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Thread: Young baby squirrel question

  1. #21
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    tiny did not really connect with me today. Several times I saw tiny, and tiny acknowledged me, I walked over, and tiny even came forward toward me, but then turned and ran up the tree. I left block in the two areas of both trees as tiny was all over the place exploring. All block was gone later. However there are about 5-6 older fall babies, and tiny and the other who is a smaller fall baby. So who knows who is taking the block. My spring releases have no interest, so I'm sure its the fall babies.

    I don't know why tiny wouldn't come close to me today. I had much going on in my mind, a carpenter was here and I was not relaxed, maybe that was it. Or, tiny is just thriving more and less dependent on my help.

    Either way, tiny and sibling have been out there 10 days now since I first saw them.

  2. #22
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    I saw tiny at 7:25am this morning. Out of curiosity, I decided to walk over.

    Tiny saw me coming, and ran up the tree, but to my surprise, circled back down quick, came close, hung by his/her back legs and stretched waving her arms wildly in happiness, oh how dear. She's not afraid of me at all. Then she came straight for me boldly and I handed her an almond. I left 2 block where she had been. Seems like we are back where we were in relationship a day ago. The mysteries of squirrels.

    Today I have no carpenter coming, and my mind is more at peace, maybe that was the difference between yesterday and today, or maybe I am just thinking way too much. . Whatever the reason, I do believe that squirrels and all animals can feel our "vibe" at any moment in time and that is a type of language they read.

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  4. #23
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Early afternoon, I saw tiny out milling with about 5 other larger fall babies. So I went over. All the babies left, but tiny came for another treat, took it from my fingers.

    She/he had to wait for my two releases to say hi to me first. Then she took her treat, and when I left, the other babies resumed their foraging on the woodsy floor.

    Tiny is one really sweet little soul. tiny is not really her name, it's just descriptive, she is the tiniest one out there.
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  6. #24
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    She needs help...looks about 8 weeks old to me. Is there some way you can give her her own place to stay --maybe an outdoor release cage or something, where you can supplement her food for a while and give her shelter from the elements? Hopefully she is not being bullied by the older ones and hopefully she is getting enough food,
    but although I know there are rehabbers out there who release squirrels at 8 weeks old, I wait at least another month or 2 before I release. All in all she looks healthy : her fur is good, she's not dehydrated from what I can see, but she's still awfully little. Thanks for caring about her!
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  8. #25
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Thank you for your thoughts. I care very much for her. I wanted to take her and her sibling in, but she wouldn't let me. There must be a purpose, because all other orphaned babies I have found let me pick them up right where I found them, no struggle or anything, they were willing to be helped in that way.

    I have plenty of places to put her to keep her safe. And I did move quickly on it. 12 days ago when I saw her and her sibling, I fixed up a cage with branches and fleece and made homemade formula and froze it to have immediately just in case. I've never been this prepared for a squirrel before. And he/she played hard to get. Like you say, fur looks good, eyes bright and clear, strong and fast as lightning. Tiny did not come across as a helpless baby. So I watched for her daily. Had she been feeble and weak, I would have picked her up. She let me know she did not want to be in captivity.

    The issue is, she won't let me catch her, and I don't have the heart to trap her. We have a relationship built on trust, and I am not going to violate that. Other than being small, she shows no signs of weakness that I can see.

    I grew up in a home where people bigger than me thought they knew best for me, and they didn't much of the time. They saw life from their angle, and it wasn't always in my best interest, it was in their best interest, and I suffered. Because of how I felt, I need to trust Tiny, because she is letting me know how she wants to be, and so I am not going to think that I know better than her. If she really needs help, and begins to exhibit changes I will help. All my other releases let me just pick them up off the ground when they were as small as her. Tiny says no, and I am respecting that.

    Yesterday, I took apart the cage, and I think I'm about to defrost the formula and make myself an egg nog.

    I agree with your premise, as I released my three summer babies at 4 months old. But I can feel the desires of animals. Tiny doesn't want to be caged. I told Tiny and her sibling, that if I found her in trouble in that she was not strong enough to take care of herself, I would take her in temporarily.

