5 Month Old Squirrel Diet

[Fivefootsix]

Hello All...TSB is GREAT (but you guys already know that)! I've done research and have learned alot about caring for the baby gray (Ozzy) that my dog found in the yard at 2 weeks old. He's 5 months old now and doing well. He appears very healthy & happy in his cage filled with branches, toys, his "bed" (his bed is a basket of soft material/old tee-shirt pieces, etc), and plenty of "safe" items to gnaw his teeth on. He goes outside during the day and gets sunshine (in his cage) and I bring him in at night (in his cage) to sleep. He comes out of his cage only to play & cuddle with me and he is an absolute joy to care for :Love_Icon.

My concern is with his diet. Once he got passed the 'Formula Stage", I slowly introduced him to various fresh veggies & fruits which he loves, however, I've been reading info about squirrels & calcium. Many of the fresh veggies & fruits I give him are high in calcium, but I've learned that some items I give him may be harmful or cancelling out the nutrients in other items (ie: corn, which is his favorite). So, I have significantly cut down his corn intake. He diet currently consists of various veggie combinations of sweet potato, zuchinni, carrots, green beans, eggplant, lettuce, turnips, pumpkin, avacado, etc...and he gets cantelope, honeydew, watermelon, apples, pears, peaches and other veggies & fruits I may be eating that week in small diced pieces. He also gets peanuts in shells, almonds, walnut pieces, and VERY small amounts of pumpkin & sunflower seeds. I fill his dish (about an inch deep and 2 inches wide) once in the morning and again at dinner time. The nuts are a sporatic "treat" during the day and I just began giving him approximatly 1 teaspoon of yogurt per day (split into 2 servings after breakfast & dinner) as it was recommended for calcium. He licks it off a spoon and LOVES it!

So, my question is...Am I feeding him too much? Does it sound like I am doing OK? His appearance and attitude are great! As I said above...He appears very healthy & happy! I know I spoil him rotten, and he is far too domesticated to be set free in the yard. I know the day may come when I will have to let him go, but it will have to be to a Wildlife Rescue in my area (Long Island), where I will KNOW he will be safe and hopefully realize he is a squirrel :shakehead .

I have not been successful with the calcium block recipe, but I feel he is doing OK with the veggies, fruits, and now the yogurt. I'm seeking opinions from people that have far more experience than me. I'm an Animal Lover and have raised/rescued various pets throughout my life, but this is my first experience with a squirrel, and I just need to know that I am doing the right thing for him.

I welcome any & all advice! :thankyou
Linda - Long Island's South Shore

[Busysqrl]

Well I'm not a rehabber or anything like that just a squirrel owner, but I've done some research on squirrel diet and I would definately recommend some kind of squirrel block and cut out the sunflower seeds all together and cut WAY back on the corn. Sometimes you have to play tough love if they won't eat the squirrel block. If you feed their favorites along with the squirrel block and they haven't eaten squirrel block before, they may turn their nose up at the squirrel block. You need to give the squirrel block first thing in the morning when they are hungry and NOTHING else. When they get hungry, they will eat it, but you have to hold out and be tough. They need that calcium and other vit and min that's in the block. Your squirrel is still young and hasn't been off forumula that long, so may not show any signs yet of the lack of calcium, but without supplemented calcium (along with other minerals and vitamins) he/she may become mineral and vitamin deficient. Just my 2 cents. Also not sure about the eggplant. I've never fed that, it's in the nightshade family and does contain significant oxalates. Just my 2 cents :grouphug

[JoneSmith]

Week Ten and Up - Beginning at ten weeks, baby squirrels can eat formula until full every 8 hours. Keep solid foods available at all times.Usually between weeks nine and ten, the baby squirrel will begin to eat noticeably less and less formula and more and more solid foods. Little intervention is required, as baby squirrels tend to "self wean."