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iheartnikon
12-28-2010, 12:56 PM
Maruska loves her boo balls, but she's eating 16grams twice a day. The recipe for boo balls calls for 5grams 2-3 times a day, so I'm worried she's overeating. I mix the dry stuff in a 1:1:1 ratio by grams, then add baby food until it comes together in a dough. I leave it over night and in the morning it's the consistency of cookie dough. I roll out a ball and she eats two of them a day. I didn't weigh them until today, because I didn't want the weaning process to be too traumatic and I wanted to to eat as much as she wanted. I don't have the coconut oil in them, though.

So my questions is, how many grams a day of the boo balls should she be eating?

grinn75
12-28-2010, 02:38 PM
I think Boo Balls were meant to be a snack along with other foods but I'm not for sure on that. Momma2boo would be the best one to ask about that.

CritterMom
12-28-2010, 02:43 PM
Try giving her the recommended number of boo balls and leave some of the regular rodent block like the Harlan Teklad in her cage all the time - 3 or 4 of them, plus fresh veggies. If she eats her boo balls and is still hungry, she WILL have other food. You are still giving formula as well, right?

island rehabber
12-28-2010, 03:25 PM
From what I understand (from M2Boo) they are meant to be a supplement, or nutritious treat -- never a staple of their diet.

iheartnikon
12-28-2010, 04:07 PM
I think Boo Balls were meant to be a snack along with other foods but I'm not for sure on that. Momma2boo would be the best one to ask about that.

I think they're supposed to be a treat, too, but it's the only thing she'll consistently eat. She'll let herself go hungry and wait for the milk rather than chew on something else most of the time. She'll try her hand at a Henry's Healthy Block, but still doesn't yet have the jar power for it to be her main food. The jaw strength seems to be increasing as we tempt her into chewing more and I just gave her a Henry's Healthy Block to work on.


Try giving her the recommended number of boo balls and leave some of the regular rodent block like the Harlan Teklad in her cage all the time - 3 or 4 of them, plus fresh veggies. If she eats her boo balls and is still hungry, she WILL have other food. You are still giving formula as well, right?

She won't even look at the rodent blocks unless they are mixed in the Boo Balls and she is still gaining jaw power. Is there a way to soften them? Like grind them up like you would for a boo ball and then moisten it with vegetable baby food? We're trying to find what of the veggies she'll eat and she will try more food the less formula we give her. We only give her formula at the end of the day after she's had a chance to eat solid foods and it's making her tastes expand, so hopefully the next report on her eating habits will be better.


From what I understand (from M2Boo) they are meant to be a supplement, or nutritious treat -- never a staple of their diet.

I think so, too so we're going to limit her to 10grams a day from now on.

Thank-you for all the responses! :thankyou

CritterMom
12-28-2010, 04:16 PM
Don't try to force her to wean. I would let her eat her fill of the Fox Valley and have the blocks in there in case she gets hungry. First they ignore them and then the pee on them and then one day the pick one up and crumble it without eating any because it's fun and then they try a nibble and so on. Let the weaning take place at her pace. She will get there soon enough!

Fireweed
12-28-2010, 04:17 PM
You can try moistening the blocks (whichever kind you use) with a bit of water...Then as she starts eating them you can slowly reduce the water over days/weeks until they are blocks again.

Try that for a few days, if your squirrel still won't try them, you can moisten them with a bit of yogurt, baby food, peanut butter, avocado---whatever your squirrel likes. But I would try just water first, otherwise you might set your squirrel up to eat just the goodies and not the block... And if you try moistening the blocks with something else use a very small amount and increase only if you need to.

The other thing is you could try is breaking the blocks up into smaller pieces. Some squirrels (not mentioning any names Meemor) will only eat smaller pieces. :dono

Edit: Yes, I agree...don't force The Wean. :D

island rehabber
12-28-2010, 04:18 PM
Formula (FV) is your insurance policy against MBD. Don't ever force a squirrel to wean -- there's no reason to do so and FV won't hurt them. :)

iheartnikon
12-28-2010, 04:29 PM
Don't try to force her to wean. I would let her eat her fill of the Fox Valley and have the blocks in there in case she gets hungry. First they ignore them and then the pee on them and then one day the pick one up and crumble it without eating any because it's fun and then they try a nibble and so on. Let the weaning take place at her pace. She will get there soon enough!


You can try moistening the blocks (whichever kind you use) with a bit of water...Then as she starts eating them you can slowly reduce the water over days/weeks until they are blocks again.

Try that for a few days, if your squirrel still won't try them, you can moisten them with a bit of yogurt, baby food, peanut butter, avocado---whatever your squirrel likes. But I would try just water first, otherwise you might set your squirrel up to eat just the goodies and not the block... And if you try moistening the blocks with something else use a very small amount and increase only if you need to.

