Originally Posted by
KCullen
Once they're fully furred and able to hide in a nest on their own or tuck themselves in, the heating pad isn't necessary. Joe became too active to be a "bra baby" around 6 weeks, and transitioned to a cage around 7 weeks. We used a tall ferret cage, but he gets long periods of supervised free time 2-3 times per day.
I completely understand your loving your baby so much you think about keeping her, as I felt the same way! However, as has been mentiioned, the urge to go out and be destructive gets stronger and your baby will become aggressive to other household members. My daughter prevented Joe from throwing a small plastic container off of a shelf and he ran over and bit her arm. He's very demanding of time, not conscious of how sharp his teeth and claws are, and my husband and daughter actively avoid being in the room when he is running around. He's only 11 weeks old, but displays an increasing list of squirrel milestones that let me know he's ready, such as developing or remodeling multiple dreys (beds) in his enclosure, interest in a variety of outdoor vegetation when offered, hiding snacks in places around the room when out, etc. We are planning to build him an outdoor enclosure for soft release as soon as the weather allows! He isn't "mean" he's a wild animal and has no other way to tell us that he needs to be allowed to be a squirrel.