Hello I'm new here

[Icemouse]

Hi I'm Icemouse
I have an 5 month old eastern grey squirrel. A close friend of mine owns a forrest. That's where Hamy was found. He was clinging to her trousers. We live in an area where greys are cosidered vermin. I cannot ask anybody for help here or take Hamy to the vet incase he'll need medical attention. Hamy was emaciated as my friend found him. I have helped to rescue marmoset monkeys and wild life before BUT I never helped a squirrel baby. We managed to get in touch with a red squirrel rescue center in a different country. I carried Hamy in a pouch for 3 days and nights on me and fed him with royal canine puppy milk. He gained weight quickly. He is now an approx. 5 month old healthy boy of 614gramms.
Hamy eats fruit, veg, nuts and garvo1600, pine cones, dandelion, daisies, roses, wood from the forest he came from and bark and sprouts of beeches and sycamore trees. Since my husband read about henry rodent blocks we ordered beaphar care+ rat which is the closest we could find to henry rodent blocks.
We first wanted to release Hamy back to the forest he came from but unfortunately most of the forrest got destroyed due to storms ...and Hamy is really attached to me. Hamy is only in his cage when we're not at home. As soon as we are home Hamy is with us. He just jumps on my shoulder and comes along. I can do the dishes, laundry etc and Hamy "helps". Hamy loves to get cuddled and his feet massaged. We have play fights, he tries his jumps on to and from me, we play and cuddle. Hamy reacts to his name and to no when he has found something he shouldn't bite. He does not bite cables at all. He is fast as lightening at times. We can definitely communicate with each other. When it's bedtime Hamy goes back in his cage. He moans every time but goes straight to bed after a small snack.
I really need your help. I want Hamy to have a great and healthy life. Now since most of his forest got destroyed and we live in an area where grey squirrels get hunted down, killed in horrible ways we decided to keep him. In our area it's against the law to help, rescue or release a grey squirrel. Only our closest friends know of him. If we get reported they'll kill Hamy instantly. I'm actually a fond believer that even a golden cage is still a cage but Hamys chances of survival are next to nothing in this area....
We plan to build a bigger cage for Hamy as he outgrew the last one. We do not have any pets. When Hamy is with us he's always looked after. One of us is always with him. Well... Hamy is a bit nosy. As soon as one of us leaves the room Hamy jumps or climbs up on the one moving. Like I said he's really interested in everything we do.
I hope I didn't write too much but I thought you all might want to know about the newbeis! Thanks for inviting us to the squirrel board

[Charley Chuckles]

so glad you found us😀
Here is the link to the healthy diet for kept squirrels.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels
Would love to see pictures 😁

Scotland sounds like a beautiful place do you have squirrels other than grey?

Others will be here to help as well .
Keep us posted 👍

[Mel1959]

It sounds like Hamy is getting the best possible care. The biggest issue we encounter with captive squirrels is diet. I see CC already sent you the link for a healthy diet. I am not familiar with the rodent block you have listed. I know the cost of Henry’s blocks and shipping to the UK is cost prohibitive, if they even ship there. There are other rodent blocks that should be available via Amazon. One of the best blocks is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014. Other good blocks are Oxbow Regal Rat, Mazuri Rat and Mouse Diet and Zupreem Monkey Biscuits. All of these are a hard extruded block and not a seed mixture. You DO NOT want a seed mixture.

Please be aware that as Hamy matures he may become aggressive and want released. The fact that you are handling him as much as you are is a good thing and may help when this time comes.

We are here to help you along the way. One thing you should have on hand is some type of human antibiotics. It’s best to have them on hand and not have to scramble to find them if the need ever arises. Some of the antibiotics that are routinely used with squirrels are: Clavamox (animal)/Augmentin (human), Baytril (animal)/ Enrofloxacin (human), SMZ/TMP (human), Doxycycline (human). If you ever have a need to treat Hamy with an antibiotic just start a thread on here and post what’s wrong, the drug and strength you have and Hamy’s weight and someone will be able to tell you how and the amount to dose.

