Guys you have to remember that Ahrlan has NEVER had squirrel blocks before I brought him to America. I've had him for 6 years now and this is what he has always eaten.
Guys you have to remember that Ahrlan has NEVER had squirrel blocks before I brought him to America. I've had him for 6 years now and this is what he has always eaten.
True, but maybe did he get more sunlight in Spain? Also, he's getting older. I think I saw on here where one of the older squirrels came down with MBD even though his diet had not changed and he had to be pumped up with some calcium.
How is Ahrlan? Is he a little calmer now? Do you have him on heat?
That's a story we often hear. Some develop MBD very quickly, and others develop it after many years. The wonderful variety of veggies you're feeding him may have helped keep Ahrlan from getting sick sooner, but there is no amount of veggies that can provide enough calcium or other nutrients. And 1/4 tums would only be around 125 mg per week, which is not nearly enough.Originally Posted by psychotic feather
With seizures in a pet squirrel or chippie not fed rodent block, the presumptive diagnosis is MBD.
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The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations… ~Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928
Then why haven't you guys gotten onto me about his diet before? Its been posted several times. And has even been recomended by other people to other new chipmunk owners.
Good point , PF. I'm not a nutritionist, just a kibbitzer. I always just thought chipmunks were different from squirrels. After all, people were saying that flyig squirrels didn't get MBD and it was not a worry with them, so I just thought it wasn't an issue with chipmunks either. I'm still trying to figure out where the wild guys get so much calcium in my backyard. Someone said bug exoskeletons, but, nope, not made of calcium like out skeletons.
PF: No advice, no experience to offer, but my thoughts, positive energy and prayers are with you and Ahrlan. I pray he will be well again. You're doing going PF.
—E
“Why she Had to go I don't know,
she wouldn't say,
now I long for yesterday."
—Pointy Tail 03/17/09—
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his LIFE, his LOVE, his LEADER. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"—Unknown
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
JLM27 is right. As little as we know about squirrel diet (except that they have very high calcium requirements), we know even less about chippies. Sounds like chippies get MBD too, so maybe the Healthy Diet is best for them as well....Originally Posted by JLM27
But flyers DO get MBD, quite often.
Can't be sure where wild squirrels get all the calcium they need: eggshells from bird eggs maybe (tons of calcium carbonate; the purest kind), plus soil and sedimentary rocks contain calcium and quite a few other minerals, and we know they nibble soil. And there are a lot of wild plants that are much higher in calcium than grocery store veggies. Also, the wild diet would be much lower in phosphorus. Frankly, the wild guys eat a lot of things we probably don't even know about.... The only thing we KNOW is that MBD is epidemic in pet squirrels without some kind of rodent block.
Henry's Healthy Pets
Henry's Healthy Blocks, Fox Valley Formula, Fleecies Cage Gear and more
The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations… ~Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928
I'm putting Ahrlan back in his cage. He is going to hurt himself trying to get out of the bin.
4skwerlz—you brought up an excellent point about the eggshells, how come we don’t recommend using the shells of the eggs we eat, sterile the used shell in boiling water to remove excess egg and grind up to a powder to add to their food?Originally Posted by 4skwerlz
—E
“Why she Had to go I don't know,
she wouldn't say,
now I long for yesterday."
—Pointy Tail 03/17/09—
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his LIFE, his LOVE, his LEADER. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"—Unknown
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
PF: is he any better now that you put him back in his cage?
—E
“Why she Had to go I don't know,
she wouldn't say,
now I long for yesterday."
—Pointy Tail 03/17/09—
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his LIFE, his LOVE, his LEADER. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"—Unknown
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
Well, you could. Eggshells are almost pure calcium carbonate. But you can also buy calcium carbonate pills or powder inexpensively, which is a lot less trouble, and probably cleaner (no danger of salmonella from the eggs). Still, if your squirrel enjoys nibbling eggshells I say, go for it. Natural is best! Just make sure you sterilize the shells first.Originally Posted by Pointy Tale
Henry's Healthy Pets
Henry's Healthy Blocks, Fox Valley Formula, Fleecies Cage Gear and more
The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations… ~Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928
Understood.Originally Posted by 4skwerlz
—E
“Why she Had to go I don't know,
she wouldn't say,
now I long for yesterday."
—Pointy Tail 03/17/09—
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his LIFE, his LOVE, his LEADER. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"—Unknown
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
No offence 4skwerlz but not all of us can afford to feed squirrel blocks daily. And Ahrlan doesn't even like them anymore which is why I stopped getting them for him. He just shreds them to bits and pushes it out of his cage. He doesn't even eat the nuts that you put inside of them.
PF: if he doesn't like blocks, then what about just adding the calcium carbonate pills or powder or grinding up your eggshells (after they are sterilized) that you use for your morning eggs for breakfast, if you eat eggs for breakfast that is.
I came across this thread recently about the good calcium foods, maybe Ahrlan can have some of that food too?
The Squirrel Board > Help Needed! > Squirrel Nutrition > Food Date Chart Update: Calcium to Phosphorus Ratios
Just a random thought.
Wishing you and Ahrlan all the best.
—E
“Why she Had to go I don't know,
she wouldn't say,
now I long for yesterday."
—Pointy Tail 03/17/09—
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his LIFE, his LOVE, his LEADER. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"—Unknown
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
Oh now I am wringing my hands about sweet little Ahrlan! Please keep us posted. Shaking and crying out can't be good, no matter what the species. Is he warm enough?
Maybe put some ground up eggshell calcium inside some honey or peanut butter and get it into him. Do you have something to grind it with? Like I have a mortar and pestle ceramic grinding dish. If you need anything for him, just tell us. You know help is here.
I'm so sorry Ahrlan is seizing. I hope he gets stablized.
+ =
"Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about, hmm... except the consistency of squirrel droppings?"
-Gimli, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Hi PF, just sending good vibes from far far away..
Hope Ahrlan is doing better in the morning!!
Open your heart,
And push the limits..
(Enigma)
.
Watch Mia nut hunting from water
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*
PF: How is Ahrlan today?
—E
“Why she Had to go I don't know,
she wouldn't say,
now I long for yesterday."
—Pointy Tail 03/17/09—
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his LIFE, his LOVE, his LEADER. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"—Unknown
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
Sending good thoughts. How is he doing today? Maybe you can make a fruit or veggie 'smoothie' and add the calcium carbonate into it? Many feed this to their gliders (so they can't 'pick and choose' their favorite fruit or veggie) and it insures it all gets into them. Just an idea. You can freeze it in ice cube trays or even freezer bags and break up like peanut brittle.
how is he today?
pappys idea sounds really good ... if arhlan would take it.