Mickey's Mom
01-07-2009, 02:04 AM
Sorry this will be a LONG story folks -- but I want to give you as much background as I can because I need advice! Five days ago I acquired an almost-adult male Fox Squirrel from a fellow rehabber, who had gotten him 4 days earlier from an acquaintance who found him in July 2008. We are guessing he was a spring 2008 baby. When the lady found him he was "searching frantically" around the base of a tree, extremely emaciated and with alot of fur loss. She didn't think he would make it through the night but took him home and it soon became apparent to her that he is either totally or partially blind so he could not be released. He shows some neuro symptoms as well -- wobbly and a slight tilt to one side. Being a kind soul, she didn't want him euthanized. She named him "Squirrelly" and has kept him for the last 5 months inside (in her kitchen!) in a small cage, without heat, no blankies or enrichment items (only a cardboard box to hide under), and fed him mostly apples, avocado, romaine lettuce, sunflower seeds, acorns, peanuts. She is a busy person who knows nothing about squirrels and didn't do much research on proper diet, housing, or really try to tame him. We live in an "illegal" state so getting veterinary help was not an option for her. However, he did survive and he has gained weight and his fur is better than when she found him. After she had him for a few months he started circling the cage at night -- always in a counter-clockwise direction. Then later started doing it "occasionally" during the day too.
Finally a few weeks ago she contacted my friend (who she heard or recalled was a squirrel rehabber), asking for some advice/consultation. My friend took him home and got me involved; we set him up in a much larger (but still low) cage with a nestbox, heat, lots of fleecies, some greenery and pinecones, etc. For the first 3 days at my friend's home, he circled frantically and almost constantly to the point where she felt he was suffering and was ready to take him for euthanasia. I wanted to give him a little more time to figure out whether the circling might be from some combination of cage stress/OCD/sensory deprivation/poor nutrition etc. versus permanent neurological damage. So I took him 5 days ago.
He is definitely vision impaired although some behaviors make me wonder if he has at least some light sensitivity or limited vision. The left eye looks normal size, but the right one is smaller and a little squinty looking. His coat is rough and he has some bare patches, mostly on his right side, elbow, foot, and the edge of his haunch. When he tries to groom he often falls on his back and grooms his tail but I think he's not cleaning himself well. Sometimes he eats sitting on all fours with the food braced between his front paws, other times he falls over on his side/back and eats looking sort of like a sea otter does it. He is wobbly but gets around the cage. He can reach up and drink water from his bottle. We estimated he weighs around 500g; he looks slightly thin but not emaciated by any means.
The first 3 days with me, he slept almost constantly and seldom came out of the nestbox or out from under the blankets. I kept feeling him to make sure he was alive! (I'm sure he was completely exhausted from all the circling activity!) He did make a few trips across the cage for food and water and I did not observe any circling.
We were sure he must have some degree of MBD based on his diet, so we've been giving him extra calcium (diluted calcium citrate or calcium carbonate) -- probably anywhere from 20-50 mg the first few days, to 187.5 mg today. I'm also giving him full-fat yogurt with some Esbilac powder stirred into it, about 6cc daily. And I'm trying to feed as many items on the healthy diet recommended here as I can although so far his favorites are still what he knew before -- avocado and apple. He did eat cherries and grapes yesterday. Today I started sprinkling calcium citrate powder on the avocado and other foods too. I'm waiting on an order of Henry's Healthy squirrel blocks which should arrive any day now, so I pray he'll like them. Oh, I do have an Ott-Lite over the cage (which I think but am not positive is full-spectrum light) but of course he's not out all the time so I'm not sure how much good it does. If he calms down I could entertain the idea of taking him outside, but it's difficult getting him downstairs in that cage and I'm afraid to stress him more right now.
I've been trying to stroke him, rub his ears, and talk to him gently many times a day. Sometimes he appears to really like it, one time he sat there for over 20 minutes and looked so relaxed. Other times when I try to touch him he is frightened and shys away. He has not tried to bite me except when I have to catch him in the "Vulcan hold" to administer calcium and yogurt. Today he devoured a large chunk of avocado while I held it for him. I think he's slowly getting used to me but he is far from "tame". He hates being caught but I've felt that's the only way I can make sure he's getting extra calcium and nutrients for now.
