Rockie is missing the end of his tail.

[babedizzle]

My fiance and I tried to transport Rockie from my house to his parents house tonight to reunite him with his sister, but on the way there Rockie got loose in my car and somehow broke his tail off in the process. He was stuck underneath my dashboard for an hour and when we finally got him out he was all shook up and stressed out. We put him in the cage with his sister and he wasn't acting like his normal self ... he wouldn't eat and he kept making noises. The plan was to realease he and his sister tomorrow but now my fiance's brother wants to keep his squirrel because he thinks he can somehow domesticate it, which is sad. I want Rockie to be in the wild where he belongs but I don't want to release him by himself. What should I do? I'm sitting here crying my eyes out. Will his tail be okay? I'm so worried right now. Someone please offer some kind of advice.

[thundersquirrel]

he'll be ok without the end of his tail- he's just stressed and in shock by the pain.

just make sure the wound is kept clean. you can rub some bacitracin (a anti-bacterial cream) on the tip. i've seen squirrels, even baby squirrels, get far more than just the tip ripped off, and they turn out fine.

that's very disappointing about your fiance's brother. see if you can convince him otherwise. it would be such a shame for rockie's sister to be alone after being born with a brother. they're all each other has.

not to mention that it takes a lot of hard work to raise a pet squirrel. MOST squirrels, about 95% of them, prefer to be wild. if your fiance's bro. is lucky enough to have one of those few squirrels that enjoys captivity, and will ALWAYS enjoy captivity, he has a lot of work to do preparing a good life for a squirrel that will live for several years.

rockie can be released alone but it's not ideal. it's so cruel of this person to make it so much harder on rockie- a sibling is an invaluable asset for an orphaned squirrel in the wild. they often stick together for a long time, and with winter coming that's more important than ever.

please explain all of these things to him. hopefully he'll realize that rockie needs his sister, and he'll let them be together in the wild. :Love_Icon

[hazel]

It doesn't sound like releasing tomorrow is a good idea at this point. There is way too much going on right now for poor Rockie! :shakehead

How much of his tail is missing? Is there exposed bone? Any bleeding? The wound at the end of the tail should be treated with a topical antibiotic ointment.

How long have Rockie and his sister been apart?? I would have advised you against putting them together while Rockie was/is so upset. If they have been apart for any apreciable length of time, they're strangers to each other.
Rockie also shouldn't be released in an unfamiliar area tomorrow. That's the purpose of outdoor caging. The squirrel is able to take in the sights, sounds and smells of the area and get used to the outdoors while still in a safe, confined environment. Only then is he released.

[babedizzle]

I went over to my fiance's parents house at 1 in the morning to bring Rockie back home and he is much happier now than he was while he was there. I thought it would be best for him to be with his sister but they fought because they are basically strangers to one another. Fiona (Randall's brothers squirrel) has an entirely different personality than Rockie. I can tell Rockie wants to be wild but Fiona could be part of the 5% of squirrels that make good pets. Is there a significant difference between female and male temperments?

If he allows me, I'll try to put some antibiotic cream on his tail in the morning. It is bloody but I haven't got a good enough look at it to see if bone is sticking out or anything like that. If so, what do I do about it?

Thanks for everything. I feel much better having him home where I know he is safe.

[hazel]

Glad to hear that he's back home where he's more relaxed and you can keep an eye on his tail. If he and his sister got in a real fight, both should be checked thoroughly for injuries - they can do major damage to each other in a fight!

You may find that Rockie will be on edge for a few days. Wrapping him in a towel, if need be, should help you get a good look at his tail. If there is exposed bone it will generally fall off after a while without any problem - however I'd recommend twice daily applications of an antibiotic ointment.

Ohio is not a squirrel friendly state, meaning that it is illegal for you to have a squirrel, which in turn makes finding veterinary care challenging.

I haven't noticed any major differences between male and female personalities - I think it's an individual thing.

