Need a little help

[DaleJrmom2]

I have noticed that Elissa really isnt eating very much. I put her food dish in yesterday and she didnt even touch it. It had loose leaf lettuce, rodent block, small banana piece and a pinch of shaved cheese. Is this normal during the winter time? I have noticed she has been hiding some of her stuff. But im worried she isnt getting enough. Dont get me wrong she doesnt look food deprived, but im just concerned and wanted to know if this is normal for her not to eat as much. Especially her rodent block which i know is a big part of her staying healthy. Oh and i have been putting the full spectrum lighting on her for 2 to 3 hours a day too.

[gs1]

sounds like you're right to be worried.

hopefully someone who knows about squirrels will come on soon.

will keep my fingers crossed.

all the best.

[island rehabber]

The rule of thumb is, if they're hiding food in their cage they have too much. :D Watch her closely over the next couple of days to see if she is pulling out the things she's hidden away that are her favorites -- like nuts -- and therefore ignoring the veggies & rodent block.
It's really easy to get into the habit of overfeeding these guys. After all, they're always curious, always watching what we've got, jumping onto the cage door when they see us, etc. Very easy to get into the "hi baby, here's a treat!" habit each time we go by, and next thing you know they've got tons of stuff buried away in there.

[4skwerlz]

I agree with Island. You can't control their diet if they have food stashed everywhere. I would clean out all the food from her cage so that when you give her a rodent block in the morning, that's the only food she has to eat. When she gets hungry she'll eat it.

[DaleJrmom2]

Well i cleaned her cage out today and took all her lil stashes.....She was not happy but in the end she finally ate her food. She also ate some formula which is unusual cause she stopped that 3 days ago. Im just happy she finally ate. Which she was going on 3 days without eating. I was getting very worried. But today she did good. I am proud of my baby and i know i can be over worried but when she didnt eat her rodent block i got really worried. For i know it is really a big part of her diet. Thanks all

[DaleJrmom2]

Hubby tried to tell me i was over reacting. But she is MY GIRL!!! I get worried when she is doing something that isnt so normal. BUT i thank y'all so much for you guys are the ones that have helped me in raising her.

[DaleJrmom2]

OMG Gamma........my hubby said she looks good as ever. But because i noticed her eating habits i was worried. But A she proved me wrong again lil devil... But again i thank you all for the heads up on what to expect. She definately has mine and hubbies #. Hubby is the big sucker when im telling hin NO...

[DaleJrmom2]

Squirrels are EXPERTS at giving their "owners" gray hair! :oldwise :sanp3 :rotfl



Gray hair i got that from my 2 teenagers:D

[PBluejay2]

I have noticed that Elissa really isnt eating very much. I put her food dish in yesterday and she didnt even touch it. It had loose leaf lettuce, rodent block, small banana piece and a pinch of shaved cheese. Is this normal during the winter time? I have noticed she has been hiding some of her stuff. But im worried she isnt getting enough. Dont get me wrong she doesnt look food deprived, but im just concerned and wanted to know if this is normal for her not to eat as much. Especially her rodent block which i know is a big part of her staying healthy. Oh and i have been putting the full spectrum lighting on her for 2 to 3 hours a day too.

In my opinion, you need to nix the cheese and banana, and I hope the "leaf lettuce" is at least something dark green. Greens such as Kale and collards are much better. Finally, you need more than two or three hours of full spectrum lighting. I've read that it takes at least eight hours under "artificial sun" (full spectum bulbs) to equate to a half hour in real sunlight.

[4skwerlz]

I agree with PBluejay on not giving banana and cheese every day. Fruit should be limited to an occasional treat as it is very sweet. Cheese can be a healthy treat, since it is full of calcium and protein and has a low glycemic load. However, it is fatty, so watch her weight. Too many treats like cheese and avocado can cause them to quickly gain weight.

As long as your baby is eating her rodent block, she's getting the basic nutrition she needs, so you don't need to worry as much about feeding high-calcium veggies....just try for a nice variety. With the commercial rodent block, she should probably eat 3-4 per day once she's weaned. More if she wants it. Sounds like she's doing great.:thumbsup