Mfnusz
06-14-2021, 12:32 PM
Hello!
I have had 4 Eastern grey siblings since last August when they were orphaned, 2 boys and 2 girls. In mid-April, I moved them to an outdoor enclosure for a soft release. They were in there for about 4 weeks. I released them in Mid-May. They all stuck close by the first few days. After that, one of the girls disappeared :( The other 3 were still present pretty much daily. Sometimes a day would go by where I wouldn't see one, but then the next day I'd see all of them again. About 2 weeks after release, I noticed the remaining girl spent the night in their enclosure, which was odd. When I went out to investigate, I found she had a severe leg injury. It was open from her shoulder almost all the way down her leg. I immediately brought her back inside and cleaned it (the best that she would let me). She stayed inside for about a week, and then started getting antsy (even though I'd let her out daily). I moved her back out to the release enclosure so she'd have more room. Her wound eventually healed, but she still won't bear weight on that front leg. In the midst of this happening, I caught the boys several times frozen, being eyed by owls. I ended up putting the 2 of them back in the cage too until I could figure out the best course of action. I removed all the bird feeders from our yard so there wouldn't be the abundance of prey for them. I also started squirting the owls with the hose anytime I'd see them around. It's been about a week, and I have definitely seen less of an owl presence. My squirrels are all extremely anxious now as well, as they want out. I am so torn, do I just release the boys again and hope for the best? And what about Junie? I don't know if she'll ever have full use of her front leg again. She does use it to help hold food, but still doesn't walk on it. I want them to live full, happy squirrel lives and to do what is best for them, but I'm not sure what that is at this point. Please help a squirrel-mama out!
I have had 4 Eastern grey siblings since last August when they were orphaned, 2 boys and 2 girls. In mid-April, I moved them to an outdoor enclosure for a soft release. They were in there for about 4 weeks. I released them in Mid-May. They all stuck close by the first few days. After that, one of the girls disappeared :( The other 3 were still present pretty much daily. Sometimes a day would go by where I wouldn't see one, but then the next day I'd see all of them again. About 2 weeks after release, I noticed the remaining girl spent the night in their enclosure, which was odd. When I went out to investigate, I found she had a severe leg injury. It was open from her shoulder almost all the way down her leg. I immediately brought her back inside and cleaned it (the best that she would let me). She stayed inside for about a week, and then started getting antsy (even though I'd let her out daily). I moved her back out to the release enclosure so she'd have more room. Her wound eventually healed, but she still won't bear weight on that front leg. In the midst of this happening, I caught the boys several times frozen, being eyed by owls. I ended up putting the 2 of them back in the cage too until I could figure out the best course of action. I removed all the bird feeders from our yard so there wouldn't be the abundance of prey for them. I also started squirting the owls with the hose anytime I'd see them around. It's been about a week, and I have definitely seen less of an owl presence. My squirrels are all extremely anxious now as well, as they want out. I am so torn, do I just release the boys again and hope for the best? And what about Junie? I don't know if she'll ever have full use of her front leg again. She does use it to help hold food, but still doesn't walk on it. I want them to live full, happy squirrel lives and to do what is best for them, but I'm not sure what that is at this point. Please help a squirrel-mama out!