BITTEN!

[bri2527]

I took my two month old gray squirrel Harvey outside to find a new stick for her to chew. I was holding here on my chest holding her paws down and ive took her out b4 but this time i picked up an acorn and she tried to get out my grip like wanting to get on my shoulder idk so i grabbed her tighter and she started getting mad making their food agression sound im pretty sure something scared her they acorns were falling from the tree and i live on a very busy road and i cant recall but maybe the dogs were barking but she started yelping almost like the cry they make to signal theyre mother but she bit my middle finger on the cuticle and near the side and definitely drew blood and ran under the porch i finally got her out with cookies and pretzels and she ran up my leg on my shoulder and i went inside i read soemwhere once they know your ok and forgive them they forget anything ever happened, is that true? i know she didn't do it on purpose she got scared and i've took her out b4 like tht and it hasn't happened i do plan on taking her out again but not until i get her like a little ferret leash. anyone else had anything similar.

[LR]

You may have squeezed too hard and hurt her. She probably bit just to get you to lighten up your grip. My oldest grand daughter was 15 when she got that same lesson.

[bri2527]

You may have squeezed too hard and hurt her. She probably bit just to get you to lighten up your grip. My oldest grand daughter was 15 when she got that same lesson.

im 15 as well ive had her since she was about 2-3 weeks old i love her so much and would never want to hurt her. but thank you so much.

[stosh2010]

Taking her outside--is going to lead to a bad end. If she leaps off you & goes up a tree she may not want to return--(fear or excitement ). the older they get---the more instinct kicks in---- The bite just needs a good cleaning and antibiotic--no other worries about that. They are professional squirmers...so the ferret leash is iffy....

[cava]

If you didn't start her on a harness in the beginning, and she's biting when you grab her, she's not going to tolerate a harness or leash. It would be dangerous for her to flip out and run away with a leash attached to her.

You could put her in a safe cage and take it outside with you and sit with her. That would be the safest thing and keep you from the heartache of her running into the busy street or to the top of a tree.

Tell us more about this squirrel, where did you get it, what do you feed, where does it sleep, etc?

[bri2527]

If you didn't start her on a harness in the beginning, and she's biting when you grab her, she's not going to tolerate a harness or leash. It would be dangerous for her to flip out and run away with a leash attached to her.

You could put her in a safe cage and take it outside with you and sit with her. That would be the safest thing and keep you from the heartache of her running into the busy street or to the top of a tree.

Tell us more about this squirrel, where did you get it, what do you feed, where does it sleep, etc?

My mother boyfriend works in logging and he cut down a tree and saw her he said her mother and bro/sis sadly passed brought her home in a shirt she was cold and i started doing research before i did anything and i read about warming them so i put her in my shirt let her warm up made her a rice buddy and she slept in a shoe box she was about two weeks when i got her i then called my aunt bc i knew she had left over ebsilac went and got that and picked up some pedialyte feed her that a few times every hour until the pinch test improved and i then started her on her milk every two hours she had been sleeping in a bella tote but she got to big for it i just got her a new cage! but she has slept with me some nights. im transitioning her to water now she just doesn't seem to want to drink it she just sniffs it for a minute and runs away assuming she knows it isn't her milk so i am still feeding her some milk diluted with the biggest portion being water trying to get her off of it. im going to order her some henrys healthy pet blocks or calcium powder, which one do you think is best? and she also eats banana, apple, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, acorns, pecans(shelled),pumpkin, pumkin seeds, cucumber ,i also feed her bread and pretzels sometimes. but i ended up naming her Harvey because this was right near the time hurricane harvey had passed so i named her that in honor of the victims and bc she also lost her home. going grocery shopping soon so i will be picking her up some extra greens but rn she is happy and playful and i love her to death

[bri2527]

If you didn't start her on a harness in the beginning, and she's biting when you grab her, she's not going to tolerate a harness or leash. It would be dangerous for her to flip out and run away with a leash attached to her.

You could put her in a safe cage and take it outside with you and sit with her. That would be the safest thing and keep you from the heartache of her running into the busy street or to the top of a tree.

Tell us more about this squirrel, where did you get it, what do you feed, where does it sleep, etc?

My mother boyfriend works in logging and he cut down a tree and saw her he said her mother and bro/sis sadly passed brought her home in a shirt she was cold and i started doing research before i did anything and i read about warming them so i put her in my shirt let her warm up made her a rice buddy and she slept in a shoe box she was about two weeks when i got her i then called my aunt bc i knew she had left over ebsilac went and got that and picked up some pedialyte feed her that a few times every hour until the pinch test improved and i then started her on her milk every two hours she had been sleeping in a bella tote but she got to big for it i just got her a new cage! but she has slept with me some nights. im introducing her to water now she just doesn't seem to want to drink it she just sniffs it for a minute and runs away assuming she knows it isn't her milk so i am still feeding her some milk diluted with the biggest portion being water trying to get her used to water. im going to order her some henrys healthy pet blocks or calcium powder, which one do you think is best? and she also eats banana, apple, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, acorns, pecans(shelled), cucumber ,i also feed her bread and pretzels sometimes as of right now. but i ended up naming her Harvey because this was right near the time hurricane harvey had passed so i named her that in honor of the victims and bc she also lost her home. going grocery shopping soon so i will be picking her up some extra greens but rn she is happy and playful and i love her to death

