Looking for some advice for two baby fox squirrels

[Simmerpop]

Hello!

About ten years ago my dog found a little abandoned fox squirrel under a tree in a dog run. His eyes and ears were closed and I loved him so much. I named him Cashew. He brought joy to my life and started me down the road of wildlife advocacy. I was 25 and nurtured him for weeks and set him free but now reading this board I can see how much I got wrong and I worry he didn't do well out there. Especially in Koreatown Los Angeles, where I was living and found him.

Recently, on next door, a gentleman posted he had seen a cat go into a squirrel nest and found two babies on the ground. He left them there for hours and eventually at night brought them in but couldn't get them to eat. After trying to give him advice, he begged me to pick them up. I grabbed them and they were cold and skinny. I heated them right up and eventually got them eating - at that point the esbalic puppy formula.

It's been a week now. I'm trying to determine how old they are - so maybe you could help? I've included pictures from the next door post taken last week. They are now on fox valley, graduated to a cage (four tier with hammock to sleep in), and I've put the henrys blocks in their cage but they have no interest currently. My plan is to get right everything I got wrong before and raise these babies right and give them a beautiful life in the wild like they deserve. I have a nice yard and live in a more suburban part of Los Angeles now, and have enough space to help them transition when we get there.

Anyways, to my questions! How old do you think they are? Again, these pictures are a week ago. They have teeth and are very interested in chewing my fingernails or tree pieces I bring in. They are moving much more but I don't really see them sitting up at all. They are healthy now so I can't really get them to take more than 4 feedings of formula a day - maybe 7-9ML a feeding at most. Sometimes just taking 3-4ML. Is that enough you think? Do I introduce water? Is a dish better than a rodent water bottle? Any other tips of the trade? I see veggies should start soon...

Any other advice for me? How do I identify what they'd eat in the wild to ensure they're familiar with it? Thank you so much.

[Mel1959]

Squirrels eyes open around the 5 week point. It looks as though these little ones had their eyes open when you found them.

Do you know what they weigh. It’s best to weigh them on a kitchen scale set to grams every morning after you’ve pot tied them. The amount of formula to feed at each feeding is based on their weight. They should eat a minimum of 5-7% of their weight at each feeding. Example a 100gr squirrels should eat 5-7ml. Typically when they are older they will eat more than that but any significant increases should be gradual so you don’t upset their GI system.

The first solid food you want to introduce is a rodent block. Henry’s blocks bought online at Henry’s Pets are well received. Choose the Picky variety. Another rodent block that’s good is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018. It also must be purchased online. In big box pet stores you can find Oxbow Regal Rat food. You don’t want anything with colorful doo-dads or seeds in it. You want a hard extruded block. We recommend this solid food be offered once eyes are open, so your guys can be given block when you get it. Don’t stop the formula, let them wean themselves when they’re ready.

Here’s the link for baby squirrel care. You probably don’t need most of the info. https://www.henryspets.com/1-basic-setup/

Here’s the link for the healthy squirrel diet. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

When the time comes there’s info here about the soft release process and building a release cage, as well.

If you have any other questions please ask.

Your little ones sure are cute. I wish we had Fox squirrels in Florida.

[Randy14]

Hi, My name is Randy and have been a member here for over 8 years, and very experienced with rehabbing young squirrels. It sounds like you're doing the right thing. From your photos I would say they are 6 to 7 weeks old. I live close by in Huntington Beach next to a park with a good squirrel population. If this sounds like a better alternative to release them, I have release cages and can release them here at the right time. To discuss more you can text me at 714-642-8621 ....Best regards

[Diggie's Friend]

These are midwestern subspecies of the Eastern Fox Squirrel species. In the first decade of the early 1900's, a number of squirrels from the Ohio Valley were transported to SoCal, where they were released. Other regions like SF. CA. also have populations of introduced Eastern Fox Squirrels.

Wilding up juveniles is needful after human intervention care prior to their release back to the wild. . This requires a larger cage, and about two weeks on average with support food and shelter in a raccoon proof cage, preferably with a full chain-link top to bottom surrounding enclosure, with an inner cage of hardware fabric with wood framing within.

If released in another area; it would be needful to get the support of what is likely a non lic. rehabber; this for reason that Lic. State Rehabbers though are not allowed to release squirrels in other locations than those they were rescued at.. Because of this, wilding up in the area that the squirrel is to be released is needful to support the squirrel's best chances for survival.

Do not rely upon parks for their new home. It turns out, that one such park in SoCal, where Eastern Fox Squirrels inhabit, were confirmed to be abused and killed by some of the visitors to that park. In addition, established squirrels in any area commonly will drive off the newcomers, which can in regard to both food and survival can have dire consequences. Last year, for the first time ever, we witnessed the attack by a larger adult against a smaller, likely past puberty, but not as yet having reached adulthood. Thing is, the population of the squirrels that live near our property, is at a low compared to past years. At the time of the attack, we saw a squirrel on its back being repeatedly bitten savagely by a larger squirrel. If we hadn't intervened when we did, this squirrel likely would not have survived; as it was, the poor squirrel went into shock. And though I would deem this a rather rare occurrence; what isn't rare is when squirrels are introduced to a new territory, are driven off by larger established squirrel residents; especially with breeding females that won't give up their nest sites.

These two links are both observational studies on a mixed species colony that coexists in the same park in SoCal. The table shown from the first link will give you a good idea about what Fox squirrels vs. Western Gray Squirrels consume in the wild in this one location that is. It is interesting that even with some of the foods that both species were found to favor, not all were consumed according to their species at the same exact time of year. Other foods noted consumed by each species differed.

https://www.researchgate.net/publica...xpY2F0aW9uIn19

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9311b8k9