adopt baby grey squirrel

[tufftie]

Think you missed an important part on the end of that quote there Eeyore....! I also said, in the same sentence, ''- she was aware of the difference,'' Which does change the context me thinks!

I can't be bothered to retype everything I said in my previous post but I'm assuming you didn't understand what I wrote?

I was also being attacked in this thread and I would never condone an wild animal being kept as a pet for purely selfish reasons. Things can always be worded in a way that is constructive and not hurtful and that isn't pointing a finger at any one person. Even if I was wrong and Alinka had been after a squirrel as a pet (in our sense of the word), and I know I'm not wrong, then this was hardly the way of educating her otherwise. There is no reason to have supposed that she would not have got advice as to looking after an animal albeit rescued wildlife or a pet and if it had looked that way then again we could have stepped in with constructive advice before any harm was done.

I really have got to go and do some jobs now but couldn't resist having a sneaky look as to your reply lol

[eeyore]

Sorry naomi - i thought that was a typo in your post and you had meant to write "unaware of the difference", as it is hard to see how they could be both "the same to her" and yet she still be "aware of the difference" - surely the two are mutually exclusive.

that said I still think you are being overly charitable in your intepretation of her motives - in my opinion her statement about baby squirels "being impossible to catch" clearly shows that she was thinking of taking one from the wild which did not need looking after and only saw rehab as an easier option for getting one.

on the second point i think this thread does clearly tell her and (perhaps more importantly anyone else looking in) that taking wild animals as pets is not a good idea, and not one that the wab membership at large condones.

That said i dont really think she was "attacked" (certainly people have said far worse to me in my time here) and if she chose not to remain a wab member it will have been because we did not tell her what she wanted to hear rather than because she was driven away by abuse

as to the "attack" on you, you know i dont hold with that even if our opinions are often vastly different, and clearly some members jumped to the wrong conclusions about your motivations, although that said this may in part have been because they too felt that your interpretation of alinka's motives was overly charitable.

[Sam_palmer_rvn]

Originally Posted by tufftie

Fourthly, I have friends that are wildlife rehabbers in America and lots of them have rescued squirrels that can't be released (they release more than they provide homes for). They don't seem to have the problems that Sam does - maybe a little squirrel whispering wouldn't go a miss there! I have had lots of squirrel friends that have been free to come and go as they wish - with no problems. Only had the one who had a thing about toes and that was pure playfulness

Haha, a little squirrel whispering I think may be in order. Just a quick note to say that I've written it wrong if I put forward that i've had 'problems' with him as such, I was just trying to make sure that inexperienced people looking for a 'pet' didn't think he'd be a good idea. Everything he does is playful, but play in a wild animal can be somewhat different to a domestic pet.
I definately agree with your statement about animals not being kept for selfish reasons, but for some that can't be released then captivity can be an option. For animals that have been truly wild as an adult, however, I do not think captivity is ever fair. It is a difficult moral dilemma when keeping wild animals, I just think that you need to judge the quality of life that a captive animal has compared to what it would have in the wild. If you can offer it a similar one and are experieced enough, by all means, keep it if it can't be released. But if you can't, you need to think about why it's being kept.
(Tufftie, this isn't directed at you, even though you've been quoted).

[millymollymandy]

Re the big Grey Squirrell debate, may I add my ten pence worth.
Yes, under the current legislation the grey is a non native species. Yes, if you wish to release one you need a licence from DEFRA, who have devolved their issue to Natural England (so not a snow balls chance in hell of getting one). There are several counties where reds are in residence and the bar from getting a licence is quite rightly automatic.
Yes they are a handful if you have one.

Last September I found a 3 and a half week old grey in our woods, fit, well and screaming for his Mama. I left him for 6 hours in the hope that she would come and get him and on my return found him cold and covered in fly blow. I took him home with the expectation that he would be dead in the morning but at least he would die in peace. On to the internet for a bit of research on what to feed him and six months plus later, one Chinchilla cage bought off Ebay and George is one happy and beloved squirrell.

Would he make a good pet? Well having had Gerbils, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs and Rabbits, heck yes George is far more interesting and loads of fun. Unless of course you object to pulls in your curtains, scratches in your leather furniture, toothmarks in all your woodwork and scratches all over your arms and legs where he's used you like a climbing frame.

No he isn't a pet, he is a rescued, non-native animal who I could have legitimately put into a sack and clubbed to death with a stick.

Can he be released? No it's not legal and he would never survive. He is a tame sweet, enchanting pain in the bushy tail, who I will love, cherish, care for and worry about until the day he dies and it will have been a privilege to have shared time with him. But I will always wish that his Mama had come back forhim so that he could have enjoyed his life as he should, free for how ever long it was, just like nature intended.
Georges adopted Mama.