    But so far as I can see, in the 12 days that I have been observing her, she has not lost one bit of energy and presence. She trusts me to supplement her when she wants. I will keep watching her, as I care for all my squirrel family.

    Other than her falling to the roof in a squirrel squabble one day, I have not seen any evidence of her being bullied. She has a nest to sleep in, and when she is with the other fall baby bigger squirrels, they are all calmly eating. The adults leave her alone.

    Today I did not see Tiny today until 2pm. When I did, she perked up when I went over and took a nut from my fingers. I left block and veggies and seeds. I watched Tiny eat for 20-30 minutes, not moving from where she was, so she is not being bullied.

    She ate in peace for almost half an hour. This is how it is everyday when I watch her eat. Sometimes she leaps away when a bigger squirrel comes near her, but she's right back where she was eating again with no issues. The squirrels aren't chasing her, she's just giving them room.

    I won’t be around for a few days. I have arranged for someone to put out block for tiny. I’ll check on Tiny when I return and post here. Thank you for thoughts and prayers for Tiny while I am not around.
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  9. #26
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Tiny was out at 7:30am, and took a nut. I left block and veggies. I watched her eat for a long while. Two hours later I saw her other tiny sibling, who is now less afraid of me, but still hasn't come to me for food.

    Thinking about my last post....
    When I first went out to help tiny, my intention was to get her into a safe cage, small cage or larger release cage, whichever would be best. But Tiny would not come near me. You can see the first photos I took in this thread of her, they were very far away, she was keeping as far from me as possible.

    After two days of trying to help/catch her and her running away. I went out and when I saw her I made a promise, "Tiny, I won't capture you, I just want to help you find food." It was then she let me come close and take nuts from me.

    She has given me no sign that she wants help, other than my company and food donations, so that's where we are at. It is still a mystery to me.

    So I continue on that premise, doing what I can, letting her be her own squirrel. I'll post again upon my return.

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  11. #27
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Just thought I’d chime in here that the babies here in the south seem to have gotten smaller over the last decade or so. Every new batch of babies, I feel like I’ve got the smallest one I’ve ever seen. Just two weeks ago someone brought me a little girl who was already well-furred and starting to hold her tail over her head (well, trying to anyway), her tail was growing white fur, and her top incisors had erupted. That put her about 5 to 5 1/2 weeks in terms of development. Yet the poor thing weighed only 54grams and she’s not even the smallest one that age that I’ve gotten! Now, she was definitely under-fed and that potentially explains it, but it’s still really hard to gauge age at a distance just based on size these days. Some of the wild babies I’ve seen look like they could only be 5 or 6 weeks old but their agility, fur, and eating habits tell me they must be older- who knows by how much?

    Not sure if this has been true for everyone else in the south or if it’s mostly a Fl thing, but I’m not the only one who’s noticed in the past couple of years. What’s funny is that the adults still seem to reach decent sizes (they’ve always been slightly smaller down here compared to grey squirrels in the north). I’d be really interested to know if it’s a more wide-spread phenomenon and if it’s just a matter of a lack of available resources while they’re growing or if something else is contributing.

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  13. #28
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    I heard news that Tiny had been sighted in my absence and was getting food.

    This morning I was back form the trip and went out to look for Tiny around 7am. I actually found who I think is the sibling of Tiny; who has not let me come close enough for a photo. Here is a photo of the sibling, who ate two block that I tossed to it. I know this is not Tiny because of the rounded tail tip. How wonderful to see this one after a few days of me away.
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  15. #29
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    I kept looking for Tiny, it wasn't until 9:11am that I spotted Tiny on the other tree from where her sibling had been. I went out, saw the pointed tail, and Tiny came and took a block from my fingers. I left a second block which she ate, and I left some nuts and seeds. I'm super happy to find Tiny looking well upon my return. And her sibling also.
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  17. #30
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    They are all tail!

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  19. #31
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    I love that, "they are all tail." :-)

    Thank you mel_la_fee for your thoughts. All I can say is that I have two sets of fall babies, larger ones and these tiny ones. It's my best guess that the bigger ones still have their mom and are actually older. That these lost their mom and were born later, thus younger. But all that is a guess.

    At 3pm I saw Tiny out so I went over, Tiny ate an english walnut piece, did not seem interested in the veggies, and went to the branch and log pile that I assume is full of insects and such. I tossed a block and Tiny took it and ate it. Tiny did get chased a little by the bigger babies, so she just went up a tree until they were done, she waited it out. The adult squirrels are leaving her alone. And I am glad to see that my releases are chasing each other, but not Tiny.

    Then I saw Tiny again at 6pm. She wasn't interested in seeing me, or taking anything, she just wanted to eat sunflower seeds. I sat pretty close to her and just enjoyed her company while she ate. No other squirrels around to bother her, they all had other places to eat seeds.
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  21. #32
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    9:30am Tiny was near her nest, so I put out 2 block, one small one and a big one on top, in a crevasse in the old tree on top of the shelf fungus. Tiny knows to look there. A bigger baby came and took the big block, so I went out and put another big block. Tiny went fast down the tree and took the big block and ate it, the other big baby took the little block. I put out one more block and have no idea who got it.

    5:15pm I see Tiny at the other tree so I go over. The big babies all scatter. Tiny finds the block I toss to her, as she doesn't come to me. Tiny eats it and then eats sunflower seeds.

    5:30pm I see Tiny is still under the other tree, so I go out with another block, she finds the tossed block, and quickly runs 15 feet away to bury it. Oh. I'm glad she's one again eating block and has lifted her refusal of it. But I guess she didn't need/want that one, except for later. Wonder how long buried blocks last?

    I find it really odd that I do not see Tiny playing with the other tiny of her size that I showed a photo of. She doesn't even eat next to that one. Are they siblings? Or are both "runts" of two different litters? I know I have seen Tiny playing with a squirrel her size - see post #2 of this thread. And later I saw Tiny playing with a much bigger baby. See post #16 of this thread.

  22. #33
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Saw Tiny early this morning, as she took a block to eat.

    I was bliss-ed by my 1.5 year old male. He jumped onto me and slid his back over the back of my neck about 4 times. I took this to mean he was in a great mood and feeling friendly. I could feel his happiness. He seemed to be in an exceptional mood. He visited me about 4x today doing that, such a lovely surprise. That made this an exceptional day for me.

    Didn't see Tiny again until after 6pm tonight, I put block out and had to leave, I assume she got some. I didn't get much interaction with her at all today, but she did get food.
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  24. #34
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    I have continued to see Tiny everyday since I last posted on October 5. Usually twice a day.

    If she is particularly hungry, she will come straight for me to take a block or a nut from my fingers. And note, she is back to eating block again.

    If she is not especially hungry, she would rather find her food by spying on me and watching me put it out. She knows who I am, and if I walk to her tree, and she runs up it away from me, I will place block on the shelf fungus and she will then run down 30 seconds later to get it.

    I've seen her twin in size too from time to time, just about every day. Tiny is still the only one of the two who is "friends" with me on her terms.

    Tiny and her twin are still usually out when the other babies are feeding, they just prefer to eat a little apart from them, so I toss seeds in a large swath to give them all room to forage easily. Photo taken October 6 of Tiny.
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  26. #35
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Tiny took a tossed block and nuts today, and ate seeds as usual. Though not afraid of me, today she did not want to take anything from my fingers. But she took and ate what I tossed within a few inches of her.

    Laughing, I have perfected my toss to be very accurate over the years. To the point where I often hit a squirrel right in the forehead from 20 feet away. I don't like when I do this, and I always apologize.

    Once I tossed a nut 20 feet and it landed on their back and stayed there. The squirrel sat there baffled because they knew I had tossed a nut, and they didn't see it bounce. I so wish I had that on video. Once the squirrel moved the nut fell off their back and they sniffed it out. My favorite is when I toss a long distance nut and it lands right under their nose at their front feet.

    Here's Tiny today.
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    How has Tiny been doing lately? I kinda miss seeing the little guy and your great narratives!

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  30. #37
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Thank you for your kind feedback about your interest in Tiny

    I had to take a trip for the last 5 days, which is why I could not post. I was concerned about Tiny, and hoped for the best. I had someone come once a day to place 2 block on the shelf fungus and two on the bench where Tiny often goes, and to disperse a little seed and nuts. Hopefully Tiny would find it. There are many squirrels, it would be what it was. I always try to find Tiny, and then give the block. My nut helper would not be seeing Tiny, just leaving nuts at the same time each day.

