Confused!!

[angelcat]

I have read that robent blocks and monkey bisquits supposedly block calcium absorbtion, on here you recc. these things i also read that nut balls are the way to go one a day and with proper diet (fruits and veggies) that this is the best way to go. also i have read that "squirrels are vegetarians and no meat or eggs that this is harmful as well " I am trying to find the most senseable educated ,healthy way to feed my squirrel but i am getting very confused with all the opinions i would like facts. If anyone could explain all this to me i would appreciate it very much.:thinking

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Rodent Block and monkey biscuit are great and they do not block calcium absorbtion. If you can get your squirrel eating rodent block, you are good to go once they quit drinking formula.
The rodent block will see them through until release.

[C*ndy]

I have spoiled babies here.. Mine eat monkey bisquits, dry and soaked with formula. Plus they eat their veggies and some fruit.
I am introducing rodent blocks (Purina Lab diet) and would love it if they would get the hang of it and eat these too....But I also forage for them in the yard and pastures for wild things they will like when they are set free!
Being a squirrel momma is a big job:)
TSB is a great place for mjs info!

[island rehabber]

angelcat, it sounds as if you've been reading a person named "Clarissa"'s website. Her ideas are unscientific, unfounded, and just plain WRONG. Only she could come up with something as ridiculous as "rodent block blocks calcium" :shakehead. Squirrels fed on her horrible diet of scalded milk and nutballs most often become sickly and die -- unless the finder is wise enough to forget what she says and feed a high quality milk replacer like Esbilac puppy formula or Fox Valley Squirrel formula. PL:EASE don't pay any attention to this Clarissa's "opinions" anymore because they are NOT BASED ON FACT. The Squirrel Board has many, many threads describing how squirrels were horribly damaged by her diet :nono. Sometimes, we can help them. Sometimes it's too late. :(

[bobosoltan]

I was just reading Clarissa's website.. seems she invented squirrel rehab and they can only eat her special food or they die. Seems vitamins are brought to our world and put in all infant formulas from aliens to kill just for kicks. lol



She just seems bitter in her rantings. Maybe from losing too many squirrels.:dono

[NaturesGift]

angelcat what rippie said is true. And so is IR when she says that her diet is harmful to squirrels.

Sadly I found her site b4 the TSB and b/c of her "healthy diet" my Baby Chip Died. :shakehead

I later after re-researching websites found another members website that led me here:Love_Icon

[4skwerlz]

You asked for facts. Unfortunately, nutrition isn't always an exact science, but there's a big difference between superstition and actual research. I don't know Clarissa at all, but someone asked me to do a preliminary analysis of the nut balls and the vitamins and minerals were way off.

Earlier this summer, I was able to work with some of the top animal nutritionists in the world to tackle the issue of a healthy diet for pet squirrels. This included the co-author of "Nutritional Requirements of Laboratory Animals" (the bible of rodent nutrition), a top zoological nutritionist, and even some folks from Mazuri. Everyone agreed that rodent block must be the basis of a healthy diet, but since pet squirrels often won't eat commercial rodent block, we were able to devise a homemade squirrel block that most of them love.

Here are a few excerpts from a paper I wrote for these folks on the special problems related to feeding pet squirrels. Since you were asking for more information, I thought you might enjoy it.


Excerpted from "The Problems of Providing Adequate Nutrition for Captive Squirrels"

.....Squirrels are intelligent, engaging animals and form strong bonds with their human caretakers; on the other hand, their care, caging, and diet present many challenges compared with other types of pets. Nonetheless, there are several hundreds of known long-term captive or pet squirrels in the United States alone, and probably many thousands. Squirrels have been known to live up to 20 years in captivity, although 12-15 years is probably more common. Diet becomes critical in long-lived animals, as even minor deficiencies can cause health problems over time. Unfortunately, due to a lack of knowledge about proper diet among the general public and the difficulty of duplicating the wild diet, most squirrels kept by laymen will die of calcium deficiency (metabolic bone disease, or MBD) within the first 3 years.

Wild Diet

When devising a captive diet, the wild diet is a good place to start. Greys and foxers have been observed to eat a wide variety of tree nuts (primarily acorns); all parts of various tree species, including the bark, cones, flowers, leaves, buds, seeds, berries, and fruits; various plants such as portulaca, plaintain, and rose hips; as well as fungi, bird eggs, and insects and larvae. They have even been observed scavenging carcasses. It is a common myth that squirrels are herbivores (even among veterinarians); in fact they are true omnivores. The presence of determinate molars supports this as well. They do have some hind-gut fermentation, however, so the fiber from various plant materials is also an important dietary component. The proportions of animal and vegetable material in the wild diet are unknown, but it is speculated by some that squirrels may predate heavily on bird eggs and even young nestlings.

