Experienced rehabber needing information on Red Squirrels/Pine Squirrels

[WhistlePig]

Hi - Rehabber for last 20 years, I specialize in rodents, raising tons of grays and fox squirrels, groundhogs, chippies --- but never got in Red Squirrels. Got in two; then another unrelated single - all three males. They are about 6/7 weeks old (am guessing based on reading staging in Wild Baby Mammals Book). They are in side-by-side cages and doing a lot of fussing towards each other.

First thing I need to know is: Can I put them all together in a totally new cage (like I do with grays) when they outgrow their current cages?

Thanks! Any other caretaking info is welcome! Am feeding formula in a bowl (which they love and gobble up), veggies, a little fruit (apple mostly), scrambled eggs, monkey biscuts, etc. Anything foraged that I should add?

Have an appropriate release location for them... how old should they be upon release?

-WP

[island rehabber]

Welcome WhistlePig! Always good to have another seasoned rehabber in our midst 😁. I don't know about you but my 20 years doing this feels like about 20 minutes.

I have not rehabbed reds but have close rehabber friends who do and through them I've learned that a lot of what we always thought is not necessarily true about reds. One rehabber pal put his red and gray babies together and they grew up as great friends. His little red, however, wanted out sooner than the greys did, but he is now coming back every night to the pre-release cage to play and then sleep with his grey buddies. Hopefully members here who have far more experience with red squirrels will chime in!

[WhistlePig]

Thank you! I was thinking Reds might be more like chipmunks where they mature faster.

WP

[island rehabber]

They do, that much I know. They are also lightning fast little escape artists!