need tips on releasing 5 month old grey squirrel

[Gigi1299]

hi
When Hick (Hickory Nut) first arrived from a friend who he was given too (from a lady who just didn't understand how much time caring for an infant would require) I estimated him to be about 4-5 weeks old. I have no idea where he originally came from so releasing him back there is not an option. I have rehabbed a squirrel before and had a somewhat successful release in the spring (I got her during fall months). I say somewhat successful because my heart wasn't ready. AT ALL.
Hick stays in my ferret nation two tier cage in my air condition garage. I let him out a few hours a day (with doors closed) and he plays on my gym equipment (at least someone uses it). In his cage bottom I have a pan of dirt he can hide his food stashes in, several branches for climbing. He prefers to sleep on the shelf in his round bed but I also have his nest box in there he comes and goes out of.


I live on 60 acres. the back 40 is wooded. My house is in open pasture with trees scattered around it. The tree line would be 200-400 yards from my house so the spot I would feel comfortable releasing him is in the back part of my property. I have set game cameras out to scope it out to see what other critters hang out there. I would love to have him closer to home but I've read that grey squirrels prefer to be in woods vs fox squirrels who like tree lines. We had a fox squirrel that i would see in my yard but last week he was ran over on the road in front of my house. He roamed a lot ... i would see him all along my driveway.
Heres some concerns/questions:

Is it too late to get him ready for the outdoors?
Can I use the ferret nation cage as a RC if I cut a 3-4 in hole for him to come and go out of?
Do i leave his nest box in there or put it up in a tree? when?
Theres more that has been keeping me up but at this moment I'm forgetting them.

I would love to overwinter him ( my plan all along because i wasn't sure he would have time to acclimate before cooler weather hits) but he sometimes gets aggressive when i clean his cage? I want whats best for him of course.
Any and all ideas or advice will be much appreciated!!

[pjjere]

Hi Gigi1299, we are planning on releasing 2 babies next weekend. They have been in the release cage for 2 weeks (next Sunday will be 3). We live in the lowcountry of SC and I think our climate is close to East Texas so I do not think it is too late. I am going to post a couple of threads re our recent releases. There are pictures of the release cage and a description of the process. We moved the nest box(es) out the same day we released them and in each case the babies found and used the nestboxes for a while. None of the squirrels stayed in the boxes for long but we still see them occasionally. The main thing re the release cage is that you be able to provide an escape hatch so Hick can slip out (and back in if he desires) but not big enough for a predator like a cat or a coon. Hopefully some more experience folks will weigh in but thanks for raising him and giving him the chance to live the life that was intended for him!

Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind...

[pjjere]

Ooops, here are the links....

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...s+in+the+trees

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...s+in+the+trees

[Gigi1299]

Thank you -pjjere for your response and your input on the neat boxes.! I will for sure leave him an escape route...we don't see many raccoons on our cameras behind our house but you never know. There is a beautiful spot on the 60 acres next to us that is owned by the family that I refer to as a squirrel haven but after reading about single squirrels being outcast and how territorial the others may be I've decided that's not such a good idea?

[pjjere]

I am confused. In your original post you said the treeline was 200-400 yards behind your house? Is there a reason you don't think this is a good habitat for a grey squirrel? As far as releasing a singleton I think it would be easier if Hick had a brother or sister but there is no reason he can't adapt to life in the wild. When we were considering where to put our release cage we wanted it to be in an area with some wild squirrel activity so our babies would learn how they communicate and interact prior to release. That is why it is recommended that they stay secured in the release cage for 3 or 4 weeks before the escape hatch is opened. BTW our first squirrel baby was a singleton and she did just fine. Two years later and we still see her every now and again.

[Spanky]

BTW our first squirrel baby was a singleton and she did just fine. Two years later and we still see her every now and again.

In trying to provide more reassurances about singletons, we have released 7 singletons in the past 4 years and they all did well. We still see 6 of them, some more regularly than others. We have a very large and healthy grey squirrel population.

[Gigi1299]

I have several options that I've been looking at to see which would be better for him. I do have a treeline directly behind my house. Our land is right next to another 60 acres that i could use also but like I mentioned I was worried with the other squirrels. The area I have in mind is next to two HUGE oaks, lots of trees but pretty thick with brush. Also, this area is about 50 yards from a stream. thank you for the links also! Very entertaining and informative. I'll get out and try to take pics of the area this week.

[Gigi1299]

I wasn't able to get Hick released before winter but it is time now! I've drawn up a map of my property and marked where I think would be a good spot in orange.
1. Would you mind taking a look and letting me know if you think there is a better place?
2. Do I keep him close to "home" and let him get used to being outdoors then Eventually move him to the woods?

[DarkLies212]

I like to put my releases out by the house until they're used to outside then put them in the RC in the woods.

That looks like a good setup to me - what's behind the fence aside from a cleared out area?

[Gigi1299]

I like to put my releases out by the house until they're used to outside then put them in the RC in the woods.

That looks like a good setup to me - what's behind the fence aside from a cleared out area?

Lots of pasture land! Sorry I never got a notification anyone replied...