When to move from plastic container to cage?

[Sadachara]

I hope this is the right spot for this..

My little girl is approaching 8 weeks.(I think) She is in a plastic container of the recommended size with holes and such. I mounted a small water bottle on the outside, and she is doing quite well on Formula, Henry's Blocks, and a splash of Broccoli and Lettuce. She is quite mobile, and I wonder if the plastic container should go away?

I purchased a double decker Critter Nation w/ 1/2" bar spacing, and plan to put her in the bottom part, and open the top floor up later.

Should I transition her now, or wait? I want to follow the best practice protocols for this, so I want to check with the experts.

Thank you!

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I hope this is the right spot for this..

My little girl is approaching 8 weeks.(I think) She is in a plastic container of the recommended size with holes and such. I mounted a small water bottle on the outside, and she is doing quite well on Formula, Henry's Blocks, and a splash of Broccoli and Lettuce. She is quite mobile, and I wonder if the plastic container should go away?

I purchased a double decker Critter Nation w/ 1/2" bar spacing, and plan to put her in the bottom part, and open the top floor up later.

Should I transition her now, or wait? I want to follow the best practice protocols for this, so I want to check with the experts.

Thank you!

Hi Sadachara:
Thank you for caring for this little Squirrel. What is her name? I assume that you have long ago obtained the Baby Squirrel Guide from Henry's Pet but in case you have not, I have posted the link for you. https://www.henryspets.com/1-baby-squirrel-care-guide/

To answer your question, yes it is time to transition to a larger cage. At 8 weeks, formula should still be offered on a regular basis and should be considered your Squirrel's primary source of nutrition. Henry's Guide discusses weaning but I would like to point out that it is truly great that your Squirrel is already eating Henry's Blocks but the actual weaning is a process and must be controlled by the Squirrel, NOT the Squirrel-parent! Eventually, the Squirrel will just stop taking formula but this takes a number of weeks and there are usually a number of time when it appears that your Squirrel will be done with formula and if it is still offered for a week or so after weaning has seemingly taken place; a Squirrel may take advantage of formula that is still made available. I would encourage you to keep offering formula for a week or so after weaning appears final.

I would also encourage you to put a nesting box up high in the cage and secure it well. Apparently you already have a water bottle and I would like to strongly suggest that you use two of them. Ensure that the water bottles are functional and put only pure fresh water in them. Never mix medication or anything else in with the Squirrel's water source. Water bottle have malfunctioned and relatively early on in care of Squirrels, I almost had a tragedy result because the water bottle malfunctioned and my Baby was becoming dehydrated. Fortunately I recognized this but I have been very "gun-shy" about water bottle since!

It is good to place some clean, insect free tree branches in the cage for your your Squirrel to climb and play on and consider his own tree(s)! Please keep us updated on how your Little One is progressing and write back immediately if you have any other questions or concerns!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel