Need Help with Release Cage Planning...

[Rock Monkey]

I think the wild side is anchored quite deeply.

Spending some time everyday with Buddy, building positive personal capital, is what, in my opinion, will keep him manageable, half-way civilized during the winter. I think he is more likely to mind you when you tell him "No" or redirect him if there continues to be playful interaction between you and the family. Otherwise, he may really tear things up or become very unhappy about being constrained. I think play is an intrinsic part of their natures.

Otherwise I think both of you will become very aggravated with each other through the long winter.

[Mel1959]

First, let me say Spanky is an awesome rehabber and raises and releases countless squirrels. It is not feasible that rehabbers that have a high volume of squirrels in their care are capable, or do they want to interact with them, in the same way as folks that only rehab one or two squirrels in their lifetime.

When I first started rehabbing squirrels 15+ years ago I read all the info about how to raise and release and tried to follow it. I released those two babies successfully. Fast forward 10 years and I got my next baby squirrel and discovered The Squirrel Board. I have read how the release process is supposed to go, but honestly, I fail miserably at it. I am not a professional rehabber and break all the rules. I release on my property in my pseudo-suburban neighborhood. When I raise babies I interact with them until I open the portal.... and usually beyond. I have not had an unpleasant experience with my guys being too familiar with people, but I know others that have posted that this has happened to them. I form a closer bond with some of my guys within a litter and they tend to stick around....for awhile. My experience is that they still will move on if that’s what they want to do, whether you have a relationship with them or not. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s what they’re suppose to do.

Living in Florida I don’t have to overwinter. But the two boys I released 5 years ago had developed a very close bond with me. They were released at around 20+ weeks and brought back inside after a couple of months because of an impending hurricane. After they were released the second time they stayed in a tree in my yard for almost a year. Eventually they decided to do what male squirrels do and spread their gene pool. I never saw them again.

My point is that they ALWAYS seem to wild up and move on....eventually. Males more so than females, for sure.

I think you should do what feels right for you and Buddy, to make it through to spring.

[Buddy]

Thank you guys!

Yes, I know Spanky is an awesome rehabber and helped me a lot in the beginning too. That's why I care about the comment/recommendation.

Good to hear that you didn't encounter any issues even with the ones you build close relationships, Mel, and I think I have a pretty good idea how you feel when they decide to move on.

I'll absolutely respect Buddy's decision. I hope he decides to stick around and didn't encounter any resistance from other squirrels.

As long as he has a healthy, happy, and hopefully long life, I'm over the moon for him! Even if it's not around me...

Just trying to do best for him... I just don't want him to go to some other human and they freak out and they think he is friendly because he has rabies or something like that. Hopefully I'm just overthinking and hopefully during the wildening up process and later, he will understand and know that humans might not all be friendly!

As always, thanks for the feedback/comments!

[Mel1959]

Your concerns about him being overly friendly are valid. But, as others have said, the Wild is pretty hard wired into them. Most that maintain a close relationship with their humans don’t allow themselves to be touched once released. Others will allow it and seem to enjoy it.....for awhile..... and some never look back.

Because I have a friendly female that lives in my side yard, I warn any workers that come to my house that she might jump on them, which she has in anticipation of getting a nut on her turf. I know it’s not an ideal situation and could be a recipe for disaster. . But, I have never heard of her jumping on any of my neighbors when she leaves my yard to explore. She doesn’t tolerate being pet any longer. Most of the wilds that we feed will also jump on us to get a nut.

[Buddy]

Good to hear! Thank you Mel!! That's comforting... If it means he is safer, I'm okay with him not letting us pet him anymore.

[Buddy]

So I noticed a few ants around Buddy's nest box in the release cage. I searched for ants in the forum and a lot of posts came up. Like the formula, I'm not sure if any of that info is out dated.

Any tips on how to keep his cage clean from ants and potential mites etc?

Also, this is what I have in his nest box; I put it vertically and added a few wool socks in it, so it keeps pretty open. He loves it and he's been sleeping in it all winter. Now that the weather is much nicer, should I take that out?

https://henryspets.com/cozy-pocket/

If I should take that out, then what should I put in the nest box when we move it to the tree?

[Mel1959]

I don’t think I’d remove it. If he doesn’t want it anymore he’ll chew it up into pieces and disperse it within his box or discard it.

My husband found a straw like product at World Market. It’s called Excelsior. Its long very thin wood shavings and safe to be used with food in Easter baskets, etc. https://www.worldmarket.com/category...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

We made a few changes to the bottoms of our nest boxes due to ants. My husband cut out the very middle of the bottom of the boxes so there’s a 2” frame around the bottom perimeter of the box. Then he secured hardware cloth over the area that he’d cut out. This makes the boxes have an open air floor which seems to have curbed the ants desire to take up residency in the bottom of the boxes. We then filled the bottom of the boxes with this Excelsior product and then put in some fleece squares and tissues. I know the squirrels have added leaves and possibly coconut fiber to customize them even further.

The wire bottoms work fine here because we don’t get freezing temperatures. Besides the squirrels pile 4+ inches of “stuff” in the bottom of the boxes anyhow.

I have tried food grade diatomaceous earth in the boxes to discourage ants but it wasn’t successful. If ants are already in a box you can squirt them with some white vinegar and it will kill them and not be harmful for the squirrel. You might try making a circle of diatomaceous earth around the base of the tree to discourage the ants from climbing it to get to the box.

Here’s a photo of the bottom of one of the boxes.

[Buddy]

Awesome! Thank you, Mel!

I read about the DE and wasn't sure if it was effective.

I didn't see any ants in the nest, but all around the cage. I haven't cleaned the release cage for a few months (because of winter). I'll do a deep cleaning; now that the weather is much nicer and there are more ants. I want to keep the release cage as non-ant inviting place.

What material did you guys use for the roof?

[Mel1959]

The roof is a solid piece of wood with an overhang all around. It’s angled for water runoff. We have never put shingles on top but we do periodically change out the wood as they customize it.

[Buddy]

I know the customization process. There's definitely a much bigger hole/circle in Buddy's cage now.

[Buddy]

After spring cleaning of Buddy's cage...

We weighed him last night. He is 720 grams!

https://youtu.be/bqd_HJJSu9c

[RockyPops]

What a great rc setup for your beautiful little Buddy!

Great job.

[Rock Monkey]

So I noticed a few ants around Buddy's nest box in the release cage. I searched for ants in the forum and a lot of posts came up. Like the formula, I'm not sure if any of that info is out dated.

Ants like to build nests under things, a rock, a board, a bucket, whatever. It keeps out the rains and predators, I suppose. If they are making nests, laying eggs, if you move objects around periodically, they will be discouraged.

[Buddy]

Great! Good to know. Thank you!

[Lily]

Just now planning my outdoor cage and will take into consideration all your ideas. Mine will back up to our garage wall, facing west. The roof will be corrugated plastic, the walls 1 inch span chicken wire, with the bottom undetermined. Please offer any opinions. Thank you

[Lighten-Up]

Just now planning my outdoor cage and will take into consideration all your ideas. Mine will back up to our garage wall, facing west. The roof will be corrugated plastic, the walls 1 inch span chicken wire, with the bottom undetermined. Please offer any opinions. Thank you

Two quick thoughts - If this is for squirrels, they can easily chew through chicken wire, you really should consider using hardware cloth instead which they can't chew through. Also, if it is west facing it could get really hot depending on your location, will it have some shade protection?

[Mel1959]

You can’t use chicken wire. Not only is it unsafe in regards for the squirrel to escape, but that size opening is ideal for raccoons to stick their hands through. They will dismember a squirrel if given the opportunity.

I see you are in NY. I believe it’s too late in the season to release in a northern climate. I will defer to other members about when the last possible time is to release in your area.

Your squirrel should be a minimum of 14 weeks old before going into a release cage and ideally spend a couple of weeks in there acclimating to the sights, sounds and smells of the outdoors. Because of this timeline I seriously doubt your squirrel(s) will have a chance to get settled once released, build a drey and develop a stash of food before winter sets in.

Please consider over wintering….singleton squirrels need even more time and don’t have a Buddy to sleep with through the winter to help keep them warm.

[RabidWombat]

You can’t use chicken wire. Not only is it unsafe in regards for the squirrel to escape, but that size opening is ideal for raccoons to stick their hands through.

I have a question regarding this. My wife recently started volunteering with a local rescue and is going to foster some baby squirrels. I started building an outdoor cage and the plans I saw online called for hardware cloth with 1/2" mesh. I accidentally ordered 1/4" by mistake and my wife is concerned that the smaller mesh will create a hazard for broken toes and such. So I'm trying to look into whether or not I can use the 1/4" mesh or if she is correct in her concerns. Thanks in advance!

[HRT4SQRLS]

I have a question regarding this. My wife recently started volunteering with a local rescue and is going to foster some baby squirrels. I started building an outdoor cage and the plans I saw online called for hardware cloth with 1/2" mesh. I accidentally ordered 1/4" by mistake and my wife is concerned that the smaller mesh will create a hazard for broken toes and such. So I'm trying to look into whether or not I can use the 1/4" mesh or if she is correct in her concerns. Thanks in advance!

1/4 inch hardware cloth will be fine. The biggest concern is wire with larger openings greater than 1/2 inch. The larger mesh can allow for head entrapment or predators to reach in and grab body parts.

I have never heard of a squirrel with broken toes from 1/4 mesh.

[Lily]

Two quick thoughts - If this is for squirrels, they can easily chew through chicken wire, you really should consider using hardware cloth instead which they can't chew through. Also, if it is west facing it could get really hot depending on your location, will it have some shade protection?

Saw the file on here about how to build a release cage and have changed my plans accordingly. Purchased hardware cloth. Thank you