Please help my babies live their best lives!
This is a very painful post that I make tonight. My husband and I found two black, gray squirrel babies abandoned on August 28th. They were about 4.5 weeks old at the time. Some of you have followed the trials, travails and triumphs of Nugget and Bean over the last 10 weeks. There has been some drama, but as novice baby rescuers, we have done the best for them that we could. I, as “the mamma,” have developed a deep attachment to them both, but alas, reality has come home to roost, and I must admit that I am in over my head.
They are around 14 weeks old now. Nugget, the female, is blind. I think she sees large shapes and light/dark, but that’s about all. She is affectionate and cuddly with me but is afraid of everyone else. Bean’s testicles have dropped, and he is all rowdy, rambunctious, healthy squirrel adolescent. He is starting to get more aggressive, especially with food, which is normal, I think.
We have an extensive cage setup, which takes up a large portion of the kitchen. The cage is as large as it can be without kicking out my husband (chuckle). Luckily Gary is a good sport, but we both have our limits. I work from home. I have 3 businesses - my main business is my graphic design company, but I also make and sell jewelry and in the summer Gary and I have a boat rental business. He works out of the home, so I manage everything here. I'm busy. Looking at 2-3 years before I can retire, so I don't see anything changing soon.
https://betterdirection.com/Expanded...el-habitat.mp4
We have several dilemmas. First, Nugget needs a forever home. I thought it would be here, but Gary is not keen on the idea as travel figures heavily in our plans for the near future. I, very reluctantly, must agree. I do not feel that we could do right by her in the long run, and I am run ragged between caring for them, the house, the dog, and managing my businesses. My poor little dog feels very neglected.
Secondly, Bean deserves the life in the wild that he was born to have. He is all that a wild squirrel should be, and it would be tragic to keep him in the house just to be company for Nugget. Since we live in Northern Michigan it is impossible to release him now. His chance of surviving the winter is pretty much nil. Since we are new to this, I worry about handling his release.
Obviously, the perfect scenario is re-homing them both until Spring with someone who is a seasoned squirrel person to handle Bean’s slow-release and give Nugget the perfect forever home with other non-releasable squirrels. I have no idea what my chance of finding that is, but if someone is willing to adopt them, I am willing to drive to get them to their new home. If someone has the perfect home for Nugget, and someone else is better equipped to handle Bean’s release – I’ll drive twice!
It absolutely breaks my heart to give them up, but it’s really all about them, not about me. If any of you are willing to take on these two sweet babies, or know someone who will, I will be forever in your debt.
Here are a few little things about them that I love. Nugget is a cuddler. Bean picks on her a bit, so when they are out of cage, she loves to curl up in my elbow so I can protect her from her goofy brother. She runs on the squirrel wheel all day long, getting lots of exercise, so when she’s out, she is happy to get pets. Bean is ALL kinetic energy. He has a couch to chair to lamp to chair to couch to table route that he runs and bounces through at the speed of light. He does not run on the wheel, although I can’t figure out why, so out of the cage he is a wild man. Smart as a whip, he can open cupboards, peel grapes and avocados, and escape from the cage if it is not super well secured.
Here is the thing that blows my mind – I’m sure you’ve heard the quote “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast (beast),” and this is definitely the case with Bean and Nugget. One night they were particularly restless, so Gary pulled out his guitar and played for them. They were instantly mesmerized and sat quietly watching and listening until he stopped. Now, any time they get manic I put Pandora on for them. They love guitar music of any type, but they’ll pretty much settle for anything short of head-banging. Heh.
So here is my plea. Is there anyone out there within a manageable distance from Northern Michigan that is willing to invite my sweet babies into their home? I love them dearly, but I know that I am not their best choice to provide the full life, security, and in Bean’s case, the freedom that they deserve. If you have any information that will help, please message me.
If I can't find them a home before Spring then I will keep doing what I'm doing, and deal with the "release or keep Bean as Nugget's companion" question when the time comes. I simply will not allow them to be neglected, but I also have no desire to cause unrest within my family.
I look forward to any help or words of wisdom that you can offer, or God willing, finding the perfect person/people to care for my babies.
Bless you and thank you for your good wishes and prayers.
Rabs
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