Hello I'm new here

[Icemouse]

Hi I'm Icemouse
I have an 5 month old eastern grey squirrel. A close friend of mine owns a forrest. That's where Hamy was found. He was clinging to her trousers. We live in an area where greys are cosidered vermin. I cannot ask anybody for help here or take Hamy to the vet incase he'll need medical attention. Hamy was emaciated as my friend found him. I have helped to rescue marmoset monkeys and wild life before BUT I never helped a squirrel baby. We managed to get in touch with a red squirrel rescue center in a different country. I carried Hamy in a pouch for 3 days and nights on me and fed him with royal canine puppy milk. He gained weight quickly. He is now an approx. 5 month old healthy boy of 614gramms.
Hamy eats fruit, veg, nuts and garvo1600, pine cones, dandelion, daisies, roses, wood from the forest he came from and bark and sprouts of beeches and sycamore trees. Since my husband read about henry rodent blocks we ordered beaphar care+ rat which is the closest we could find to henry rodent blocks.
We first wanted to release Hamy back to the forest he came from but unfortunately most of the forrest got destroyed due to storms ...and Hamy is really attached to me. Hamy is only in his cage when we're not at home. As soon as we are home Hamy is with us. He just jumps on my shoulder and comes along. I can do the dishes, laundry etc and Hamy "helps". Hamy loves to get cuddled and his feet massaged. We have play fights, he tries his jumps on to and from me, we play and cuddle. Hamy reacts to his name and to no when he has found something he shouldn't bite. He does not bite cables at all. He is fast as lightening at times. We can definitely communicate with each other. When it's bedtime Hamy goes back in his cage. He moans every time but goes straight to bed after a small snack.
I really need your help. I want Hamy to have a great and healthy life. Now since most of his forest got destroyed and we live in an area where grey squirrels get hunted down, killed in horrible ways we decided to keep him. In our area it's against the law to help, rescue or release a grey squirrel. Only our closest friends know of him. If we get reported they'll kill Hamy instantly. I'm actually a fond believer that even a golden cage is still a cage but Hamys chances of survival are next to nothing in this area....
We plan to build a bigger cage for Hamy as he outgrew the last one. We do not have any pets. When Hamy is with us he's always looked after. One of us is always with him. Well... Hamy is a bit nosy. As soon as one of us leaves the room Hamy jumps or climbs up on the one moving. Like I said he's really interested in everything we do.
I hope I didn't write too much but I thought you all might want to know about the newbeis! Thanks for inviting us to the squirrel board

[Charley Chuckles]

so glad you found us😀
Here is the link to the healthy diet for kept squirrels.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels
Would love to see pictures 😁

Scotland sounds like a beautiful place do you have squirrels other than grey?

Others will be here to help as well .
Keep us posted 👍

[Mel1959]

It sounds like Hamy is getting the best possible care. The biggest issue we encounter with captive squirrels is diet. I see CC already sent you the link for a healthy diet. I am not familiar with the rodent block you have listed. I know the cost of Henry’s blocks and shipping to the UK is cost prohibitive, if they even ship there. There are other rodent blocks that should be available via Amazon. One of the best blocks is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014. Other good blocks are Oxbow Regal Rat, Mazuri Rat and Mouse Diet and Zupreem Monkey Biscuits. All of these are a hard extruded block and not a seed mixture. You DO NOT want a seed mixture.

Please be aware that as Hamy matures he may become aggressive and want released. The fact that you are handling him as much as you are is a good thing and may help when this time comes.

We are here to help you along the way. One thing you should have on hand is some type of human antibiotics. It’s best to have them on hand and not have to scramble to find them if the need ever arises. Some of the antibiotics that are routinely used with squirrels are: Clavamox (animal)/Augmentin (human), Baytril (animal)/ Enrofloxacin (human), SMZ/TMP (human), Doxycycline (human). If you ever have a need to treat Hamy with an antibiotic just start a thread on here and post what’s wrong, the drug and strength you have and Hamy’s weight and someone will be able to tell you how and the amount to dose.

Best of luck! We love pictures.