Best of luck! We love pictures.

[Icemouse]

so glad you found us😀
Here is the link to the healthy diet for kept squirrels.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels
Would love to see pictures 😁

Scotland sounds like a beautiful place do you have squirrels other than grey?

Others will be here to help as well .
Keep us posted 👍

Hiya Charley Chuckles,
Thank you for your pdf. Very helpful for us. Unfortunately there is so much misinformation to be found on the internet. The blocks we ordered are actually dry kibbles. Looks a bit like dry dogfood. It is "beaphar care+ rats". I will defo compare the ingredient list to the henrys you all use before I start Hamy on the stuff we bought.
We do have red and grey squirrels here. But the majority of the reds are mostly further up north. For many years they replaced the firs and pine trees with sycamore trees or any other faster growing trees. By doing so they took the habitat for reds away. It's a man made problem which started at about 1910 as the government paid cash to every killed red squirrel. They either ate them or used their fur for coats. But off course it's easier to blame the greys. So unfortunately the greys get hunted down. The methods of killing them is barbaric to the max. I actually taught Hamy how to open various cage doors. Hamy is smart he picks up things quickly when I show him.
I'll post images of my cute wee boy. I just have to figure out how to do it :-)
Regards Icemouse

[Icemouse]

That's my wee boy...

[TomahawkFlyers]

What an absolutely gorgeous baby. YOU are a kind soul. Thank you for helping this squirrel.

Jamie

[Icemouse]

It sounds like Hamy is getting the best possible care. The biggest issue we encounter with captive squirrels is diet. I see CC already sent you the link for a healthy diet. I am not familiar with the rodent block you have listed. I know the cost of Henry’s blocks and shipping to the UK is cost prohibitive, if they even ship there. There are other rodent blocks that should be available via Amazon. One of the best blocks is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014. Other good blocks are Oxbow Regal Rat, Mazuri Rat and Mouse Diet and Zupreem Monkey Biscuits. All of these are a hard extruded block and not a seed mixture. You DO NOT want a seed mixture.

Please be aware that as Hamy matures he may become aggressive and want released. The fact that you are handling him as much as you are is a good thing and may help when this time comes.

We are here to help you along the way. One thing you should have on hand is some type of human antibiotics. It’s best to have them on hand and not have to scramble to find them if the need ever arises. Some of the antibiotics that are routinely used with squirrels are: Clavamox (animal)/Augmentin (human), Baytril (animal)/ Enrofloxacin (human), SMZ/TMP (human), Doxycycline (human). If you ever have a need to treat Hamy with an antibiotic just start a thread on here and post what’s wrong, the drug and strength you have and Hamy’s weight and someone will be able to tell you how and the amount to dose.

Best of luck! We love pictures.

Hiya Mel1959
Thanks for your tips. The blocks we ordered are actually dry kibbles. Looks a bit like dry dog food. I'm not sure if that's the right stuff. I will defo investigate the brands you sent in your post. It's really difficult to get certain items over here. I have to order everything online except the fruit and veg. We got really nice untreated produce. Flowers, wood and pine cones I can get locally as well. A friend of mine even stripped her rose garden for Hamy.
I am aware that Hamy might get aggressive when he gets older. It's totally up to him if he wants to stay with us or if he rather lives in a forest. Afterall it is his life. I'm happy for him whatever he desides. We all have only this one life.... Hamy deserves to be happy wherever he wants to be. We will do anything in our powers for Hamy to have the life he wants to have. As I already said even a golden cage is still a cage...
About the antibiotics... I will have problems to organise them. I can't go to a vet due to the law here and our doctors rather not prescribe antibiotics... but have you heard of "propolis"? It's a bee product. It's a natural antibiotic. The lady from the red squirrel rescue center told me that it's suitable for red squirrels. They put it in the drinking water if they can't get antibiotics.
Getting medication in case of emergencies is my biggest worry. But it's great that I can get help from you all. Thank you so very much for that! I feel so much better now since I know I can ask for help if needed. Hamy is my first rescue squirrel. It's a big responsibility to keep him happy and healthy.
Thanks for your response.
Regards Icemouse

[Icemouse]

What an absolutely gorgeous baby. YOU are a kind soul. Thank you for helping this squirrel.

