My squrriel is sneezing

[krishawna24]

Hi, i have had munchies, a michigan grey since she was 3 days old, she is now 9 months old, she has started sneezing, well for about 3 months now, she doesnt have bedding, she is in a 10x9x8 cage, chicken wire and all real wood for her, her nose is wet...not dripping but mosit. she is active too.
We were going to release her but than my husband deployed and she and i are best friends. She is holding me togetherm im a vet tech but i know nothing about this.
I was looking for months for a site. Id really appriciate it if anyone could help.
I gave her some vitamins in her water today and on top of her food, ferret ones were the only ones i could find and i have bactrim that i gave her yesterday. But she is very active still but than goes and sits down and just stares at me.
What could this be?

[cico]

Hi there,

I am not a rehhaber,but my squirell was sneezing for a month.She was on antibiotics and got well.My squirrel was sneezing a lots when he was sick.When they have a cold,they sneeze and there is discharge from nose and eyes.Check with rehaber for more details and I think you should make her a sleeping place as soon as possible.

Good luck

[Jackie in Tampa]

:Welcome :wave123 Welcome to TSB!
In order to get you the right help, I will need to ask alot of questions, please answer all of them! TY!
we need to have more history..
what is her daily diet currently..
what formula was she on?
When did she wean?
How big is her cage?
Have you looked at her teeth?
would you know if something was wrong with her teeth?
can you smell her breath?
How did she come to you?
Does she get sunlight?
Has she been raised with other animals?
sorry for all the questions, it will help the rehabbers know what is going on.
Is she inside? or out? Is she in a warm place?
Will your job help you with meds if needed?
Does she get any type of rat block/food?
Are you feeding seed?

We have a nutrion forum with diet guidelines...I would advise you read about the healthy diet that capive sqs require.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=191

I recommend NO VITAMINS in the drinking water...
plain water should be accessable to her all times. She needs to get the right ratio in vitamins thru diet.
Sqs require lots of veggies daily, a wide variety.
They also should have fresh natural things, safe branches and chemical free acorns and pine cones.This will help with her teeth and get her accustomed to what she will have when she is released...Do you plan to keep her as a pet? or release in the spring? WE have rehabbers here and pet sqs, we love all sqs!

Sometimes cleaners can be an issue, any chemicals should be locked up away from curious little sqs...no candles to chew on, no airfresheners, they're the worst, do not spray anything around them. No hairspray etc. Fabric softeners are also a no no. For sq laundry I use Arm and Hammer, it removes odors well and has never given any of my sqs any issues.

I noted you said you had nothing in her cage, what does she sleep in?
Does she not have fleece blankies?
or hammocks? no hidee 's...sqs love to hide nuts in their cage and snuggle with stuffies and fleece...and they love paper towels and kleenex to build nests with...some members use parrot nest boxes in their cages.

I think if you look around at some pics on here, you will see what other members cage slook like...you can make cage accessories yourself too, Her's a link to a NO SEW site!
www.suzsugargliders.com/nosewaccessories (http://www.suzsugargliders.com/nosewaccessories)

Chicken wire is not advised either, very dangerous. There have been sqs that have had limbs broke and I know of at least one sq that was strangled to death in a chicken wire cage...PITCH THAT! or remove the junky wire and
re-wrap in 1/2x 1/2 hardware cloth...

To ensure her health...I suggest you read all the stickeys...
are you aware that sqs in captivity can suffer a calcium deficency that is called Metabolic bone disease..., MBD...it is from lack of correct diet and can lead to permanant paralysis.

Thank you for finding TSB and caring enough about your sweetie to find help!:bowdown

:poke We love pics here and we demand them!:D
Pictures also will help the rehabbers know if there are issues, as diet can be seen in eyes fur and physical appearance.
Good luck and again...welcome to TSB!:wave123

[krishawna24]

Hi


we need to have more history..She is 9 months old, a little heavy but not too unhealthy fat

what is her daily diet currently..it is squrriel food from petco, what food should i have her on

what formula was she on? pedialyte
When did she wean? i have no idea, my mom in law did that
How big is her cage? her cage is 10x9x8 i can fit 5 people in it
Have you looked at her teeth? yes, they are a little long on the bottom but she has real wood that she chews on
would you know if something was wrong with her teeth? maybe, how do i check?

can you smell her breath? her breath smells fine
How did she come to you? she growls when i pick her up like squeeks but than she is fine

Does she get sunlight? im in the basement
Has she been raised with other animals? A dog
sorry for all the questions, it will help the rehabbers know what is going on.
Is she inside? or out? Is she in a warm place? inside most deffinatly
Will your job help you with meds if needed? I have no clue but im about to go to banfield hospital tomorow and see what i can get her for calcium and to get rid of her cold so far she only has a sneeze but no discharge,
Does she get any type of rat block/food? no, should i get her some?
Are you feeding seed? no




im going tomorow to get her things, hopefully you can answer tonight so i knoww hat to get

im keeping her as a pet, she is spoiled, another reason is, i stay up from 6 pm to 6 am, she started waking up and staying with me and than slept all day like i did, could that be it, other times she is playing and causing mischief

[krishawna24]

oh p.s. i gave her napkins, fleese pillowcase and cardboard, fake leaves everything, she tore them up and made her own nest

[SammysMom]

Though I am very new to this, I think that the sq food from Petco is corn etc. like birdseed. This is not good for sq nutrition. The really need something like squirrel blocks Henry's Healthy Blocks that have good nutritional value and a whole array of fruit and veggies daily. Also, the fake leaves may have weird dyes etc that aren't good for chewing on. Good luck! The nutritional info here saved my gray sq from MBD.

[krishawna24]

Hey, where can i find what saved yours? The blocks at>?

[CritterMom]

Harlan Teklad lab blocks are available at www.craftyrat.com.

Petsmart and some feed stores sell Mazuri rat block.

The Henry's Healthy Bites are from www.henryspets.com.

Regal Rat is sold through Dr's Foster & Smith.

You can get calcium at any drug or health food store.

[SammysMom]

I use henry's blocks and he likes them. I did use Tums at first for the emergency situation. Look here under the squirrel nutrition forum for excellent info.

[LittleFootsMama]

Oh wow.. I'm no rehabber, Littlefoot is my only baby - but the squirrel food at pet stores and such are for outside squirrel feeders, not for them to live off of :( Your baby needs fresh veggies, and HHB's or BooBalls

Here is a link to Sq food pyramid.. Please PM me if you have questions, I'm always up for talking, and I'm almost positive I've read everything there is to know about proper nutrition at least once..