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Thread: Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

  1. #1
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    Default Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

    So back in late September, I was out with a friend at midnight decorating the local alleys with illicit animal art. Somewhere along our journey an extremely large cat joined our party. He followed us for about 10 blocks until we finally lost him to the night. A couple minutes later, a TINY staggering squirrel came at me from beneath the dumpster I was innocently tagging on and proceeded to throw itself onto my boot and scale half way up my leg.

    I grabbed it reflexively and stared at my friend in attempt to seek some sort of confirmation I wasn’t delusional and was actually holding a squirrel: “…this is not normal squirrel behavior, right??” we decided it wasn’t. As I was inspecting them (which turned out to be a him—who had blood all around his nose, a limp foot and open eyes) the huge thug of a cat suddenly reappeared into sight, clearly miffed we had intercepted the snack he was stalking.

    we decided we couldn’t leave him to get mauled to death by the feline menace so we walked a mile home with him in hand. Half way back, he started screaming the most deafening shrill sound I’ve ever heard a squirrel make in my life. It lasted about 20 seconds and I just stood there paralyzed an abject horror only for him to suddenly stop breathing entirely and fall absolutely limp in my cupped hands. We panicked and attempted to try and figure out a way to do CPR on a baby squirrel. I ended up stuffing a tiny stick in his mouth to open up his airways (I had no **** what else to do honestly) there was some more blood in his mouth and throat I scooped out and after a couple seconds holding his tongue down and maw open he started up breathing again. Moments later, he’s alert and acting as if nothing horrifying just happened.

    We finally made it back home and housed him in a crate full of soft blankets overnight, entirely expecting him to be dead in the morning. But he wasn’t. He was acting totally fine (limp leg aside). We also realized at that point that despite his open eyes, he had no upper teeth and was clearly of an age requiring formula and wasn’t just some mutant midget squirrel like we had considered the night before in the darkness.

    It’s about as legal to keep squirrels where I live as it is to go about drawing graffiti in alleys, and for the first while we had him he wouldn’t move his hind leg properly so we were afraid if we took him to a vet they would put him to sleep right away. LUCKILY, my friend’s mom is a vet who does rehabbing on the other side of the country, so between her advice on what to feed and when, plus with added information found here on the Squirrel Board, we managed to keep him alive long enough to become a proper hellion.

    Fast forward and now I am currently flatmates with a cage-free, lightning-fast, chittering furry menace. His leg started working again after a couple weeks and despite now living in constant danger of airborne squirrel attacks, I’ve grown awfully fond of this little lad who has taught me so much about his kind that I would have never had the privilege to experience otherwise. He seems extremely healthy and very very active. As soon as the winter dies down here and the snow subsides, the goal/plan is to release him out into the city again now that he’s an adult.

    I come here to thank everyone for all the helpful advice you’ve shared which helped us to keep him alive and well, and so that when spring rolls around, I can maybe glean some good advice on how to soft-release in a downtown setting.

    Cheers All!
    -me and foxy squirrel lad Snack

  2. 3 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to snickersnack:

    Chirps (01-16-2025), Lighten-Up (01-19-2025), olorin19 (01-14-2025)

  3. #2
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    Default Re: Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

    You're a heck of a writer. Congratulations on raising that boy. You're his mom - he'll never forget you. Read about soft release - he'll have a much better chance of doing well. Did I say you're a heck of a writer?

    Jamie
    "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence

  4. Serious fuzzy thank you's to TomahawkFlyers from:

    Lighten-Up (01-19-2025)

  5. #3
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    Default Re: Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

    Thank you for the welcomeful words!
    Here is Snack staring at you.
    Attached Images Attached Images  

  6. 4 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to snickersnack:

    Chirps (01-16-2025), Lighten-Up (01-19-2025), olorin19 (01-14-2025), SugarMom (01-14-2025)

  7. #4
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    Default Re: Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

    Ditto TomahawkFlyer's comment on your writing chops -- wow! (Old English majors never die, they just roam around seeking opportunities to critique. ��)

    What a beautiful fox squirrel your boy is. So glad our Board was able to guide you and that he is healthy and strong.

