Aurora
07-29-2008, 11:29 PM
I am a secret admirer of many wild eastern gray squirrels here in a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. Since May of this year, I went to a natural pet store (you may have heard of it - Cutter's Mill) I had been buying those big squirrel cakes made of corn kernels, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. I think it was called Kaytee Corn O'Plenty. Of all the squirrels that came to our porch for a snack, our girl squirrel, Nutkinina, was the most frequent. She munched on the cake morning, noon, and evening. Sometimes, she'd eat for about a half an hour and then lie down on our porch and take a little nap.
This behavior went on for weeks. However, two weeks ago I was very concerned about Nutkinina! She came by and while she was eating, I watched her fall over on her side. She just fell over like the leaning tower of Pisa! Her eyes were open and she was breathing, but she seemed like maybe she was choking or something. So I opened the porch door to see if she'd let me help her if she was in trouble. She jumped up and ran to the edge of the porch and sat there. After about five minutes, she returned to the cake and began eating again for another 20 minutes. THEN SHE COLLAPSED AGAIN. Her front hands were clinging to the cake and she seemed very nervous and scared. Finally, she managed to pull herself up and she began walking sideways, brushing up against our porch door (which is very unusual) and then she jumped onto the roof on her way home.
Thankfully, she came back the next morning and she was back to her old self. I haven't seen her collapse since. I have numerous theories about why she might have collapsed, but I'm wondering what you all think. Maybe you've seen this before.
1. She might have metabolic bone disease because she might have been eating the cake as her sole food source. I have not bought a squirrel cake since and have opted for putting out a few raw, roasted, unsalted peanuts, filberts, raw almonds, and blueberries. I read that blueberries and almonds have a decent calcium content. I also read that wild squirrels regulate their own nutrition and diet. However, it seems Nutkinina might not be doing a good job of getting a balanced diet.
2. She might have been dehydrated. It was a hot day...90 degrees or more. I do have a little water bowl out there for my babies. I once suffered from heat stroke and I actually had to force myself to get a drink of water. Maybe she was feeling dizzy due to heat stroke, too.
3. She has worms/parasites. Her tail is much thinner than the other squirrels that come by. She was actually like this when I first saw her. Could this be a sign she has another ailment? I know she has fleas...she's always itching! Poor girl!
What do you think is wrong with Nutkinina? Is there anything I can do to help her? Any thoughts would be extremely helpful! Thanks!
Here's a photo of my little girl squirrel, Nutkinina:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/lcbecker/SHe-MUGg6-I/AAAAAAAAAXE/lkE3XY2CIPk/IMG_3040.jpg?imgmax=640
-Aurora
This behavior went on for weeks. However, two weeks ago I was very concerned about Nutkinina! She came by and while she was eating, I watched her fall over on her side. She just fell over like the leaning tower of Pisa! Her eyes were open and she was breathing, but she seemed like maybe she was choking or something. So I opened the porch door to see if she'd let me help her if she was in trouble. She jumped up and ran to the edge of the porch and sat there. After about five minutes, she returned to the cake and began eating again for another 20 minutes. THEN SHE COLLAPSED AGAIN. Her front hands were clinging to the cake and she seemed very nervous and scared. Finally, she managed to pull herself up and she began walking sideways, brushing up against our porch door (which is very unusual) and then she jumped onto the roof on her way home.
Thankfully, she came back the next morning and she was back to her old self. I haven't seen her collapse since. I have numerous theories about why she might have collapsed, but I'm wondering what you all think. Maybe you've seen this before.
1. She might have metabolic bone disease because she might have been eating the cake as her sole food source. I have not bought a squirrel cake since and have opted for putting out a few raw, roasted, unsalted peanuts, filberts, raw almonds, and blueberries. I read that blueberries and almonds have a decent calcium content. I also read that wild squirrels regulate their own nutrition and diet. However, it seems Nutkinina might not be doing a good job of getting a balanced diet.
2. She might have been dehydrated. It was a hot day...90 degrees or more. I do have a little water bowl out there for my babies. I once suffered from heat stroke and I actually had to force myself to get a drink of water. Maybe she was feeling dizzy due to heat stroke, too.
3. She has worms/parasites. Her tail is much thinner than the other squirrels that come by. She was actually like this when I first saw her. Could this be a sign she has another ailment? I know she has fleas...she's always itching! Poor girl!
What do you think is wrong with Nutkinina? Is there anything I can do to help her? Any thoughts would be extremely helpful! Thanks!
Here's a photo of my little girl squirrel, Nutkinina:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/lcbecker/SHe-MUGg6-I/AAAAAAAAAXE/lkE3XY2CIPk/IMG_3040.jpg?imgmax=640
-Aurora