I love nature and the north country

[Royal]

A couple weeks ago I made a post about a baby squirrel I had adopted. I really had no choice in the matter. I guess I could have squershed the little guy but it was my fault he was orphaned.

We have black squirrels and chipmunks all over the place and they are feeder robbers. I don't want to kill them so I have a live trap and catch them and relocate them about four miles away. I have relocated over 20 of the suckers. I don't do it during breeding season as I don't want to have any baby's starving.

Well I screwed up. I relocated three of the things a few weeks back and the next day I found two baby squirrels in the lawn. One was dead and the other was sorta stunned. The nest was about 70 ft up and it is amazing they both didn't die. I figure one of the ones I relocated the day before was a mother and these little guys got hungry and came out and fell. I felt like a dang jerk and figured it was up to me to raise the guy until he is big enough to turn loose.

It is hard to find an eyedropper with a size of a squirrels nipple and in fact I had no idea how big a squirrels nipple was. I went to the drug store and told the gal I needed a baby bottle with a squirrels nipple on it. She gave me one of those looks.

I finally settled on one that I thought was rather big but the regular eyedropper would take for ever to feed him. I got some half and half and home I went. I heated the milk up and proceeded to start feeding him. Man that little sucker was starved and sucking like a pro. The problem was he got too much and was snorting the stuff out his nose. Man he spraying that milk all over the place but kept trying. Between the two of us we figured out how to do it so he would not drown but honestly, it took two weeks to get it right. That poor guy.

It is very interesting raising these little guys. I have done it with red squirrels too and if they are not eating, they are sleeping. I think that is the way nature protects them in the nest because if they ate and then ran around, they would not last long in the dang tree.

After a week I tried to see if he would eat some peanut butter and put some on a cookie. Man he went fot that! Made a dang mess but he got most of it down. It made it easier with the milk too as he would fill up on the peanutbutter and cookie and just drink a little milk.

I started slippin a few nuts in too and seeds and he started working on them, As you can see in the pictures, he has grown quite a bit. The first two are the original ones, right after I found him and the rest I took today.

I came up to Roscommon today, just me and my squirrel for a couple weeks. We are having some open houses and Mary throws me out so I won't make a mess of the house. "Please mister, don't throw me in that briar patch" : I have a lot to do up here to keep me busy.

I brought the squirrel with the intention of letting him get some freedom in preparation of turning him loose.

He is very tame and I am his mama. As soon as I got him I took off my t-shirt and let him use it as bedding. I wanted him to get used to my scent and every time I change his bedding I do the same. He has never even offered to bite and is very gentil.

right after I got here today I took his cage, a canary cage, out on the deck and took him out. I just put him on my shoulder and went for a walk around the yard and up to check the mail. He likes this and climbs all over me, in fact the little guy climbed on top of my dang head! Now I gotta tell you that they have sharp little claws! I took him off but not before he shit on my dang head.

I went back around the house and sat on the deck again. Man he was looking all over the place in wonder. I just took him off my sholder and put him on the railing and sat back to see what he would do. If he took off, fine but I woulde let him decide when that would be.

He looked around and moved a little bit. This was his first shot of real freedom. He looked over at me and I kept talking to him. He finally jumped down on the deck and it was fun to watch him explore his new world. He finally jumped to the ground and I just sat the watching. He then disappeared under the deck. Now we would see. I went out in the yard and looked over the flower beds, every once in a while looking back to see if he had reappeared. He was under there exploring for about ten minutes and finally came out. He looked like he was looking for me, which he probably was as I am his mama.

I walked over and put my hand down and he jumped on and was soon on my shoulder again. This time we went for a longer walk, I just wanted him to get used to the sounds of the woods, we are in a thick woods. I took him to a small tree and put him in it. He was not sure about this now. He climbed a bit but when I got close he jumped to my chest again. Oh well, maybe tomorrow

Finally I ended back at the deck again and put him on the railing again. It is fun watching him explore. I noticed the bird feeders were empty so I just left him there to explore and went around the house to the garage to get a can of bird feed. I got it and walked back around the house and the little sucker was setting on the railing, sopping wet. What the heck? Man he was a chattering at me and I could see he wanted me to pick him up. I reached down and he jumped for me and ran up and nustled against my neck. That guy was soaked.

I looked down at his little wet footprints and back tracked him. They came from a big empty planter in the corner. I looked in and it had at least a foot of wanter in it from the rain. He must have been exploring it and slipped in. Man he could have drown and I do know it shook him up a bit. I had a little hand towel and dried him off. He seemed to appreciate it.

He is not in his cage asleep and we will do it again tomorrow. I want to realease him as soon as I can but it will be his decision.

THe north country is coming alive. As I have been typing this I have been watching the back. I have seen hummingbirds, Red Breasted Grosbeak, Orioles, Pilated Woodpeckers and right now some doves on the feeder. The woods are alive and I just love it.

"Don't throw me in that briar patch"

Ain't much of a story maybe but it is how I spent the last few hours. I just wanted to share it with my friends.

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[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

Ahh's and ooh's all over the place. And, I made myself a promise. I will not pick on you anymore !........ Or any less !!

 

[david(tx)]

do you think he will adapt alright,how about the red squirrels you turned loose,did they take off on their own okay?.guess his instincts will come around somehow.

 

[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

Rodney Dangerfield cause he always claimed that he was breastfed by his father !

