Release

[Fur Friend]

I have had my squirrel since my cat brought her home, she was estimated about a week old, back in August. She has done wonderful, but with a heavy heart I am thinking as the weather is warming up, it probably is about time to let her go live her best life in nature. What do I need to do to prepare her for release? Is there anything I need to do besides just letting her go?

[nikkicreatesart]

You are going to want to start the slow release process. There is a sticky about how to do this as well as cage plans. This process will take about a month, and with singletons a little older is better . I built a simple 6x6x6 cage using 2x2s, 2x4s and hardware cloth, but I also have relatively no predators save hawks in my area. If you would like more detail about how I built mine, just let me know

[Fur Friend]

She has been outside in a cage my husband built for her on our covered deck since December. It's a little bigger than 6x6x6, and made out of the same supplies you have mentioned. I was thinking about having my husband move the cage out into the wooded area of our property and removing the door so that she can freely go in and out of the cage as she wants. She has a nesting box in the cage that she sleeps in. We have not allowed her to socialize with any of our domestic animals. I am the only person that she allows to touch her and she does it cautiously every time she does come close. I live on 15 acres of mostly wooded land, so there is at times domestic and non domestic predator's. This thought alone makes me want to never let her go, but I know that is not fair to her. My husband thinks we should just take her nesting box out of the cage and mount it in a tree. Thoughts?

[Fur Friend]

This is her current cage. It wont let me rotate the photo, sorry.

[Charley Chuckles]

Here ya go 👍
Very nice job 👏

[Spanky]

She has been outside in a cage my husband built for her on our covered deck since December. It's a little bigger than 6x6x6, and made out of the same supplies you have mentioned. I was thinking about having my husband move the cage out into the wooded area of our property and removing the door so that she can freely go in and out of the cage as she wants. She has a nesting box in the cage that she sleeps in. We have not allowed her to socialize with any of our domestic animals. I am the only person that she allows to touch her and she does it cautiously every time she does come close. I live on 15 acres of mostly wooded land, so there is at times domestic and non domestic predator's. This thought alone makes me want to never let her go, but I know that is not fair to her. My husband thinks we should just take her nesting box out of the cage and mount it in a tree. Thoughts?

Yes, move the cage and leave her in the new location for a couple weeks.

No, don't open that big door that will allow predators (raccoons, cats etc.) to enter her cage and get her... after a few weeks of being in the wooded area put a small portal in the hardware cloth that is no more than 3" square. That only something the size of a squirrel or smaller can get through.

Do NOT hard release by placing her out in her nest box outside of her cage. She'll likely spend a week or more coming and going from her safe place (the cage). She may not return for a few days then reappear in the cage... this may be a result of her getting kicked out a a nest she built or tried to move into... or being harassed by neighbors or predators because her choice of nest sites was less than ideal. She may be injured by falls or another squirrel... She needs time for trial and error. And a safe place to retreat when and if needed... her mom is not about to provide this for her so that is now your job!