Its time for a grey

[Chirps]

It's been in the high 50s today I've had my heat on all day...cold stinks

In my neck of the woods at this time of year that's downright balmy.

Other than a cold snap right at Christmas (13 degrees for the high that day) it's been very mild this winter here, with no snow . . . . yet.

[Charley Chuckles]

In my neck of the woods at this time of year that's downright balmy.

Other than a cold snap right at Christmas (13 degrees for the high that day) it's been very mild this winter here, with no snow . . . . yet.

I'm a lightweight soon as that thermometer drops below 70* I'm putting on sweats 🌡️

[McCarthy]

They like my fast car as well.

No peeing allowed!

[Charley Chuckles]

Give em your keys 🤣

[McCarthy]

Give em your keys 🤣

So they can chew the buttons off the key fob?

[Charley Chuckles]

Most likely all my shirts have no buttons 🥴
Oh and dear Lord no one wants to see that 🙄😂🤣

[McCarthy]

Update day 12

Well, Mr Stinky became super feisty over the past 2 days, to the point that he started chewing the cage bars, and when he was on a break, the teeth chattering was mixed in for good measure. The last time he was out, he was climbing all over the place, not just ground-born like a week ago, so his injury has healed as far as I can tell. While he was super nice to me outside the cage, he started to hate that cage with a passion.

It was time to let him decide. In the morning I carried him into my minivan camper and we took a ride to the park. I opened the sliding door... he sniffed around... other squirrels came in... and walked out like nothing ever happened.

A minute later and he was about 40 feet up a tree, being able to climb like all the others. I was able to watch him in the trees for almost an hour. He jumped over to another tree, all the way at the top. Then he evicted another squirrel from his den

I could hear the squeaking from the ground. He always was THE alpha and that didn't change one bit. He didn't even have to start a fight, he just made it a point that he rules the scurry by standing his ground. The other squirrel ran by him, and that guy will have to build his own den. Luckily its in the upper 60s at night so nobody is going to freeze a fuzzy butt off.

[Chirps]

So happy that he's home and still Cock o' the Walk.

[McCarthy]

So happy that he's home and still Cock o' the Walk.

Yeah, for a while I was expecting to have a permanent pet, but seeing them in the trees is much more rewarding. A grey raised by a human may make a decent pet in some cases, but these wilds only "enjoy" staying inside a house as long as they are dealing with a health issue. Once they feel better, they want out.

Cock o' the Walk is really a good match for him. When others challenge him and try to chase him away, he just turns around and faces them. Then they squeak with their tail between the legs, and wander off.

[Spanky]

Great outcome for Mr Stinky... thanks for making that happen for him.

[Charley Chuckles]

AWESOME JOB 👏
This makes me so happy for you both😀

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi McCarthy:
Any further ideas as what was going on with Mr S? If it was MBD it is doubtful that he would have had such a remarkably quick recovery and in less than 2 weeks be climbing a 40 foot tree! Maybe he needed to take a break and rest for awhile with someone he trusted! I wonder if it may actually have been low dose Bromethalin toxicity as previously suggested as a possibility. If so, it's certainly good that there were no others you noticed with similar behavior! Thanks for caring for him!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[McCarthy]

Hi McCarthy:
Any further ideas as what was going on with Mr S? If it was MBD it is doubtful that he would have had such a remarkably quick recovery and in less than 2 weeks be climbing a 40 foot tree! Maybe he needed to take a break and rest for awhile with someone he trusted! I wonder if it may actually have been low dose Bromethalin toxicity as previously suggested as a possibility. If so, it's certainly good that there were no others you noticed with similar behavior! Thanks for caring for him!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

My best guess is, that he fell out of a tree and hurt his back or hip, but without breaking any bones. My second guess relates to the puncture wound he showed in his right leg. Maybe the local raccoon got him at night with his sharp claws, and a resulting infection weakened him for a while. Those trash pandas carry a bunch of germs.

It's easy to assume a worst case scenario when we see one of our bushy tailed friends hurting, because they can't tell us what happened or what is wrong. As Spanky said last year regarding the grey with the hurt paw, they usually make some remarkable recoveries, and most of the time without any help.

When we fall and face a sprain, we won't climb all over the place anymore either, we may turn in some sick days and just lay on the couch with a droopy head, looking equally sad as Mr Stinky just a week ago. I guess, in many cases a week or two of rest, an easily accessible food source (aka human nut wending machine), and a safe location away from predators is all that is needed.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

My best guess is, that he fell out of a tree and hurt his back or hip, but without breaking any bones. My second guess relates to the puncture wound he showed in his right leg. Maybe the local raccoon got him at night with his sharp claws, and a resulting infection weakened him for a while. Those trash pandas carry a bunch of germs.

It's easy to assume a worst case scenario when we see one of our bushy tailed friends hurting, because they can't tell us what happened or what is wrong. As Spanky said last year regarding the grey with the hurt paw, they usually make some remarkable recoveries, and most of the time without any help.

When we fall and face a sprain, we won't climb all over the place anymore either, we may turn in some sick days and just lay on the couch with a droopy head, looking equally sad as Mr Stinky just a week ago. I guess, in many cases a week or two of rest, an easily accessible food source (aka human nut wending machine), and a safe location away from predators is all that is needed.

Thanks again for helping this little guy!

[McCarthy]

Some one-on-one time with my girlfriend. Wife wasn't around, chasing her away or biting my leg.

[Charley Chuckles]

Look at that face 🥰

[McCarthy]

Look at that face ��

I know right, cutest girl in the group, from day one.

Every single time she comes over, she either jumps on my head, runs up my shoulders, or sits on my hands. I stuck my nose into her fur a thousand times, sniffing her like a cocaine addict. They all smell so good, because their dens are made from our local Florida pine needles and fresh pine twigs, and that smell soaks into their fur.

When park and beach folks see me face-kuddling my squirrels, about 90% come over and want to see the cuteness overload, the remaining 10% assume that I will have rabies by the end of the day. I explained to countless people that they don't carry rabies, but I also make it clear that you can't just grab a grey and handle them. They will bite. It took me well over a year to get to the level of "cuddling" a few of them, and I still end up with scratches when they chase each other around my neck or on my arms, and an accidental bite in a finger once a month, when it gets hectic, food aggression kicks in with other squirrels around, and they confuse my hand with food.

[Charley Chuckles]

I can smell a squirrel in my trees before I see them to me they smell like campfire 🤷
You got that salt air too 😀

[McCarthy]

Soon she will look like this again...

...in my next life I'll be a male squirrel 100%!

[Charley Chuckles]