    Remember that with squirrels, diet is Job One through at least five. Calcium needs to be twice as high as phosphorous, so those bones will be strong enough to save him if he falls from a tree or a roof. As TF suggests, read up on soft release and give this gorgeous boy a chance at his best squirrely life!
    Island Rehabber
    NY State Licensed
    Wildlife Rehabilitator


    "Ancora Imparo" (I am still learning)
    Michelangelo


    *
    If you can't afford the vet,
    You can't afford a pet.
    NEGLECT IS ABUSE.

    "Better one day in the trees, than a lifetime in a cage."

    '...and the greatest of these, is Love. '

  8. 5 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to island rehabber:

    Chirps (01-16-2025), Grinderhead (01-14-2025), Lighten-Up (01-19-2025), snickersnack (01-15-2025), TomahawkFlyers (01-14-2025)

  9. #5
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    Default Re: Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

    Soft release involves having Snack in a sufficiently large (and predator proof) release cage outside, typically 2-4 weeks. Lots of details here at TSB on how to build cage, what it needs, etc.

    During this time, obviously Snack needs to be fed, provided water, etc.

    The purpose of this period is at least twofold -
    #1 - Snack getting used to the great outdoors and the new environment when he will be released
    #2 - Just as importantly, the local squirrels getting used to Snack and accepting him so he is not driven off upon release (although that mighty still happen)

    If you are in an urban environment and somewhere where keeping squirrels is illegal, then you should figure out where this release cage is going to be located. It needs to be somewhere with trees, etc. so that it is a good squirrel environment - the presence of lots of squirrels is a good sign of that!

    The cage ideally needs to be on private land with someone who is okay with this, and hidden from view in case there are neighbors not okay with this. And somebody, whether you or someone living there, needs to provide food and water.

  10. 4 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to olorin19:

    Chirps (01-16-2025), Lighten-Up (01-19-2025), snickersnack (01-15-2025), TomahawkFlyers (01-14-2025)

  11. #6
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    Default Re: Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

    Just an FYI -

    While I have never raised a fox squirrel, I have overwintered nine eastern grey squirrels.

    All of these have eventually reached a point (at perhaps 5-6 months) where they were still happy to climb around on me, etc. but no longer were happy about actually being handled.

    With 8 of 9, they all remained quite gentle with me. Even if I did overstep my bounds and tried to pet them, etc., the worst case was they would slap my hand or simply move away.

    Then along came my 5th overwintered squirrel: Harry. At about six months old, Harry started getting really aggressive, and eventually started attacking me whenever he got out of the cage. I experimented with various types of protective gear, and finally purchased a wire fencing mask. An earlier attempt with one of those plastic face shields used with a weed eater was a failure, as Harry got under the mask and bit my cheek. Being bitten by a scared squirrel is not much fun.

    It got pretty ridiculous, with time out of the cage being a bad experience for both of us. So, I moved Harry outside to his release cage quite a bit earlier than planned.

    https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...rotective-gear

    The aggression did not end after release either --

    https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...el-attacked-me!

    Harry was certainly an exception, but the main point here if overwintering is that your normal way of interacting with your squirrel buddy at 3-4 months will almost certainly evolve quite a bit as they get older.

  12. Serious fuzzy thank you's to olorin19 from:

    snickersnack (01-15-2025)

  13. #7
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    Default Re: Accidentally adopted by a squirrel.

    Thanks so much! I've sent you a PM with my email address. If you wouldn't mind sending the file of the original high resolution photo, I'd like to sublimate it for a mosaic mural, with a copy to you if you'd like one. It is a particularly talkative photo - a gorgeous creature conveying trust, curiosity, and affection. Let me know?

    Thanks!

    Jamie

    Quote Originally Posted by snickersnack View Post
    Thank you for the welcomeful words!
    Here is Snack staring at you.
    "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence

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