Alright, so today I’m gonna share my little experiment making toys for pet squirrels. Yeah, you heard right, squirrels! A buddy of mine has a couple of rescued baby squirrels he’s raising, and I figured, why not try to make some fun stuff for ’em?
First off, I did a little digging online. I saw that squirrels love to chew, like, REALLY love to chew. So, anything I made had to be super safe. I started by gathering some stuff from my backyard. Found some sturdytwigs, nothing treated or anything. Gave ’em a good scrub with soap and water, let ’em dry out in the sun. Figured these would be good for gnawing.
Next, I remembered I had some scrap pieces of untreated wood in the garage. Cut ’em into small blocks, drilled some holes in ’em, just big enough to thread some hemp rope through. The idea was to make a little hanging mobile thing for them to climb on and, you guessed it, chew! Sanded everything down real smooth so there were no splinters, safety first, people!
Then I thought, what about something they can hide stuff in? I grabbed an old coconut shell I had lying around (don’t ask). Cleaned it out good, drilled a decent-sized hole in it, and attached some more of that hemp rope. Instant squirrel hideaway! Figured they could stash nuts in there or just chill out.
For a bit of “enrichment,” I took a small cardboard box and filled it with shredded paper, some dried leaves, and a few unsalted nuts hidden throughout. It’s like a mini foraging box. Wanted to see if they’d dig around and find the treats. Spoiler alert: they did.
Once everything was prepped, I handed it all over to my friend. He set it up in their enclosure, and man, those little guys went nuts! The twigs were an instant hit. They were chowing down on those things like they were the best thing ever. The wood block mobile thing? They climbed all over it, chewing on the wood and swinging from the rope. The coconut shell? They were in and out of it all day long, stashing snacks and napping.
The foraging box was a real winner too. They spent a good chunk of time digging through the paper and leaves, sniffing out the nuts. It was pretty cool to watch. Made me feel like I actually created something they enjoyed!
I think the key takeaway here is to keep it natural and keep it safe. No paints, no chemicals, just good old-fashioned wood, rope, and stuff from nature. It’s a fun little project, and seeing those squirrels having a blast with the toys I made was definitely worth the effort.
- Twigs: Gathered, cleaned, and dried for chewing.
- Wood Blocks: Cut, drilled, sanded, and strung together.
- Coconut Shell: Cleaned, drilled, and hung as a hideaway.
- Foraging Box: Cardboard box filled with shredded paper, leaves, and nuts.
Would I do it again? Absolutely! Next time, I might try building a mini obstacle course or something. The possibilities are endless!
