Massachusetts Rehabber Needed

[AnnaD]

Hi! I have been in contact with a very helpful, kind and caring squirrel mommy here. I seem to have so little time in my life lately to sit and write here on this board even though I've tried 3 times already. So I've copied from my message with Nancy and will post it here. Thanks so much ahead of time for taking the time to read.

To make a really long story short, my sister has a squirrel that she needs to go to a good home. I say rehabber. The squirrel is a cute little boy and is under a year old. She came across him last early Sept. He was on the sidewalk but not under the nearest tree. She thought he might have been taken from a nest because she said earlier she heard what she thought was a cat fight with squealing and just carrying on. Anyway, later after coming home she found him. It was just starting to rain and a really big storm was coming in. I have a guy that lives down the street from me who works for the city animal shelter. My sister didn't know what to do so I asked my him and he said she should just toss it back and let nature take its course. That or flush it. Kinda sad that he would think that way being it was a helpless baby and he worked with animals. But I helped he with getting some info for her and she was able to get the baby warm and dry. She wasn't expecting to keep the baby but after his eyes opened (on my husbands birthday, Sept 15) she said she couldn't just let him go. It looked at her as momma. She fell in love with the little guy. I can see why. She had her heart in the right place but she didn't really think it through. He's never had any health problems, healthy as a horse and a little on the chunky side, . But now he's almost a year and after talking with her many times about how if she really truly loved him and wanted the best for him she would let him be free and have the life he was meant to have. She after many, many, many talks and tears, she has agreed to let me help he find a rehabber that can give him a second chance, if it isn't to late. We both live near Boston. I'm willing to meet anyone willing to help me give Buddy (his name) another chance at a real squirrels life. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me.

To add to this, he is in a cage that is taller than it is wide. I think its about 3.5 to4 feet all and 2 to 2.5 feet across maybe. I'm not sure but it's about that. He is fed rodent blocks with added fruits and vegetables. Loves anything crunchy. My sister doesn't have a lot of money so I've been helping her with making sure Buddy gets everything he need's to keep him happy and healthy. So far he has never had any health issues that I know of. If there were any real issues I know my sister would've told me about it. He is a good boy , very active. It is sad though to see him in a cage with his little fingers poking through and him looking out. It just really bothers me, like I know he would love to be able to just run and play and be as nutty as he wants . If he only knew. It is all he's ever known but he deserves so much more. I know if anyone can help him, it's you guys. Thanks in advance

[Nancy in New York]

Glad you got on the board.
I am pressed for time now, but I just wanted you to know that
I changed the title of your thread to draw attention to it.

[AnnaD]

Thanks so much! No problem on the title change. Any help is appreciated

[Rocky1]

Disclaimer: I know nothing about this organization... I would rather a rehab would respond to you on this forum, but if they don't.... If it were me, I would anonymously call and ask them if they can accept an additional squirrel, if they can ensure that they will not euthanize the squirrel, what will happen with the squirrel (Do they have a nice big release cage? Others it's same age? etc.), if they need a donation, and ask if you can visit the squirrel (probably, "no," but it's a worthy question). MAKE SURE TO TELL THEM IT'S OKAY TO LATER ON RELEASE THE SQUIRREL BACK ON YOUR PROPERTY. I believe that Massachusetts law forbids releasing squirrels anywhere except for where they were found (rehabs may be an exception).



http://wildlife-education-center.com...a-wild-animal/

New England Wildlife Center

New England Wildlife Center
500 Columbian Street
South Weymouth, MA 02190
781-682-4878
781-682-4872 (fax)

The Center is open to the public for visitation on most days of the year during the following times:

Sunday 10 AM-2PM
Monday 10 AM-4Pm
Tuesday 10AM-4PM
Wednesday 10 AM-7PM
Thursday 10AM-4PM
Friday 10AM-4PM
Saturday 10AM-8PM

[tt3]

Is buddy a pet or is he mostly caged ?
How friendly is he toward humans ?
Why don't you just release him yourselves?
you can not depend ,or trust any wildlife facility to not euthanize him just because you have asked then not to, its there job to make the right decision in when, and "if" to release any breed of wildlife, so if setting buddy free is whats best, your best bet is to either find someone on TSB, or release yourself. You also can find a Independent rehabbed in your area check the DNR website. There is always a chance that buddy will be wild enough not to be concerned regards to a facility euthanizing him,but I personally would not take that chance

I live in Chicago and would be happy to do a soft release myself but we would have to meet somewhere and because we are releasing, it makes more sense to find someone closer in your area to release him.

Your sister has raised him this far and has been successful doing so, so why not release yourselves ?

[Nancy in New York]

If anyone ever thinks of turning a squirrel over to a rehab facility for release, you won't after reading this link below.
Many times, someone finds a squirrel, they call several licensed rehabbers, and never receive a call back.
They are either faced with raising them on their own, or taking them to the ASPCA, and we KNOW how that turns out.
So if they successfully raise a squirrel (out of necessity) , and want a safe release, what IS the option?
I do hope that someone can help you out. We will keep looking!

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...highlight=Nuts

[pappy1264]

I am north of Boston and can release him for her, if you like. I still have others who have to go out, but I could get him into a cage on my screen porch, so he would be used to being outside but still in the safety of the screen porch) and then move him to the release cage when he is ready(by then all my others should be released). You can pm me if you like.

[kcassidy]

I too can take him, but I'm in NY, Pappy is probably the closest place, but if I'm needed I can do it.

[Rocky1]

If anyone ever thinks of turning a squirrel over to a rehab facility for release, you won't after reading this link below.
Many times, someone finds a squirrel, they call several licensed rehabbers, and never receive a call back.
They are either faced with raising them on their own, or taking them to the ASPCA, and we KNOW how that turns out.
So if they successfully raise a squirrel (out of necessity) , and want a safe release, what IS the option?
I do hope that someone can help you out. We will keep looking!

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...highlight=Nuts

Horrible story. I'm not saying that this would have necessarily fixed the situation in that post, but if it were me, I would have hired a seasoned attorney in the practice area of Animal Law as soon as things went south. Sounds like the unmentioned underlying issue with the bite was a rabies concern where an animal has to be euthanized so that a test can be run... That situation, I imagine, would be difficult to resolve favorably without an attorney. (And remember that if you are looking to hire an attorney, you can ask them to explain attorney client privilege and their confidentiality policy. This should be reassuring! Additionally, most attorneys will provide a free consultation so that they can tell you if they think they can be helpful and how much so. Just make sure that they will also keep the consultation confidential which, to my knowledge, is essentially never a problem.)

I still am not convinced that all rehabs facilities are to be avoided; however, CAREFUL RESEARCH into their policies and credibility is important. Of course, the person answering the phone or email at a rehab center could potentially be wonderful, or incompetent, mistaken, etc. If I were Mandi from that thread, I would have written a review about NW Rehab Center on yelp so others could be warned. (The tone of that review would likely be that I was still heartbroken and trusted them with a dear animal... Little did I know policy would allow them to euthanize due to a bite. Poor animal was scared. I will never bring another animal or pet there again.)

That being said, I'm glad the OP has better options! Do NOT bother with a rehab center with all the wonderful people on here.

[pappy1264]

Most rehab places would either euthanize (or worse) as he is older, and has been kept somewhat as a pet.