Advise for soft release.

[Squirrel4998]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Mikey, I live in Denver, CO.
I found my squirrel Nala laying under the tire of my jeep back in late September. She was probably around 6-8 weeks old, she was all alone and very weak and had 3 puncture wounds on her side/belly(Guessing from a cat or Hawk). The day after I found her I contacted all the wildlife rehabilitators in Colorado(the few that are still around)and no place would take her, the only one that would said I could drop her off the next week but that there was a chance they would have to put her down due to lack of help they had and being overwhelmed at that time, so that option was of the table. As soon as I got her stronger and her wounds healed I tried many times to reintroduce her to the squirrels that would come in my front/backyard, not having any of them show any interest in her, I decided to keep her due to the harsh early winter we were starting to have plus the 3 cats that roam my yard, The hawks that are always posted around my house, And living on a busy street. She has been living in her outdoor cage that is about 4x8 then I bring her in for the night for bed time. she gets about 2-3 hours out of her cages for one on one/playtime every day in my extra bedroom. Her diet is based on the "Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrel's" pyramid. She seems very healthy, Weight, Appetite, Teeth seem to be good. But as of late I have noticed a change in her behavior and doing research in the forms noticed she's getting to the age where her "wild " is starting to come out, and doing a soft release may be in her best interest, as this brakes my heart.... I wondered if it maybe the best thing for her. If there is anyone who could offer any advise such as steps for the soft release process and if it's the best thing to do, or would building a bigger enclosure for her help. My main concerns are, Is she too domesticated to have a chance in the wild or will she lean how to survive during the soft release? And living in Colorado especially having had and still having a harsh winter should I wait till spring to start the soft release?

Any Advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you324286324287324288324289

[Mel1959]

She’s beautiful! You did a great job! :great

You definitely don’t want to release till spring when there are leaves on the trees and it has begun to warm up. Each squirrel is different but most all squirrels will choose a life in the trees if given a chance. Their instincts tell them this when they mature. The soft release process gives the squirrel time to adapt to the sights and sounds outside. It sounds like your girl is already doing that. The next step for you, and her, would be to leave her outside over night once the nights get warmer. After a few weeks of her being outside is when you’d open a small 3”x3” portal door for her to leave. Here’s the link with information about the soft release process. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?41071-SOFT-RELEASE-The-How-to-Sticky

It has been my experience that once you are spending less time with them and they’re outside 24/7 they will naturally become a little more wild. Female squirrels tend to stick around more so than males. I find it helpful to place a wooden squirrel box in her release cage so she can get use to it. When it’s time for release I’d put the box up in a nearby tree. This way she’ll have a familiar home that has her scent already.

Please keep us posted on how she does.

[olorin19]

She’s beautiful! You did a great job! :great

You definitely don’t want to release till spring when there are leaves on the trees and it has begun to warm up. Each squirrel is different but most all squirrels will choose a life in the trees if given a chance. Their instincts tell them this when they mature. The soft release process gives the squirrel time to adapt to the sights and sounds outside. It sounds like your girl is already doing that. The next step for you, and her, would be to leave her outside over night once the nights get warmer. After a few weeks of her being outside is when you’d open a small 3”x3” portal door for her to leave. Here’s the link with information about the soft release process. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?41071-SOFT-RELEASE-The-How-to-Sticky

It has been my experience that once you are spending less time with them and they’re outside 24/7 they will naturally become a little more wild. Female squirrels tend to stick around more so than males. I find it helpful to place a wooden squirrel box in her release cage so she can get use to it. When it’s time for release I’d put the box up in a nearby tree. This way she’ll have a familiar home that has her scent already.

Please keep us posted on how she does.

If there is not a nearby tree, another option is to leave the nest box inside the cage and simply keep the cage open.

With no available trees in my yard (local trees in neighboring yards), I have three cages in my yard that are gradually merging into the hedge. The cage on the right has been there since 2018 while the other two since 2020. The squirrels I have released in spring have each been in one of these cages as their release cage. They then return to that cage (or occasionally one of the other cages) and sleep there for several months until warmer weather sends them to the trees to sleep. Most then return to the cages in October or so as it gets colder and move back in for the winter.

Another option is attaching a nest box to a metal post. This one has been in my yard since 2015.

Besides the released squirrels themselves, these nest boxes and/or cages have been used by released females to birth and raise pups, and then later by many of these same pups as their winter residence.