Training your baby squirrel???

[chipper99]

Well our Roxie will be 5 weeks old next weekend. She really runs around now and sometimes it's tough to settle her down for a feeding. You take your eye off her for 1 second and she could be 5 feet away. We are real happy that she has this energy. It obviously shows she's doing well. But......

I was wondering if it's possible to train these little tikes. I hear conflicting reports about being able to train them. Can it be done? If so, what type of training can they learn? Tricks? obedience?

I am just thinking ahead to the day she will be leaping from the tops of the hutches and cabinets, which contain breakables. Can you gently repremand them when doing something like this. Is is comparable to telling little kids, "NO, Dont do that"? Do they go through the "terrible twos"? Will they listen to you at all? Can one be very calm, while the next squirrel can be hyper?

She does seem to come to us when we call her name and make clicking sounds. So I think there is potential there.

[pamela lee]

I don't believe they are truly trainable, they pretty much do as they please. What are you wanting to train her to do? You wouldn't want to do anything that would interfere with her eventual release and her natural instincts.

[thundersquirrel]

you should definitely ask the folks in the pet squirrel forum; don't think i'd be much help, i generally encourage that wild squirrely behavior. :D

[Bravo]

From what little I understand, it's unlikely. A 'first generation' squirrel orphaned or taken from wild is entirely a creature of instinct, and any sort of training coupled with discipline is likely to be treated as a threat, resulting in hostility towards the human.

I'd suggest that some choose to accept an indoor lifestyle in close contact with humans and are capable of gentle, docile behaviour. They're a tiny exception to the rule, and it's probably an even greater long shot in regards to actual interaction or trained 'tasks', with the possibility of alienating the little one as a continual risk.

You probably have a pretty good idea already of what Roxie's demeanor is. Her wild nature will become increasingly obvious.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Right now I would be worrying about getting her to release date as happy and healthy as a squirrel can be, thats enough of a challenge for any of us here.:thumbsup

[chipper99]

Well I thought I'd ask as she is young and if trainable, probably a good time.
But she is sweet and affectionate, so it is this trait that is the most important to us. Just keep loving her and she will reciprocate, I guess.
I guess the water skiing squirrel just does it because it's forced to stand on the little rig behind the toy boat. Am i correct???

[Mars]

If you are thinking of Sugar Bush Squirrel this is the exception and not the rule. As adorable as Sugar Bush is her site gives a very unrealistic expectation for new squirrel parents. Each squirrel is different. Celebrate your baby and enjoy them now. The time for deciding to release or not will come way to soon. Don't waste worry over it. Take one day, one step at a time is the best advice I can give you.

http://www.sugarbushsquirrel.com/index.html

[scoobysnack]

I know NOTHING about squirrels. I say this so you can take what I'm about to say for what it's worth, which is basically nothing.

I base what I'm about to say on what I'm personally experiencing and what I've read not only on this board but in other instances.

I think the squirrel will tell you what it wants as far as being "trainable", which will be a huge indicator of the "to release or not to release" question.

I'm experiencing something totally different with my 6week old squirrel than you are with your 5 week old. Scooby is the laid back queen. She gets excited over her meals but she's not trying to get away from me. I can change nipples between syringes with not a finger on her and she just sits in my lap waiting. She finishes her meal and falls asleep in my hand or gives herself a bath. If I go sit with her in the other room (dog free zone) she hangs out with me totally voluntarily. Sure she scampers around ON me, but she doesn't go away from me. I seem to be "home base" for her.

We were at a huge party this weekend, live band, 60+ partiers (and boy were they partying), my sister's great room echos and is LOUD, pro photographer with BIG flashy thing, people all over me as I held her... nothing freaked her out... if she was awake she was munching some treat being served or she was out cold asleep in my hand/pocket.

Riding in the car, in her rubbermaid home, she was munching on stuff in her dish, playing with her little stuffed toy or sleeping. Again, not stressed, nervous or jumpy.

I don't know if they can or can't be "trained". I think almost anything can be, but I don't know that they "should" be trained.

That said, if I were going to try and train something difficult, I would use clicker training. It's what they use with dolphin and I know folks who have used it successfully with horses, dogs and all sorts of "wild" animals.

[Mrs. Jack]

There've been lots of Twiggy the waterskiing squirrel.. I"m not sure how she trains them to do it, I'm not sure a 'normal' person could do it, you know how the movie people train animals to do lots of things a lot of people couldn't, it must take intensive time patience and just the right squirrel.

As far as making her safe for your house, I think it's the other way round if you're thinking towards keeping her should she choose that also. You won't have a squirrel without some squirrelification of your items. More important is giving her a safe place of her own, she's a squirrel, not a child, and her instincts are telling her to run and jump and climb and chew.. it's inherently in her. So she would need a place- a whole room would be great- that's for her and for her way of life. :)

[Bravo]

Well I thought I'd ask as she is young and if trainable, probably a good time.
But she is sweet and affectionate, so it is this trait that is the most important to us. Just keep loving her and she will reciprocate, I guess.
I guess the water skiing squirrel just does it because it's forced to stand on the little rig behind the toy boat. Am i correct???

