possible spinal injury

[olorin19]

Photos from today.

Even though his right wrist is a bit crooked. Huck is able to climb, run, dig, etc. quite well.

[olorin19]

Huckleberry has been a free squirrel for two weeks today and is thriving.

I have not seen him in any fights or any evidence that he has been in a fight. I have many times seen him chase other squirrels, including (much to my surprise) Arya. I have yet to see anyone chase him,

Given how territorial Arya has always been with the backyard, this has surprised me.

I have seen Huck eating near other squirrels without incident. In particular, he does not seem to mind Arya's latet pups, now 13 weeks old.

From what I have observed with Arya's four litters, up until a certain age other squirrels tolerate them and do not chase them off unless they seriously invade space.

[Chirps]

Huck reminds me a bit of Bingo. I think he is one of TigerMom's offspring. TM is my yard equivalent of your Arya. After Bingo grew up, he changed from my timid boy to the boss of the yard. He is now the ONLY squirrel TM defers to.

EDIT: And I've seen similar behavior from my older squirrels (TM, Bingo, and Square-Tail) toward Ritz's babies this past month as they explored. They basically ignored the babies, and the babies weren't too pushy/foolish about invading their space.

[olorin19]

Here is Huck at my office window

[Charley Chuckles]

❤️HUCK❤️

[olorin19]

Finally saw Huckleberry back down. There is a female wild who is small, scrappy, and has "crazy eyes". I have her named CLF (pronounced "Cliffie" but short for "Crazy Little.F#####").

Anyways, Huckleberry started running over towards me after I have just given a nut to CLF. He started to take a run at her, noticed the crazy eyes, and wisely detoured well out of her path.

[olorin19]

Arya and her four pups moved to the trees a few weeks ago. Two of the pups are frequent visitors to the yard and fairly unafraid of me. One will actually run right over to me and take a pecan that I drop at my feet. The other will come over, but stays maybe ten feet away.

These guys are now 14-15 weeks, and so starting to get past that stage where other squirrels cut them slack.

Last week, I did see Huckleberry run a few steps towards them to make them back off. And if I lobbed a pecan towards one of them, Huck would run there to chase them off even though he already had a pecan.

But this morning I saw something interesting: While there were 7-8 squirrels in the yard, only three were eating where I spread sunflower seeds. Huckleberry was there with these two pups, both within three feet of him, all eating peacefully. But none of the other squirrels were apparently allowed!

Also, when Huck ran over to me to get a pecan, he had to run past both of the pups. Last week, he would have run at them and made them move. This time, he just ran over to me and they kept eating. And when I then threw them each a pecan, he kept eating his and left them alone.

So, maybe Huckleberry has started his own little gang of squirrels.

[olorin19]

Huckleberry has an apparent bite wound on his upper back this morning. This is the first evidence I have seen of him being in any actual fights. He has been a free squirrel for 31 days, and given how he rarely backs down, I am actually somewhat surprised it took this long.

Around these parts, we are into mating season, And Huck is about 11 months old, so it may be that.

I have released five previous young male squirrels, and at least three of them had apparent bite wounds during their first few weeks after release.

I will keep an eye out Huck and see whether or not he needs treatment. Hopefully he will not. But since he is still sleeping in his release cage, it should be easy enough to keep him in there for a course of clavamox if needed.

[McCarthy]

Huckleberry has an apparent bite wound on his upper back this morning. This is the first evidence I have seen of him being in any actual fights. He has been a free squirrel for 31 days, and given how he rarely backs down, I am actually somewhat surprised it took this long.

Around these parts, we are into mating season, And Huck is about 11 months old, so it may be that.

I have released five previous young male squirrels, and at least three of them had apparent bite wounds during their first few weeks after release.

I will keep an eye out Huck and see whether or not he needs treatment. Hopefully he will not. But since he is still sleeping in his release cage, it should be easy enough to keep him in there for a course of clavamox if needed.

