Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my first call of the season today, this one is a baby mouse, about a week old. If it survives the night, I'll be taking it on Friday afternoon.

Aside from that, some of our resident mourning doves (from the wildlife hospital) laid eggs a while ago, and one has hatched. The parents were both raised in captivity, but are doing a good job taking care of the baby.

So, has baby season started for anyone else yet?

No babies here yet, but I am waiting, and as close to ready as I will be. I tried with an infant field mouse last year, very tiny, maybe 2 inches long or so....results were not good, he ended up dying, but at least I tried. Let me know how it goes! Good luck with him.

Joker
-----
PHJoker
Exotic Hobbyist Message Board Host
Exotic Hobbyist
HJoker@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">PHJoker@pethobbyist.com

We got our first baby eastern gray on Feb. 29. Can you believe that?

So far I have gotten in 5 greys. Look how clean it is... don't you just love the beginning of squirrel season? All nice and clean... Just wait till lil' squirrel tirds are getting stuck to your socks

Looks like you have hammocks in those cages... what a great idea! My pet rats love their hammocks, but I never thought of using them for squirrels. What kind of material do you use? Something durable, or just pieces of old clothes? I imagine they'd chew them to shreds!

Yeah they love them and it gives them another safety option other than their wooden hide boxes. I use either sturdy t-shirts or pillow cases cut open (NO HOLES for them to get a leg or head trapped in I also make sure to cut out tags). I found out the hard way about the sturdy shirt or pillow case material cause I cut up a pretty decent shirt and found it sunk too low with weight so now it will make them a nice blanket hahaha. I cut into the corner of the material so that I can tie the material up without using any sort of metal clipping that they can either eat or injure themselves on.

The group to the right refuse to use theirs cause they are cat bite victims and horribly scared so the hide box provides them with security. However the guys on the left are ones I rescued straight from the nest and they are very trusting. The three of them love the hammock and think it is fun to run through it like a cloth trampoline. And the branches I put in the cage are sturdy but allow for a bit of give so they can practice balance. Oddly enough we haven't had them chew through the hammocks. But it is a good idea to always check it to make sure the knots at the top are still secure and you haven't had a hole nibbled in it Hope your squirrels like it!

We have very large squirrel enclosures with hammocks all over the place. We use towels, old stocking caps, shirts, denim shorts with the bottom sewed shut, etc. Its weird, some are chewed to shreds every week or so, and some are not. Its best to experiment and monitor the results, but they definately enjoy the hammocks. They either sleep in them or use them for food storage depending on the species.

Great idea! Will have to try that this year! No babies here in WI as of yet, but only warmed up in the past 2-3 weeks enough for them to start being active, so just a matter of time.....

Joker
-----
PHJoker
Exotic Hobbyist Message Board Host
Exotic Hobbyist
HJoker@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">PHJoker@pethobbyist.com