Pumpkin
03-20-2022, 01:47 PM
Hi team!
I need some release support please, but first the context:
So my four boys have made it through the winter. I found these sweet boys in my back yard after their mother didn't come back in September. I bottle fed them from 5 weeks old and then over wintered them in my cabana (windows & glass doors on all sides). I was able to bring in full trees for them to climb and nibble on. They made their nest in a cat tree. They are healthy, happy and well fed. I'm in Quebec and there is still a little snow on the ground - but I think it will all be gone in about a week.
I have spent over a thousand dollars on these guys and I'm not really in the market to spend thousands more. Everything I'm reading says I need to build a release cage for them... I don't have the means to do this. I'm looking for the next best thing and am hoping this community can help me figure out how to let them go safely.
I was thinking I would open one of the windows next to a tree and connect a branch from the inside of the cabana to the tree so they never have to walk on the ground. I was thinking to start letting them outside as soon as the snow melts but allow then to come back to their cabana home as long as it takes. I'm happy to keep feeding them for a few months and leave a little crack open in the window so they can come and go until they have their new residence established somewhere.
Ultimately, I didn't really sign up to be a full time rehabber... I just wanted to give these little guys the best chance at survival. They are now 6 months old and ready for their next chapter. Any help you can give me to aid in their safe release (without building a cage) would be appreciated.
Thanks you!
Lauren
I need some release support please, but first the context:
So my four boys have made it through the winter. I found these sweet boys in my back yard after their mother didn't come back in September. I bottle fed them from 5 weeks old and then over wintered them in my cabana (windows & glass doors on all sides). I was able to bring in full trees for them to climb and nibble on. They made their nest in a cat tree. They are healthy, happy and well fed. I'm in Quebec and there is still a little snow on the ground - but I think it will all be gone in about a week.
I have spent over a thousand dollars on these guys and I'm not really in the market to spend thousands more. Everything I'm reading says I need to build a release cage for them... I don't have the means to do this. I'm looking for the next best thing and am hoping this community can help me figure out how to let them go safely.
I was thinking I would open one of the windows next to a tree and connect a branch from the inside of the cabana to the tree so they never have to walk on the ground. I was thinking to start letting them outside as soon as the snow melts but allow then to come back to their cabana home as long as it takes. I'm happy to keep feeding them for a few months and leave a little crack open in the window so they can come and go until they have their new residence established somewhere.
Ultimately, I didn't really sign up to be a full time rehabber... I just wanted to give these little guys the best chance at survival. They are now 6 months old and ready for their next chapter. Any help you can give me to aid in their safe release (without building a cage) would be appreciated.
Thanks you!
Lauren