I was thinking of the same example... Twiggy. As Mrs. J says, most likely an extraordinary amount of patience on the part of the trainer. I have no idea how she did it, and probably the only way to be sure would be to email her.

As you're aware, squirrels and other wilds have extremely limited means to interpret a concept such as 'discipline'. Therefore, I can only guess that a high rate of failures and rewards might result in a learned behaviour... meantime, most people would probably be hard pressed to remain cool. I would find it almost impossible not to eventually give in to frustration, and to be honest, I'd probably take it out on the animal at some point.

[scoobysnack]

As you're aware, squirrels and other wilds have extremely limited means to interpret a concept such as 'discipline'. Therefore, I can only guess that a high rate of failures and rewards might result in a learned behaviour... meantime, most people would probably be hard pressed to remain cool. I would find it almost impossible not to eventually give in to frustration, and to be honest, I'd probably take it out on the animal at some point.

Mostly what's used is "opperant training". You see it with the dolphin, whales, seals etc at Seaworld. They use a whistle but you can also use a clicker or some other consistant noise. My daughter did her first science project on "clicker training". We used two closely related foals born at the same time. One we clicker trained, one we used more traditional trianing methods.

It's a SLOW process and ...yes...takes a ton of patience which I admit I lack totally.

Here's a real brief rundown of how it works with horses anyhow...

You get a bucket of treats. At first you stand in front of the animal with the clicker and "click" give a treat, "click" give a treat over and over until the animal associates the click with a treat.

Next you get a target. Like a small ball on a stick or whatever. You wait ever so patiently until the animal, out of curiosity touches the ball with it's nose, you immediately click and give a treat. Then you wait again until the animal does it again, click and give a treat. Pretty soon, the animal says "Hey... everytime I touch this ball with my nose I hear a noise and get a treat". That's called "targeting".

Everything is built upon targeting. You add the words later like say "touch" for them to touch the target. Then you add other stuff... like...put a ball on the ground and when the animal touches it CLICK give a treat. Next time he touches it DON'T click... wait... the animal will keep doing "stuff" til he gets a click so maybe he'll pick it up or push it... when he does what you hope for you click and give a treat. For example if he pushes it but you wanted him to pick it up... you ignore the push and he will in all likelihood keep messing with the object until he gets that click. Eventually he WILL pick it up. EVENTUALLY :rotfl

Instead of punishing what you don't want you patiently wait for something to happen and reward that. The click is what they refer to as a "bridge" which let's the animal know he's done something right immediately and that a treat is forthcoming.

It does work. Most wild animals in entertainment situations are trained this way.

So with our squirrel friend... sitting still was probably rewarded. Squirrel was toddling around, it sat still "click" treat. Then it moved around more when it sat still "click" treat. Until finally the squirrel said "hey... when I sit here... I hear a noise and get a treat". Then you stretch it out... don't click right away... so the squirrel says "hey.. usually I get a treat for sitting still for a second, maybe I'll just keep sitting here and see what happens". You count to three .. click give a treat. Then you stretch out the time frame til it's long enough to pose and take photos.

[Mrs. Jack]

What may be more interesting is how squirrels train humans. Many of my guys want three almonds at a time, I'm used to that. Silversides however, wants to be handed two and pick the third up off the ground his own way. I know this because the first couple times he waited for a third I held it out and he touched it with his nose then touched the ground with his nose. More than once. But I'm slow, so he whacked it out of my hand with one paw and then picked it up. So now I give him two and then he touches the ground with his nose, I drop the almond there, and he gets them arranged. GOOD HUMAN, GOOD! and he doesn't even have a clicker :p

[4skwerlz]

Interesting subject, Chipper99. I assume you're keeping your baby as a pet. I wouldn't try to train a squirrel that was going to be released.

I've trained lots of horses, dogs, and even cats. I believe any animal can be trained to some extent, but only if you understand their NATURAL behavior and instincts because that is what you must build upon in training. Squirrels, like most animals, communicate with one another through sound and body language. Squirrels are "trained" primarily by mom and the other adults while they're young. If they do wrong, she will lunge toward them and make a loud noise. Last resort, she will grab them by the scruff of the neck with her mouth. I noticed that when my wild squirrels were climbing on me, if a claw scratched me and I said "ouch" really loud and jerked away, the next time they would be incredibly gentle. (Yes, it's true. I have no "squirrel tracks.") And I hope you saw the trained squirrels in the latest version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Amazing. All that being said, I most admire squirrels in their wild untrained state.

[muffinsquirrel]

Do they go through the "terrible twos"? Will they listen to you at all? Can one be very calm, while the next squirrel can be hyper?



1. They spend most of their lives in the "terrible twos".

2. Yes, they will listen to you. Whether or not they will care what you are saying just depends on their mood at the moment!

