Cheektavegas, NY
Quoted from Travish:Well whatever you do, don't do it like this.
(Topic ID: 226055)
Quoted from CrazyLevi:She’s a squirrel man.
Let her be a squirrel.
This is not a domestic pet. You did a mitzvah in helping it out when it needed the help but time to let go.
That is exactly what I am going to do. I have her cage outside getting used to being outside then I will open the door and just keep giving her food and water as long as she stays around. She is welcome to stay as long as she wants and I will feed her.
Quoted from Travish:Well whatever you do, don't do it like this.
that is terrible but that is what Im afraid will happen. Someone brought a blue jay to me and I raised it. It was a tiny baby. I told them to go put it back where they found it but it was too far away so I fed this thing meal worms and pieces of meat till it was big enough to let go. I took the whole family camping 200 miles away to let this bird go. It flew up into a tree and a raven/crow flew by and grabbed it and at it right in front of us. The kids cried their eyes out and then I had to go through the whole bit about how things work in the animal world.
Quoted from zr11990:that is terrible but that is what Im afraid will happen. Someone brought a blue jay to me and I raised it. It was a tiny baby. I told them to go put it back where they found it but it was too far away so I fed this thing meal worms and pieces of meat till it was big enough to let go. I took the whole family camping 200 miles away to let this bird go. It flew up into a tree and a raven/crow flew by and grabbed it and at it right in front of us. The kids cried their eyes out and then I had to go through the whole bit about how things work in the animal world.
Ugh!!! I think I'm deleting this thread now hope the squirrel makes it.
Quoted from zr11990:That is exactly what I am going to do. I have her cage outside getting used to being outside then I will open the door and just keep giving her food and water as long as she stays around. She is welcome to stay as long as she wants and I will feed her.
Not sure how your winters are but I wouldn't release it until spring. With no food stored up it may wonder off and starve during the winter. Plus at this point it's not going to have a normal fear of predators. I'd recommend waiting till spring and releasing it in a secluded wooded area.
Quoted from BoJo:WTF? I would be livid.
A few things to consider before you yell at random vets for things that are not in their line of work.
A veterinarian does not owe a non client or their pets anything just because they are a veterinarian. And no that does not mean they do not love animals.
Depending on the state and their license it may be illegal for a veterinarian to work on any native wildlife.
95%+ of veterinarians have 0 training in exotics or small rodents. If it was not an interest in vet school for some of their electives they would know nothing about them. It would be the equivalent of you calling your doctor and asking them to help. All species are different. Many drugs safe for one species is fatal for another.
Wildlife brings a risk of disease that they likely are uncomfortable bringing into their building which then becomes their liability.
A veterinarian cannot legally prescribe prescription medicine without seeing a patient and as you read above that can bring several risks if they did see it.
Any decent veterinary clinic should have a list of wildlife rescue groups or fosters that they can help someone reach out too. Beyond that, expecting someone to risk their license and find time in what are usually 14+ hr days to assist something like that is not reasonable. Especially if you are not a client with that practice.
3 weeks later
Quoted from zr11990:that is terrible but that is what Im afraid will happen. Someone brought a blue jay to me and I raised it. It was a tiny baby. I told them to go put it back where they found it but it was too far away so I fed this thing meal worms and pieces of meat till it was big enough to let go. I took the whole family camping 200 miles away to let this bird go. It flew up into a tree and a raven/crow flew by and grabbed it and at it right in front of us. The kids cried their eyes out and then I had to go through the whole bit about how things work in the animal world.
It was nice of you to fatten up that Blue Jay for the raven!
Quoted from Blackbeard:Update? What happened to fuzzy?
I can only assume the squirrel is 50 pounds now and lives in the master bedroom and ZR and the family live in the back yard in a tent.
1 week later
Quoted from pinbum:I hope he is fast and can reach the cage in time or he will become Hawk food.
They are nocturnal, hawks are diurnal.
3 weeks later
Maverick went free last night. Spring is here, the leaves are coming out, the grass is growing and all that stuff. I put his cage out on the back patio for a few days and last night I left it open. This morning he was gone. I kind of thought he would hang around but he didn’t. He wasn’t happy in a cage and didn’t belong there. I hope he does well and has a little flying squirrel family and lives happily ever after. Thanks to those of you who offered advice and followed this thread.
Quoted from zr11990:Maverick went free last night. Spring is here, the leaves are coming out, the grass is growing and all that stuff. I put his cage out on the back patio for a few days and last night I left it open. This morning he was gone. I kind of thought he would hang around but he didn’t. He wasn’t happy in a cage and didn’t belong there. I hope he does well and has a little flying squirrel family and lives happily ever after. Thanks to those of you who offered advice and followed this thread.
Bad ass. 
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