The other thing is you could try is breaking the blocks up into smaller pieces. Some squirrels (not mentioning any names Meemor) will only eat smaller pieces. :dono

Edit: Yes, I agree...don't force The Wean. :D


Formula (FV) is your insurance policy against MBD. Don't ever force a squirrel to wean -- there's no reason to do so and FV won't hurt them. :)

We'll keep up with the formula then! About how much a day of the formula should she be eating? She eats about 2-3 ounces a sitting a 2-3 sittings.

momma2boo
12-28-2010, 05:31 PM
I give my squirrels two (2) 5 gram booballs per day along with fresh veggies and whatever natural foods are abundant (acorns, purslane, roses, ...)

You can always try reducing the pecans in the recipe so that she will be getting more rodent block and FV. Or you can try soaking the rodent block in FV formula and baby food fruit. It will soften it and give it a better taste.

I would say that 32 grams per day is way too much to be feeding her. I'm thrilled to hear she likes the recipe but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Offer her FV and more fresh veggies first when she is hungriest then offer here a 5 gram boo ball. Maybe by offering her these first will help reduce how hungry she is.

Like I said ... if all else fails you can reduce the amount of pecans you put in your booballs so to not overload her on phosphorous. I don't know how well she will like it but I imagine if you reduce it over time her tastebuds may acclimate to the new recipe.

Tara
12-28-2010, 06:21 PM
I give my squirrels two (2) 5 gram booballs per day along with fresh veggies and whatever natural foods are abundant (acorns, purslane, roses, ...)

You can always try reducing the pecans in the recipe so that she will be getting more rodent block and FV. Or you can try soaking the rodent block in FV formula and baby food fruit. It will soften it and give it a better taste.

I would say that 32 grams per day is way too much to be feeding her. I'm thrilled to hear she likes the recipe but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Offer her FV and more fresh veggies first when she is hungriest then offer here a 5 gram boo ball. Maybe by offering her these first will help reduce how hungry she is.

Like I said ... if all else fails you can reduce the amount of pecans you put in your booballs so to not overload her on phosphorous. I don't know how well she will like it but I imagine if you reduce it over time her tastebuds may acclimate to the new recipe.


Momma2boo-So you don't give any block other than what's in the boo balls? Is that correct? All 3 of my squirrels LOVE them! I did reduce the nuts in there, and they like them better baked now. I've been baking them the last couple of times I've made a batch. I bake them for 45 mins at 250. And like Iheartnikon...i have yet to find the coconut oil.
They also eat veggies from 4s's list and I try to watch the calcium/phos ratios as much as possible. I have been throwing in monkey biscuits on occasion though, but they won't seem to eat them anymore since I started the boo balls.
Of course, the boo balls are made from them though...

Tara

momma2boo
12-28-2010, 07:52 PM
Momma2boo-So you don't give any block other than what's in the boo balls? Is that correct? All 3 of my squirrels LOVE them! I did reduce the nuts in there, and they like them better baked now. I've been baking them the last couple of times I've made a batch. I bake them for 45 mins at 250. And like Iheartnikon...i have yet to find the coconut oil.
They also eat veggies from 4s's list and I try to watch the calcium/phos ratios as much as possible. I have been throwing in monkey biscuits on occasion though, but they won't seem to eat them anymore since I started the boo balls.
Of course, the boo balls are made from them though...

Tara

Oh, I'll throw a few in from time to time but they will leave them until there's absolutely nothing left to eat. Picky little critters.

mugzeezma
12-28-2010, 08:05 PM
We'll keep up with the formula then! About how much a day of the formula should she be eating? She eats about 2-3 ounces a sitting a 2-3 sittings.

2-3 OUNCES per sitting???
do you mean CCs?

If that's the case drop back a feeding and feed more.
How old this this baby?

BooBalls are a fine weaning diet since they contain formula.

I make my BooBalls by volume not weight.
1:1:.5nuts
Most likely there is more rat block by weight since it is a denser material and formula is fluffy...haven't tested it but that's how it works with other materials.

soaked ratblock covered with formula is a good way of weaning. That's the method recommended by Willowbrook and various books I have. It's one of many ways.

I feed a lot of BooBalls...more than 2... many more...but then it's mostly rat block.
Mine will be out the door this spring.
They can be fattening

I would keep formula feeding as long as possible since the amount squirrels squirrels eat freely is hard to gauge. Half ends up on the cage floor.

Squirrels are sport chewers so they always appear to be hungry, always nibbling. Make sure you provide branches and natural foods for them.

iheartnikon
12-28-2010, 09:18 PM
I give my squirrels two (2) 5 gram booballs per day along with fresh veggies and whatever natural foods are abundant (acorns, purslane, roses, ...)

