Back of neck injury

[The Nut Lady]

Ugh . . His nest would be taken over after only 4 days of being gone?! Shoot. We have thought about putting up a nest box, but we would have to hire someone, as we don't have a ladder tall enough or the skills to not kill ourselves lol. In terms of an enclosure first, we don't have that option. Any thoughts on how difficult it would be for him to find a nest if released back here in the morning (as to provide the whole day to figure it out)? I will say, that I've seen him in two different nests (1 of the 2 was more preferred for overnighting, as we saw him transfer from one to this other, higher up one, as it got dark). I would hope that this would increase his chances of having a home. It's just cold here in Illinois, so I'm concerned. If he's released at the rehabber's place, it would be unfamiliar and different (our suburbs vs rural). She says they have lots of squirrels there and nut trees so that sounds good, but again, rural, so way more owls, hawks and other predators than what we see here (infrequent hawk sighting and a couple cats that roam free). Taking the nest situation out of the equation, do people feel like some sort of soft-release is necessary (or after how long in captivity would it be necessary). I wouldn't think it would take too long for this injury to heal and thought he could get a hard release. I can't imagine he would be too happy about being outside but still in a cage. I will hopefully chat w/ the rehabber tomorrow, but would love to hear your (the boards) thoughts, too.

[Spanky]

Rehabbed, adult / mature squirrels are always better off being released in the area where they were found ("home territory) versus being forced to involuntarily establish themselves in a new territory. There are times when this is untrue, an obvious example would be a squirrel injured during a clear cut / tree harvesting operation that occurred in their territory. Consider that if his drey were taken over.... especially this time of year... then likely there is another drey that was abandoned. It may need some sprucing up, but even if starting from scratch he'll be back in a territory he is familiar

[Mel1959]

I agree that he should be released in his own territory. Doing so also eliminates the need for any soft release process as he’s already familiar with his territory. Fewer predators is always a bonus in my opinion.

[The Nut Lady]

Hi all. I just wanted to give an update on Stripesy. He's still with the rehabber, getting time to heal. He's in a bird cage, so limited space which limits too much movement. The rehabber said the wound is healing pretty well and currently there is a scab still, so he needs some more time to scar over. Hopefully when he's ready for release (thinking maybe next weekend), he will be able to come back to his home territory. Fingers crossed!!