Squirrel 2 Year Old Weak Dragging Self

[chipperdee]

We have a 1 1/2 to 2 year old squirrel we raised on bottle since he was about 3 - 4 weeks old. We tried to release him a couple of times but he would not go. He lives in a cage 4' X 4' X 6' tall. We feed him pecans,walnuts and other nuts, tree limbs with leaves, dandelions, sweet potatoes and apples. I felt we were missing something. He has been acting antisocial shying away and crying and raising cane when we try to feed him the last couple of weeks. He has been eating, though not from our hands like he was. He has not been climbing and running around. We thought he wasn't feeling well or had cabin fever and were going to take him to our exotic animal vet, but he is busy with oil spill critters in gulf. Chipperdee is not well. He cannot walk well or climb. He has to pull himself around pen. I read about calcium deficiency and yesterday bought some 600 mg Calcium with Vitamin D 400 I.U. and some Hartz liquid milk replacer with calcium for puppies. Gave him about 300 mg Calcium crushed in milk replacer last night and the same early this morning and afternoon. Chipper is not much better. Should we continue? How much and when? Does it sound like Calcium Problem? Please help. Thank You.

[prncsbabs1]

Here is the emergency treatment for MBD

See if he will eat a piece of the calcium pill if not...try this :



Get calcium into the squirrel IMMEDIATELY, not later, not tomorrow, NOW.
Delaying treatment can cause death or permanent paralysis.

You will need:
-Tums, rolaids, or calcium supplement (any kind)
-a syringe or spoon
Crush one pill and add a little water or fruit juice to make a paste. Use the syringe or spoon to force-feed the mixture, a little at a time, until it is all gone. The first day, give a total of 600-800 mg of calcium, spread throughout the day/night to maintain blood calcium levels.

Important!

1. Any kind of calcium pill is okay for the initial dose. But you must use PLAIN calcium pills (without Vit D) from then on.
2. Try to give many small doses of calcium throughout the day/night to keep blood calcium levels as steady as possible.
3. If seizures or paralysis worsen or return, give another emergency dose, but only for one day, and make sure you check back in to TSB for help as relapses can be very serious.

The acute symptoms (weakness, lethargy, seizures, paralysis) will usually improve within a few hours, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take many months to rebuild the calcium in the bones. (See the "Long-Term Treatment for MBD" http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...321#post487321)

More Tips
MBD causes brittle bones that break easily. Try to keep your squirrel confined to a small cage and away from high places, where he might jump and break a bone.

Heat is very soothing for a squirrel with MBD. A heating pad turned to low and placed so they cannot chew the pad or cord, or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans and microwaved for about 20 seconds) will work.

[prncsbabs1]

What exactly is his diet??

[island rehabber]

:goodpost
THis seems like a classic case of MBD and he can improve IF YOU ACT IMMEDIATELY. We can't stress this enough. Do not give him the HArtz unless you have absolutely no choice -- everything they make is garbage. Your best bet in this emergency is Esbilac puppy formula by Pet Ag, available in pet stores. If he readily takes the formula with calcium added, you would be very wise to order Fox Valley Day One Formula for squirrels, 20/50. from www.foxvalleynutrition.com.
IF you follow the regimen above he should improve, at first dramatically and then more slowly but steadily. Good luck!!

[4skwerlz]

Do NOT continue to use the calcium + D pills....they have too much Vit D, which can make the MBD worse.

Get some PLAIN calcium pills....Tums or Rolaids will work in a pinch. Keep giving him the calcium in 250-mg doses, every 20 minutes or so, until he is better (can walk, etc.), then continue to dose every few hours, including at least one dose during the night (every few hours is best). Then we'll see how he is in the morning. Please also keep track of how much calcium you give and how often, write it down; we need to know that to gauge how bad the MBD is.

Once you get him stabilized, then we can figure out a treatment plan. It will take several months of treatment.

Keep us posted.

[prncsbabs1]

Aside from following the above emergency treatment for MBD. You need to make changes to his diet. In the Squirrel Nutrition section there is a link Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels. Hope this helps...please keep us posted.

[chipperdee]

Thank you all for help and concern. I am going to get the plain calcium right now. The commies at walmart did not have any. Like I stated in post, I have been feeding him pecans in shell, walnuts in shell, no salt peanuts in shell, almonds in shell, apple slice a day, sweet potato slice 2 X day, oak tree limbs with leaves, dandelions , berries.

[prncsbabs1]

The amount of sweet potatoes you are giving him daily is not good; they are high in Vit A too much can be toxic.

