Someone say squirrel?? Yes, we are squirrel fans in the Wolf household.
Yes indeed. We feed and water our forest friends regularly. We have
dozens visit us and play with us through our glass doors. We became
such fans, my son, Chet got himself a private bred Siberian Chipmunk
(which are legal in most places because they are captive bred and from
another country). My son Chet has taken in a couple squirrels and
transferred them to rescuers for rehabbing.
We really feel for you about your issues with releasing him. If he
is released within a town or near a city, your worries are warranted.
Populated areas push predators and prey very closely together not to
mention the more direct dangers humans pose. Yet caging him with no
trees to use to sail the skies is also sad. You have to balance out
the two evils. Freedom, but sometimes a brutal existence vs safety and
longevity, but with caging. Its a tough one. The only way to choose
right is to either go to a very real extreme in relocating the animal
miles into a forest away from a town, or go all out with expenses and
energy so he can feel free! That's the only way to help your fears.
Chet always wanted to own a squirrel, but there are many reasons he
hasn't gone down that road. We got quite fearful because once they grow
from babies, to teens, and then to adults their disposition can change
drastically. They are temperamental, independent and have the energy of
a ferret many times over. They have a fierce need to chew and destroy
just like a large parrot. If a squirrel should ever really bite you,
their bites are said to be hideous. I was scared about my allergies and
asthma. I am horribly allergic to larger rodents. Then there was the
issue with the ferrets. How to we space time out of the cage and so on?
Surely a large wild animal like a squirrel needs lots of run time. A
flying squirrel makes a little bit of a better pet. And British friends
are not strangers to the fact that their little relative, the chipmunk,
makes a good pet that is odorless, clean, small, and mild temperament.
It's possible to own a squirrel and to keep them happy, yes. But it
can end up to be very difficult for some.
On the note of ferrets, I don't see that the ferrets would ever be able
to be in contact with a ferret safely. A squirrel is a giant mouse.
Plain and simple. So yes, the squirrel would always be prey. Adult
squirrels can protect themselves quite fiercely at times. They have
been seeing ganging snakes and standing up to hawks. But clearly in
the small confines of a home the confrontation would not go well. Our
chippie is the size of a large gerbil, so it's manageable to have her
cohabitate within the same walls of a home. They live in different
rooms. They have different play times. And chippies are just fine in
huge tall cages much of the day. A squirrel would need an aviary of
sorts if he didn't have his own room or get a lot of time out of a
huge cage.
I hope experts who live in close confines with multiple species like
ground squirrels and ferrets speak up. Beth of Critter Camp. Also
Diane Campel has a lot of experience with squirrels and ferrets!
Meanwhile ........nnnt, yup, gooooooooooooooooooooootta pitch my
movies. Gotta do it. Squirrels out of the bag.
Chet with a fallen baby that a line man brought him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1DMnYsZxB8
Chet with his pet Chippie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xok_BHznXUY
My cockatoo playing with a wild tree squirrel outside:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxLkeWFC-Q8
[Posted in FML 6649]
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