Are singles less likely to want a life in the trees?

[GeorgiesMom]

I was just wondering if singles become more attached to their person then multiples? Are they less likely to want a life in the trees? I'm raising a 13 week old male fox squirrel that I've had since he was 5 weeks old. I have to overwinter him because he's not weaned. Just curious if he would be more likely to want to stay with me. My plan is to release him in the spring.

[Spanky]

I was just wondering if singles become more attached to their person then multiples? Are they less likely to want a life in the trees? I'm raising a 13 week old male fox squirrel that I've had since he was 5 weeks old. I have to overwinter him because he's not weaned. Just curious if he would be more likely to want to stay with me. My plan is to release him in the spring.

It is always better to raise and release in groups whenever possible.

The almost always wild up and will often start attacking people when they are about 10 - 12 months old... sometimes they do not attack the primary care-giver, but since after all that time they have lost their fear of people they readily attack strangers.

They almost always (99%) want the life in the trees they we born to live...

[stepnstone]

I was just wondering if singles become more attached to their person then multiples? Are they less likely to want a life in the trees? I'm raising a 13 week old male fox squirrel that I've had since he was 5 weeks old. I have to overwinter him because he's not weaned. Just curious if he would be more likely to want to stay with me. My plan is to release him in the spring.

Once outside a squirrel's natural instincts really kick in, there has been a few exceptions but for the majority they
will always choose their intended life to be free in the trees over ours.
My last release I had him since he was a baby, he was overwintered and released at the appropriate time.
Five days later he was brought back in due to injury, overwintered again. We were both very bonded to each other.
He was going on two years old when released again. As close as we were, he wants nothing to do with me.
He is in his own element and doing beautifully out there just being the squirrel he was meant to be.

[Rock Monkey]

The older they become the stronger their genetically wired instincts become. They want to leap from tree to tree and they want to be fruitful and multiply. They will always be wired to be a squirrel.

[jessijuju]

Once outside a squirrel's natural instincts really kick in, there has been a few exceptions but for the majority they
will always choose their intended life to be free in the trees over ours.
My last release I had him since he was a baby, he was overwintered and released at the appropriate time.
Five days later he was brought back in due to injury, overwintered again. We were both very bonded to each other.
He was going on two years old when released again. As close as we were, he wants nothing to do with me.
He is in his own element and doing beautifully out there just being the squirrel he was meant to be.

Mine were like this at first, but slowly 2 out of 3 let me start getting closer and closer to them. Then with the help of treats, they eventually came to me. Now i just whistle and they will come and jump right on me. Only one of them allows me to pet her though. If i dont have any food that they are interested in though, they will take off back into the woods.
It just seems "too serious" and "dangerous" being free. I miss seeing them all playful and hop'n around and rolling in their blanky all carefree. They seemed much happier then. Its hard not to scoop em up and run back home with em.

[Barby]

I started with two but my male released himself before I would have liked. :( I had the female (Squirrelie) until 14 weeks and she now lives in a tree in my side yard. She is rather attached to me for a wild animal and I think that may have been because after her brother left, I was kind of all she had. So, in that sense she does seem to really enjoy me but I don't think it's made her any less interested in being free.

[Dee]

I started out with two as well...a boy and a girl. I had to separate them because the boy had a skin condition and a professional rehab facility took over his care. He along with his two cage-mates were returned to me 5 weeks later for release. Unfortunately the original two had lost their bond due to separation. I released all but they do not associate with each other. My original female is attached to me also. She enjoys seeing me and will sit on my shoulder for a few minutes when I take supplemental food out. The boy appropriately shies away from me.