[stepnstone]

i am still feeding her some milk diluted with the biggest portion being water trying to get her used to water. im going to order her some henrys healthy pet blocks or calcium powder, which one do you think is best? and she also eats banana, apple, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, acorns, pecans(shelled), cucumber ,i also feed her bread and pretzels sometimes as of right now. but i ended up naming her Harvey because this was right near the time hurricane harvey had passed so i named her that in honor of the victims and bc she also lost her home. going grocery shopping soon so i will be picking her up some extra greens but rn she is happy and playful and i love her to death

If this baby is two months old (8 weeks) she still needs her formula and would be needing it for quite some time, if she were with momma she'd still be nursing. We do not recommend weaning, we allow them their formula as long as they will take it and allow them to wean themselves. Watering down her formula is also watering down her needed nutritionists.
You can put a dish of water or attach a water bottle to her cage, she'll take to it when she's ready.

The first and only solid food she should have been introduced to is a good quality rodent block, eating that and eating it well before any other solids were introduced. Fruits and nuts need to be limited and only given as a treat.
Squirrels in the wild rely on their natural instincts and eat a variety of "wild foods" to balance their daily nutritional requirements. Captive squirrels have to rely on their caretaker to provide those nutritional requirements. A proper healthy diet is not only essential to their health it's essential to their survival.

I'm attaching the link to the healthy diet. You need to get her on a rodent block asap, cut out the junk food and get her on a proper diet if she is to survive.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

[Mel1959]

IMO I think taking her outside, even on a leash, could be a recipe for disaster. I know you would be heartbroken if she went up a tree and didn’t come back down to you. It’s happened before.

[bri2527]

If this baby is two months old (8 weeks) she still needs her formula and would be needing it for quite some time, if she were with momma she'd still be nursing. We do not recommend weaning, we allow them their formula as long as they will take it and allow them to wean themselves. Watering down her formula is also watering down her needed nutritionists.
You can put a dish of water or attach a water bottle to her cage, she'll take to it when she's ready.

The first and only solid food she should have been introduced to is a good quality rodent block, eating that and eating it well before any other solids were introduced. Fruits and nuts need to be limited and only given as a treat.
Squirrels in the wild rely on their natural instincts and eat a variety of "wild foods" to balance their daily nutritional requirements. Captive squirrels have to rely on their caretaker to provide those nutritional requirements. A proper healthy diet is not only essential to their health it's essential to their survival.

I'm attaching the link to the healthy diet. You need to get her on a rodent block asap, cut out the junk food and get her on a proper diet if she is to survive.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

ok I will do that, i'm trying to provide whatever i for her with the help of my mama she seems to be fine now but im ordering the blocks today and will be going the to grocery store next week. ill try to post a pic of her soon and she is a little over 2 months to be exact maybe 9-10 weeks

[BigNibbler]

How is your squirrel doing ?
I have experience with harnesses.
The majority of harnesses available are either laughably inadequate, or seriously unsafe in securing your squirrel.
Assuming that she is over 500 grams and can begin to fill a harness, you MUST conduct many tests to be sure she cannot get loose. When she realizes there is a nut to be had, whether on your person or at a distance, she will exert far more persistence, creativity and intensity in doing whatever she must to get that nut then you can imagine.

IF you are holding, restraining or blocking she can and will bite you, just out of excitement, desperation, or frustration.

More importantly, she will contort her entire spine and body to flatten and rotate her chest so as to be able escape the harness!

You would have to make it painfully tight. Only when it is so tight that it will both limit her breathing as well as cut into her upper arms, can you begin to consider that she really is secure it it. To test her harness, ( indoors ! ) , you must hold her leash - very tight, while she is on your arm and then show her a large walnut just holding it past her grasp. She will struggle to get out of the harness. If after several attempts she gives up, you still don't know for sure that she could not get out. Very likely if you do this test a few times, you will be amazed how she CAN get out of the harness. If you video tape her, you will see that she rotates her whole body and suddenly in a fraction of a second IS FREE!

Actually it is harder for her to get out, if you hold the leash loose. She needs the harness to be held back tight so that she can work against it. Invariably, you may find that the perfect storm of conditions allowing her to get loose is when you finally have gotten confident that she is in fact secured. And that is when she will... in an instant... be gone.

I have purchased so many harnesses and even custom modified and tried to build some.
It was only accidentally while having her harnessed in doors, and recording her, that I experienced her Houdini maneuver.

Possibly with tremendous vigilance, intense testing and just the right tightness, it might be possible.
BUT what are the true rewards vs the extreme risks?
And is it not at all possible that the more you are using the harness, the greater likelihood of failing to triple check it both fore and aft - just once.

Is it really worth it - that is what you need to decide.

[Mel1959]

[SophieSquirrel]

Taking her outside--is going to lead to a bad end. If she leaps off you & goes up a tree she may not want to return--(fear or excitement ). the older they get the more instinct kicks in

Stosh2010 is right - taking any NR/indoor squirrel outside unsecured is a recipe for disaster and heartache. When I have to take mine somewhere I use a small dog carrier. For sunning (supervised in SEMI-SHADE) I put them in a cut down California Cage (birdcage) with a lock (leash clip) on it and carry it outside. If a squirrel panics they can twist out of a leash or strangle. Indoors mine have a lot of run space and enrichment activities. All of mine are NR's due to disabilities.