 

[Royal]

n/t

 

[Royal]

no fear of humans. I don't think anyone in this area will bother them but kids can be mean. Some adults can be stupid too.

I can only do what I can for him and then it is up to him

 

[VT Dave]

gonna be tough to turn him loose!

 

[Dan-MO]

Would have the patience and know how to raise that little fellar like you did.He sure is a cute little guy I hope he does well when you let him go

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

What a wonderful and happy story! I wonder how long it will be until he is ready to leave and go out on his own...maybe never. This story really made my day. If the squirrel decides to never leave, what will you do, let him stay in the house at night? Royal, thank you for sharing this story, I really loved it! Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Royal]

They are not ment ot be locked up and it was a joy watching him get his feel of freedom yesterday. He liked it. He will still come around but will eventually turn wild. I will have to be careful of touching him eventually.

 

[Royal]

I will just let him out every day and he will start exploring the trees and such. There are a lot of the dang things around here, I can sometimes look out back and see eight or ten at one time. Too many of them.

The are wild animals. I remember raising up a Robin once. My kids loved the little guy. I was the only one allowed to feed the dang thing and it really locked on to me.

It was free to go its was but when I went out in the morning it would fly down to me and follow me all over the place, cherping all the time. I would work in the garden and he was under my feet, picking worms and grubs. The dang skunk did the same thing.

I raised up a crow once too and a coon, chipmunks and a bunch of flying s bunch of flying squirrels.

When I was a kid I did not want to free them but have gotten much wiser. They are all wild animals and the best we can do is help them out and give them a chance to be a wild animal.

I am sure this little guy will continue to come around and it means I can no longer relocate the things. A hunter might get him too but that is the life of a wild squirrel. There is a cat that shows up occasionally too and it might get him. I just might have to put a pellet in his grey old ass.

I have always enjoyed learning from these animals and always learn somethng if I keep my eyes open

 

[Ron J]

n/t

 

[Royal]

I let him run around. He is getting so he doens't like going back in the cage

The things I learn. I found that squirrels seem to crap at the highest point they can get to. Which sorta is a discomfort when the dang thing is on your head. The turds are little and not even Sunny would want them. I figure I gotta wash my head sometime in the next week or so.

 

[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

It is a squirrel heaven ! The little buggers are always at my "squirrel proof" feeders. My wife just laughs at me whenever I try to figure a way to keep them off. She always says,...chalk another victory up for the squirrels ! Really don't mind though. I swear those vermin drop acorns on us on purpose when we're out there sitting. Sittin' up top, just lookin' at us and plop !! Kinda funny, really. Feed em' peanuts too.

 

[Micheal_R]

n/t

 

[Royal]

and spent most of it in the top of one oak tree or another. I went to town for a couple hours and he came down so I could scratch his head a bit. Then off he went.

He just sat up on a limb and watched me work but would not come when called. That was fine because when he is ready to cut the string it will be less work for me.

It started raining and he looked miserable and I knew he would be a calling at the door. About a half hour ago I saw he was on the deck. I walked out and put my hand out and he jumped on. I fed him and now he is asleep.

He is really doing good and I have a feeling that in a week or two he will be on his own.

I think I will be in trouble with Mary though because he seems to like climbing on the doorwall screen. I saw him doing it and threw a glass of water on the little bugger. He didn't seem to like that. Don't need a dang squirrel tearing up a good screen!!

 

[upthecrick]

Sounds like you made a friend for life there.. How you gonna get along without him when he finally joins Mother Nature? Have you ever had a flying squirell in your trap?..They are the cutest durn thing going..
Crick

 

[Royal]

I caught a pair of them once and they had a little. I eventually turned them loose.

They are nocternal, as you know and want to sleep all day long but we didn't let them. They soon learned to stay up during the day.

We would turn them loose in the house and to my mothers dismay they would climb the curtains and wait for you to walk past. Then they would jump and land on your head or back.

I found that they loved Rose bugs. That is what we called them anyway. They are a beetle. I would catch them and give them to the squirrel and they gobbled them right down. I imaging they would eat fifteen or twenty before they could hardly walk. Their bellys would drag as they walked and gliding was out of the question.

It was funny because at first they would eat the whole bug but after a bit they started spitting out the legs.

We have them up here but I have never seen them. My next door neighbor has seen them at his feeder at night.

 

[upthecrick]

As a kid,my Dad taught me how to make the wooden triggers for a dead fall and also a box trap. I used to use a big flat rock for the dead fall and bait it with a piece of apple..Did it for rabbits and squirrels,my Mom used to make a great 'rabbit pie' and I was always relied upon to supply the rabbits and squirrels..I remember catching a flying squirrel in it one time and I was so saddened by seeing the beautiful thing all squished up:sad:,I gave up setting dead falls!!! What soft fur it had..I had never seen one before and had to look up in my wild life book what it was...and I haven't seen one since..

 

[Royal]

They nest in hollow trees and we would go out and find a dead old tree with holes and beat on it with tree limbs. If any were in the holes they would come out and glide to a tree. They would usually lane six ft or so up the trunk and then scurry up the tree. We would remember which tree they landed on as they usually will use the same one.

The next time we went out one of us would stand near the tree with our coat in our hands and as the little guy came busting out the one by the tree would spread his coat and try to make the little guy land in it and not on the tree. We didn't get them all but we caught a number of them. they tame down real easily if you are kind to them but I just don't believe in keeping them any more