I'm new; any help appreciated

[TomahawkFlyers]

Well, it appears that having a pet squirrel is not permitted in MO. This suggests that flyers are not permitted either. It is best to keep knowledge of Roofus and Tyrant within your immediate family. It is just not worth the risk of confiscation and euthanasia to share information about your boys beyond that.

Thanks for the well-wishes! Flights, booked! Hotels, booked! Rental car, booked! PegiZ pickup and visits with TSBers, arranged! Steak and Shakes, pinned on map! Brand new Critter Nation double decker, ready to assemble and outfit. We are so looking forward to seeing our TSB friends, and to meeting PegiZ! PegiZ will have the same gentle, safe, and happy life that Ollie, Jet, and Frankie have. We've heard first hand that PegiZ is shy, and a little gun shy from hanging out with the more adventuresome girls at her house. Well, Ollie is a sweet, gentle, shy little soul too. With the right introductions and gradual exposure, we expect that the two girls will come to be BFF.

It is 10:30, my carpenter's apprentice will be here bright and early. Good night!

Jamie

[Craig]

Well I’m sure PegiZ will feel right at home with you guys! Hoping everything went smoothly and all is well!

All is well here. I can't think of anything specific to mention as there haven't been many new events. As of lately, I've been trying to ensure they each get the same amount of blocks, as Tyrant seemed to take 3 of them one time and eat them all or hide them, leaving only 1 for Roofus. Roofus has no problem taking it from my fingers but sometimes seems hesitant to grab it from his dish. It could just be my imagination but it could be Roofus feels he is imposing on Tyrant's "territory", since I've seen Tyrant seem to mark the food bowls by urinating near them and they are set rather close to one another. Other than that, I suppose I'll let the videos of the squirrels playing speak for themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gdr2ONiBR0o

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/excZJrbdTTk

[Craig]

Seems it's about that time again to share more videos. I especially love the one near the end of the second link in which Tyrant rolls on each side.

They've both continued to exhibit low energy which I assume is do to the continued chilly weather. They only play for a bit at a time and before I know it, they've made their own way back into the cage, tiring themselves out. I have heard them more active around 2 am these last few nights so I guess they are getting their energy out just later in the night.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lzRTENohb...txmIuWMNn2Wbiy

https://youtube.com/shorts/M7JHuzLEV...KWbmnryyncTkFW

[TomahawkFlyers]

I wouldn't worry about the low energy - daylight savings time, change of weather, mating season, and - just like us - they go through lazy periods. Thanks for the videos! We'll watch them tonight!

Jamie

[Craig]

Sounds good! Here are some more videos of the little guys. I am almost out of block. I maybe have a week or two left so I will have to make more soon.

If I hear one chirping randomly, it's most likely Roofus. He's just more vocal than Tyrant I suppose. Last night I awoke to their dishes clinking against one another to find them both pushing their way under the blanket on the top shelf, moving the dishes around above them as they did.

Tyrant has also found that he has no interest in hazelnuts in the shell, and will politely ask I grab him an almond instead, as shown in the last clip on the second video. I was thinking about getting more variety as well, such as hickory or pecans in the shell to see what they think of them. I was wondering if any are recommended over others.

https://youtube.com/shorts/BVdf6iO1x...GPVbgHSHYhHYwa

https://youtube.com/shorts/dKfx3XoFA...9hWbviBusvQu2m

[TomahawkFlyers]

Hi Craig!

Every time you go to make blocks, just remember that you are baking for your boys fresh staff of life that makes them healthier, stronger, smarter, and just plain better lookin' than other flyers. And the house smells like Christmas.

It is very cool that they snuggle under the covers together. This his a rock solid sign that they are fully bound to each other and are a legitimate although small colony. They do look up to you as the Alpha (though sometimes it might not seem that way) and their "mother/provider of all things.What a spectacular privilege for you and gift for them. Lucky, lucky boys. All three of you. The chirping is another gift - you are right, some little guys are simply more vocal than others. Like humans, there are those who like to sing and should; some who like to sing and shouldn't; and, some who don't like to sing and don't. Many thanks to God for the first and last groups. Not so much for the second. On the other hand, the second group might be there as a perpetual reminder that God holds all the cards and can, at times, be vengeful.

