Our little guy

[miamchocolatine]

I was on the emergency forum some time ago and got a lot of wonderful help for our baby foxy who, at the time, did not even have his eyes open. He is now eating on his own and has been for some time, he is no longer drinking esbilac, and he drives us nuts--no pun intended--with his energy jumping all over the table, chairs, couch, and us too. Those little claws!!! Ouch. He is not quite full grown but he is not a baby anymore. We want to release him at one point (we have a big yard in the middle of the countryside and his family is around) but we want the opinion of the experts. This is now mid-October and we live in Illinois. It is not very cold yet as the weather has been unusually warm. Today is in the mid 70s, mid 50s at night. Our little one could fend for himself right now but the weatehr could turn cold at any time and he has been comfortably warm inside. Should we wait until late spring to let him go and let him spend the winter inside? Also, he is a picky eater. He likes treats for rodents of all types as well as peanuts and apples. We tried him on chinchilla complete diet and he turned his bowl over. With that much success, we tried him on a complete rat diet and we fared no better. He scatters the little chunks all over his cage and the floor. What do you suggest? Thanks for your help.

[thundersquirrel]

wait a sec- exactly how old is this little guy?

if he is six weeks or less, you should winter him over. any older than that, though, and i think he's fine for a release.

squirrels have evolved to be able to handle the cold, and there's a way you can ease him into it. i'll wait to find out how old he is before offering my opinion. ;)

[LynninIN]

I think he's 10 to 12 weeks from previous posts.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I agree with TS, if he is close to release age, he should be fine to go free this fall. Here in Ohio, we release through October 31st if we are not doing a soft release and you can do a soft release as long as there are plenty of leaves on the trees. With a soft release you can continue to provide food through the winter and the little guy will do just fine.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

As for food, he can have grapes, avocado, apple, cucumber, watermelon, kale, dandelions (be sure to pick in an untreated area), carrots, and pretty much any other fruit or vegetable. Giving a variety is the key.

[TexanSquirrel]

Glad to hear he's doing well!

[miamchocolatine]

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. Yes the little furry lightning bolt is about 10 or 12 weeks old and I just put in an updated avatar of our baby on his downtime. After some discussion, we decided to release him in the spring. The weather is quite capricious at this time and could turn very cold at any time. In addition, we are worried about some stray cats in the area so are going to purchase a bigger cage and overwinter him. Not looking forward to the messes--how can such a little creature be so messy? Even my cockatoos, my mess queens, are not that bad--but he is also a lot of fun soooo....thanks again all of you. :grouphug

[LynninIN]

Basic Diet for Pet/Indoor/Over-wintered Squirrels (Revised 10/7/07)

Kindly written by 4skwerlz.

-Rodent block, monkey biscuit, or another complete rodent chow should be the basis of the diet (Harlan Teklad 8640, Mazuri, and LabDiet 5001 are three good ones.)
-A hard boiled egg (with shell) provides protein, calcium, PLUS one of the very few dietary sources of Vitamin D.
-A slice of orange or other citrus will aid calcium absorption.
-Natural foods: acorns, magnolia cones, pine cones, branch tips, mushrooms and fungi, dandelion greens can be gathered and given as part of the diet.
-Antlers, tree branches, and cuttlebones provide vitamins, minerals, and keep teeth from overgrowing. All squirrels need to gnaw!
-Natural sunlight or a full-spectrum light (at least 30 min/day) is essential for calcium absorption to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease, which can be fatal.

In addition to the items listed above, feed a variety of foods listed below—Don’t feed too much of any one food

Healthiest Foods (high-calc/low-phos)—Try to include at least 1 or 2 of these foods in your squirrel’s daily diet.
collard greens, mustard spinach, papaya, turnip greens, tofu (w/calcium sulfate or Nigiri), fresh parsley, beet greens, dandelion greens, Chinese cabbage (bok choy), looseleaf lettuce, figs (fresh or dried), kale, valencia oranges, chicory

Other Healthy Foods—Nutritious but not as high in calcium.
yogurt (low-fat, plain or fruit flavored), mushrooms (very high in Vitamin D), green cabbage, watercress, endive, grapes (cut in half), celery, green beans, red cabbage, crabapple, radish, swiss chard, pear, persimmons (native), apple with skin, pineapple, winter squash, watermelon, honeydew melon

Healthy Treats
avocado, cucumber, cherry, romaine lettuce, strawberry, broccoli, apricot, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, cantaloupe, summer squash, seedless raisins, pumpkin, zucchini, alfalfa sprouts, peach, asparagus, banana, sweet potatoes

Nuts—One or two per day maximum, preferably in the shell.
Ripe brown acorns*, whole roasted pumpkin seeds, and almonds are the best nuts calcium-wise. Hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, English walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and peanuts are next. Avoid cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seed kernels, and pine nuts! They are very high in phosphorus and will cause calcium loss.

Note: Beans, chard, beet greens, rhubarb and spinach contain oxalates and phytates, which decrease the calcium absorption from these foods. Although dairy foods are high in calcium, because of their phosphorus levels they are only moderate calcium sources.

*Can be gathered green; they will ripen inside.