us and tries to swat our hand if we get too close. We gave him branches to practice climbing and he was successful but not the most graceful. So on the weekend, we planned his release. We had him in a box with his fleece blanket. We waited 1 hour and he didn’t leave the box. We left him there and checked back an hour later and he was gone. An hour later, we see him on a branch in our neighbors big pine tree. An hour later, he’s still on the same branch, not really moving, just kinda munching on the bark. It was almost dark and I was starting to regret my decision. Once it was dark, we checked the tree with a flashlight and we couldn’t spot him. We left the box outside with the blanket in case he came back. I worried all night and woke up at 6 to check the box. It had been turned on its side but no Nugget. We looked in all the trees but couldn’t spot him. There are lots of black, grey and red squirrels around our yard and we have lots of large mature trees. Then in the afternoon, we notice he was back in the box, curled under his blanket. He looked exhausted and that’s when we noticed he was dragging his weaker leg.
He’s been back indoors for 24 hours but he’s not acting the same. He’s either depressed or maybe he injured himself. He’s sleeping a lot and just seems down. It’s apparent to me now that he’s not releasable. I’m at a lost on what to do. Do I invest in a multi –level cage and keep him as a pet? Will he be happy? Is he too wild for this? Would it be better to have him euthanized?
I’m so lost. I just want to do the right thing.
PS I’m not even sure if Nugget is a he, maybe it’s a she.