Our colony of wilds is flourishing, so we buy quite a few in-the-shell nuts. We get ours from ANUTS - the mixed in-shell variety from their bulk section: https://www.anuts.com/nuts/mixed-nut...o-brazil-nuts/. The cost is about $4 a pound, and they don't run up the charges with inflated shipping. There are no Brazil nuts in the mix. There are hazel nuts, almonds, English walnuts, and pecans. All of our kids, wild and domestic, love them all, and let me tell you they are hilarious when they are moving around with a pecan or walnut between their teeth. It looks as if the nuts are taking them for a walk. Jet, once he has a pecan in his arms, will not let go. If I lift the pecan up, he goes up with it, tiny feet kicking. Too. Much. Fun. For one of us. (Maybe both of us.)

Little PegiZ is coming onto the social scene slowly. Whatever happened in her life before Pat took her in (I think a cat was involved at some point) has made here an extrordinarily timid little girl. She gets around on three legs just fine, but more slowly than the rest of the crew. She cannot jump or glide, so I think she knows that her avenues of escape from trouble are limited so she behaves accordingly. Last night was the first night I was able to hold her. She was very nervous at first, but as we sat together in silence she settled enough for me to be able to stroke her chin, cheeks, ears, and top of head. She actually became so relaxed that her eyes closed, and I could feel her little body unwind. We sat for close to 20 minutes like that, until it occurred to her that she had left herself vulnerable and started scrambling around and off of my lap onto the arms and top back of the chair. At that point, I took her back to her home. Encouragingly, she did not make a beeline for one of her hideouts. Instead, the went to the center of her house to eat and drink. A success all around, I think. Ollie is as curious as she can be. She will sit on top or hang off the outside panels of Pegiz's house but she will not go in. If PegiZ moves toward her, she will dart away and go hide under the blanket is her house. I did not expect Ollie to be the scaredy squirrel. PegiZ will not interact with the boys through the bars, so they have pretty much written her off as a playmate or a one night stand. They have zero trouble keeping each other entertained. Franky has progressed to the point where he will jump on us when his door is opened, and he'll head over and climb aboard when a friendly hand is extended. Jet ... is an ANIMAL! He's up for anything, and will sneak up and give a non-destructive yet attention getting nip to encourage a reaction. It is his way of saying "Get up off of your fanny and PLAY with me. He is almost always obliged.

So, happy times around here as usual. We're seeing some just-weened and newly exploring wild flyers coming around and it is a wonderful treat. What is not such a treat is that the wild grays have chewed a new hole in the soffit and come in every once in awhile to say "Hi!" They are messy and pretty destructive. When the ground is no longer squishy I'll get the ladder out and repair that hole. I will, of course, head into the attic to ensure that there are no babies up there before making the repair. If there are, I'll leave it be until they are weened and out on their own.

Well, Craig, baked cheese potatoes are about to hit the table, so I will close now. Thanks for the videos!

Jamie

[Craig]

I made more block for them yesterday. Your reply rang through my mind as I did so. I could be wrong but they seemed to jump at it more-so today, seemingly knowing it was freshly made yesterday and chowing down.

You're very right about the singing, haha, and that is quite funny. I've learned to be content with Roofus' singing, luckily I think he falls in the first group.

It is always a joy to hear about how your flyers are doing. That is so great to hear PegiZ is able to unwind and find peace in her new home. I imagine Ollie will warm up to PegiZ in short time if they haven't already bonded!

As for Tyrant and Roofus, I bought more pouches because the windows in my previous ones were torn open. I suspected the washer or dryer, but the new ones tore open overnight while hanging in their cage, leading me to the conclusion that either Tyrant or Roofus have decided they wanted to turn the pouches' windows into doors. I know the top of the pouch has a zipper but I haven't used it since I had only Tyrant. I guess they just hate what it stands for.

It is quite funny to see how much personality can be packed into such small squirrels. At one point, Tyrant and Roofus were on me eating a piece of pecan/walnut. Roofus was in my shirt while Tyrant was in my palm. Without thinking, when Tyrant finished and went to my waist, I lifted my shirt to let him in before Roofus had finished eating his piece. They scuffled about and Roofus climbed out and onto my chest. He stared at me for a few seconds before jumping up and biting my chin. It kind of hurt too! I think he was genuinely upset I let Tyrant into his space while eating and wanted to let me know.

I feel as if there's more stories I've wanted to mention but they are slipping my mind as of now. Instead, I'll conclude my message here, as well as of course sending more video links of the squirrels mostly being lazy this time.

https://youtube.com/shorts/fiORICZbb...5hPmVMNgNEsOwV

https://youtube.com/shorts/fd8CgA8Ve...pmmvRfAGVkRJbY