Have you considered the possibility of turning Rockie over to a wildlife rehabilitator? Since he was raised by himself he doesn't know anything about how to act with other squirrels and he needs the opportunity to spend time with others before he's released. Rehabbers are experienced at introducing animals to each other. The other major thing to consider is that winter is coming (:shakehead ) and we're right about at the deadline for release. Since Rockie still has a lot to learn he may need to be kept, preferably 'with other squirrels at a rehab, until spring.

[babedizzle]

Yes I had thought about a rehabber in the beginning but there is a shortage of them in my surrounding counties. To get to one, I'd have to drive 2-3 hours, which is probably what I'm going to have to do because I don't want to turn him loose by himself and worry about whether or not he'll do okay in the wild.

There is no bone exposed on his tail. I think what happened is he crawled under my bookbag in the backseat of my car and when he tried to get out from under it, he pulled his own tail off. We found the tail under the bookbag, so that must be where he lost it.

He's eating fine and everything ... just glad to be back home.

[Gabe]

Sorry to hear about Rockie's mishap. He will be fine when he has settled back down. In the meantime you can continue your search for a rehabber. That is really the best way for Rockie to be released. I'm glad you are standing by your beliefs and are following through with your plan for releasing him.:thumbsup

[babedizzle]

Now that I look closer, I do see a bit of what looks like bone sticking out, unless it's a piece of his hair that's all bloody. It doesn't seem to be bothering him now, so I'll just keep an eye on him.

[pamela lee]

I'm sorry to hear about Rockies tail but he should be fine. That's very sad that Rockies sister probably won't get the chance to choose whether she wants to be wild or a pet. Even sweet, loving, laid back squirrels have the right to be wild. They really should have been raised together. Tell your BIL that his squirrel may still show her true colors, it just may take awhile. I released Peanut as an only squirrel. It can be done, it just takes awhile and alot of patience. A rehabber would be the easiest way and they would have a large outdoor cage. I truly admire you for wanting to do whats right for Rockie and he would Thank You if he could.
Pamela

[thundersquirrel]

if you can convince the brother to release fiona, here's how you could try to get rockie and her on good terms.

when introducing squirrels to each other, it's best to have bars in between them. you guys should find a place to put both of their cages about one foot apart, and don't cover the sides that face each other. move the cages closer throughout a couple of days until they're up against each other. then wait. if in five days they are still snarling, batting, chittering, and/or completely uncomfortable with each other, then it's no use.

if they become neutral to each other, you need to get a neutral cage- that means a cage neither of them have ever been in before. they need to live together in that cage.

if it seems that the brother is determined to keep her as a pet, then yes, a rehabber would be the way to go, especially if they have other squirrels to put rockie with.

how's the little guy doing?

[babedizzle]

He's doing much better now. Last night he wouldn't eat anything but this morning when I woke him up he gobbled down some lettuce and a squirrel biscuit, so he's back to his normal self. I still feel really bad about everything that happened. If I'd have known that my fiance's brother didn't want to release Fiona, I wouldn't have brought Rockie to his house in the first place and he wouldn't have lost part of his tail. =(

[Buddy'sMom]

It's good news that he's calmer today -- he will be just fine! He was understandably upset yesterday -- lots of "NEW" going on :eek: (car adventure, tail, fiona, new house, sounds smells :eek: . Now he's back in familiar territory. You can be calmer, too :) .

Don't be too hard on yourself -- you were doing the right thing trying to let him be released with his sister. And I know you feel bad about his tail, but you couldn't foresee that happening. And many squirrels lose parts of their tail after release -- our Buddy did, in an altercation with an older squirrel pretty soon after he went outside. We hate to see anything happen to our baby, but it is a pretty common fact of life for a squirrel. He'll be fine.

Having released one squirrel, I can tell you that you CAN do it yourself (and TSB will help you if you do). But I also can tell you that Rockie will be better prepared for release if he is with a rehabber and other squirrels first. I didn't realize last year the extent that is important. Buddy found it a bit hard to "detach" from us and took forever to really be on his own. Of course, many of them wild up much faster than Buddy did :D . But I think it would have been easier on him if he was prepared by a rehabber, and had a better transition from being a much-loved pet to being ready to be a wild squirrel.

Either way, we can help you sort out and proceed with what's best for you and Rockie.

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug