aggressive, no longer social

[bryn]

i'm the caretaker of two three month old grey squirrels, cricket (m) and bug (f). up until about four weeks ago c & b were extremely comfortable with me, very social and loving, never bit or clawed me. it was just when i was moving them into their "permanent" cage (two 4ft x 2.5ft x 3ft stacked on top of each other) when bug began acting extremely defensive and vicious. biting me whenever i tried to touch her, sticking her paws out of the cage whenever i walked by to scratch me, etc. as if this weren't bad enough, cricket began to distance himself from me. he no longer wanted to climb on me, be pet, or touched in any which way. i'll be releasing them whenever the temperatures begin to warm up, as they're 100% healthy & good to go. any way i can work on their behavior or bond with them better for the time being?

thanks

[Javarat]

You can limit aggression by removing any nut/food stashes they have in their cage, but this is pretty normal for squirrels this age. They are 'wilding up'.
You said this started after they were moved into their permanent cage.. is this in a location where they have less contact with you than before?
My Spice girls did exactly the same thing after they were moved into the sunroom, as they went from constantly seeing me to only a few minutes per day.
I also miss their contact and playing with me... but their emotional distance from me will help them survive when they are released in about 6 weeks.