Toys

[jlich]

What kind of toys can I get for these guys? They are so bored. Oh yea! in answer to your question about the hair, I found that information on the internet. I think they may have been talking about northern squirrels, where it is really cold. I did wash the cat hair though, so it would not carry the cats scent.
Found a rehabber in our area but her release cage is full so she cannot take these guys. She does not know of another in our area because of Ike. She helped a lot though. Really worried about releasing these guys here because of the cats and busy streets. Does anyone know if Fairfield Texas has gray squirrels? That is probaly a little over an hour from Dallas. South of Dallas. My dad has five acres there but if they don't live there, then we don't want to take them there.

[MissDolittle]

What makes you think they are bored?

As long as they are outside and experience the sounds, smells and sights of nature and other critters, there shouldn't be any boredom. All the toys you ever need for squirrels are outside.

I strongly advice against using any pet toys or items they do not find outside..stick with what's in (their) nature. Give them different branches to play with and chew on and make sure they have enough room to climb, hide, run and dig.

If you can find pine trees in Fairfield, you will probably find gray squirrels. But just to be safe, why don't you call a vet or an animal shelter over there and ask?

Since the gray squirrel is smaller than the fox squirrel, the least concern for the grays are the cats...it'd be the fox squirrels, or so I was told by another rehabber.

I hopefully have my 8 grays picked up in a week to be taken south-east and be released. They are sooooooo ready to get out there.

[jlich]

Thanks for the advice with the cats. I have been really worried about releasing them. I thought they were bored because they just run circles in the cage. They look sad penned up like that. Sometimes they just sit in a corner together, I thought some activity might make thier temporary confinement easier. By the way, they really enjoy that cuttlebone! thanks for the suggestion.

[MissDolittle]

My 8 are running in circles too, what else are they supposed to do? They run and hop around in the wild, so they do the same in a more limited space. That's really all they do.

Having said that, I can imagine an adult squirrel being bored to death in a cage though. But the youngens that can't take of themselves...the cage is there to protect them, not to confine them, so they have to deal with it until they are ready.

Maybe you can move the cage to different locations every other day or so, so they have different sights and sounds?

[Helenmary]

Great idea (again)!!!
I notice that when I raise a single squirrel, the chances are better that s/he will get bored. They're pretty inquisitive little boogers. One thing that helps is giving him something "different" to ponder, explore, worry, etc. everyday. A new leaf, a different stick, moving the cage (as mentioned), a different food (see "Squirrel Diet" forum), a slightly different routine, you know, stuff that he could and would do if he were on his own. I think that squirrels are very intelligent and need the stuff we can provide (excellent nutrition, safety, mental stimulation and stability) to enable them to survive outside. That's what we do...!