The Release Cage

We were about a week or two late in getting his final release cage built.  We wanted to make sure he had plenty of room with lots of branches to jump around on so I decided the simplest and cheapest thing to do was to just screen in half of the back porch with chicken wire.  Since I didn't have to build a top, bottom or back to the cage, he got almost twice the space for the same amount of money as the standard 4x4x7 release cage.  Another advantage is that we could just step into the cage with him on our shoulders, rather than try to put him in the cage when he's not ready to go there.  Another thing that had to be done before he was brought outside was to remove the cat.  The only reason Shadow didn't kill him that first night is because baby squirrels don't move very much and he got bored with him.  Fortunately, my brother and his wife agreed to take him in and he is doing well in a nearby town.

   
Rocky took to it right away, scampering all over the branches and just showing off.

   
We'd bring him out and sit with him for a couple of hours at a time.  After he adjusted to being outdoors we would leave him alone for a while and after four days we were leaving him outside all night.  Since we were late in getting him into the release cage, he outgrew it in just a couple of weeks and I had to quickly build him a new, permanent nesting box .  Already he was showing signs of wanting to get out.   
   


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