    Today was my first day to see the squirrels as I arrived well after dark last night.

    7:15 am I went outside. A wild greeted me back, and I walked to the tree where Tiny lives. I didn't see anyone, so I called up to Tiny and its sibling.....and waited.

    To my utter joy, Tiny crawled out of the nest and so did her sibling! Two little Tinies stared down at me. Tiny then came down the tree, the other hid behind the tree. But wow! Tiny and her sibling are still together sleeping in their nest. They are the same size, so that still causes me to wonder, who was that bigger squirrel that Tiny was playing with weeks ago? I'm now thinking that two groups of orphaned squirrels were sharing the same nest. Two the size of Tiny and a few others a few weeks older. That is only a guess of course.

    I placed the two block on the shelf fungus because Tiny wasn't going to take it from me today. But when I backed up, she came all the way down, hung by her back feet and yawned big while waving her front legs which dangled. So sweet.

    The photo of Tiny on the big dead tree is from this morning. The photo is sideways.

    Then about 4:44pm I saw Tiny out in the other area, so I went over. She was happy to see me, was pestered by another squirrel but she kept circling back to me. I tossed her a block and she picked it up after she found it.

    The photos aren't all the great as they are not zoomed in, it was the best I could do, the last two photos are of Tiny this evening. The photo of the back end of Tiny is her looking for the block I tossed, she has an incredible nose, as she did not see where it was tossed. She has not yet developed the skill/idea of a nut toss. But she sniffed it out, she knew it was there. The last photo is of Tiny with the block that she took to the bench to eat. She ran up the tree when I moved closer, so I could not get a close up shot.

    She's a funny one. She knows my voice, trusts me, comes toward me, but often maintains her distance. That is fine. I'm glad we have the relationship that we do. Other than seeing Tiny's sibling this morning in the tree, I did not see it again, that's the way it is with that one. I find it interesting that litter mates have such varied preferences with humans as to how much they seek them out, or run away.

    For instance, the squirrel whom I think was the mother of Tiny [named Beautiful], had 4 babies about two years ago. Of that group, one of those four [named Orange Muffin] I found running into my kitchen anytime the door was open. Which is even more interesting to me, because the grandmother of Orange Muffin did that very thing, her name was Sweet Fat One (SFO) SFO was the only one to ever come into my kitchen, and she did so on a weekly basis to see me and get a nut. Her daughter Beautiful never came near the house, and then her grandson Orange Muffin finds my kitchen....was he born with the GPS coordinates of my kitchen in his genes? Orange Muffins three other siblings would not come near the house. They would allow me to long toss them a nut, while Orange Muffin would come in, stand on his hind legs and wave his arms wildly over his head to get my attention. Makes me smile every time. He's still out there and still does that, he was the first wild that greeted me this morning out in the yard. He's unique. But again, so interesting that litter mates are so different even within squirrel families. And that the kitchen seeking squirrel behavior skipped a generation, but showed back up.

    I'm so happy that both Tinies did well while I was away!
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  32. #38
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Tiny played hard to get today, she would not pause for a photo or take a block from me. She was content to forage for the seeds and nuts she could find.

    I kept trying to get a good photo of her, and she kept running between the two trees high overhead they connected by a roof line. I finally realized that this was silly and just let her be. :-)

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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Don't know how I missed this thread, but it's a delight to read about your relationship with Tiny and your other squirrel friends.
    "I hope everyone got or gets their Baby Love today"~Shewhosweptforest

    https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

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  36. #40
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    Default Re: Young baby squirrel question

    Since Tiny was so shy yesterday, I didn't even take the camera out when I saw her this morning to offer block, as I thought, why bother...

    Go figure, she was in a companionship type of mood and took the block and ate it two feet from me while I adored her and watched, without the camera. She was cute and sweet as ever.

    Same thing later in the day, but unlike yesterday when I don't think I was able to give her anything; today I was able to give her two block and some nuts. And I saw her sibling today too.

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