HELP! Release Suggestions Appreciated!:

[j gardiner]

Apologies for length!

I released my young male squirrel 6 weeks ago, when he was 15 weeks old.

I live in an urban/suburban setting with a lot of huge maples & green space as part of the highrise's landscaping--there are at least 15 resident squirrels, & neighbours feed them, so it seems like a good location. He's been doing well, about a week ago he started skipping the morning feeding & only returning for the pm meal, so I think he's becoming more self-sufficient.

However. 3 days ago he was attacked by TWO cats hunting together. I saw it go down. He appears--knock on wood & thank the great spirit--to be uninjured. He's also much more cautious & now he often doesn't show up at all for feed time. I'm freaked out that by releasing him here I may actually have unwittingly put his life in great danger.

So what now? Better to just leave him where he is to hopefully develop more survival skills, or should I relocate him? I know I can catch him if necessary.

Within 15 min drive is an urban park with natural forest & bikepaths. It's narrow, stretched out several miles along the river. I've found a couple of good maples--a lot of underbrush, but no dreys nearby & good branch linkage with nearby trees. It's going to be agony hauling the ladder the distance required, but I know I can do it. I've seen occasional squirrels/dreys, but not many. The downside is it's on the flightpath of a small airport. It's only for pleasure crafts, not commercial planes, but it's noisy when the Cesnas etc go over. Noisy--but not dangerous. The first day I checked it out there were no planes at all, so I didn't realize until this am (Saturday) with 2 planes or so an hour, that it was a flightpath.

What do you think of this location? Will the plane noise likely cause him to run away from the location after I release him? If he ran, could he likely survive on his own anyway, or is he dependent on my feeding him for survival? I've seen occasional squirrels in the park, so there's definitely a squirrel population around.

How often will I have to feed him as autumn progresses? And during the winter? When will he no longer require visits for feeding?

I wish I had asked about locations before I did the original release because I think people here would have been able to give me a heads up about whether it was a feasible location. I'm hoping to not make the same mistake again, so I really appreciate any thoughts/ideas you have about moving him or not, & this new location (or what I should be looking for in an off-site release location). THANKYOU!

[cava]

Darn cats!

Has he established a drey where he is now? I'm asking because you'd be doing a hard release relocating him in an area that he is unfamiliar with at the park. I don't like the idea of planes but I imagine the ones born there are used to it.

Any chance you can get the cats to a rescue and out of the neighborhood? Do you know who they belong to? Maybe the scare is what he needed to be more vigilant and cautious. Are you sure he didn't receive a bite?

I feed mine all winter when pickin's are slim and phase out when the spring goodies are naturally available. I also offer water year round.

[j gardiner]

Thanks for replying, Cava. Would you say it's necessary to feed them DAILY during the winter?

I'm continuing to check him for blood, swelling, injury of any kind. I'm also putting out feelers again with the Wildlife Sanctuary, but my sense is they do hard releases as well. I doubt they return daily for feedings, but I'm waiting to hear back. At least if I release him in the park, I can return daily to feed him. But if he takes off...

[Mel1959]

What exactly happened when the cats attacked him? Did they have him in their mouth? I would be very worried about a puncture you might not see until it’s too late.

I agree with Cava. I’m not big on hard releases especially in an unknown area. There’s the likelihood that if you do a hard release he may take off to some unknown place and you’d never see him again. Or he could return to where you originally released him. Squirrels are able to find their way home unless they are relocated 5 miles away. I’m not sure if there are roads he’d cross if he attempted to return home or not, but it sounds risky.

I think I’d work on deterring the cats. A repeated Super Soaker gun squirting with water and a little vinegar might dissuade them if you see them in your area. Hopefully, he has smartened up as well.

I see that you’re in Canada. With the brutal winters you have I think some food support throughout the winter would be a good idea....at least if he comes around.