Release Questions

[Bigmonspawns]

I have been taking care of marty the fox squirrel since about 5-6 weeks of age. He had suffered a cat bite, and the woman who found him didn’t know that he needed formula or anything to eat other than berries, so he was struggling quite a bit with dehydration and diarrhea when I got him. I am friends with a vet, who was able to get us some Baytril and provided me with esbilac (which didn’t helpt he diarrhea) until I was able to get him on Fox Valley formula (having read here that this was the best thing!).

Marty is now a strong, energetic, bouncy 10 week old with healthy poops! He loves his Henry’s blocks (he gets 2 a day now) and is eating healthy greens/veggies/flowers/tree branches from the safe list along with his fox valley formula twice a day. I take him out to play in my spare room twice a day for at least an hour at a time.

I’ve done the best I can for him - with one regret - that I didn’t know enough to call the nearby Squirrel Refuge in Vancouver, WA to find him a buddy to be with before he turned 8 weeks old. I almost took him there, but he so quickly bonded to me and I think I let my emotions get in the way a bit in convincing myself that he would be best with me. I’m a little worried about him not having friendship/a play buddy once I distance myself to allow him to wild up. Any reassurance/advice here???


It is also becoming harder and harder to provide him with the exercise he needs. I exercise him as much as I can, provide lots of variation in toys and hidden food in his cage… but he still seems like he hates being in his cage (approximately 3x3x3.5). he gets really mad if I don’t take him out when I’m in the room (paces, chews on bars etc.). When I’m out of the room, I have a pet camera to make sure he’s not pacing/Chewing on the bars - he seems to be fine when I’m gone.) Anyways - I am really discouraging the bar chewing, and he’s getting the picture, but I think the underlying issue is that he needs more space.

Anyways…
My questions.
1) I am building him a large covered 4’x4’x8’ outdoor pre-release cage with double doors, branches, things to climb on, etc. I have the ability to run a metal tube from the outdoor cage to an indoor cage in my house via window portal. I’m working on this. How soon can he begin to spend time in the outdoor cage? I’d like to be able to take him out there to exercise soon, as I don’t feel I’m able to give him the exercise time he needs. (Note: I’m in Northern Oregon and the temps here get down to 40 at night already. 48-50 during the day. Winters can vary a lot. Some years we get ice storms. Other years we only get mild rain)

2) I’m assuming I will need to over-winter him this way - for how long should I continue to interact with him a lot? He still loves to cuddle and wrestle. He is currently using the back of my head as a springboard as I write this. I know he may end up telling me what he wants, but I want to try to allow him to wild up if possible. [Note: I have a ton of squirrels in my backyard that he can watch]. One factor in this is that I live in a neighborhood and do not want him jumping on random people. I’d probably cut a hole in the hardware cloth to let him explore the real world around April, based on what I’ve read here, and then he’d have the outdoor cage+a nest box to come back to as he wants.

3) Do you think his indoor cage will need to be bigger even if he has a portal to a giant outdoor cage?

I feel like I had more questions but now I can’t recall! Appreciate your time in reading this lengthy post. Here’s a cute pic of him with his furball snuggie in his hammock. we call his furball “dad”. :D
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PS: Thank you to all of you who answer these questions! This place has been invaluable to me.

[Bigmonspawns]

Well it’s confirmed. We played for about an hour this morning and he did NOT want to go back in his cage. Was throwing a straight up temper tantrum in his cage (hanging on the bars, bobbing his little body up and down, chewing on the bars). I try to distract him then by throwing a fresh branch or two in there… which works for about 2 minutes and then he resumes the “i want out” behavior. Each time I open the cage he jumps out and does figure 8’s running all over my body and trying to wrestle.

Anyways. Temper tantrums while I’m sitting in there trying to do my online class, and then as soon as I leave the room I watch on the video camera and he just calms down and seems content.

This little guy is workin’ me!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Yes, he’s working you. :grin2

I wouldn’t get overly anxious that you didn’t get him a friend. It’s water under the bridge so don’t look back. Singletons released do fine. My only concern is living in a neighborhood. Singletons that are overwintered do tend to stay human friendly for a while after release. I actually love that because neighbors aren’t a concern for me but approaching random humans in the neighborhood after release will be a problem.

I think your overwinter cage plan is awesome. It will give him plenty of space. Don’t let him convince you otherwise. :grin2

[Bigmonspawns]

Would it be an option to drive him to a new location? Take his nesting box out of the pre-release cage and put it up in a tree at the new spot? I have friends who live on the Willamette river, with lots of space. Unfortunately then he’d have hawks and eagles to contend with as well.

[Mel1959]

I rarely ever think it’s a good idea to relocate squirrels, unless there’s imminent danger where they have set up their home. Being u familiar with an area is a disadvantage and then throwing in predators like hawks and eagles sounds like a recipe for disaster. IMO.

What are you trying to accomplish by relocating him? Is it because you have neighbors and you’re concerned he’ll be too friendly? There have been some horror stories, but I live in a neighborhood and have raised and released friendly squirrels and from my experience they all eventually “wild up” to the point that they won’t allow themselves to be touched and become very selective who they jump on.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Because you’re raising him, he won’t have memory of where he came from. Are your neighbors close? You have time to think about release. Don’t stress over it now. I guess another question is, are your neighbors friendly? Would they understand? It is true that they wild up pretty fast and avoid humans. I just worry about that first couple weeks where he might be a little needy and be drawn to a human especially if overwintered. Most hit the trees and are so happy that they don’t hang around and cause problems. Some do stay around and maintain a degree of ‘friendly’ with a healthy distrust as they wild up.

