releasing rehabbed babies?

[olorin19]

Long thread and photos much appreciated!

Glad the kids are doing well!

Raising and releasing squirrels in rewarding on its own, but it sure is nice when at least some of them stick around!

[astrll]

daisy update! for the past few days, daisy has been acting weird. he’s usually really playful with us and more dominant than the other squirrels. but for the past few days he’s been acting distant from us and meek with the other squirrels. he hangs out in the enclosure a lot lately and seems… subdued? we looked him over a lot but don’t see any external injuries

yesterday we saw him flirting for the first time!!!! could that be a reason for his change in behaviour?

[olorin19]

daisy update! for the past few days, daisy has been acting weird. he’s usually really playful with us and more dominant than the other squirrels. but for the past few days he’s been acting distant from us and meek with the other squirrels. he hangs out in the enclosure a lot lately and seems… subdued? we looked him over a lot but don’t see any external injuries

yesterday we saw him flirting for the first time!!!! could that be a reason for his change in behaviour?

This sounds like behavior after injury. I have seen lots of injuries with various squirrels I have released, and when injured they will be wary of the world in general (me, other squirrels) and spend lots of time hiding out in their nest.

Injuries from bites and scratches are not always visible, as they may be covered by the thick winter fur. Sometimes if they do get infected (or worse, abscessed) then they may become visible due to fur loss, swelling, etc.

There is another possibility as well: Maybe Daisy is used to being an alpha and there is a squirrel out there that is putting him in his place, and whether injured or not, he is struggling with this new order.

[scoopysnack]

I can definitely see either being an option and maybe more so that daisy is struggling with a new alpha! we’ve had some new and returning faces recently and you could tell daisy wasn’t too sure about it all. he’s gotten into some tussles too, nothing too major though.

the distance and timid-ness was worrisome since it’s new and out of character for him, especially when we went a whole day without seeing him and then realized he was actually in the enclosure (likely for most of the day?) and astrll found him in his second nest box while gugu (one of our neuro visitors) was in their old main baby nest box. i don’t think he liked that their home was being used by someone other than his family maybe?? cause we noticed him in the enclosure more often after that day. even pochi and moo seemed confused to find someone else in their nest box but since they don’t stay in the enclosure much anymore, they didn’t really care i think haha. he still has good moments, especially when the weather is nicer, but for the most part we’ve noticed his distance, that he won’t climb us anymore, and staying more often in the enclosure to rest or sometimes even play.

it was nice getting to see him flirting though, they’ve gotten so big already i can imagine the other two boys (mooki and muko) might be going through similar experiences but it would still be nice to see them again and make sure they’re okay, they’re very missed

[olorin19]

I have only ever released one or two squirrels at a time. While the majority have remained in my yard, some have not managed to establish themselves and have moved elsewhere.

Releasing eight at the same time, I would be very surprised if all of them managed to stick around - but that is just a guess on my part.

[island rehabber]

I typically release between 3- 7 squirrels at a time, and truly it is the rare occasion when any of them stick around for long. There is also something called 'dispersal', which is how male juvies will quickly find their own territories after release so you don't see them anymore. Females are more likely to stay in the area and build dreys right near the release pen.

[scoopysnack]

Another update, kind of a sad one too but Pichi and Bochi haven’t been visiting anymore

Pichi’s last visit was Dec 28 2024 in the evening and same as usual behaviour

Bochi’s last visit Dec 27 2024 also in the evening and same behaviour as usual

This is their first time away longer than a day and it’s been getting colder. I also did see Pichi headed quite far one time when I watched her head out with a nut, but I didn’t think that meant she’d be building a new nest so far from us so soon. It’s worrying because of her neuro issues and i’m also worried that they may think they’re safe with other humans when they may not be. Daisy tends to find me outside behind the enclosure sometimes and will climb me to get my attention so I’m worried they may do that to others and get hurt that way. There’s also cats, raccoons, cars, dogs, etc, sigh.

I know they can’t stay with us forever but I definitely thought we’d have much longer with muchi’s kids, now we’re down to just 2 of her kids (moo and pochi) and then her 2 “adoptees” (daisy and bunki).

We haven’t seen mooki since release, muko no longer visits either, and now pichi and bochi haven’t been seen, it’s so sad and we miss them so much.

moo has taken to imitating bochi’s jumps for treats and the only difference we know between them is that bochi has a small ear nick so honestly we can’t be 100% sure that bochi isn’t visiting. those 2 have always confused us and i would even say they’re doing it on purpose haha

daisy is still off in his behaviour but he’s been having more good days. he’s spending more time in the enclosure recently for naps too.

bunki has been visiting the enclosure recently as well! this was such a surprise cause she never went back to the enclosure once released. But she absolutely refuses to be anywhere near the enclosure if we come out haha, we’ve spooked each other a couple times cause i thought she was daisy hehe

pochi is the same as usual, healthy and happy and super sweet and playful! she was in the enclosure with bunki as well and she’s been known to go in the enclosure and spend the nights around release time but then she hadn’t been in the enclosure at all and now more recently, she’ll go in there for some snack times.

As a side note, our neuro girl gugu has really made herself comfy in these kids’ baby box and sometimes we’ll find daisy in the second box or second enclosure as a result haha

[olorin19]

Squirrels will come and go. While some released squirrels (especially females who have established themselves in your immediate area) will be around daily, others will come and go. Absences of a few days or a week are not uncommon.

One of my first releases Dustin disappeared in early August after his May release after being around daily. I figured he was gone for good. When it got colder in late September, I found him back in his nest box on a rainy day. He spent the next three winters in his nest box, and while he did disappear now and again, he was basically around most of the time. But even so, he would occasionally disappear for a few days or a week. When he was 3 y.o. he even disappeared for 6 weeks before reappearing.

It is impossible not to worry about your furry friends. You guys put so much love and effort into raising the eight of them the past 6-7 months!