Squirrel wilding up?

[Asteria]

Hi everyone my squirrel Murphy is about a year and 4 months around that area. Recently I noticed about a few weeks ago she started to act different. She’s usually playful with me and we will play together and cuddle but now it seems to doesn’t want anything to do with me. Now all she seems to want to do is run up and down to the window look out it and then run to her cage and lay down on top of it. And she will do this for a while. She doesn’t even seem like she wants to be pet anymore like she might take some pets but for the most part does not. This seems to have been going on for maybe a few weeks. She has not bit me at all and isn’t mean to me just wants to do her own thing I guess. Like as I am writing this post she is currently on top of her cage laying down after running around and looking out the window. I thought that maybe she might eventually go back to her regular self but I’m not so sure now. Another issue is I’m not so sure I can release her and do the whole process. I can possibly make the release cage but I’m not so sure I really can. I’m just not so sure what to do anymore and if maybe she’s just bored? Maybe I need to get her sole more toys but I’ve been getting her sticks and even lately it seems she won’t chew on them as much as she did unless when in her cage she does it more. She still eats fine. I’m just not sure what to do anymore

[McCarthy]

Many of them "wild-up" after 9 to 15 months, its their instincts and hormones kicking in, that make them wanting to be in the outdoors and also to find a mating partner. If we still keep them as pets, they need a TON of attention, out-of-the-cage-time, and interactive one on one play time. Cuddling and toys won't cut it since they need to be able to burn off their energy through extensive and interactive play. We are talking 2 to 3 hours every single day. My impression is also, that they need a very large cage or better an entire room. And even if we invest that much time and effort, there is no guarantee that they won't become wild and aggressive.

You can try and increase your one on one play time. She may also become calmer when her hormones settle again in a couple months. If that's not working out, I'd build a simple release cage and a wooden nest box with at least 2 entries / exits and move her outside, in an area that is not too busy and close to tall trees.

[Asteria]

She gets alot of time out of her cage. She is out of her cage for at least 5 hours a day. And we always have one on one time. I’ve been trying to get her to play with me lately and she really doesn’t want to. I am the only person she seems to like so all the attention comes from me. My mom she isn’t the biggest fan of. She has a big cage and she does have a room to run around in. It could just be the hormones now that it’s turning summer. She isn’t aggressive at all

[Asteria]

Can anyone else help me? Any advice would be appreciated

[McCarthy]

I'm not sure what you are expecting. As I wrote, many if not most become wild at that age. Only way to mitigate that is by offering them more activity through interactive play and more room to roam, buy building a much larger cage or offering an entire room 24/7.

It is also normal that they bond with only one person and dislike others. In some cases they become hostile towards family members.

As the saying around here goes: they make bad pets and are challenging to keep happy inside a house, especially when they are healthy and not NRs that need constant help. You are not alone at this stage, many people realize that they prefer a life in the trees and do a soft release.

If she has plenty of room to roam and a truly large cage to begin with, we are talking 3 by 4 feet and 8 feet tall, I'd give it a couple months and see if she becomes more playful again. If she continuous on her path of welding up, I'd get that outdoor cage build, a proper 2 entry nest box that should be moved up high in a close by tree after release, and start the process of releasing her over the course of a month or two by limiting contact once she is in the outdoor release cage. The release cage should also have a 3 by 3 inch portal door up high that can be opened after a few weeks, so she can come back at night and for food.

[Asteria]

The main issue I need help with is I do want to release her I just have no way of building a release cage and I would love to give her a whole room but I’m not sure how long it would be until I can give her that. I love her to death but I want her to be free. But I have no way to do the whole release process or even build the cage alone. I would love to keep her as a pet but I don’t know if she might wild up or attack me someday and she belongs to be free. I also am in college and I can not keep spending hours upon hours of my day in here with her. While I want to release her my mother does not and worries about her because she does seem to lack survival skills and I’ve told her she would get them but she still wants her to be safe with us but the issue is she only likes me so I’m having to spend all this time with her I really do not have. I had ended up with her originally because not rehabbers would take her and me and my mom did not want her to die so we took her in. I just now don’t know what to do since I can’t even build the release cage and do the whole process. I probably could and know how to do it but my moms dogs prey drive is too much and no matter how much training we do nothing helps so I’m nervous about releasing her at my house in a neighborhood that doesn’t seem very safe. She also isn’t not afraid of dogs because anytime she even hears my dog she runs down her cage to try and see him. Once he got into the room she’s in and she was at the bottom of her cage right next to him. Overall I’m just lost right now on what to do

[McCarthy]

I understand how you feel about the situation, it is not easy, and many have been in the exact same situation. We see it on a very regular basis on this forum.

Thank you for caring about the squirrel when no one else could.

In almost all cases they wild-up enough in a release cage to learn those skills and be careful around predators. It is very important to limit and cut all human interactions at that point, so they can focus on watching their environment and become independent.

In what state and city do you live? Maybe we can find a member that lives close by and has a better setting for a soft release. You may also contact rehabbers again and see if they have a slot for a release.

[stepnstone]

Sent you a private message....

[Asteria]

I am located around Utica NY but I can’t travel very far due to car issues.

[McCarthy]

I am located around Utica NY but I can’t travel very far due to car issues.

Once you have made a decision I'd probably start a new thread with a title like this: "Need help releasing squirrel in NY state", in order to be more visible to members in the same state.