Why?

[Sommer]

Okay what am I doing wrong? Why is this the only way she will touch her squirrel blocks? If I put them in the cage with her they just dry out. If I do it like this she'll munch and munch for a while.

[Chirps]

She prefers breakfast in bed? :grin2



Sorry, don't mean to make light of it if it's a worry, but she IS eating them, right? So hopefully all's well.

[CritterMom]

Aw. I think that she is just a little tentative, being a singleton. Scary big world, you know? She is comfy and warm there. I wouldn't worry about it. She will kick you out of the nest soon enough!

[McCarthy]

:grin2

Are you sure its a girl? Must be a boy.

I gotta go.

[Diggie's Friend]

Some have found that by adding a couple of drops of the below source of organic food grade Chia oil, to the block, that it increased its appeal. Worth a try.

https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Alive-Artisan-Cold-Pressed-Organic/dp/B007788AZA/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=1332608657130130&hvadid=83288111973422&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=80337&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83288383241720%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=4626_10495948&keywords=foods+alive+chia+oil&qid=1648490222&sr=8-2

'Food grade' organic chia oil is an immune system supportive, anti-inflammatory, heart healthy source.

It is one of two sources of seed oils higher in Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids.

Warning!! Never substitute food grade edible oils for carrier oil sources; carrier oils aren't a food source fit for human or animal consumption.

[Sommer]

She seems to have a lot of appeal with the healthy blocks. And I'm starting to wonder if maybe it's just because she is a singleton. She's very interested in them and will chew an entire block almost down to nothing. She is still leaving the crumbs and not ingesting much but she is so hesitant to explore without me. I'm thinking I can't be with her all of the time but she has a nice cage with things to climb and explore I just want her to take a little more advantage of it when I can't be with her. So far she sleeps when she's tired but when she's awake she's trying to find plays to learn me to the cage to come get her. I can't spend all of my day at her cage with her so we have found a compromise that she's very happy with. I have an old purse that has become a makeshift nest Now that she is awake and alert and she prefers to use that as her nest, me is her tree and my hand and face as her family. Is this going to cause problems in the future? Because she will happily kick her entire cage to the curb for this setup.

[Sommer]

I'm at home all the time and I work from home so I don't mind but I don't want to cause her future problems. She likes to tuck into my purse when she wants to nap and come out and climb all over me and interact with me when she's awake. If the stimulus gets to be too much she darts back into the purse. But when she would normally nap if I put her in the cage suddenly she can't sleep and she pines away waiting for me to come get her.

[Sommer]

This

[Sommer]

I'm basically a walking mommy tree complete with a nest. Am I dooming her!?

[CritterMom]

NO!

She doesn't have anyone else! No mama. No brothers. No sisters. All the wild babies have them, but not her. YOU are her mother, brother and sister. They are really, really dependent on their siblings and they will stick together long after they wean and leave mom. Honest. In a few weeks she will start becoming much more independent, and you will miss this time...

[Sommer]

My husband says I'm going to ruin her. We do live in the country in the back of 8 acres surrounded by even more woods and she will be soft released with forever accommodations on the back deck if that helps...

[Sommer]

Oh WHHEEEEWWW! She's definitely got me stressing about leaving her in her cage because she doesn't want to be in it unless I'm there to play with her. I've kind of morphed into this based on her preference. But I am not an expert on squirrel behavior. I don't mind doing this I just don't want to create "issues".

[McCarthy]

Enjoy the ride and worry less. Since you are going to provide a forever-home outside there will always be shelter if she decides to stick around.

My field mouse was always with me, for 5 years. Some just get really attached.


https://i.postimg.cc/XNc1706v/IMG-0013.jpg

[island rehabber]

Explain to your hubby that squirrels have a 'toggle switch'.

At 12-14 weeks old, 99% of them will "go wild". Your snuggly baby becomes a snarly, bitey brat who just wants OUT. This is why we rehabbers try to prepare them for release at that age. We move them to a pre-release enclosure which is large and allows for the squirrel to go in and out through a small portal that won't admit any predators. The squirrel acclimates to the outdoors this way, and gets to watch the trees, feel the wind, feel the rain. Very very VERY few squirrels will want to stay with us. It's a total personality change, and it's built in.