[Icemouse]

It sounds like Hamy is getting the best possible care. The biggest issue we encounter with captive squirrels is diet. I see CC already sent you the link for a healthy diet. I am not familiar with the rodent block you have listed. I know the cost of Henry’s blocks and shipping to the UK is cost prohibitive, if they even ship there. There are other rodent blocks that should be available via Amazon. One of the best blocks is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014. Other good blocks are Oxbow Regal Rat, Mazuri Rat and Mouse Diet and Zupreem Monkey Biscuits. All of these are a hard extruded block and not a seed mixture. You DO NOT want a seed mixture.

Please be aware that as Hamy matures he may become aggressive and want released. The fact that you are handling him as much as you are is a good thing and may help when this time comes.

We are here to help you along the way. One thing you should have on hand is some type of human antibiotics. It’s best to have them on hand and not have to scramble to find them if the need ever arises. Some of the antibiotics that are routinely used with squirrels are: Clavamox (animal)/Augmentin (human), Baytril (animal)/ Enrofloxacin (human), SMZ/TMP (human), Doxycycline (human). If you ever have a need to treat Hamy with an antibiotic just start a thread on here and post what’s wrong, the drug and strength you have and Hamy’s weight and someone will be able to tell you how and the amount to dose.

Best of luck! We love pictures.

Hiya Mel1959
Thanks for your tips. The blocks we ordered are actually dry kibbles. Looks a bit like dry dog food. I'm not sure if that's the right stuff. I will defo investigate the brands you sent in your post. It's really difficult to get certain items over here. I have to order everything online except the fruit and veg. We got really nice untreated produce. Flowers, wood and pine cones I can get locally as well. A friend of mine even stripped her rose garden for Hamy.
I am aware that Hamy might get aggressive when he gets older. It's totally up to him if he wants to stay with us or if he rather lives in a forest. Afterall it is his life. I'm happy for him whatever he desides. We all have only this one life.... Hamy deserves to be happy wherever he wants to be. We will do anything in our powers for Hamy to have the life he wants to have. As I already said even a golden cage is still a cage...
About the antibiotics... I will have problems to organise them. I can't go to a vet due to the law here and our doctors rather not prescribe antibiotics... but have you heard of "propolis"? It's a bee product. It's a natural antibiotic. The lady from the red squirrel rescue center told me that it's suitable for red squirrels. They put it in the drinking water if they can't get antibiotics.
Getting medication in case of emergencies is my biggest worry. But it's great that I can get help from you all. Thank you so very much for that! I feel so much better now since I know I can ask for help if needed. Hamy is my first rescue squirrel. It's a big responsibility to keep him happy and healthy.
Thanks for your response.
Regards Icemouse

[Icemouse]

so glad you found us😀
Here is the link to the healthy diet for kept squirrels.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels
Would love to see pictures 😁

Scotland sounds like a beautiful place do you have squirrels other than grey?

Others will be here to help as well .
Keep us posted 👍

Hiya Charley Chuckles,
Thank you for your pdf. Very helpful for us. Unfortunately there is so much misinformation to be found on the internet. The blocks we ordered are actually dry kibbles. Looks a bit like dry dogfood. It is "beaphar care+ rats". I will defo compare the ingredient list to the henrys you all use before I start Hamy on the stuff we bought.
We do have red and grey squirrels here. But the majority of the reds are mostly further up north. For many years they replaced the firs and pine trees with sycamore trees or any other faster growing trees. By doing so they took the habitat for reds away. It's a man made problem which started at about 1910 as the government paid cash to every killed red squirrel. They either ate them or used their fur for coats. But off course it's easier to blame the greys. So unfortunately the greys get hunted down. The methods of killing them is barbaric to the max. I actually taught Hamy how to open various cage doors. Hamy is smart he picks up things quickly when I show him.
I'll post images of my cute wee boy. I just have to figure out how to do it :-)
Regards Icemouse

[Icemouse]

That's my wee boy...

[TomahawkFlyers]

What an absolutely gorgeous baby. YOU are a kind soul. Thank you for helping this squirrel.

Jamie

[Icemouse]

What an absolutely gorgeous baby. YOU are a kind soul. Thank you for helping this squirrel.

Jamie

Hiya Jamie no need to thank me. You all help and helped the wee fuzzy dudes. I learned a lot from my wee pal already. He is a ray of sunshine. A bit cheeky at times but cool to the max. I actually feel honoured that Hamy is happy here with us.
Regards
Icemouse