Jamie

Hiya Jamie no need to thank me. You all help and helped the wee fuzzy dudes. I learned a lot from my wee pal already. He is a ray of sunshine. A bit cheeky at times but cool to the max. I actually feel honoured that Hamy is happy here with us.
Regards
Icemouse

[Charley Chuckles]

Oh what a ham Hamy is so adrorbs 🥰
I love red squirrels 😍 makes me sick to think of anyone harming them. We use to have beautiful Scrub Jay birds here but with all the construction the Scrub oaks were removed so went the birds habitat, come to think of it I never hear the beautiful song of the Whippoorwill anymore 😔
I use Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 that Mel mentioned I get them on Amazon. I do use also HHB but you could make your own that could be similar.... I think they are called BOO BALLS recipe here somewhere I'll try to find it👍

[Charley Chuckles]

Here is a good recipe idea if your Hamy doesn't like just the plain block. post (2)
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ight=boo+balls

[Stevelisa]

Hi Icemouse, love the hand scratches you fit right in here

[Charley Chuckles]

Hi Icemouse, love the hand scratches you fit right in here

🤣 Good catch your so right 😉
Now I'm looking at my hands seeing the same thing, I tell people you should see my beautiful rose bushes😁hope no one takes me up on that I have no green thumb 👍

[Icemouse]

Morning everybody
Thanks for your lovely comments.
We managed to order envigo harland tekland 2018. It's coming from the US. The shipping doubled the price... well, Hamy needs it.
Thanks for the boo ball recipe. I only have one question. Can I use royal canine puppy milk powder instead of the fox valley dry formula powder? Hamy did really well on the royal canine puppy milk powder.... and it's a lot easier to get. I can order it from the Netherlands.
Yeah and about the scatched hands great idea with the rose garden I either claim to have a kittens... which is not far from the truth or I claim to have lost something in the blackberry bushes which grow everywhere here
But seriously... it was a lot worse but Hamy is getting more careful how he holds on to my hands with his nails. The new thing is holding on to the skin on my hands with only his teeth. He never breaks the skin. He just pinches enough skin to hold on. It doesn't hurt it just feels like a pinch....He thinks it's great to hang upside down like a bat...
Hamy is really a lovely wee dude. When we play fight and he gets carried away and bites a bit harder I just sqeek like he does when he doesn't like something and he stops for a split second sometime licks where he bit and continues much softer with the play. But he never breaks the skin.
Hamy doesn't like change. He gets really suspicious when things get moved about. When he gets out of his cage he first cuddles and snuggles with me then he does his round... inspecting his stashes.... well the ones he remembers.....
We bought a potted fir for Hamy so he learns how to digg and bury nuts... well that didn't work out at all.... I was digging holes to put nuts in, closed it up the same way Hamy hides things. Hamy watched me sitting on my arm. As I was done he jumped in the dirt, dug out the nut I just had buried, first cleaned the nut on my jumper and then smudged his hands on my jacket. We got the fir since end of November. Yesterday was the first time he actually burried a nut in the dirt. He still cleaned his hands and feet on my jumper 😅
Have a great day guys. We're home all day today. So Hamy comes out in a few minutes. I'll not be able to write much then as Hamy likes to "help" writing. He keeps pushing his hands on the screen... so far he activated voice calls as well as he adds unwanted emojis or sends the text before its actually finished.... 🙃 😅 it never gets boring with my wee pal

[Mel1959]

Yes, the Royal Canin is perfect. It is what we recommend for those in the UK or wherever it’s available. It’s not readily available in the US.

Sounds like Hamy is a clown and livin life large. So happy you helped him.

As for the hands….some members have purchased special hand gloves that cover the back of the hands and extend up the arms, but allow the fingers to be free. If I can find a picture of what I’m talking about I’ll post it.

