Release gone wrong

[Rocky9]

Hi,
Rocky is 4 months old. She has been staying on my porch the last few weeks with the house my mother made for her. Yesterday she started to go to neighbors porch’s (I live in a condo) so I decided it was time to put her in a tree. I didn’t want her to bite anyone or mess with their plants. We decided the land across the street had trees and was a good place. We had put her in the tree a while back, but didn’t have her house ready so she came down and we took her back home. Yesterday I had put her back in the tree, but I had a few things to fix with her home, such as the lock and to
close some slits my mother made. (She wanted her to look out and I told her she needed to stay dry and warm) anyways time came to put it in the tree and my husband said no, let’s do it tomorrow. I wasn’t sure if she was going to come down and it was starting to get dark, so I told my husband I would call him if she came down. When I got to the tree she came down so I called my husband and told him to bring the cage I was waiting around it was only across the street so I decided to try and walk with her on my shoulder. She was doing pretty good just hanging out my shoulder and for some reason there was a guy running back-and-forth with his dog in front of my place. I’ve never seen this before, there’s never been people running back-and-forth with their dog in front of my condo. Why is it happening at this very second when I’m trying to walk to my condo with Rocky. So I call my husband one more time and I say where are you with the cage she is scared there is a dog running back-and-forth here he said he was coming down. I do not know what he was doing and why it took him so long but she got scared and crawled off my shoulder and took off. I was looking for her last night and I’ve been looking for her all day today. I don’t know what to do I have just been walking in multiple locations calling her name playing her sound that she used to make from the videos I have. Last night it was 60° and in two days it’s going to rain. I am so upset I don’t know why we couldn’t have just put her house and her tree and today she would be there happy and accepting my food and love.! Any suggestions of what to do?

[Rocky9]

I was able to find her! She was hiding on a brick wall that had a small space for her up high. I tried to put her in that tree that she has been hanging out in for two days. A probably 2-3 month old squirrel was wondering around on tree today and than the mama came and they both chased Rocky off the tree. I was going to try again tomorrow and watch. There is no other dreys in the tree I think they came over from another tree and the mom felts threatened. What should I do. I live in a condo and do not want her going over to my neighbors porches or else I would just keep her house in my porch and let her do her thing.

[Charley Chuckles]

Oh boy it's so tough releasing 😞
I'm not sure what the right thing is, especially being a singleton 🙏

[Mel1959]

Is Rocky familiar with the house you made for her? Does it have her scent in it with bedding material, etc?
It is important that she is comfortable and familiar with her house. I would not suggest putting her house in a tree where there is a drey. As you’ve seen, other squirrels will run her off. I’m assuming your plan is to put her house up in a tree across the street?

Until you have everything ready I’d keep her contained at your condo. You’re just tempting fate for something to go wrong till then.

It has been my experience that squirrels fare better when released at an older age, especially singletons. 16 weeks is typically long enough but some do better when they’re a little older. Young wild squirrels have freedom at an earlier age but they have mom showing them the ropes and looking out for them.

It sounds like she is still uncertain about what to do. Moving from your condo porch to the trees across the street is a huge sudden change and not ideal for allowing Rocky to acclimate to life in the trees.

I see you’re in Tampa. We’re to have a cold spell this weekend. Since her living arrangements up in the trees is questionable, I think I’d wait to let her go again when there isn’t an imminent cold front. She needs somewhere to bed down that is warm since she won’t have anyone to snuggle with.

[Charley Chuckles]

[Rocky9]

Is Rocky familiar with the house you made for her? Does it have her scent in it with bedding material, etc?
It is important that she is comfortable and familiar with her house. I would not suggest putting her house in a tree where there is a drey. As you’ve seen, other squirrels will run her off. I’m assuming your plan is to put her house up in a tree across the street?

Until you have everything ready I’d keep her contained at your condo. You’re just tempting fate for something to go wrong till then.

It has been my experience that squirrels fare better when released at an older age, especially singletons. 16 weeks is typically long enough but some do better when they’re a little older. Young wild squirrels have freedom at an earlier age but they have mom showing them the ropes and looking out for them.

It sounds like she is still uncertain about what to do. Moving from your condo porch to the trees across the street is a huge sudden change and not ideal for allowing Rocky to acclimate to life in the trees.

I see you’re in Tampa. We’re to have a cold spell this weekend. Since her living arrangements up in the trees is questionable, I think I’d wait to let her go again when there isn’t an imminent cold front. She needs somewhere to bed down that is warm since she won’t have anyone to snuggle with.

So I keep her through the cold spell and then I put her in the tree across the street. She was doing so well for a few weeks. I would visit everyday and bring her nuts and then I had to go out of town for 4 days when I got back she had made a nest in my watering can on my porch. I would not mind this if my neighbors porches were so close and she wasn’t climbing and hanging out on their porch. I don’t want them to hurt her or get upset or call some animal control. So I put her back in the tree and a couple days later she came back. I think I need to give her to a rehab so they can help her get Pseudo siblings. Because otherwise she will be an outcast and being that they are social animals she will probably get lonely. Then they can release her to a place that is safe for her. Do you know of a good rehab near Tampa Fl?

[McCarthy]

So I keep her through the cold spell and then I put her in the tree across the street. She was doing so well for a few weeks. I would visit everyday and bring her nuts and then I had to go out of town for 4 days when I got back she had made a nest in my watering can on my porch. I would not mind this if my neighbors porches were so close and she wasn’t climbing and hanging out on their porch. I don’t want them to hurt her or get upset or call some animal control. So I put her back in the tree and a couple days later she came back. I think I need to give her to a rehab so they can help her get Pseudo siblings. Because otherwise she will be an outcast and being that they are social animals she will probably get lonely. Then they can release her to a place that is safe for her. Do you know of a good rehab near Tampa Fl?

I replied in your other thread as well.

Grey squirrels are not exactly social, they are by definition solitary. When they don't have to use the same food source they are totally fine being on their own. Having to share food sources causes rather stress and territorial fights. A scurry in a natural setting makes use of a lot of land. Seeing a dozen of them in the same area is the result of human impact only.