[chipperdee]

Calcium - What kind? There seems to be at least 3 types. Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Citrate, Calcium from Oyster Shell.
I got some tums and mixed 2 - 200mg with liquid. Chipper drank it up. What about Vitamins, minerals, food?

[4skwerlz]

Calcium - What kind? There seems to be at least 3 types. Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Citrate, Calcium from Oyster Shell.
I got some tums and mixed 2 - 200mg with liquid. Chipper drank it up. What about Vitamins, minerals, food?

Tums is fine; it is calcium carbonate, which has the most elemental calcium.

Right now you need to get his symptoms stabilized by getting his blood calcium levels up. Then you will need to add some kind of rodent block to his diet (see the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels in the Nutrition Forum).

How is he this morning?

[Jackie in Tampa]

:Welcome :wave123
Welcome to TSB!
you are getting great advise from the pros!:thumbsup
Can you post pics?
How is your sq today?
Sending good vibes to you both!:grouphug

[CritterMom]

FYI, I was in Walmart the other day and the commies there :D are now apparently carrying Just Born puppy formula in addition to the crap from Hartz. I believe it is a perhaps better than esbilac substitute until the Fox Valley comes in, and the containers were fairly small...

[chipperdee]

Good evening everyone. My wife fed Chipper 200 mg calcium carb at 5 this morning and 200mg at 2 this afternoon. Getting ready to give him 200mg now. He seems to be a bit better. He wants my wife to hold him close to her. He is a precious baby. Have a heating pad on low under his cage. Plenty of fresh water. Artificial sun bulb.

[4skwerlz]

Good evening everyone. My wife fed Chipper 200 mg calcium carb at 5 this morning and 200mg at 2 this afternoon. Getting ready to give him 200mg now. He seems to be a bit better. He wants my wife to hold him close to her. He is a precious baby. Have a heating pad on low under his cage. Plenty of fresh water. Artificial sun bulb.

Can he walk and move normally now? Is he eating?

[philomycus]

When you say "artificial sun bu'b" what kind of bulb is it? He needs to be udner full spectrum lighting- UVA and a UVB bulb- they ones they make for keeping reptiles. Do you know what kind yours is?

[chipperdee]

Hi everyone,
Chipper is moving about, climbing, hanging upside down, calming down, drinking his powdered Tums in liquid from a big syringe ( He loves Mommy to hold him and feed him) and eating a small apple slice and dandelions. Yes, Chipper is doing better. We both work and just noticed this improvement this evening when we got home. What a Blessing. Yes, the bulb we have is a full spectrum. We have been using it for a year and a half. My wife gave Chipper 200mg Tums three times yesterday and 200mg this morning and 200mg at 6 this evening. Thank you everyone for your help and concern, Chipper's Mom and Dad.

[island rehabber]

:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:)

[4skwerlz]

Continue with that same daily amount spread over as many small doses as you can manage with your schedule. If symptoms return at any time, give an emergency 200 mg dose. Check in with us daily to see how he's doing. After a week of improvement, we can try reducing the dosage.

In the meantime, work on improving the diet (Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels, in the Squirrel Nutrition forum).

[philomycus]

A good rule of thub is to checnge those light bulbs once a year- this is VERY important. I know they are expensive, but after ~ 12 months, they don't emit as many/strong enough rays anymore.

[chipperdee]

Chipperdee Update: Chipper is doing very well. He is just about back to his old self. Been giving calcium and formula through this morning. He is getting to strong to try to manhandle to feed. Waiting on an order of Henry's Healthy Blocks.

[island rehabber]

Chipperdee Update: Chipper is doing very well. He is just about back to his old self. Been giving calcium and formula through this morning. He is getting to strong to try to manhandle to feed. Waiting on an order of Henry's Healthy Blocks.

:wott Great news!! Keep up the good work :thumbsup

[chipperdee]

Chipper is doing great. He is better than he has ever been now that he is eating a more balanced diet. I apologize for not staying in touch, but it's a very busy life for us. Thank you all for doing such a wonderful job. Joan and Don.:thankyou

[mpetys]

Thanks for the update. After following a thread during the early, emergency part, I always wonder, "How is he doing?". Big sigh of relief on this end upon hearing that Chipper is still doing well. I'm happy for you that things worked out well.

Michele in Tampa

[Lucky1]

I understand exactly what you have gone through. Lucky for us we saw the first sign when Lucky was a baby. MBD is bad news. Lucky lost all feeling in his tail and now 7 months later we are dealing with the consequences. He is chewing his tail off.

We feed the following high calcium foods as treats: Papaya, broccoli, oranges, and tomatoes. He is also fed Zupreem Monkey Biscuits from The Squirrel Store.com. He loves them!

Good luck!