Dilemma

[nikkicreatesart]

Hi everyone,

I have quite the dilemma, and I wanted to get experienced rehabbers opinion. Mainly because I want to do the best by my little guy, and I know sometimes our heart can cloud our judgement.

I got Picasso from a neighbor (he was a pants-tugger) on May 15th. I estimate that he was 5 weeks old then- eyes open but tail wasn't fluffy and he was very tiny. This would make him just about 16 weeks old. He is still drinking milk at night. He is stull very playful and wants to wrestle all the time. He is still fairly small at about 515 grams.

I originally planned on overwintering him so that he could catch up size-wise to the local squirrels and do a slow release starting in very early spring, so that maybe he could get a head start on finding a tree and establishing himself. I live in central Alabama and while it is very warm here and the trees still have green leaves, the extreme heat is taking its toll on the local plants. By the time I feel it would be cool enough to start a slow release process (mid August or so) that would take him towards the end of September/October which is definitely fall here. Also, thanks to climate change, we may be in for a very cold winter. My husband made a large inside cage (6 feet long, 4 feet high and about 2 feet deep) He is just now getting used to it slowly, he is still very timid about any changes. He lives in my art studio which is climate controlled so that he is away from all our other animals and people. He only interacts with me, and very infrequently my husband. I let him out for 2-3 hours a day and give him my full attention.

Here is my dilemma. I see him looking outside the windows and getting excited, by jumping to the window and then back on me. Am I doing the right thing by waiting? I love him so very much I have been crying because I know I am going to miss his little face so much. However, no matter when it happens, I am going to release him as he is wild and his desire for freedom is in his bones. Since I am the human, I just have to live with the bittersweet pain of having the joy of a love this great even though I know that it is not going to stay this way forever.

Is overwintering the right thing to do? I know nothing is guaranteed- that we all make the best decisions we can, in the moment. Its just that so many of you have so much more experience, and I know you all truly know what it feels like to love a little creature so deeply but at the same time know you have to let go. Please share your perspective. When we build the release cage, the two safest spots would be on our back deck, which is pretty near a large tree that has at least one squirrel in it, I can see his drey high in the branches, or behind a wooden building we have next to horse pasture line that has a lean to for the horses that would could keep the horses out of (they have other lean-tos for shelter) and is next to a hackleberry tree and a sweetgum, as well as near a small grove of very large pines. I know that I could also just build the slow release cage and keep him in it until spring. I just don't know if I'm being unfair in keeping him cooped up.

If you made it to the end, thank you. All points of view are welcome.

[nikkicreatesart]

My baby
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[Spanky]

If you are asking what is best for Picasso, it is release before the winter. As you surmised, he is giving you the clear signals.

There is not a reason to overwinter a healthy Spring 2023 baby through the winter of 2023-2024. It would likely do more harm than good... he is at the age where is adaptability is only going to decline. Just like humans, as we get older we generally are less able to adapt to change. At 515 grams he is pretty darn average for squirrels in AL, certainly not undersized in any way.

There is a good chance with releasing him on your property there is a chance the relationship will continue... males, more often than females, will move to new territory, but I have had plenty of males that have chose to hang nearby and I see them for years and years.

Picasso is adorable and I hope he'll visit you for years and years to come... :hug

[nikkicreatesart]

If you are asking what is best for Picasso, it is release before the winter. As you surmised, he is giving you the clear signals.

There is not a reason to overwinter a healthy Spring 2023 baby through the winter of 2023-2024. It would likely do more harm than good... he is at the age where is adaptability is only going to decline. Just like humans, as we get older we generally are less able to adapt to change. At 515 grams he is pretty darn average for squirrels in AL, certainly not undersized in any way.

There is a good chance with releasing him on your property there is a chance the relationship will continue... males, more often than females, will move to new territory, but I have had plenty of males that have chose to hang nearby and I see them for years and years.

Picasso is adorable and I hope he'll visit you for years and years to come... :hug

Thank you for your reply. I guess my poor husband will be helping me make a release cage this weekend. Thank you, truly, because while this squirrel "mom" will never be ready to let him go, its not about me. And I think I was feeling in my heart that I needed to start the process.

Any suggestions as to the better place for the cage? Like I said, I know there is a squirrel that lives in the closest tree the deck, so I was thinking next to the hackleberry?

[Spanky]

Releasing by a lone tree is less than ideal. More ideal is if there are a few trees... at least 2 but more is better.. that are close enough for the squirrel to use the "treeway freeway" to get from one tree to the next. You'll notice that squirrels more often than not will use a tree neighboring the tree with their drey then cross over. By doing this they do not leave scent at the base of their drey.

It is best if the release cage is in a place that requires minimal travel on the ground to get to the nearest tree. So placing it under s tree would be better if there are no trees accessible from the deck. He may chose to hang around the release cage for months and even years if the portal if left open after release. The release cage being near / under a tree will increase the chances of him continuing to use the release cage, maybe just occasionally but it can also serve as a "safe space" for him.

[nikkicreatesart]

Thank you so much again for replying! I think the spot by the lean-to will be best- the hackleberry is next to a very large sweet gum, plus the roof of the lean to and wooden building, plus a high fence with a top board that goes near the tree grove. This might provide better cozy shelter when the storms come too. Your thoughts made me feel better about that choice. Thank you so very much for holding my hand as I so desperately wish he could stay with me forever but know that is not what he is meant for.

[nikkicreatesart]

This is where I am thinking, right next to the fence of the lean to and next to the tree on the left in the first pic, the other two show how close the trees are

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[Spanky]

I think that will be a good choice!