[Sommer]

Okay. I just worry so much because I want the best for her. I know doing that with a dog would cause issues. And I'm thinking how can it possibly not with wild animal? But that does make sense. Just their wild wired into them. She can have as much or as little as she wants so it makes me feel better hearing that from you all.

[Diggie's Friend]

Squirrels are spatial oriented; the release cage needs to be of a good size, 5 ft. H by 4 ft. wide by 4 ft. deep minimum. Within place a nesting box that she has been using with cut up blanket fleece pieces with no threads. Include untreated pine secured to the inside of the cage. Also, a wood shelve for her to rest upon to sun herself. Part of the cage should be covered to provide shelter from sun and rain, and potential predators from above. This is easily done using a section of plywood cut to fit over about a third of the cage top. As available, secure sundried branches of safe woods to the inside walls of the release. (see link to list of woods below).

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?67944-Wild-food-suggested-shrubs-for-squirrels&p=1344771#post1344771

[Diggie's Friend]

If located in an area where there are hawks, raccoons, or other predators, providing a full surround chain-link cage over the release cage is needful to prevent their breaking in. The other safe option would be to provide an all metal wire animal cage of approx. the same size as I've describe prior; at least one company offers this. Personally I prefer the home made pinewood structure with the wire cage fabric on the inside and also wrapped around the wood at the corners and the door.

[Sommer]

Thank you! I'm working on her big cage now! Her baby cage is in the nursery forum. I figure when I build the wood nest I'll just put the whole purse in there. The one I built for her in the baby cage has been abandoned for the purse as she insists having it even when I'm cooking or showering or sleeping lol Luckily I have a pyrenees. 170 pound Oz. They will not meet until she goes outside since she'll see him, she'll get to know him. The wild squirrels eat around him, the birds pick hair for nests off his body and he likes it. He gently guards baby chicks and "checks his chickens" but boy, I'll tell you, the predators stay on the outskirts of the property!

[Sommer]

Ozmund. I see an occasional hawk so that's the greatest concern. But we have TONS of blackberries so we have rabbit and deer residents. Birds a lizard we hand feed. Oz keeps it pretty predator-free for out in the woods. He watches the horse and alpacas (our only neighbor) too. We get baby squirrels deer birds and bunnies around the yard so I think they've learned to take advantage of it, hope Hazel will too!

[Diggie's Friend]

For hawk control use an air horn. When aimed line of sight at a distance of up to approx. 20 to 25 ft., it moves hawks away even in flight.

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Blast-Assorted-SB8-018-016-Non-Flammable/dp/B00DW91OJC/ref=sr_1_17?adgrpid=1333708169044291&hvadid=83356999504726&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=80337&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83357104964004%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=9440_13531191&keywords=handheld+air+horns&qid=1648600944&sr=8-17


ps. Love your gentle giant. :Love_Icon

[Sommer]

Then I'll get some for sure!

[Mel1959]

I have a 100 lb dog that is equally as gentle around wildlife. The squirrels run right by him and occasionally bounce off him….he barely flinches. :grin2. Proof positive that dogs can be broken of that “hunting will”.

[Sommer]

Thank you all for your comments! For whatever reason I cannot find a way to like or acknowledge them. Maybe the mobile version I'm using. Well, he doesn't have any hunting instincts. He's a livestock guardian dog so it's bred into him to be extremely gentle with all but predators. He was 52 lb when he was 3 months old. Had never even had any leash training and my two-year-old nephew could walk him without him pulling him over. And it stayed that way even when he was well over 100.

[Sommer]

The only thing I worry about is our cat. She came with my husband and is a punk. My cat was raised with birds and rats in harmony and also is 18. Shes never had an interest in hunting. Luckily his cat is very overweight and not very fast. Definitely not a threat to an adult squirrel. But mice a rare baby animal and mostly lizards sometimes fall prey. The funny thing is if the dog sees her doing it he shoos her off. She's completely given up trying to stalk anything under the bird feeder. She has to go out to where he can't see her. He knows when she's stalking something and he interrupts her throws his paw out at her or just uses his size to shove her away from her hunting spot. But I have seen him be protective of her as well a while back when we had a stray dog wander through.