Have a 5 week old red squirrel....do I need to foster over winter?

[sydiskid]

Hi! Found a 1 wk old squirrel at the bottom of my pine tree. Tried to get momma to come get him, but after 3 days, no luck. No rehabbers in my area and F&G couldn't help me, so I'm fostering him. Very healthy squirrel: feeding well and no obvious health issues. He's closing in on 4 weeks and I just read that I should keep him over the winter season, is that true? I live in SE Idaho and our winters are very cold, so I want to make sure I care for him properly. If not, I would be releasing him mid-to-late November. Thanks for any/all recommendations~

[Spanky]

Hi! Found a 1 wk old squirrel at the bottom of my pine tree. Tried to get momma to come get him, but after 3 days, no luck. No rehabbers in my area and F&G couldn't help me, so I'm fostering him. Very healthy squirrel: feeding well and no obvious health issues. He's closing in on 4 weeks and I just read that I should keep him over the winter season, is that true? I live in SE Idaho and our winters are very cold, so I want to make sure I care for him properly. If not, I would be releasing him mid-to-late November. Thanks for any/all recommendations~

The best thing is always if the squirrels can be raised and released together. Squirrels will readily combine into litters and accept new-comers up until about 7 weeks old, 8 weeks if iffy and at 9 weeks, forget about it!

Single releases also have some disadvantages... given that you are in a cold climate and have a singleton baby, only 4 weeks old, overwintering would be best.