Finally Free!
Our little stung-bitten-head injured squirrel was released last week, and quickly settled into his release spot. Every squirrel we raise is given a hand-made squirrel box when placed in their pre-release pen. Their instincts tell them to hide in it at dusk and stuff it with moss and leaves. They are released in these boxes, within 5 miles of the place they came from. Squirrels will often take an hour or more carefully venturing in and out of the box, learning the new environment. The box is a safe, but temporary, shelter. We never get them high enough to please a squirrel, but they live in it until they find their own hiding place. Usually by week 3 they have moved out to a higher spot. At that point we can collect the box, check to make sure the squirrel is ok, and reuse it the box.. unless the squirrel has modified it too much with its teeth! This boy was a polite resident and left the box in great shape for the next baby that comes in!