determining releasability

[squirrelwatcher]

Thanks for taking a close look at the close-up pics. I haven't had another look at the squirrel or his eye. He doesn't show any sign of wanting to come out of his nest box when I'm in the room.

Good news! Day 7 yesterday and he is finally moving around when he comes out of his nest box. It has taken a whole week!

He came out of the nest box 8 times yesterday, vs the 2-3 times previous days. His movements are slow, but he climbs up the tree limb and can cling while eating the peanut butter. He loses his footing when he climbs down, but hasn't fallen. He has peered out of the cage for the first time. So hooray, it seems like he's "waking up."

Squirrel watcher in Alaska.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Thanks for the good news...he appears to be improving I worry about him slipping when coming down the branch. They really do hide their pain and injuries he shouldn't slip....but of course after being hit by a car....he's doing much better then I'd expect hopefully you'll start seeing his progress accelerate keep up the good work

[squirrelwatcher]

Day 10. There has been a lot of improvement/activity the last two days.

He comes out of his nest box 8-10 times a day, primarily to eat.
He goes up and down the tree limbs in the cage.
He now chooses to spend most of his down time in the high nest box.
He seems to like the Henry's cubes.

His agility does seem to be lacking. He half walks/half scampers up the tree limbs, and slips when coming down. I'm hopeful that he just needs to regain strength.

I do want to release him when he's ready, but I now understand that could be months from now.

Is a cuttlebone in the cage sufficient for his teeth? Should I be provide something harder, i.e. antler or bone?

Thanks for all your input. It's been so great to read through the stories of rescue and compassion on this board. I feel like I've gotten off easy, not having to deal with any medical issues.

Squirrel watcher in Alaska.

[SammysMom]

An antler is a wonderful idea!

[island rehabber]

Antlers are great, also cuttlebones normally sold for parrots, etc.

[Nancy in New York]

Do you have any hickory nuts.
They are really hard and just the right
sized for that little mouth.

[squirrelwatcher]

Update: He's doing great!

It's Day 16 and I'm so happy to report the little guy seems to have come around. He's been more active, and now in the last couple of days he seems to have become a real squirrel again. He's curious and alert and busy(!) when he's out of his nest box. His movements are quick and squirrelly like they're supposed to be. He climbs the cage and tree limbs and even scoots and scampers a little bit.

Now I want to make sure he gets enough exercise and continues to build strength, agility, etc. I'm adding more climbing apparatus to his cage.

I'm trying to think through the possibility of releasing him back into his home territory in winter. Obviously, food and shelter are the key. What I'm considering is this is a very big cone year, HUGE in fact. So I'm thinking that he couldn't starve, even if his cache was raided by a neighbor. Next is shelter. His home turf is mixed forest at the edge of wetlands, lots of uprooted/fallen trees. Could he, would he, find adequate shelter day to day, until he established a safe nest? I would only release him if/when we were having a stretch of sunny, mild weather.

What do you think?

Squirrel watcher in Alaska.