So as he seems to be more comfortable with the new environment the last 2 days, he has started coming out from under the blankies more and he has started circling again. Not so frenetically and not constantly, but it increased today over yesterday. When he hears me coming into the room he will stop it and get under the covers if he can before I get there. I try again to stroke him and calm him but after I leave he will come out within ten to fifteen minutes and often start the circling again.
Well the bottom line is ... I'm looking for advice from anyone who's had experience with a blind squirrel, a circling squirrel, a neuro squirrel, etc. My friend and I are not vet techs, we work under the guidance of a wildlife hospital and we are very experienced with raising orphaned squirrels but not much with adult rehab and never with these kind of disabilities. We certainly can't take him to the wildlife hospital as they will put him down in a heartbeat if he is non-releasable. I don't know a wildlife vet that would see him but I might be able to find a connection if I REALLY thought a vet could/would do anything for him at this point.
My friend and I figure the best we could hope for is to reduce the circling behavior, improve his diet and his fur condition, provide him more enrichment and tame him somewhat so he can be handled more easily. I don't think I can keep him long-term, but if some improvement along those lines were made, I wonder if I could find him a home with a squirrel lover in a "legal" state who would give him good care?
I have too many questions to list but those that pop to the top are:
- Is there any chance the blindness and/or wobbly symptoms could be reversed or treated at this late date? (I know there are some drugs used to reduce brain inflammation in injury cases but it's been 5 months now... and that's IF we could find him some medical care?)
- Any opinions as to whether the circling behavior is cage stress, habit, or could possibly be a symptom of MBD? The fact that he didn't do it until after the finder had him for several months makes me think it's not a direct result of his injury or neuro condition but I'm not sure? And if it is stress, nervous habit, or MBD related, how long do you think it might take to reverse the behavior?
- Any tips on behavior and environment from those who have experience with blind squirrels?
- Any suggestions regarding use of calcium supplementation or diet improvement? Should I continue it (do I need to if he eats Henry's blocks and how many would he need to eat a day?) Is there a better way to give it? Also, I read calcium citrate is less constipating than calcium carbonate, but the only calcium citrate I could readily find also has magnesium in it (300mg. cal citrate to 150 mg. magnesium) -- is this okay?
- Finally, am I being unrealistic to try to rehabilitate him and find him a home? Do you think his quality of life so poor that we should euthanize?
I apologize again for writing a book here folks! I'm already attached to the little guy and hate to think of euthanasia for Squirrelly but I don't want him to suffer either. Any advice you have will be welcome.
Thanks! :thankyou
Finally a few weeks ago she contacted my friend (who she heard or recalled was a squirrel rehabber), asking for some advice/consultation. My friend took him home and got me involved; we set him up in a much larger (but still low) cage with a nestbox, heat, lots of fleecies, some greenery and pinecones, etc. For the first 3 days at my friend's home, he circled frantically and almost constantly to the point where she felt he was suffering and was ready to take him for euthanasia. I wanted to give him a little more time to figure out whether the circling might be from some combination of cage stress/OCD/sensory deprivation/poor nutrition etc. versus permanent neurological damage. So I took him 5 days ago.
He is definitely vision impaired although some behaviors make me wonder if he has at least some light sensitivity or limited vision. The left eye looks normal size, but the right one is smaller and a little squinty looking. His coat is rough and he has some bare patches, mostly on his right side, elbow, foot, and the edge of his haunch. When he tries to groom he often falls on his back and grooms his tail but I think he's not cleaning himself well. Sometimes he eats sitting on all fours with the food braced between his front paws, other times he falls over on his side/back and eats looking sort of like a sea otter does it. He is wobbly but gets around the cage. He can reach up and drink water from his bottle. We estimated he weighs around 500g; he looks slightly thin but not emaciated by any means.
The first 3 days with me, he slept almost constantly and seldom came out of the nestbox or out from under the blankets. I kept feeling him to make sure he was alive! (I'm sure he was completely exhausted from all the circling activity!) He did make a few trips across the cage for food and water and I did not observe any circling.
