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Thread: My girl self-released. Will she be ok?

  1. #1
    Hclaire83 Guest

    Unhappy My girl self-released. Will she be ok?

    Hello all,

    I have been reading on the squirrel board for a couple years now but this is my first time posting. I appreciate the people on this forum for sharing their wealth of knowledge and advice when it comes to caring for these precious creatures. I have learned so much.

    To make a long story short, my 1.5 year old female ran off this past Saturday while we were out in the yard at my grandma's (I wanted to give her some fresh air and she has been outside several times before). Looking back, it was probably silly of me to not expect the possibility of running off. Basically, she kept venturing further and further from me. I'd pick her up each time but she'd immediately jump off and run the more I pursued her. She eventually went into a little wooded area in the neighbor's yard that is behind a fence and I stopped pursuing. I called for her all day and night until I left Sunday afternoon but she never returned.

    Deep down, I know she wanted to be free and I keep telling myself that she's having the time of her life. But my heart is broken and I'm so worried that she won't know how to take care of herself. Do squirrels learn how to be "wild" relatively quickly? She has not had much interaction with the outdoors - she has always just stayed close by in the yard. Also, my grandmother's house is 4 hours away from where I live and though she's been there a number of times, she's less familiar with that environment (and the yard) than the one at home. Will she know to come back if she ever wants to?

    I'm just really sad and I guess searching for answers...I just want to know she's ok I guess. Thank you for your time.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: My girl self-released. Will she be ok?

    I am sorry this happened but I'll be blunt. A hard release is not ideal and will be extra hard on her. But if she is an otherwise healthy squirrel, she has a decent chance of making it. Especially since you live in a warm area without cold temps and little food. I would try to place food out for her or have your parents leave food out for her. As you now know, it is a terrible mistake to let an indoor squirrel go outside, this escape was almost inevitable. She will probably hang around in that yard for several days at least. If you can stay there for a couple days, there is a decent chance she might return to you and could be recaptured. Then a proper soft release could be done at some point in the future. I hope it works out for her.
    See my wild squirrel adventures in the thread "Squirtle's yard!":
    https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...quirtle-s-Yard!

    Loving dad to Sir Max, 2017-2018. There is no foot so small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.

    "Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right."
    -Grateful Dead

  3. 3 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to TubeDriver:

    Mel1959 (02-11-2019), Nancy in New York (02-12-2019), Spanky (02-11-2019)

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