The chases are pretty harmless, but once they end up in a ball of hellfire, at least one of them will end up with a pretty mean bite, slit ear, hurt eye, you name it...

[olorin19]

The chases are pretty harmless, but once they end up in a ball of hellfire, at least one of them will end up with a pretty mean bite, slit ear, hurt eye, you name it...

Yep. I have had lots of my releases get inured in fights - mostly minor with no need to intervene, sometimes enough to warrant clavamox, and on a few occasions quite severe.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ss-on-rear-leg

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ss-on-rear-leg

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ck-to-the-wild

[McCarthy]

Yep. I have had lots of my releases get inured in fights - mostly minor with no need to intervene, sometimes enough to warrant clavamox, and on a few occasions quite severe.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ss-on-rear-leg

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ss-on-rear-leg

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ck-to-the-wild

I developed a pretty good instinct that tells me when one of them is about to start a chase. Most of the time I can derail the situation by mimicking their growl, aimed at the instigator. That gets me at least a confused look and by the time he or she realizes that I won't go after them, they have forgotten about their anger and the other guy.

Obviously that ain't gonna work when I'm not around.

It gets me confused looks from park visitors as well.

[olorin19]

I developed a pretty good instinct that tells me when one of them is about to start a chase. Most of the time I can derail the situation by mimicking their growl, aimed at the instigator. That gets me at least a confused look and by the time he or she realizes that I won't go after them, they have forgotten about their anger and the other guy.

Obviously that ain't gonna work when I'm not around.

It gets me confused looks from park visitors as well.

I've never tried growling to break up a fight - I usually just run over screaming, which works.

I make a noise I call the Happy Squirrel Noise that often works to reassure wilds that I am a friend -

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...Squirrel-Noise

I feed many squirrels in my yard, and if any of them get too aggressive, I first try talking to them and letting them know that is not okay. If that does not work, I cut that squirrel off (i.e. stop feeding it).

[olorin19]

Huckleberry has an apparent bite wound on his upper back this morning. This is the first evidence I have seen of him being in any actual fights. He has been a free squirrel for 31 days, and given how he rarely backs down, I am actually somewhat surprised it took this long.

Around these parts, we are into mating season, And Huck is about 11 months old, so it may be that.

I have released five previous young male squirrels, and at least three of them had apparent bite wounds during their first few weeks after release.

I will keep an eye out Huck and see whether or not he needs treatment. Hopefully he will not. But since he is still sleeping in his release cage, it should be easy enough to keep him in there for a course of clavamox if needed.

Something new this morning (day after Huckleberry's bite wound first observed):

Up until now, Huckleberry has dominated Arya.No prolonged chases or fights ever observed, but Huck will move at her and she will get out of the way.

This morning, Arya was chasing him around the yard quite aggressively.

I do not know whether it was Arya who bit Huck. I actually doubt it, as she is generally content just to exert her domination by chasing off other squirrels. I have rarely seen her in a fight.

My explanation of their shifting balance of power is twofold:

(1) Huck is injured, so less confident, more vulnerable, etc.

(2) When Huck was first released a month ago, Arya was still nursing four pups who were 11 weeks old at the time. Arya has had 15 pups over four litters the past two years, including 9 pups over two litters the past year. Now that she has wenaed the latest pups and had a chance to just "eat for one" for a bit, her strength, confidence, etc. is back up.

Or the Austin Powers version: Huck has lost some mojo as Arya has gained some mojo.

[olorin19]

Arya and Huckleberry seem to have worked out the new dynamic.

Just now, I went out back and they were both there eating sunflower seeds about ten feet apart. Arya came over to get a pecan first, passing near Huck, then back past him again. Huck waited his turn, then came over and got his pecan after Arya had moved off..

This is how things seem to work when there are 2, 3, 4, or more squirrels at the same time wanting to come get a pecan. They all know the order, and they all wait their turn until those ahead of them in the order have been served.

[olorin19]

And here is Huckleberry on my desk then burying a pecan in one of my plants.