Hi PiptheSquirrel:
I would like to add to the information Mel provided as a soft release may not be something you are able or willing to indulge in. If you are willing to build a release cage and slowly transition Pip to the Wild, it would be wonderful, indeed! Another option would be to contact a licensed Wildlife Rehabber in Alabama and discuss possibibly giving up Pip to the facility IF there is some way you could be convinced that they would "Soft Release" Pip and not euthanize him. Unfortunately, even with some Wildlife Rehabbers or Wildlife Refuges; especially if they have a large volume of animals, it is somewhat of a "crapshoot" as to what they are willing or able to do with a grown and "wilding up" pet Squirrel! As it appears that you are Alabama, here is a list of Rehabbers in that State:
https://www.outdooralabama.com/wildl...life-rehabbers
It is possible that some of TSB members may have some definitive experience with one or more Rehabbers in Alabama and can give you some information that may better lead to a promising release strategy for Pip!
PLEASE do NOT "surrender" Pip to Game Wardens or Fish & Wildlife Department employees or any Government entity. It will surely be a death sentence for little Pip! These or similar branches of a States bureaucracy to NOT exist to help you or your Squirrel! They will either euthanize Pip or simply let him loose. While this option may at first sound appealing, it will be "doomsday" for Pip! The Game Warden type people often use the method of a "hard release" (simple letting the animal go) and cloak it to you and others as somehing that should bne done for an animal that was born to be wild. Don't be fooled! The only benefit that letting Pip loose in the wild will have is as a meal for predators and Pips short life to that point will be filled with fear and most likely suffering!
As Mel has mentioned, Squirrels must transition to becoming acclimated to the wild and cannot simply be "let go!" The acclimation process is what has come to be called a "soft release." This can sometimes take as short as a couple of weeks but often longer. Please review the links that Mel has posted. Again, if this is something you would would be willing to do, it could be ideal for Pip assuming that your home had some " trees, "run room" food sources (although you can continue to give Pip food after release as many of us do for our releases) and no nearby heavy traffic, among other conditions or concerns.
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel