RELEASED SQUIRREL BITING PEOPLE

[Squirrel nut]

Hi, I need Help!

I’ve been handling a male squirrel for a year. He is a sciurius variegatoides (tree squirreI). I found him when he was 3 weeks. He and a sibling fell from their nest close to my house (I live adjacent to a National Park). He was the only one alive. I waited for his mother but had to finally take him in. I took him to the vet and started investigating how to take care of him since I didn't have a clue. I decided that I would try to transition him to the wild and follow instructions of the process. He lived for 6 months indoors roaming freely inside my house with plenty stimulus, excercise and preparation (suggested in a variety of sources that I investigated like crazy) to prepare for the wild. Then I accepted to handle a female squirrel of the same type, same age (that had a similar life story) to introduce them to each other (since they both hadnt seen another squirrel), and then releasing them together (it was suggested to me that I should release him alone). But he female was underdeveloped fisically and had trimmed nails so I had to wait two months to get her ready. During this time the male was most of the time not friendly with the female but did not hurt her.
I finally transfered them to a friend's farm to live in a huge cage outdoors with shelter, food and water to transition them to live outdoors. In the cage lived another female 4 year old squirrel of the same type that had a lifestyle of living outdoors during the day and returning to sleep in the cage where she had shelter, food and water. When I placed them both in the cage I left them there for 2 months visiting them every week, without any of them going outdoors at all. I walted them to get used to the elements fo nature, the third squirrel, and other animals that roam freeely in the farm protected by the cage. At first the squirrels I took where unfriendly with each other and to the third, but the third was always passive and ran from them. After a couple weeks the male was being unfriendly to both females and they were submissive; and the female that I took was unfriendly to the third female squirrel and she kept running away from both of them.

This went on for 2 months when I had arranged to release them, but coincidentaly a week before releasing them the male started bitting me when I visited them. He first did it when I went to check on one of the females. A couple day after he did it when I was giving them nuts inside the cage (he had shown possessives over food during those 2 months), and when I gave him his nut but he bit me. The third time he bit a farmer when he went to feed them. The third time I went wearing gloves to protect me from any further bites, but I took advantage of the gloves, and when he was on top of me I grabed him to pet him in spite of his aggresive character. He stayed paralized at first and then tried to anxiously wiggle his way out, but I imposed myself petting on him in spite of his discomfort and he turned around and bit my hand through the glove and didnt let go until I could pushed him away softly from my hand. He then he jumped back on top of me and I had to run for my life while getting him off me.

The day after that was going to be the first day I would let them out. So I released them and they roamed freely outdoors during that day. They were all exploring everywhere; the male even built a nest on a tree. That afternoon when when me and one of the farmers started calling them into the cage he jumped on top of me and bit me again. I had to shake him off of me but he chased us both away. That night he decided to sleep outdoors. During that week he bit my farmers again; and he is a danger to people that visit the farm to buy plants.

I went and brought him back in a cage to my house this week and I don't know what to do because he is angry at me. My wife and my maid are the only ones that can give him food that don't seem to threaten him. I feel so sad that he cant be in the farm roaming freely. It was also curious that his unfriendlyness towards the female squirrel that I cared for eased away when they starting going outdoors and the female squirrel is loving the farm life, and she comes back at sunset to sleep in the cage, eat and drink and she is getting along well with the third female squirrel.
I've been reading that squirrels can get neutered but I dont have a clue what to do in this case! I want the best for him not to be hinder him in any way in his future living conditions. Please Help! Here are some pics of them.

Thanks in advance,

Squirrel nut

[Rock Monkey]

Dominance and aggression comes naturally to many male squirrels. The dominant male squirrels gets first dibs on the females in heat. When they become sexually mature their behavior can change substantially.

Protecting stashed food and nuts can further increase aggression. So clearing out any stashed food in his environment will help some. I think he knows you are a man and is trying to prove his dominance.

My suggestion is never try to handle a squirrel that doesn't want to be handled unless it is an utter emergency. That will just make them more aggressive.

Where you live, is this a place where he could be released? Do other squirrels live there?

He might need to be released somewhere where there aren't many people around. One cure for the excessive dominance urges is to release him where there are other squirrels and stay away from him and let him find out where he stands in the local dominance hierarchy. Those scuffles and chases have a way of curtailing aggressive behavior because the other squirrels won't hold back.

[Squirrel nut]

Thank you Rock Monkey! Very insightful response and thanks for caring for Alvin! I live in the border of a small national park, its a protected rainforest. I found Alvin in front of my sidewalk, so there has to be squirrels right here, but few are spotted. Maybe its because they are tree squirrels and the trees are very tall here; I have been told that wild tree squirrels are vulnerable in the ground, so they stay way, up but I dont know. About a half mile from here there is an spot where they have been spotted more often but there are some houses and streets nearby. I'm not sure if he could be released were I live even though we are right next to the rain forest, because it's a neighborhood with some homes, there are few cars but often they run over wild animals, there are people walking dogs, children playing, and other pets (cats!); perhaps he could bite a child and end up getting killed by an angry parent. The week I released Alvin I saw him walking in the ground often; he would go to the farmers house to get food, shelter and water nonchalantly!

But there is some hope maybe because there is a trail that goes into the protected rainforest, its a mile up a hill and perhaps we could release him there. I haven't seen squirrels there, but have seen monkeys, armadillos, deer, other types of rodents, many different birds, but also seen boas (snakes), hawks, owl, among other predators.

(Attached aerial picture of the place and of the site with other animals)

Squirrel nut

[Rock Monkey]

You face a difficult decision. If you release him near you you might be able to provide him food and water however he might bite someone or get hit by a car. However, in the nature preserve there are probably more predators.

You might spend more time walking in these areas and see what you see, maybe make a list of pro's and con's about each location.

The more squirrels there are in a given area, the more aggressive they may be with new comers. However, there are likely good reasons why there are a lot of squirrels in a given area. I think the squirrels that live in the rain forest and probably more cautious about people so stay concealed, but those that live near people are less likely to hide because they become used to people.

[Squirrel nut]

Thank you for youe fast response Rock Monkey! I will pursue walking the area in a recon mission and make a list of pros and cons. I believe that out of all the options there will be one that presents the best possibility. If that possibility seems bad I will write back, if that's ok. It's been a week since I brought Alvin back from the farm and he is not aggresive and more relaxed. There are no females or hidden nuts here too. Thanks you soo much again for your guidance!!!

Alvin sends hellos!!!

Squirrel nut

[Rock Monkey]

Thank you for youe fast response Rock Monkey! I will pursue walking the area in a recon mission and make a list of pros and cons. I believe that out of all the options there will be one that presents the best possibility. If that possibility seems bad I will write back, if that's ok.

Squirrel nut

You're welcome. Please feel free to write again if you have more questions or want to discuss some ideas.

I am glad that Alvin is behaving better.

[Squirrel nut]

Hi Rock Monkey, I have 2 questions:
- Do I have to leave Alvin in a cage for a week living outdoors before the release date? I ask this because he lived outside on a cage for two months up until 2 weeks ago when I tried to release him initially.
- The process of releasing Alvin consists of leaving temporary shelter, food and water, in case he doesn't find them on his own immediately? If yes, how much time? I ask because the first time I released Alvin at the farm 2 weeks ago he built its own nest inmediately and slept there since day 1. Also it's rainy season here so there is plenty water, fruits and nuts.

This will impact me in finding pros and cons on the recon mission.


Thanks so much!

Squirrel nut

[Rock Monkey]

It is easiest to implement a soft release when the squirrel is being released on your own property. It helps them adjust to the outside world and for the creatures nearby to adjust to his new presence. The idea is that there is back up food available and a safe place to sleep at night if they want it. Most people will close the release cage at night after the squirrel has returned to exclude predators. Releasing on one's own property allows one to continue to provide food, and if need be, medical assistance if he gets into a fight.

Some squirrels are reluctant to make the transition and the release cage makes this a gradual adjustment.

However, as you say, Alvin has already been through this adjustment process and has a notion of what the outside world holds and seems inclined to be independent since he built his own nest on the first day of release. If you release him at somewhere other than your property it is much more difficult to provide supplementary food, but if food is currently plentiful he probably doesn't need it. You will probably have no way to be sure that some other creature doesn't get the supplementary food.

Note, many male releases do not stay where they are released. Some do.

Basically the other two release locations have to be substantially better in some regard relative to where you live. It is difficult to weigh the trade offs. Just know that squirrels are genetically wired with the skills they need to get by in the world.

You might take Alvin in a cage to the other two locations you are considering and see how he reacts in these locations. This may give some notion of his evaluation of these locations.

[Squirrel nut]

Hi Rock Monkey, I scouted for places to release Alvin and discovered that my house was the best. I connected my balcony with the trees nearby by means of long bamboo canes, moved his cage to the balcony for a week and released him last Saturday. I woke up at first light that day and opened his cage and stood by passively, he got out, roamed the balcony, walked the bamboo canes to the trees and kept of going roaming other trees. 1hr30 mins after he got in the roof of a neighbor and I lost him from view, he went around and climbed down on a maid and bit her. I ran to get him away from her and he jumped on my shoulder, so I hurried home to get him back to his cage but he jumped and ran. I started a rescue operation but he disappeared from me, he went back to stalk the same maid, then left and went inside another house, bit a 2nd maid and she threw him outside! We haven’t seen him since but we immediately warned every neighbor so that we would hurt anyone/himself. It’s been 5 days and we only have a report on him eating papaya from a tree 1/4 mile away from here a couple times. I’m glad that I haven’t heard of any more attacks but I’m afraid that I don’t have a way to find out if he could be in distress in any given moment of the adaptation process. What would you suggest I do? Should I walk the neighborhood and call him just to see if he’s ok?

[Squirrel nut]

Rock Monkey,
UPDATE: Today (one week after releasing Alvin) I walked the neighborhood and found him! He was up on the trees eating almonds and waging his tail as I called his name. He seems healthy and independent. I saw several squirrel nests nearby so I think he built a good shelter for rains and nights
. I feel very accomplished and relieved because he stayed far up distant from me. Seems to me that he is adapting fine!

Thanks for all the guidance,

Squirrel nut

[Katkat]

Hi you showed so much love for this little guy. Question does it hurt when a Squirrel Bites you?