Squirrels are dependent on the seasonal availability of most of their food and tend to concentrate exclusively on whatever food source is available at the time. The best example of this is fall acorns. Being opportunistic feeders, able to adapt readily to available food sources, squirrels can also become accustomed to eating foods that are not part of their “natural” diet. In farming areas they scavenge from crops. And in urban and suburban areas they raid gardens, bird feeders, and garbage cans and beg for peanuts, popcorn, bread, candy. An entire population of park squirrels was observed to have become addicted to nicotine as a result of nibbling on discarded cigarette butts. The health consequences of these “unnatural” diets is unknown, but presumably some wild squirrels will be able to compensate nutritionally through continued access to their natural food sources.

The Problem

Most laymen squirrel caretakers are unaware of the variety inherent in the wild squirrel diet and assume that nuts are what squirrels eat. Squirrels do have an extremely strong preference for nuts and seeds and will reject other foods when these are available. They also quickly learn to like human “junk” food, such as bread, potato chips, and sweets. This results in many pet squirrels subsisting on a diet of nuts, seeds, and human food. Squirrels appear to have high calcium requirements, possibly similar to that of rats, and since all nuts have an inverted calcium : phosphorus ratio, a nut-based diet inevitably leads to metabolic bone disease. Even those caretakers who attempt to educate themselves about squirrel diet face many hurdles. Their specific nutritional requirements are unknown; they are extremely selective eaters with strong preferences for nuts, fats, and sweets; and their highly seasonal and varied wild diet is nearly impossible to duplicate in captivity.

Some people do manage to keep their pet squirrels healthy for many years. However, on The Squirrel Board, we probably see an average of 2 squirrels per week that present with metabolic bone disease. Often these squirrels are in the final stages of disease, with seizures and lower-body paralysis. Many die despite immediate treatment with vitamin D and calcium; others are left permanently paralyzed or with other neurological deficits; about half recover fully with treatment. This constant stream of ailing squirrels caused a drive to find more information about squirrel nutrition, to develop some kind of definitive dietary guidelines, and to disseminate this information to squirrel caretakers more widely.

A “Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels”

An initial attempt was made to devise a “Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels.” Lacking any squirrel-specific research, the nutritional requirements of the rat were used as a starting point. The rat is a close relative and their dietary needs are, of course, extremely well researched. There are likely some important differences; for example, the rat’s nocturnal habits suggest the possibility of differences in vitamin D synthesis and metabolism. However, these questions are unlikely to be resolved in the near future.

The “Healthy Diet” was based on commercially available rodent block (Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014) and also included high-calcium low-phosphorus vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, nuts, dairy foods, eggs, seasonal wild foods gathered from outdoors, some type of insects sold as pet food (such as mealworms), and calcium supplements as needed. Since squirrels will reject other foods when nuts and seeds are readily available, these were limited to 2 per day.

This diet looks fairly good on paper, but has been only partly successful. Despite the squirrel’s omnivorous habits in the wild, captive animals have proven to be extremely selective eaters. A particular food may be eaten eagerly one week, then rejected. This means caretakers must purchase a variety of costly fresh foods, from which the squirrel will pick and choose, rejecting most of it. Worst of all, the vast majority of squirrels will not eat rodent block, even when dipped in peanut butter or otherwise disguised, possibly because of the fishy smell and taste. Nor will they readily eat mealworms—certainly not enough of them to meet their protein requirements. Despite the squirrel’s well-known liking for fungi in the wild, grocery store mushrooms are usually rejected. Dairy products, soy products such as tofu, and chicken eggs—in any form—have proven unpalatable as well. Caretakers have also struggled to incorporate calcium supplements into food or water and keep track of dosages. Theoretically one could remove all foods except rodent block and presumably the squirrels would eat the blocks rather than starve, but owners are obviously unwilling to take such drastic measures with their beloved pets. This leaves a diet consisting largely of vegetables, fruits, a few wild foods gathered from outside, and limited nuts and seeds. Such a diet is unnatural, expensive, and grossly deficient in protein, fat, A, D, E, and B vitamins, and most importantly, calcium.....


Anyhow, I hope this shows that we take the subject seriously. The squirrel block recipe we developed can be found in the "Squirrel Nutrition" forum.

[JudyB]

:goodpost :goodpost 4skwerlz!

[Sarabi]

I am so Glad I found TSB First:Love_Icon

[angelcat]

Wow this is great ,that was exactly the info i was looking for. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me understand.You all are so helpful i am thankful you all are here. Ya i was starting to wonder what to do i had been to about 3-4 sites on raising babies and everyone was different and completly oppisite from the other and i was having to just pluck out things that seemed to make common sense.agian i appreciate the info and so does the little man:)
:wahoo

[island rehabber]

Excellent writing, 4S...that about sums up the problem with squirrels & nutrition, be it in a long-time rehab situation (NR) or a beloved pet. :bowdown