Runaway squirrel. Preparing for the worst. How to cope?

[annamarie]

My nearly 9 months old male Eastern Gray squirrel, ran away on Thursday. It was a typical day, where he enjoyed a large bowl of formula and a block, some play time, and cuddles. We were supposed to have maintenance come in yesterday, so we put him in a carrier and were taking him to his grandpa’s house. The carrier broke but my wife said that she saw his blankets move around in it, so we drove off. An hour later, we realized that he wasn’t in the carrier so we drove back home, bought a flashlight, and spent 4 hours looking and calling for him.

This morning, we got up at 6am, set out a trap with his favorite junk food, and went looking for him again. Saw several squirrels, but not him.

I have been an utter mess the last few days. I feel like we failed him. One second, he’s a happy, crazy little dude, the next, I’m not even sure that he’s alive anymore. We checked the roads in a few blocks radius, and didn’t see any squirrels that were hit by a car. It’s very cold outside. I am so scared for him. I’m worried that he’s freezing, starving, or being bullied by other squirrels or not so nice humans. He isn’t nearly the size of the outdoor squirrels that have been stashing nuts all autumn long, and he obviously doesn’t have a nest, or a thick grey coat.

Despite my best friend trying to convince me that he’s ok and that he wanted to be outside, and probably heard us calling him but chose to not come back, I know that his odds of survival are slim. Should I still hold out home that he’ll be back? How far do squirrels usually travel? We live in a huge apartment complex, so it’s not like he’s familiar with his surroundings. Or should I start trying to cope with possibly his death? If so, how can someone even get over something like this? This was my child, my little best friend, and I can’t even go to work with the things going on in my mind right now.

[olorin19]

Firstly, lots of folks here at TSB can relate to being anxious over our beloved squirrels. I certainly can relate.

About ten years ago, I had a four month old escape. I was overwintering Dustin for spring release, and his escape was completely my fault. This was in early December, and it was quite cold.

Dustin disappeared on Friday morning and for the next few days I searched and searched in my yard, up and down the street, etc. I moved his nest box outside to my back yard, and Sunday evening when I went out to check after dinner, there was Dustin!

Now in my case, I knew where he had disappeared from (my back door into my back yard), so I put his nest box out where he could find it and hoped that he would eventually return.

As as how far squirrels will roam, I have bumped into adult squirrels that I have released (and that still live primarily in my yard) as far as 300 yards away.

Did your little guy escape the carrier while outside on the way to your car? If so, then placing the carrier with his blankets outside near where he disappeared might be your best bet.

Is there any chance he got out while still inside the apartment complex? Or somewhere else, such as inside your car or at your destination?

If he is outside and near your apartment, while he is not going to find his way back to your apartment itself, there is certainly a chance that he might find his way back to wherever he got out of the carrier.

[annamarie]

What a wonderful story! Thank you for keeping me hopeful. We put the trap out with a bunch of nuts, a graham cracker with peanut butter, a few of his blocks, and a piece of candy bar. I know that candy isn’t great for him, but we needed to lure him somehow.

This afternoon, someone went inside the trap and ate every single piece of food, and peed on top of the trap (which has been his signature move for the past few months 😂). Unfortunately, some jerk let him out and broke the trap. I know it was my baby in there, because a wild squirrel would most likely freak out and spend the whole hour trying to escape. He sat there and ate all of the food.

My friend is grabbing another trap and we plan on putting a sign on it so no one messes with it, as well as some more snacks, nuts, and oranges. We also want to put his favorite stuffed animal in there.

That’s comforting to know that they don’t travel far. Today was a slightly warmer day, so we walked around some more. I just have a feeling that he hears us calling him, but doesn’t want to come back.

We believe that he escaped while my wife was fixing his cage in the back seat, and he must have zipped right past her. He is not in the complex or the car.

[SammysMom]

Any way to put his cage outdoors as something familiar for him to return to?

[annamarie]

We put his first stuffed animal in the trap. Caught a few squirrels which weren’t him so we released them.

My wife thinks she saw him today. She called for him and he reacted, but ultimately chose to run off. We think that he wants to be outside, which I completely understand. I wish he would have ran off in the spring or summer, but it wouldn’t be fair to trap him and force him inside if he’s happy out there. We will continue leaving food and water for him through the winter, and will continue going to the spot where she saw him, and if he wants to come back, the door is always open for him.

[olorin19]

At 9 months old, it would not surprise me if he prefers to be a free squirrel, no matter the weather.

[TubeDriver]

Yea, he might return if things are too tough for him but my guess is that his wild instincts are kicking in and he is adjusting to live in the wild. If you saw him and it was near a tree, you could put sone almonds/blocks there and hopefully he will find them. Living in a big apartment complex is not ideal in this case but squirrels are incredibly adaptable. I would take frequent walks and have pocketfuls of nut treats in case you come across him again. I know you feel guilty but something like that can happen to anyone and when it does it will happen so fast. :grouphug

[JLM27]

This is mating season. Hormones rule!