Life
in the "Hood" The next morning he was up at dawn and set about foraging with the rest of the squirrels. Unfortunately, they didn't take too kindly to the new kid on the block and chased him around quite a bit. He would run to the back porch and the other squirrels wouldn't follow. By mid morning they had all gone their own way and he went back into the oak. Late that afternoon they returned and he got chased out of the tree again. By the end of the day he was clearly exhausted and upset. We loved him and encouraged him to go back into his house just before dark. The next day was more of the same but he was not as upset at the end of the day. Still he wasn't as happy as he had been before moving into the oak. It was becoming clear that he would have a rough time adjusting to living with other squirrels. Since he wasn't too comfortable in the oak tree and we had to be out of town for two and a half days, we decided to move his house back into the release cage and keep him there while we were gone. Another reason for moving him back onto the porch is because I uncovered new information about squirrel release procedures a couple of days before which reinforced what we were seeing. Even though many experts advocate release after about 12 weeks, three months is just too young to be set free. This has turned out to be a very good decision. We check on him often, but he is free to roam the yard and the trees all day, returning to his house located inside the release cage for the night. When he's ready we will move his house back into the trees. He has shown us that he prefers the pecan tree in the side yard rather than the oak, so that is probably where we will put it. He is much happier now and has lots more energy to play his favorite game....
He joins us for breakfast every morning on the back porch. Hmmmm......... |
Introduction Second Week Eyes Open 7 Weeks Old 10 Weeks Old
The Release Cage Free at Last The Oak The neighborhood
My Own Home Six Months Old Back to Nature Viva Italia
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