[Bigmonspawns]

Perhaps I can distance myself from him as spring release approaches. My neighbors are friendly and aren’t really out much. I do live near a small park though.

Thanks for your reassurances. I do feel he will avoid other people.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Perhaps I can distance myself from him as spring release approaches. My neighbors are friendly and aren’t really out much. I do live near a small park though.

Thanks for your reassurances. I do feel he will avoid other people.

That sounds perfect as far as the neighbors. The park is a little sketchy but realistically squirrels in many parks are somewhat friendly because people feed them. How would you know the difference between a ‘friendly’ rehab vs a ‘friendly’ human fed squirrel in a park? No difference as far as I can tell.

I think we are talking about worst case scenarios because most rehab squirrels wild up pretty fast just like their wild counterparts. My one overwintered girl wouldn’t allow me to touch her on about Day 2 even though she would climb on my shoulder. When I tried to pet her, she bit the crap outta me. :hurt That never changed. Every time I was tempted to pet her, she bit me. She trained me pretty fast. :rotfl In just a few weeks she no longer climbed on me.

[Bigmonspawns]

Marty the squirrel is one healthy, happy guy!

He has spent the winter with me - I built his huge outdoor release cage, and it is connected to his indoor cage via a 4” pipe that runs through my window. It’s been PERFECT.
I couldnt’ be happier with how things have gone. He’s my favorite thing in the world right now and has gotten me through a pretty hard time in my life.

Still…. The release plans carry forward.
I decided today that I was going to stop allowing him to jump on me. This is very sad because he LOVES to sleep cuddle up in my shirt while I watch TV. That’s about all he wants to do. No interest in play. He’s also an odd one because he’s not food dominant at all. He will let me pet him even while he’s eating a nut. So docile and sweet. Will fall asleep in my hands while I pet his cheeks.


Concerns still remain about the neighbors. Considering wearing a wig and some perfume and squirting him with a little water to send the message that humans are not fun to get close to.

Thanks all for the advice and support. Oregon winter is almost over. The trees will probably have leaves by early-march if not sooner. Of course, I don’t have to rush. He doesn’t seem like he’s sick of being here yet.

[Chirps]

Thanks for the update. I'm only just seeing this thread. You still have time. If I were in your place, I'd enjoy all the cuddles while he still wants to give them. That may change pretty suddenly if/when he decides to. There's no hurry, right? What are the concerns with the neighbors? That he will jump on them? Is it just you and him, or are there other humans in your house? Just wondering because if there are other humans in his life you'd have an indication as to whether he's a one-person squirrel, as most seem to be from all the stories here.

You still have most of a month until March. A lot can happen in a month.

[Mel1959]

I agree with Chirps. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to dissuade him from jumping on you. Him continuing to have a relationship with you after release isn’t a bad thing. It will be reassuring to know that if he needs help after release he knows to come to you. I have a released female that will jump on myself and others that come into my yard, but I’ve never known her to jump on neighbors. I just forewarn any one who comes into my yard. Everyone has been very good about it and actually think it’s kinda cool.

He will be very confused if you start doing things to keep him from you.

[Bigmonspawns]

Thank you so much to both of you for these reassuring responses.

I have a housemate who has kept distance from Marty. He chatters at her whenever she gets within sight. She’s fed him for me on two occasions when I was stuck working late but he still doesn’t like her.

My concern with the neighbors is that he will jump on them, that they will freak out, and that it could turn into a squirrel bite situation. That’s worst case.320905

[Bigmonspawns]

That sounds perfect as far as the neighbors. The park is a little sketchy but realistically squirrels in many parks are somewhat friendly because people feed them. How would you know the difference between a ‘friendly’ rehab vs a ‘friendly’ human fed squirrel in a park? No difference as far as I can tell.

I think we are talking about worst case scenarios because most rehab squirrels wild up pretty fast just like their wild counterparts. My one overwintered girl wouldn’t allow me to touch her on about Day 2 even though she would climb on my shoulder. When I tried to pet her, she bit the crap outta me. :hurt That never changed. Every time I was tempted to pet her, she bit me. She trained me pretty fast. :rotfl In just a few weeks she no longer climbed on me.


Thanks to HRT4SQRLS for her responses back in October. Am so sad to hear of her passing! Her posts all over this forum have been so helpful to me in raising this happy healthy guy.

[sundoesshine]

I have a housemate who has kept distance from Marty. He chatters at her whenever she gets within sight. She’s fed him for me on two occasions when I was stuck working late but he still doesn’t like her.

My concern with the neighbors is that he will jump on them, that they will freak out, and that it could turn into a squirrel bite situation. That’s worst case.
We were also terrified of our release attacking neighbors as he had us. He never attempted going up to anyone that we know of however. With us, it was like he had a Dr Jeckyl scenario going on because he So desperately wanted to interact with us, but those darn hormones made him attack instead. I think it's perfect that your roommate hasn't been involved in raising him and isn't tolerated, that in itself already tells you he doesn't want attention from others and they tend to only tolerate 1 human after maturing as well. I do personally believe they need snuggles and interaction if there is no sibling or parent as they're So tactile. They naturally will distance themselves when time is right during release. The only warning ours gave us before wilding, was he was rather distracted and didn't want to do his usual playtime; instead he ran around and got into the garbage etc one night. It was subtle but telling.

We tend to "see" them as they are currently, but the release process really does transition them to slowly distance themselves from us humans and focus on the wild world instead; so I really wouldn't worry, I think he'll do fine. :Love_Icon