We were sure he must have some degree of MBD based on his diet, so we've been giving him extra calcium (diluted calcium citrate or calcium carbonate) -- probably anywhere from 20-50 mg the first few days, to 187.5 mg today. I'm also giving him full-fat yogurt with some Esbilac powder stirred into it, about 6cc daily. And I'm trying to feed as many items on the healthy diet recommended here as I can although so far his favorites are still what he knew before -- avocado and apple. He did eat cherries and grapes yesterday. Today I started sprinkling calcium citrate powder on the avocado and other foods too. I'm waiting on an order of Henry's Healthy squirrel blocks which should arrive any day now, so I pray he'll like them. Oh, I do have an Ott-Lite over the cage (which I think but am not positive is full-spectrum light) but of course he's not out all the time so I'm not sure how much good it does. If he calms down I could entertain the idea of taking him outside, but it's difficult getting him downstairs in that cage and I'm afraid to stress him more right now.
I've been trying to stroke him, rub his ears, and talk to him gently many times a day. Sometimes he appears to really like it, one time he sat there for over 20 minutes and looked so relaxed. Other times when I try to touch him he is frightened and shys away. He has not tried to bite me except when I have to catch him in the "Vulcan hold" to administer calcium and yogurt. Today he devoured a large chunk of avocado while I held it for him. I think he's slowly getting used to me but he is far from "tame". He hates being caught but I've felt that's the only way I can make sure he's getting extra calcium and nutrients for now.
So as he seems to be more comfortable with the new environment the last 2 days, he has started coming out from under the blankies more and he has started circling again. Not so frenetically and not constantly, but it increased today over yesterday. When he hears me coming into the room he will stop it and get under the covers if he can before I get there. I try again to stroke him and calm him but after I leave he will come out within ten to fifteen minutes and often start the circling again.
Well the bottom line is ... I'm looking for advice from anyone who's had experience with a blind squirrel, a circling squirrel, a neuro squirrel, etc. My friend and I are not vet techs, we work under the guidance of a wildlife hospital and we are very experienced with raising orphaned squirrels but not much with adult rehab and never with these kind of disabilities. We certainly can't take him to the wildlife hospital as they will put him down in a heartbeat if he is non-releasable. I don't know a wildlife vet that would see him but I might be able to find a connection if I REALLY thought a vet could/would do anything for him at this point.
My friend and I figure the best we could hope for is to reduce the circling behavior, improve his diet and his fur condition, provide him more enrichment and tame him somewhat so he can be handled more easily. I don't think I can keep him long-term, but if some improvement along those lines were made, I wonder if I could find him a home with a squirrel lover in a "legal" state who would give him good care?
I have too many questions to list but those that pop to the top are:
- Is there any chance the blindness and/or wobbly symptoms could be reversed or treated at this late date? (I know there are some drugs used to reduce brain inflammation in injury cases but it's been 5 months now... and that's IF we could find him some medical care?)
- Any opinions as to whether the circling behavior is cage stress, habit, or could possibly be a symptom of MBD? The fact that he didn't do it until after the finder had him for several months makes me think it's not a direct result of his injury or neuro condition but I'm not sure? And if it is stress, nervous habit, or MBD related, how long do you think it might take to reverse the behavior?
- Any tips on behavior and environment from those who have experience with blind squirrels?
- Any suggestions regarding use of calcium supplementation or diet improvement? Should I continue it (do I need to if he eats Henry's blocks and how many would he need to eat a day?) Is there a better way to give it? Also, I read calcium citrate is less constipating than calcium carbonate, but the only calcium citrate I could readily find also has magnesium in it (300mg. cal citrate to 150 mg. magnesium) -- is this okay?
- Finally, am I being unrealistic to try to rehabilitate him and find him a home? Do you think his quality of life so poor that we should euthanize?
I apologize again for writing a book here folks! I'm already attached to the little guy and hate to think of euthanasia for Squirrelly but I don't want him to suffer either. Any advice you have will be welcome.
Thanks! :thankyou