PATRIOT MARY'S GUIDE TO INCARCERATED SKWERLS If you have a squirrel that can't be released back to the wild due to health problems or is a legal pet, here are some things I have learned about keeping them. * Please read the legal disclaimer at the bottom. Cages:
Some people have large outdoor cages for their squirrels either as the main cage or extra cage. If you have a large pre-release type outdoor cage, be sure they have protection from the sun, rain and wind, perhaps a nest box which can be purchased from wild bird house stores.
Bedding material: Your squirrel needs something to sleep in. One can put two men's undershirts inside her igloo and she makes a nice cozy bed out of them. It's better not to use towels as they can get their claws stuck in the loops of thread. Fleece is very nice also. One can wash the t-shirts once a week.
They also like hammocks. Hang this from the ceiling of the cage. They like playing in them and sleeping there too. They will hang their little head over the edge and watch you. It's so cute. They also like the ferret sleeves and pouches that hang the same way. One can wash the hammock once a week. You can also just use a washcloth to make your own hammock or any piece of material. They love fake fur and fleece.
Harness, leash, collar: Someone wrote in and told me to be sure to include harnesses and leashes. Some people like to take their squirrels out for little walks or just around town. I also saw a ferret carrying bag that perhaps some squirrels might enjoy. Search Petco and Petsmart for ferret items. Things to chew on: Squirrels teeth grow 6 inches a year so they need things to chew on. Give them flavored wood chews made for rabbits, sterilized bone chew for rabbits, pieces of hard wood, sterilized deer antlers, sterilized cow hoofs, cuttlebone for birds (no need to put it on a holder, they have grape and orange flavors), corn cobs, pumice stone, whole nuts with shells and mineral blocks for small animals and birds. They also like to chew on fruit tree branches, pine tree branches and other branches.
Dishware: You can get small stainless steel, thick ceramic or the super hard and tough plastic bowls. I find it neater if they clip to the cage bars. Squirrels are messy eaters and food will get everywhere no matter what. I also use a water bowl that attaches to the bars. You can find these in any small animal aisle at pet stores. You can use bird dishes as well. If your cage doesn't have a high pan you might want to have the newspaper go up three inches on the bottom sides so food doesn't end up all over your floor.
Vitamins: They sell mineral blocks and wheels for small animals. This is also good for their chewing. They also sell vitamin supplements made for small animals and birds in pet stores. Follow the instructions on the bottles, either liquid or powder. I use a powdered supplement which I mix with applesauce. My exotic vet gave me the vitamins. Squirrels need calcium for strong healthy bones. Cuttlebone, dog bones will provide some but be sure to augment their supply of Calcium with mineral blocks with Calcium and the powder supplements.
Veterinary care: You should have the names, phone numbers and addresses of an exotic veterinarian or two handy. Make sure you call them to verify that they treat squirrels. Keep in mind that squirrels are not legal pets in several states. If they treat rabbits, they will probably treat squirrels but it's not guaranteed and they may not be experts. Make sure your chart says "small animal" or "rodent" just to be legally safe. Fleas: You can use Advantage initially. Just be sure to use the amount recommended for a kitten the weight of your squirrel. For a full grown squirrel which weighs about 2 pounds, this would be about two drops of Advantage once a month. Generally after the first month you won't need it again. You can use a syringe to measure the cc's to be more precise. Get the dog sized dosages and just put the two drops on the back of the neck. Do not use it on squirrels until they are at least 8 weeks of age just to be safe. It may be wise to put one drop on as a test first. Diet: One can feed an adult squirrels a variety of things. For my outdoor squirrels I always have a bowl of dry food available with unsalted all natural peanuts and unsalted all natural sunflower seeds. I buy the big 5 lb. bags of peanuts and sunflower seeds made for wildlife at Target. The bird aisle in pet stores also sells them a lot cheaper than the grocery store. They also like walnuts, hazel nuts, almonds, pecans and other nuts, shelled and unshelled; just remember, always unsalted. They don't like safflower seeds. One can feed seeds and nuts as dessert only for the indoor squirrels after they're eaten their veggies and fruits. Indoors squirrels don't get as much exercise as outdoor squirrels so they can get fat. Some eat raw corn on the cob. One can just slice a 3/4" piece off for her. Some people are against giving corn. One can give her grapes, cherries, bits of apples, melon, tomato pieces and avocado pieces. Peel the grapes for baby squirrels and see the baby squirrel diet. Some also like all natural no salt no sugar peanut butter. I've heard some like to eat dried corn, butternut squash, lettuce, broccoli, nut balls, suet, endive, turnip greens, cucumber, okra, green bell pepper, pears, green bean, sugar pea, sweet potatoes, Zupreem primate chow, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, acorns, pine cones, spinach, mustard greens, carrots, raw soy beans, plums, banana, kiwi, mango, strawberries, strawberry tops, buck eyes, blueberries, blackberries, raisins, pineapple, fig, dates, peach, nectarines, apricots, whole wheat cheerios and all natural corn puff cereal. Some feed their squirrels rodent blocks made for mice or rats which is sold in pet stores. They also like sun dried watermelon, cantaloupe, squash and pumpkin seeds. They also like wild gourds, fresh rosemary, fresh lavender, green pine cones, rose petal clippings. Every squirrel is different so experiment with the recommended foods and see what your squirrel prefers. Just try to give them a variety of things so they can get all their vitamins and minerals. One can feed her twice a day at 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. during a squirrel's normal feeding hours. One can give her one small animal bowl full of food. One can put one grape cut in half, one whole cherry, applesauce with her vitamins mixed in, a piece of raw