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bednarkim77
03-24-2021, 08:18 AM
What temperature do you start to bring them out at ? Im in Massachusetts so its still pretty cold at night , I was thinking when the night are 65 to 70 ?
They are aprox 7 months old
Rock Monkey
03-25-2021, 02:42 PM
What temperature do you start to bring them out at ? Im in Massachusetts so its still pretty cold at night , I was thinking when the night are 65 to 70 ?
They are aprox 7 months old

Probably the most important consideration is the current state of spring growth. Ideally you want the deciduous trees to be fully leafed out. This allows the squirrel to build dreys, they cannot do so otherwise as they use branches full of leaves to build their nests. Even if you provide a safe, dry house 20+ ft up a well connected tree the squirrel should still have the option of building alternate nests/ back up nests. After all they may face a hostile reception from resident squirrels at their current location.

When everything is leafed out, there are also more food sources available.
bednarkim77
03-25-2021, 04:44 PM
Oh I have a outdoor cage to hold them in I just spent over 600 building so they will have at least 30 days in that. I was just wondering at what temperature I can put them in the pre release cage .
Rock Monkey
03-25-2021, 08:55 PM
Oh I have a outdoor cage to hold them in I just spent over 600 building so they will have at least 30 days in that. I was just wondering at what temperature I can put them in the pre release cage .

If there is a house in the release cage that is stuffed with warm bedding they can put up with the cold temperatures. They form a 6" sphere and curl up inside that and pull material over the opening some as they go to sleep.

Some people have put a chew proof heating pad under the house to give it supplemental heat. Additionally you can put pieces plywood or plexi glass or metal roofing around the house to shield it from the wind. Preferably the cage should be in a spot that gets sun at this time of year.

The overnight temps are the most important but obviously in the wild they spend the whole winter out there. If you aren't getting temps much below freezing I think you will be alright, especially since you will be providing as much food as they want to eat and have given them a warm house stuffed with bedding. I would look at the seasonal average overnight lows to make your decision.

This time of year they spend a lot time curled up in their homes, minimizing energy expenditure.