Seymore Moves to a Deluxe Apartment

Each time we think we conquered a problem; we find Seymore has another issue. I went into his room to feed him, only to find him standing on top of his cage, hands on his hips in a Superman stance. Seymore had learned to open the cage door and now was free.

He flew around the room. First he flew from the cage to the bed, then back to the cage as I almost grabbed him on the bed. He then flew to a jacket hanging in the room and off the jacket to the floor, then up the side of the bed and back to the top of the cage. I finally caught him when he mistakenly flew at my face and climbed to my hair. (Luckily I had my glasses on) He wasn't attacking, just testing his skills. Piney red squirrels are hyperactive and agile.)

A few well-placed clothespins on the door helped keep him quarantined but he needed more space. To make it even more obvious, Seymore began pressing his body against the bars and peeing out the window. (Okay, he was peeing between the bars.) Luckily he had plastic bags under his cage but it became apparent his entire cage was his nest and he needed a room addition.

Mike used a clear plastic storage container, cut out two sides and put on metal screen--not the kind used for doors but heavy metal with larger openings. He then cut out an opening for a large plastic pipe, which had holes drilled in it for light through the passage between the two containers. This was a quick fix so there's still duct tape holding the metal onto the cage. We need to add a wooden border with the screws and a washer for that to be secure.

We filled the secondary cage with leaves, a tree branch (added after the photo), a stuffed toy (also added after the photo) and two pans of dirt--one with sod on top and one without. It took a while before he finally went into his new addition.

When Seymore finally ventured into the area, he was jubilant. He first familiarized himself, buried a few treats, fought with the stuffed toy and proceeded to do something I wished I had videoed. He gathered all the leaves in a small area into a pile. He then climbed on top of the stuffed toy, opened his arms to the side and did a swan dive into the pile leaves. He ran back and did it a second time...squirrel giggling all the way.

You can see the enclosure and watch Seymore investigate the pipe but never enter the area by clicking here. The video ended abruptly because I jumped back when he pressed his body against the cage bars and peed at the camera.