corn on the cob...Some people take the cherry pits out, some peel the grapes, everyone has different ideas on feeding. Just don't put a peach, plum or apricot pit in there. Don't throw in an entire piece of fruit or whole ear of corn either. Of course baby squirrels need a different diet depending upon their age. At 3 months of age they can eat the adult diet. Under 3 months please use the baby diet indicated here if you find a baby squirrel. Poo & pee: Squirrels can be litter trained. Without training they will go where they please but they won't poo or pee in their nest box, hammock or bedding. My rehab squirrels generally just pee in one corner of the bottom part of the cage after being in the cage a couple of weeks. Keep an extra bit of newspaper in that corner and clean it daily. You can then place a ferret corner litter box in there with some soiled pieces newspaper so they get the idea. You can use torn pieces of newspaper as litter or regular cat litter depending upon their preference. Clean that box out every time you see it dirty and they will always use it. This makes keeping their cage clean and nice smelling very easy. Just change the newspaper every two days and wash out the cage once a week and the odor should be fine. When they are outside running around the house, just watch where they run around. After you put yours back in the cage you can just pick up the little poos with the mini vac and put them in the trash. If they pee outside of the litter box, it's a very small amount which you can blot up with tissue. You can also have a ferret litter box outside of their cage. They will generally pee in a corner on the floor and poo off a high object. Place the litter box where they go outside and they should soon get the idea and use it. Male squirrels may mark their territory with some urine if they see other squirrels around. As long as you clean that room frequently, there should be no problem. Air fresheners are nice too. If you have any suggestions you'd like to add, please email me. I'm always trying to find new things that squirrels will enjoy. All pet supplies pictured above came from PetCo and PetsMart. http://www.PetCo.com Good items here as well *Legal disclaimer: It is illegal to keep native squirrels as pets in most
states in the US but not all. Please check with your local Fish & Game
for specific laws. It is legal to have pet squirrels in some countries in
Europe, Asia and other countries. I do not advocate keeping squirrels as
pets. I do not have a pet squirrel. Exotic non-native squirrels are legal
pets in some if not most states with a permit from local animal services. If you have a permanent resident
squirrel, you probably need a Fish & Game permit. If you live
in a sanctuary, you may be exempt. If you are a licensed wildlife
rehabilitator, you may temporarily keep an injured squirrel. You must put to
sleep all permanently disabled or legally un-releasable squirrels. Use this
information at your own discretion. I assume no responsibility for the
content of this information. Please verify everything yourself. I do not
authorize any other use of this information for legal reasons.
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squirrels are tree squirrels therefore they need tall cages with room to
climb around, the bigger, the taller, the better for adults. Baby squirrels need smaller
cages so they don't fall and hurt themselves. Ferret cages will do okay for
adults.
You want something at least 3' tall with shelves and ladders. The one at
right is from PetsMart and is $169 with everything in it. I think a squirrel
would probably like more climbing room so you don't have to put all the
shelves and ladders in. Tree squirrels can jump and climb better than
ferrets. They even have some 70" tall cages. Tree squirrels like to be off
the ground so be sure to elevate the cage on something sturdy. A cage can be
on
top of a huge bookshelf and can go to the ceiling. One can drape fabric over the
top and back. It keeps the wall clean and makes her feel more secure. One
can also
drape one over the front when it's beddy bye time. One can put newspaper on the
bottom of the cage and change it every other day. (see litter training
below) Remember that
squirrels are strong. Make sure the doors are a little tough for you to open
or your squirrel will get out. Sometimes you need to bend the latches to
make them tighter or use twisty ties. If you pick up Ferret magazine, they
have some nice stock and custom cages in there also. If you don't take your
squirrel out of the cage for exercise, you will need a much larger cage.
Fish & Game regulation size for pre-release of tree squirrels is 4' x 4'
x 8' tall. For permanent residents it's even larger so get the biggest cage
you can afford. There are also plans on the internet to make you own
cage. 
Nest
box: Squirrels like a nice safe place to sleep. Some squirrels like
to be in a
giant sized igloo but wood nest boxes are fine too, so is a small cardboard
box with a hole in it. 
Hammocks:
Exercise:
Squirrels
are awake and active for a few hours after sunrise and a few hours before
sunset. They are resting or sleeping the rest of the time. During their
awake hours they are very active. They need to run and climb. You can take
them out for an hour a day and let them run around one room in your house. Make sure all electrical
wires are covered and secured so they can't chew through them. Of course
make sure they also can't escape and make sure your cat or dog won't eat
them. You can have a tall cat tree that goes to the ceiling that they
will love
to climb and play on. Squirrels also love to climb the screen door.
You can add heavy
duty metal mesh to the screen door so she can climb it without ruining it. You can make
your own cat trees with carpet, wood and sisal rope. There are free plans on
the internet, search cat tree plan. You can even make them out of a small fallen natural tree.
Just be sure to bolt it securely. I hear when they are 
Water:
Make sure your squirrel has plenty of fresh water at all times. Some
prefer water bottles, some prefer bowls. You can even put the water bowl
under the water bowl so it can catch drops and they can have their choice. If you use a water bottle, make
sure the tip doesn't get clogged or the ball stuck or they won't be able to
get to the water. Check it daily. Also be sure to get a glass bottle,
not a plastic one like the one pictured at right. They chew through the
plastic ones.