Release Questions

[Nutella]

Hi,

I've got an 8-9 week old boy who I've had for about 2 weeks, he's getting stronger every day which I'm really happy about and have started to want to know more about releasing him back into the wild, he's currently starting to drink more water and solid food but still has his milk every 4 hours ( sometimes he doesn't want any some feedings), I was just wanting know the best steps to give him the best chance

I live in a flat but I can take him to someone who has a garden to do a ' soft release' but I'm not sure how to do that, as well as I'm not sure what age/ strength he needs to be at to put him back into the wild? and does it matter if he's released different to where he's be 'raised'?

Like I say I have no clue on re-releasing him so any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Mel1959]

We don’t recommend releasing, especially a singleton, until about 16 weeks old, or older. It has been my experience that being a little older upon release gives them a little extra advantage. We also don’t recommend weaning them, we let them decide when they want to wean, so placing them in a release cage is dependent on that.

To begin the release process you are going to want to put him in a cage at the release sight. The larger the cage the better so he can practice jumping. He should remain in the cage for a couple of weeks so he can get used to the sights, sounds and smells of his new area. Continue to feed him rodent blocks and veggies daily. After 2-3 weeks in the release cage you open the door and allow him to come and go as he pleases. Some will leave and never look back. Others will return to the safety of the release cage and their familiar bed for several days. And, occasionally some don’t want to leave, but that’s rare. If he returns to the cage at dusk close the door so he’s safe from predators and then reopen it in the morning. Continue to provide food in the cage until he’s self sufficient or not returning.

You want to release early enough in the summer to allow him time to acclimate prior to the arrival of cold weather, but late enough to allow foliage to have grown on the trees to provide him protection.

There are some “sticky” threads on this forum about the soft release process that might offer more insight.

[Scooterzmom]

At his age he'd be taking his formula every 8 hours. You could try that, it will bee better for his health to continue for another 3 weeks or so.
Glad he's going to find his freedom in a few weeks. Thank you for helping him.

[Nutella]

Thank you for your help! do you have the link to the soft release stickies? I've tried having a look and can't find them ( sorry I'm still quite new!)

[Mel1959]

I’m not having any luck copying and pasting the link but it’s located under the “Cages, nest boxes, suppliers” heading.