NR Squirrel

[ppodcor]

Hi all! First- a big thank you to everyone who has helped me and Simon as we navigate becoming a Squirrel family. You may remember that in Feb Simon had a seizure that we first thougt was a possible alkaloide poisioning. He was seen by a vet and given gabapentin to assist with the seizures. He has since had additional seizures and the vet now believes these were caused by Simon's head trauma as a baby. The last couple of months have been trial and error for what works to keep his seizures to a minimum. The gabapentin worked for a bit, daily almonds seem to help bring him out of the seizure quicker. We have since moved to CBD oil on his HHBs.

We always knew this was a possibility with his injuries when he fell from his nest. I am so glad we decided to overwinter him because he most likely would not have survived.

So, now we pivot. We are no longer looking at release and instead we are moving on to making him comfortable at home with us. His seizures have affected his left side. He doesnt jump as much and he can get a bit wobbly. So, I am trying to learn more about ways to add interaction and play in his room.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

[olorin19]

Every NR is different, so it is important to tailor their environment accordingly.

Does Simon climb well? When he does have a seizure, is falling a possibility?

If so, then I would suggest having intermediate levels around any higher levels, padded if possible, to prevent any falls from significant height. Squirrels obviously like to go high, so figuring out a safe way go meet that need is key.

I had a quadriplegic NR Ziggy with limited use of all four limbs. His cage was on top of a folding table to give him height, and there were things in there he could manage to climb, but the floor was padded and the greatest distance he could possibly fall was about four inches. He also spent many hours every day inside my sweatshirt (which would be tucked into my sweatpants so he could not fall out) so he could climb around onto my arms, shoulders, etc. with no injury risk.

Main point here is simple - Help meet Simon’s needs as safely as possible.

With NRs,I am a fan of making lots of human contact but always taking your cues from them as far as how much they need and in what form. Again, every NR is unique.

[olorin19]

Oops! should have been “so figuring out a safe way to meet that need is key” in last post. Typing on ipad!

As long as Simon’s space is safe for him, then bigger is better. Having windows to see outside is great. Depending upon whether or not you have to keep under the radar, you may need to avoid Simon being visible from outside.

With long term indoor squirrels, I am a strong believer in the importance of wild foods being included in the diet - here is a thread specifically on that topic -

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ased-squirrels!

[olorin19]

I have had an NR Guro for more than 2.5 years, since she was about 6 w.o. She has really limited use of her right forelimb, but is fine otherwise.

She spends most of her time in a large cage (6' W x 9' L x 7.5' H) with lots to do inside. Her cage is in my office (or perhaps I work from home in the squirrel room) - so Guro gets lots of human contact.

It does not work to let her roam free without supervision - chewing, digging up houseplants, etc. So instead I get her out at least once daily for playtime, which might last up to an hour (it depends on when she decides to go back into her cage). We go to the front porch, basement, etc. She spends time exploring her domain but also lots of time climbing on me. Some days, she is happy to get massaged or scratched, other days not so much! I take my cues from her - if I misread her willingness, she gives me a gentle slap with her left front paw.

The squirrel room is at the end of the house past the kitchen. We usually leave the door to the kitchen open during the day, as Guro likes to be able to see what is going on elsewhere. There are rear and side windows in the squirrel room that are about 9 inches from her cage, so she has a great view of the outdoors. We feed squirrels, so lots of her kinfolk to observe. There is also a picture window at the front by my desk - this is about 8 feet from her cage. So, she can see the front without being visible herself.

While we mostly keep the door to kitchen open during the day, we do close it if there is going to be lots of kitchen noise.

Once Guro goes down for the night, we keep that door closed. We never turn on lights in the squirrel room, and once she is down for the night, we avoid going into Guro's room. That way, she gets to sleep in darkness, relative quiet, and without any extra stresses of us moving around near her cage.