Hello all. Once of our rehab kids this fall turned out to be blind and so we've graduated to our first NR. I've built her a large indoor enclosure and will be adding all the usual amenities, but my biggest fear is that she will eventually get bored and frustrated, and possibly then mean and aggressive. We've done squirrels for many years and are comfortable letting them run free in the house and make sure to give them lots of play time, but there will be good chunks during the days when she'll be alone in her cage.
I've read that a white noise machine or background sound generator is a good idea, and I have one that will do a multitude of noises, from plain white noise to flowing water, to nature sounds, etc. But what else should I incorporate? I know several here have raised blind NR squirrels, so hoping that maybe some of you can give me advice in this regard. Presently she is very sweet and affectionate and likes to cuddle mostly, but also needs her bouts of zoom time. Her ability to navigate spaces is pretty extraordinary.
What kind of concerns should I have for inside the enclosure safety? She's currently in a Ferret Nation double cage, but this new one will be much larger and she'll be able to get going a lot faster... do I need to worry about her going too fast and crashing into things? Seems like she does pretty well once she feels out the lay of the land, but just trying to check all my boxes.
Are squirrel wheels a thing? What kind of similar things or toys should I consider?
Thanks for any and all thoughts!