When is it OK to release.

[Rocky the squirrel]

I am new here so forgive me if this is the wrong place to post. It rescued a baby red squirrel, he chose me. He ran at me and DODO from Facebook came to memory. I put my hand out and he ran into it and started suckling. He was full of fleas and a tick. I read that if this is the case he is most likely abandoned. I watched some videos and did some research and now he has been with me for a couple weeks or more doing very well. No longer is he taking the bottle. He is unable to open a cracked pistachio nor an acorn. He loves avocado, pumpkin seeds, apple, watermelon. Gerbil food is his last resort. I We live on 24 acres no real cats around, my dogs wont bother him and the chickens shouldn't either. We have a large wooden shed that the squirrels have taken over anyway. My question is. When can I release him. Can I put him in the shed with his bed wood chips, daily food and water and will he be OK. I am guessing he is 2 month to 2.5 months old. His eyes were open when I found him. Thanks so much.

[Spanky]

He should be able to crack open a walnut before release, that is one of the go to tests. Being unable to crack a walnut may indicate they have issues with their teeth which makes it unlikely they can survive in the wild for very long.

The seeds and nuts should be very limited, and squirrels should not be fed gerbil food (gerbils and squirrels are very different in terms of nutritional requirements). Avocado pits and skins should not be given to the squirrel as they contain small amounts of persin... which is poisonous and builds up cumulatively over time... so just no reason to provide that to them.

Instead of gerbil food, rat or mouse food (Teklad, Envigo, Mazuri are good brands) should be fed to him. That should be about 75% of everything he eats. Seeds and nuts are treats (like gummy bears to a toddler). Seeds and nuts are "calcium robbing" and feeding too much will result in Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) which is lethal.. there is lots of info on MBD here on TSB if you'd like to research.

Now, releasing squirrels is process we call "soft release" (some other species do okay with a "hard release" but not so with squirrels) which they spend a week or two in an outdoor cage to acclimate then a small portal is opened for them to explore outside.. they usually come and go from that outdoor cage for days and even weeks until they have established a place in the wild.

The soft release process starts at 14 weeks at the youngest.... a few weeks older is even better.

Here is a link to that process:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-How-to-Sticky