Here it is. Obviously you could achieve the same thing by cutting the toe out of a pair of tube socks. I just don’t know if they’d fit as snuggly on your arm.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=arm+sock+f...jpeg&ia=images

[Charley Chuckles]

Good morning 🌄
I'm so enjoying this thread really a great way to wake up puts a smile on my face 🤩
Yes I was going to suggest the gloves I use, I get on Amazon they work great...when I remember to put them on 🙄 I'll find them👍

Oh wait till you see the amount of harland block you will receive it will last one squirrel a long long time, I keep mine in the freezer. They are hard if you make them into powder the way I do it is put them in a towel and take a hammer to them, I know others use a blender bullet ( which I have) I just hate getting that thing out yada yada and hammering is great to get rid of frustration

Just an FYI Hamy might always be fine with nut stashes, my Charley Chuckles was but many loving Squirrels will attack if they have a hidden nut thinking your going to take it, it's part of the squirrel world so I try to keep their stashes cleaned out 😉

[Charley Chuckles]

OK HERE ARE THE GLOVES I USE THEY ARE HANDS AND ARM SAVERS👍
You may need to rub them on your neck/ hair to make them smell like you so Hamy accepts them. Squirrels often don't like anything that doesn't smell like you, some can't wash their hair and pick up their squirrel without being attacked.... sensitive noses 😁

G & F 58123-6 100% Kevlar 18-Inch Cut Resistant Knit Sleeve with Thumb Hole, Yellow, Sold by 6-piece pack https://a.co/d/3YFbuoG

[Stevelisa]

only crittermom seems to get by unscathed, we saw her perfect model hand once i think she is the rare squill whisperer

[Charley Chuckles]

only crittermom seems to get by unscathed, we saw her perfect model hand once i think she is the rare squill whisperer

😁

[Icemouse]

Morning everybody,☕️🥞
Thanks guys for your idea with the gloves. At the moment it's cold enough here to wear big jumpers but I'll defo need the gloves for the summer.
As soon as the blocks arrive we'll make some boo balls. So far we gave Hamy some of the kibbles we got. He ate it. It works in my favour that Hamy wants everything I have. That's how I get him to try new things. 😊 at the end of the summer Hamy refused to try new fruits.... he only ate blackberries called brambles here, plums and blackberries growing in the wild. But since the sorce dried out I had to buy it from shops. Hamy was not happy with that. So I tried to get him to at least try more exotic fruit like mango etc... as I put it in his fruit bowl he wouldn't even look at it but as soon as I took a small piece and smacked my lips eating it all of a sudden it got interesting for Hamy. He seriously tried and liked most of the fruits I ate... but I have to say it works against me as well.... I drink mostly coffee.... off course Hamy wants it too... so I switched to camomile tea for the times Hamy is out. The tea is already cooled off when Hamy is out. I had a sip of it and off course Hamy was on my big cup trying to get me to share 😅 I did set the cup on the table and Hamy "dived" in to it.... he took a wee lick with his tongue and desided that its not for squirrel consumption. He seriously put his arms in to the tea, all the way to his armpits and started to wash himself 🤣😂 he was happy as larry and mighty proud of himself doing it.... after he had cleaned his arms and hands he continued with his face.... as that wouldn't have been cheeky enough he seriously jumped on me to dry his arms and face off... on my jacket 😂
But the cutest of all things is when he gets tired from his escapades after a few hours out and about he falls asleep in my arms but still fights to fall asleep. We usually cuddle and I set him back in his cage. After a wee halfhearted moan, a drink of water and a wee snack he goes straight to bed.
I love my wee dude, he's cheeky and very comical at times.
Have a great day guys. It's Hamys free time.... today he'll help with the laundry. He loves jumping about in the laundry basket "helping" to hang up clothes 🤭😅

[Charley Chuckles]

I'm just curious how your tea tasted after Hamy bathed in it did it have that extra flavoring

When you get the blocks try them without making boo balls he might like them and they are crunchy. I don't make the boo balls anymore because mine will it the blocks. You could make the blocks for a treat but he may likely always want them that way 😉