3. Yes, one can be calm and another be hyper. The same squirrel can also be calm and hyper and calm and hyper, etc., in the space of a minute! You, on the other hand, must be calm whether the squirrel is hyper or not!

4. Being owned by a squirrel is both the most wonderful and the most awful thing that will ever happen to you! They are smart enough to know when they have pushed you to the end of your rope, and they pick that moment to do something unbelievably cute and/or sweet and/or loving. Humans may not be very good at training squirrels, but squirrels are VERY GOOD at training humans!

muffinsquirrel

[chipper99]

A lot of good feedback here!!

I few things I think I learned...

* I will be "squirrel proofing" the house very soon.
* Every animal is different and will have a different personality. We will have to wait and see how her demeanor develops and decide what to do from there.
* Without us realizing it, Roxie is really training us.
* I might get a clicker and see if it can work with her.
* If I decided to try to train her in any way, I must be careful I don't do anything that might make Roxie resent me.
* I originally expected to just be nursing her back to health and someday releasing her. But we have since grown so attached, I don't know if we could do that. But her demeanor could also be a factor is to whether she stays with us or is released.

The last bullet reminds me of a story an old friend told me. He told me not long ago that he found a baby squirrel when he was a kid. He and his parents nursed it to health and she grew up healthy. ( I am really impressed with that, as they had no internet for any caring info, no support groups, nothing!!) Well One day the squirrel started jumping up on the screen door trying to get out. After several days is was obvious that she wanted out and they had to do the right thing. The next morning they opened the door and said goodbye. They lived in a house with a lot of land and a lot of trees. The squirrel ran up the nearest tree, stopped and looked at the family for a few moments then went on her way. That evening around suppertime, they heard shuffling noises at the door, opened it and the squirrel came walking back in!!!!!Apparently she wanted to do her own thing during the day, but came home every evening and spent the night in the house. This routine went on for about 3 years. One day she never returned and that was the end of the relationship.

I just thought it was a fascinating story, but I guess there is also a lesson here. The squirrel will let you know what it wants to do when the time comes.

I think I learned a lot from posting this topic!!!

[pamela lee]

IMO it is because you love them that you give them the chance to be a wild free squirrel and if that doesn't work then plan B.

[chipper99]

I just had a revelation on this topic!!!

We are in a way training her without knowing it. This comes from the way we conduct our daily routine with her involvement. I stated from the start, that I wanted a squirrel that would hang out with us and maybe be a "shoulder pet".
I was wondering how the heck to train her to be that way. But with the same routine we do each day with her, feed her then let her romp around on us, she developed a routine of crawling in our sleeves, or under the collar of our shirts, then going to sleep. We let this happen daily, she had done this 3 days in a row now. We already have our shoulder pet without much effort or training at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The pic says it all!!!!!!!!

[thundersquirrel]

haha she looks verrrrrry comfortable up there.

that story you told sounds like such a wonderful situation to me. when a squirrel can get the best of both worlds, it's truly fabulous.

roxie does sound like a little wildcat. do you ever go outside with her?

it's going to be a big long waiting game, probably, to figure out a lifestyle that makes you both happy. good luck. :)

[Bravo]

Nice shot. :thumbsup

A lot of good info for you here. I think that as long as you're patient with her, she'll let you know what she's comfortable with.

[chipper99]

Well she is very playful at times. I really wouldn't call her a wildcat though;) She is very affectionate at this time. When we put her down for a nap, she grips our fingers kinda tightly. "no, no, I want to stay and hang out with you".

[chipper99]

Oh, yes we take Roxie outside almost everyday for a little walk in the neighborhood, warm weather permitting of course.

[chipper99]

Another question,

It was mentioned Roxie looks a bit like a red squirrel. I am not quite sure now what she is. Can anyone tell from my previous pics, for sure what she is. I just assumed a grey, but searching google images, the baby reds look similar.

[Critter_Queen]

I think she looks like a red. A new pic would help us tell for sure, but in the shoulder pic, her face looks like a red squirrel.

If she is a red, she is not likely to make a good pet. They have totally different personalities than the greys and foxers do.

Good luck with whatever you decide! :)

[chipper99]

I will try to get some pics within a few day, sorry about posting on the wrong topic. I thought I was on the other one when I replied. Lets bring this back to 1st baby grey squirrel posting.

[Rhapsody]

Well Chipper from my side of the track I think they can understand and obey certain commands..... due to the fact that Max who is 8 weeks old started to bite a few weeks back and now after telling him NO firmly and tapping his little chin or head gently each time - Max has stopped biting when you tell him NO with a firm voice.
He will even lay his sweet little head down on what ever part of the body he was biting on when you told him NO and Pout - it is so cute to see.

Just keep in mind that even the Mommy Squirrel would reprimand their young if they did some thing wrong, like biting them or bothering them when they do not want it .... all wild life does this type of discipline.