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Thread: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

  1. #1
    Fivefootsix Guest

    Default Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Hello Again All,

    Ozzy is doing GREAT at 9 months old, and all is well, but I have a question about the amounts of veggies, fruits, and nuts I give him. I'm feeding him 3x a day. I give him about 3/4 of a cup of assorted mixed veggies & fruit for breakfast and dinner and a little less for lunch. Sometimes I'll give him a little peanut butter on the crust of my toast with a green seedless grape as a mid-day treat. Only breakfast & dinner are followed by 3-5 assorted nuts (acorns, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts and/or peanuts), and before bedtime, he gets a teaspoon of yogurt (loves it). He doesn't finish all his meals at once, but by the end of the day (or the next morning), his bowl is ALWAYS empty. He appears to be super healthy & playful! Does this amount of food sound about right?

    Thanks,
    Linda

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Kind of sounds like a lot.
    There's a fair chance the little guy is stashing left-overs.
    Be careful when sticking you hand in his pouch/box.
    You might get a big surprise.
    I think available variety is more important than amount, so I wouldn't change that.
    Just clean out the stash on a regular basis.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Hi Linda, Glad to hear Ozzy is doing well.

    I usually give my guys about the same amount of veggies/fruits like you do three times a day. Although, I am a little stricter with the nuts, they only get 5-6 per day (no peanuts). They also get a HHB twice a day and Jackson still takes formula at night (occasionally Georgie will too). Before they go in for the night I clean out their cages of veggies....you will be surprised (and sometimes grossed out) of what you will find in their pouches. My Jackson is a slob

    I also leave a small bowl of Oxbow Regal Rat Chow in their cages for them to munch on.
    -Barbara
    NY State Licensed
    Wildlife Rehabilitator

    See all of the forest, not just the trees

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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    This was a days feeding for my last adult squirrel (treats not included)
    I saved the nuts for his dinner feeding with all the days left over block pieces


    Breakfast:


    Lunch:


    Dinner:

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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    I thought they were only supposed to have 2 or 3 nuts a day Max?

  6. #6
    Fivefootsix Guest

    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Thanks!

    I do check for a "stash" every other day, but I only find empty nut shells being hoarded. I don't give him too much corn or peanuts Most nuts are acorns, hazelnuts, almonds & walnuts, and corn is used more as a special treat every few days. His diet varies based on what I buy and/or eat from "A"vacados to "Z"uchinni and most letters of the alphabet in between. I thought I might have been feeding him too much, but he really seems to be a good eater and rarely leaves any leftovers in his bowl.

    @ Rhapsody - The pics you posted appear to be about the same amount I give Ozzy

    @ Barbara - My boy is loving his new cage and doing GREAT! Both dog & cat have been "off limits" since we spoke

    As Always...

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Maybe less corn. Other than that you are doing very well. Talula eats about the same if not more. Depends.
    Almost everything in this post is misspelled

    JAQUELINE (RELEASED) AND TALULA (RELEASED)

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Quote Originally Posted by LittleFootsMama
    I thought they were only supposed to have 2 or 3 nuts a day Max?
    That is just one nut in the last pic - 1 large walnut (the other pieces are whats left from his morning squirrel block).

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Quote Originally Posted by Rhapsody
    That is just one nut in the last pic - 1 large walnut (the other pieces are whats left from his morning squirrel block).
    Oh I was talking about someone else mentioned 5-6 nuts a day and I was like :0

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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    I have to admit I did give Max a few extra nuts from time to time... and he was probably spoiled being that he was the first squirrel I had ever hand raised... I was a sucker for his cute little face, whiskers, feet and smile... and that made it easy for him to wrap me around his finger.

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    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Quote Originally Posted by LittleFootsMama
    Oh I was talking about someone else mentioned 5-6 nuts a day and I was like :0

    That was me. My guys get 5 - 6 spaced throughout the day after they have eaten their veggies & HHB. These guys are going to be released, they are not pets; shelled nuts along with branches help keep their teeth trim. A pet squirrel should not be given too many nuts because their diet needs to be a little different to avoid MBD.

    EDIT: These guys get hazel nuts, almonds, pecans & walnuts. NO peanuts or corn.
    NY State Licensed
    Wildlife Rehabilitator

    See all of the forest, not just the trees

  12. #12
    Fivefootsix Guest

    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    Ozzy gets about 1/2 cup of varied mixed veggies at each meal which include sliced carrots, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, yellow squash, butternut squash, green zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, sweet potato, and radish, served atop a bed of lettuce (and sometimes a small spinach leaf) as a main course. Then I give him one green grape, piece of apple, pear, avocado, or mango for dessert (only one serving of fruit with each meal, and he also loves watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew if/when I buy it for myself). He only gets a small piece of corn every few days (see photo), and I cut back on his nut intake to 3-5 per day (almond, hazelnut, walnut) instead of 3-5 after each meal (sometimes an extra acorn just because I love him so much and have so many). And lastly, a dollop of "bedtime" yogurt which he laps up before tucking himself in for the night. It's been 9 months and all appears well I have no doubt I have a spoiled, healthy, happy squirrel here but value and respect opinions from Experts on TSB just the same

    Also (while I'm on the subject of feeding)...I have always fed the birds in my yard, but recently started putting veggies & fruit outside, and I’ve been seeing up to 3 squirrels at a time enjoying them from my window. At least one of the outdoor squirrels comes EVERY day…I sure hope they accept Ozzy and “play nice” when soft-release time comes. Do squirrels recognize their relatives? I can’t help but think there is a ‘Family Connection” between indoor Ozzy and the outdoor squirrels
    Attached Images Attached Images   

  13. #13
    Fivefootsix Guest

    Default Re: Guidelines On Veggies Fruits & Nuts

    I'm actually going to post a separate question about squirrels and their "estranged" relatives. I need piece of mind that the outdoor squirrels won't bully Ozzy when he is released.

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