Need advice on overweight pet squirrel

[charlotte]

Love the pic...very cute . but on a serious note My Alvin is overweight...and I have changed his diet but he gets irritated when he doesn't have an ample amount of food...what to do?... he hasn't always been overweight and gets plenty of exercise,and a nutrious diet, only thing that that has changed is .. he is getting older...4 and a half years old now..but considering they can live to be 18 years old.. 4 and a half is not that old??..>> any ideas on helping him slim down mjs ??

[island rehabber]

charlotte, here is the Healthy Diet for Pet Squirrels:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16093

A great deal of research and collaboration with veterinarians went into the development of this diet, and we thank our member 4skwerlz for developing it. Alvin will very likely resist his diet being changed but if he is truly overweight you need to get him back on track. Squirrels can and do get diabetes, just like overweight humans.

[Secret Squirrel]

A hungery squirrel will eat the proper food when all the non essentials are removed.
Prepare yourself for a pouty lipped squirrel :rotfl :rotfl


Here are some lines you should be practicing.....

" Well, it's for your own good! "
"Don't look at me that way, your not starving! "
"This hurt me just as much as it hurts you. "
"What? You think this is easy for me to do...do ya ?"
"Quit pouting! That sad face isn't working on me buster."

[lilbitsquirrely]

A hungery squirrel will eat the proper food when all the non essentials are removed.
Prepare yourself for a pouty lipped squirrel :rotfl :rotfl


Here are some lines you should be practicing.....

" Well, it's for your own good! "
"Don't look at me that way, your not starving! "
"This hurt me just as much as it hurts you. "
"What? You think this is easy for me to do...do ya ?"
"Quit pouting! That sad face isn't working on me buster."
:rotfl That's Great I needed that.but not just for the squirrels,if you catch my drift.:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl .:thankyou Good luck Charlotte!

[Busysqrl]

My girl is a little porker, although I've slimmed her down some since January. If your Alvin eats 4S wonderful squirrel blocks and you make them yourself, you might want to consider reducing the nuts. I did that with my girl and it helped tremendously. I also found I was just feeding her too much in terms of quantity of each item (veggies and fruits). So she still gets everything she used to in terms of variety, just a reduced quantity. My squirrel is only 16 months, but she's a fox squirrel and they tend to be quite portly as they are not as active as a gray. I would think as a squirrel gets older and is less active, the caloric intake would need to be reduced slightly to account for the reduced activity. Good luck with sweet Alvin :grouphug

[James Siano]

I am a microbiologist, organic chemist and am currently doing research at UofMass, Amherst, don't forget pre and probiotics, saccharomyces boulardi is a good pro biotic, depending on the brand contact the manufacturer for dosage per pound of body weight, next we've been using astragalus root and ashwagandha, to boost telemere length, squirrel's can live for 20 years or more. If my research pays off we expect they'll reach the 30 year mark! The diet regarding overweight squirrel's should be made very specific, I think someone should devise an exact amount of food should be given, i.e. 4 sugar snap peas a day, no fruits that contain large amount of sugar, no nuts, etc., I'd love it if someone would post an exact tried and true diet, I've met a few overweight squirrel's that could use it, lol. Anyway, I'm so wrapped up in my current studies I'm unable to add any advice for this, however I do suggest pre and probiotics, especially if our little fur babies have a messed up gut, health starts with the gut! Thanks!

[Mel1959]

I am a microbiologist, organic chemist and am currently doing research at UofMass, Amherst, don't forget pre and probiotics, saccharomyces boulardi is a good pro biotic, depending on the brand contact the manufacturer for dosage per pound of body weight, next we've been using astragalus root and ashwagandha, to boost telemere length, squirrel's can live for 20 years or more. If my research pays off we expect they'll reach the 30 year mark! The diet regarding overweight squirrel's should be made very specific, I think someone should devise an exact amount of food should be given, i.e. 4 sugar snap peas a day, no fruits that contain large amount of sugar, no nuts, etc., I'd love it if someone would post an exact tried and true diet, I've met a few overweight squirrel's that could use it, lol. Anyway, I'm so wrapped up in my current studies I'm unable to add any advice for this, however I do suggest pre and probiotics, especially if our little fur babies have a messed up gut, health starts with the gut! Thanks!

Thanks James for the helpful info. Unfortunately this thread is very old…..2010. To address your concerns about overweight squirrels….yes, it happens. Most times it’s because people feed them too much junk, like cookies, French fries potato chips, etc. and they’re usually captive squirrels. I suppose if a wild squirrel had access to that kind of junk food non stop they’d be fat, too. Here’s the link to a healthy diet for captive squirrels, but common sense has to be used for amounts to give. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels