Greetings all,
I'm new here and dealing with my first rescue/rehab situation. Earlier this week I picked up a squirrel in the snow by the side of the road that I assume had been thrown by a passing car. He was in shock and easy to scoop up. He was very wobbly for the first couple of days but seems better now (Day 4), though not 100%. He is eating and drinking, but not as active as I would have hoped.
Of course, my goal is to release him where I found him ASAP -- where he has a nest and food cache. (A concern is not knowing for sure which side of the two-lane road his nest is on.)
My question is how to determine when to release??
Being that it's winter (single-digit temps), I want to get him back to his nest and food cache before another squirrel figures out he's gone and raids his cache. (My observations of squirrel behavior is that neighboring squirrels figure out the vacancy very quickly -- not hearing chatters and calls, etc.) Without his food cache, he won't make it through the winter even if he's 100%. BUT...I know I have to weigh that against his capabilities.
So I'm looking for input on whether it's probable that a squirrel will recognize his home turf after the trauma of a car accident that left him with <100% balance/coordination and who knows what all else.
Currently, he comes out of his hiding/nest box only to eat and drink, perhaps a minute or two at a time. He doesn't explore or climb the cage or branches. (I'm able to monitor him remotely, so his activity isn't influenced by my presence.) Should he be more active by now (Day 4) if he's not injured/damaged?
Thanks for your help.
Squirrel watcher in Alaska.