Citysquirrel
10-20-2023, 11:48 AM
Good morning all,
I have a young squirrel that I rescued in September. She fell from her nest, suffered some head trauma and her eye sight was affected. I can't tell if she can't see at all or if she sees shadows but that isn't my concern. My concern is that she has become nocturnal. It started early on within a week of her coming to me. She was about 7 weeks old at the time when I first noticed the middle of the night wake ups. It started with pitter patter in her cage, some chewing on twigs and deer antlers and it would get quiet. I had her cage covered at night. There were nights I wouldn't hear her unless I was so exhausted I slept through it. About a week ago, she started waking at 2am and climbing all around the cage and biting the bars so hard the clanging would wake me from unconsciousness. It would sound like she was trying to break the ferret nation steel cage so you could only imagine how loud that was.
I would take her out because I was so afraid for her gums and teeth and would hold her to soothe her. When that didn't work I would turn on a light and let her run around a bit to tire her out and put her back in the cage. She would still bite the cage and i would give her nuts branches and whatever I could find to help her chew on something other than the cage.
She has a carrier on the floor with a blanket inside that she runs to to feel safe and the I have kept things in the same spaces in the room because I am unsure of her vision situation. So two nights ago I decided I couldn't take the clanging of her teeth of the cage at night and left her in the open carrier at night to see if it is less stressful for her. It was. She woke up at 1am and walked out and did her squirrel rounds in darkness for three hours and returned to her carrier when she was tired. We're taking pitter patter on a wood floor from 1-4am. I wake around 7 so when she hears me she'll wake up and party some more til about 9:30am and then be sleepy throughout the rest of the day. When I get home from work I wake her to give her formula and try to force as much awake time as I can for the rest of the day to try and keep her up so she sleeps through the night. It hasn't worked.
Last night she partied from 12:30am to 6am! Only last night she explored more than ever. I have a ring cam set up and all you see is her zooming around, climbing her cat tree, hopping here and there and then finally figuring how to go back to her cage by climbing the curtain next to her cage, turn around, grasp her cage and run around the outside of it and found her way back inside. By 6am she went into her little bed and happily went to sleep after her fun filled day (night).
All greatttt stuff considering she was knocked on her noggin pretty hard. She is growing beautifully, 11 weeks old now, 350 grams, fluffy and shiny, but very confused. Has anyone ever experienced this and if so, is there any way you can help me try and switch her back to non-raccoon hours? :sleep2
Thank you!
NY, the city that never sleeps and apparently, neither do some of our squirrels.
I have a young squirrel that I rescued in September. She fell from her nest, suffered some head trauma and her eye sight was affected. I can't tell if she can't see at all or if she sees shadows but that isn't my concern. My concern is that she has become nocturnal. It started early on within a week of her coming to me. She was about 7 weeks old at the time when I first noticed the middle of the night wake ups. It started with pitter patter in her cage, some chewing on twigs and deer antlers and it would get quiet. I had her cage covered at night. There were nights I wouldn't hear her unless I was so exhausted I slept through it. About a week ago, she started waking at 2am and climbing all around the cage and biting the bars so hard the clanging would wake me from unconsciousness. It would sound like she was trying to break the ferret nation steel cage so you could only imagine how loud that was.
I would take her out because I was so afraid for her gums and teeth and would hold her to soothe her. When that didn't work I would turn on a light and let her run around a bit to tire her out and put her back in the cage. She would still bite the cage and i would give her nuts branches and whatever I could find to help her chew on something other than the cage.
She has a carrier on the floor with a blanket inside that she runs to to feel safe and the I have kept things in the same spaces in the room because I am unsure of her vision situation. So two nights ago I decided I couldn't take the clanging of her teeth of the cage at night and left her in the open carrier at night to see if it is less stressful for her. It was. She woke up at 1am and walked out and did her squirrel rounds in darkness for three hours and returned to her carrier when she was tired. We're taking pitter patter on a wood floor from 1-4am. I wake around 7 so when she hears me she'll wake up and party some more til about 9:30am and then be sleepy throughout the rest of the day. When I get home from work I wake her to give her formula and try to force as much awake time as I can for the rest of the day to try and keep her up so she sleeps through the night. It hasn't worked.
Last night she partied from 12:30am to 6am! Only last night she explored more than ever. I have a ring cam set up and all you see is her zooming around, climbing her cat tree, hopping here and there and then finally figuring how to go back to her cage by climbing the curtain next to her cage, turn around, grasp her cage and run around the outside of it and found her way back inside. By 6am she went into her little bed and happily went to sleep after her fun filled day (night).
All greatttt stuff considering she was knocked on her noggin pretty hard. She is growing beautifully, 11 weeks old now, 350 grams, fluffy and shiny, but very confused. Has anyone ever experienced this and if so, is there any way you can help me try and switch her back to non-raccoon hours? :sleep2
Thank you!
NY, the city that never sleeps and apparently, neither do some of our squirrels.