Introduction

[Dinomacc]

Hi and thank you for this fantastic site full of great info! We are recently (since September) new squirrel parents. Neither of us has raised a squirrel before. We found our Loki (the goddes of mischief) in the yard after a week of storms. A week earlier we found a dead adult in the yard. (Not sure if related) we assumed she was approximately 3 weeks as she had fur but her eyes were still closed for about another week then they opened. I feel so blessed after reading many posts on these threads and feel like we got a special one. We started with goat replacement milk out of a kitten bottle. She did great. Realized a week later she had a botfly warble in her neck, took her to the vet and had it removed. (She was really grateful lol) we've been learning on the fly and done quite well as she is very healthy, active and happy! She even understands and listens to commands like if she's on the floor I snap my fingers and say "get up here" and she jumps right on my leg and climbs to my shoulder. "Come here Loki" she comes and so on. Shes been off the bottle a month or more and we feed her Henry's blocks, fresh veggies, fruit and apparently too many nuts as I've learned. We have squirrel-cal supplement, and squirrel booster on the way. As I said she is very active running laps on me and the couch. She loves to play and wrestle with my hands, play bite and lick. She doesn't mind me in her cage cleaning but when I do she's on my shoulder or back watching me curiously. She used to sleep on my shoulder at night until I went to bed and put her back in her cage but now she just goes straight to her squirrel hammock. At night I reach in and stroke her while she sleeps and she rolls onto her back to rub her belly and she holds your finger and gives kisses lol. As I said she's very spoiled and we are blessed! I hear everyone say squirrels are terrible pets but I don't see it with ours so far. They are definitely a lot of work, require a lot of time and attention but the love and friendship are awesome! It's great to be here and thanks for all the wonderful knowledge!320309

[Dinomacc]

Loki's Tiktok! https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPd21ao21/

[Mel1959]

You have definitely been touched by what we like to call “squirrel magic”. :Love_Icon

If my math is correct Loki is about 12 weeks old. She is still in that “cuddly…I love everyone” stage. Rarely do these mischievous little creatures stay in that stage….occasionally…..but there’s no way to prevent them from growing up. As they get older and their hormones kick in they inevitably change. For female squirrels that can happen around 9-10 months. Once they reach maturity they can become unpredictable. They can bite and attack for no apparent reason. They can develop anxious habits, like pacing and become overly destructive…even more than normal. :eek:shakehead

Because they’re wild creatures, they are hard wired to live in the trees and procreate. As I said, sometimes a squirrel will prefer to live in the lap of luxury and stays sweet (and not too destructive) and doesn’t want to explore the great outdoors, but those ones are rare. It’s nice when they’re given the choice. This is why we recommend a soft release where they spend a few weeks in an outdoor enclosure (at about 14 weeks) getting used to the sights, sounds and smells of outdoors, before the portal door is opened. By allowing them the opportunity to return to the enclosure over the next several days (weeks) they can decide where they prefer to live. Most will choose the trees.

The commitment to keep a squirrel is a long one. They can live for 10 years in captivity. If things go well for the first few years but you then decide that you don’t want to keep her, it’s very, very hard to re-home a squirrel or release at that age. These are the things you should consider when deciding about Loki’s future.

….and did I mention they’re destructive??!!:grin3

[Dinomacc]

Yeah weve been bitten by the magic lol.. 320317ot sure if releasing her is going to be an option. We have a 9 year old loving pit bull as well and Loki has lost her fear of her, been curious of her and actually playful with her now following her around the house and jumping on her back sometimes to which the dog doesn't mind at all.. We live in a very rural area with feral cats, hawks, owls, coons, coyotes and so on and just the thought of her getting killed is awful. I've done lots and lots of research since she came into our lives and still learning. We understand the possibilities of her nature and at the same time we've seen lots of 1+ year old squirrels who haven't turned wild on their parents and live a happy life in captivity but we've taken on this responsibility with everything in mind.. To my understanding the males are worse and have more chance of this than the females. Funny we found out our doctor has a pet squirrel at home. Again thanks for the community and friendship! 320317