Help! Find a Great Home for an Indian Squirrel who loves people!

Bacaya (ba-chi-ya) is a 4 month old Indiana Palm Squirrel who lives near Bangalore India… his nest was knocked out of a tree before his eyes were opened and he was the only baby that we could save from the litter. Due to many challenges of saving a squirrel in India, he was hand raised, lives in a cage, and is unlikely to survive being released into the wild.

Unfortunately, we can’t keep him because we have to return to the US. However, he is a happy fun loving squirrel who likes to be held and handled and we are looking for some form of community in southern India where a happy squirrel would be appreciated.

We’re thinking that a retirement home, spiritual retreat, or other communities where people come together may be his best opportunities. Of course an individual who wants a happy pet could make just as much sense.

However life can be challenging in southern India, and although he eats little, he does crave attention. We were imagining that a group who are used to spending time with a quality pet, might be the best fit.

With that in mind, please forward Bachaya's story to everyone you can imagine who has any contact with India and ask them to contact us as soon as possible!

Thanks for helping this little guy find a good home![url=

If you can HELP Bachaya's Mum please contact her at cas2gz@virginia.edu

He is just adorable Bacaya's Mom and if I lived in India I wouldn't hesitate to offer him a home, unfortunately I live in England.

Placing his situation on here may just help as we do have members from India and many guests from all over the world look in, so hopefully someone will pick up on his story and offer him a life long safe home where he will be much loved.

Have you asked at any of the community settings that you thought might be a good home for him? Do you not have any friends that you have made whilst being in India that would give him a long term home?

I imagine it is going to be very hard for you to leave him behind when you return to the US so I understand you would like to see him rehomed before you leave and I wish you well with finding him a home. I wished I could help you more but I imagine wildlife centres are not too abundant in Southern India otherwise I am sure you would have contacted them.

Have you placed his information anywhere else? Hopefully someone looking in here may be able to help, if not themselves they may know of someone.

How long before you leave India? please keep us informed of any updates and I genuinely wish you well, he is one very adorable Squirrel.

littlewid-x-

Thank you for the encouragement! I really am hoping that getting the word out will get someone's attention who would be excited to care for my boy the way I would. I have put his information on the Squirrel Board and another blogging community to try and get Bacaya's story circulating.

I leave on December 14th. I was hoping that someone in the small village community that I am staying in would warm up to him and keep him, but every family is scared of him and refuses to even come near his cage. I think that the concept of pets is very foreign to them. Which is why I am becoming rather desperate to find an enthusiastic person to offer him a home.

Every professional in the US that I have spoken to have said that Bacaya is too dependent on humans to ever be let into the wild. He would not survive for long. I tried to ween him early but he was particularly dependent and wouldn't ever eat or drink for himself until he was 2 1/2 months old and had gotten so used to me. However, there is one wildlife center in Bangalore where I have spoken to a doctor who is willing to take him and train him to become wild (but refused to keep him as a pet). I am not too keen on this option, but it will have to be my last resort

Also, if anyone could help me figure out a way to bring him to the US without leaving him in quarantine for 6 months, I would be willing to work out the financial issues to bring him back with me. Does anyone know about customs and exotic foreign animals?

Thank you for your help and concern! The more people who care for Bacaya's story the more likely it is I can find him a home :)

As you can see Whitestarling has posted Bacaya's plea on the home page, hopefully this will attract more attention for you.

I do not know about American Custom Laws but I have found this for you and I can't find anything about Squirrels on it but it is well worth contacting the appropriate people to see where you stand with taking Bacaya to the US, however I am sure that all imported animals would be subject to quarantine.
Heres a link for you.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/prohibited_restricted.xml#FishandWildlife

If it is not possible to take him with you and you are unable to find nyone to give him a home then maybe the wildlife place is the next best thing. I do understand that the Dr would not want to keep him as a pet as all wildlife centres aim to rehabilitate where possible and release back to the wild.I understand your trepidation about that but at least Bacaya would be trained to survive in the wild and not just be lelft to his own devices straight away. If he was my little pet I would be concerned too but I suppose you would have to have faith in Bacaya that his wild instincts would kick in.

If I can find any other links or info to help you I will post them here for you, in the mean time again, please keep us posted.

littlewid-x-

I found these links that might be of use to you http://www.fws.gov/international/permits/pets.html From a quick look, I dont think Bacaya would be come under CITIES Rules. This is an option that might get you round quarantine, but I'm not sure you've enough time, and you'd need to check it out http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/UnitedStates.cfm
Indain members have spoken on here before about Pets, and its an alien concept to them, especialy in small communities. They have Dogs in villages, but they dont belong to one person really everyone just sort of looks after them. I think your best hope is another US, or European family. Your last resort option, whilst being the least you prefer may not be the worst one. You've obviously given a lot of love, care, and time to Bacaya, and done a brilliant job of rescueing him. Given everything you've done, everything you've put into it, it's only natural that you have become so attached, and caring of him. Like any Mum, and thats clearly how you think of the two of you, it's always hard to let our children go. I can completly understand that you want to know how he is going on, and have updates, as to his life, but if the Doctor can retrain him, from being habituated, and he can interact with other Squirrels, then at least he can return to the wild, and fullfill his destiny. With luck he'll meet a nice lady squirrel, and then you will not only have been a Squirrel Mum, you will be a Squirrel Grandmother responsible for a new generation. So do'nt look on it as the worse case scenario

WS

Thank you for all your help and these wonderful resources! I am trying to figure out where I actually call to ask about squirrels haha :)

I am slightly more at ease with letting Bacaya go into the wild after the doctor confirmed that trained rehabbers will be helping Bacaya learn how to be released into the wild. At first, knowing India, I was scared he would literally just drop him off in the woods somewhere. I am much more encouraged if this is the option I need to take.

I appreciate your sweet responses. I am not giving up hope for a sweet family or someone like a European to step up to adopt him :)

Thanks again!

If you open the first link that WS gave you and then go to paragraph 8 or 9 it says a little about rodents, I know it says African Rodents but you can click on the highlighted more offices ( I think it says that) and it gives this link with a phone number, they may be able to help you. The only probelm you may have is that he is not a native species to America so they may be worried about disease but it's worth looking at the first link in WS's post and scrolling down to where it talks about Rodents.
Here is the link with the phone number to ask for help.
http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/publications/travel/pets.ctt/pets.pdf

I am glad you are a little easier about letting the Dr rehab him. I understand your first reaction about being in India, their animal welfare is not so great but at least he has reassured you about proper trained people working with Bacaya.

I am only sorry we have not been of too much help but at least he has been posted on the home page for all guests and members to see and you still have a little time yet.

Please do keep us informed of how it all works out and if I can think of anything else to post for you I will.

littlewid-x-