You can always try reducing the pecans in the recipe so that she will be getting more rodent block and FV. Or you can try soaking the rodent block in FV formula and baby food fruit. It will soften it and give it a better taste.

I would say that 32 grams per day is way too much to be feeding her. I'm thrilled to hear she likes the recipe but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Offer her FV and more fresh veggies first when she is hungriest then offer here a 5 gram boo ball. Maybe by offering her these first will help reduce how hungry she is.

Like I said ... if all else fails you can reduce the amount of pecans you put in your booballs so to not overload her on phosphorous. I don't know how well she will like it but I imagine if you reduce it over time her tastebuds may acclimate to the new recipe.

This sounds like a great idea. So it's alright to give her the 2 boo balls and just some veggies and wild foods? My biggest concern is making sure she gets enough nutrition and I've been scared of cutting anything down in case she loses weight, but she seems to be doing fine and is probably overeating, as well.


2-3 OUNCES per sitting???
do you mean CCs?

If that's the case drop back a feeding and feed more.
How old this this baby?

BooBalls are a fine weaning diet since they contain formula.

I make my BooBalls by volume not weight.
1:1:.5nuts
Most likely there is more rat block by weight since it is a denser material and formula is fluffy...haven't tested it but that's how it works with other materials.

soaked ratblock covered with formula is a good way of weaning. That's the method recommended by Willowbrook and various books I have. It's one of many ways.

I feed a lot of BooBalls...more than 2... many more...but then it's mostly rat block.
Mine will be out the door this spring.
They can be fattening

I would keep formula feeding as long as possible since the amount squirrels squirrels eat freely is hard to gauge. Half ends up on the cage floor.

Squirrels are sport chewers so they always appear to be hungry, always nibbling. Make sure you provide branches and natural foods for them.

Ounces. Usually she drinks 4 ounces of formula a day. She's about 13 weeks and she weighs about 400 grams.

mugzeezma
12-28-2010, 09:56 PM
Ounces. Usually she drinks 4 ounces of formula a day. She's about 13 weeks and she weighs about 400 grams.

1oz = 29.6cc

4oz is 118ccs and that's a third of her weight daily.

It seems high but if it ain't broke don't fix it
She will tell you what needs and when she needs it for now.

Personally I wouldn't add nuts to her diet yet.
Nuts are like candy to squirrels and in the wild they are not the majority of their diet.
I would make the BooBalls half and half with the fruit sauce to start....in fact that's how I started my last two after they were eating formula soaked block for a couple of weeks.

lilidukes
12-28-2010, 10:23 PM
Hey sweetie, Are you giving Maruska the Heal-X Booster? She should be getting .15 cc's a day. Booster will make up for any vitamins she might be lacking. And keep her immune system stronger. I mix it into my boo-ball treats and all the kids eat it.

Hugs to you both:grouphug

iheartnikon
12-28-2010, 10:54 PM
1oz = 29.6cc

4oz is 118ccs and that's a third of her weight daily.

It seems high but if it ain't broke don't fix it
She will tell you what needs and when she needs it for now.

Personally I wouldn't add nuts to her diet yet.
Nuts are like candy to squirrels and in the wild they are not the majority of their diet.
I would make the BooBalls half and half with the fruit sauce to start....in fact that's how I started my last two after they were eating formula soaked block for a couple of weeks.

She's getting a bit of fat rolls and I worry about diabetes and other health issues if she gains too much weight, but we'll have to see how this goes. She's starting the weaning process and it's hectic since she can't wean like a normal squirrel would. Lots of me fretting.


Hey sweetie, Are you giving Maruska the Heal-X Booster? She should be getting .15 cc's a day. Booster will make up for any vitamins she might be lacking. And keep her immune system stronger. I mix it into my boo-ball treats and all the kids eat it.

Hugs to you both:grouphug

Yup she's getting the booster everyday. I'll have to try that with the boo ball treats! Hugs to you, too and all your furry babies!

iheartnikon
12-29-2010, 03:26 PM
Formula (FV) is your insurance policy against MBD. Don't ever force a squirrel to wean -- there's no reason to do so and FV won't hurt them. :)

We're trying something new instead of Boo Balls. We're giving her ground rodent block moistened with vegetable or fruit baby food. She seems to really like it, not as much as the Boo Balls, but I'm so worried about throwing off her calcium phosphorus levels with the nuts.

We'll still give her them, but probably not until she weans herself. So far she's eaten 1 1/2 rodent blocks with baby food just enough to moisten and about an ounce of FV and she'll probably eat another ounce or two of formula and another 1 - 1/2 rodent blocks.

If she eats up to 3 rodent blocks and as much formula as she wants is it too much or just fine? When she does wean herself will the rodent blocks and fruits and veggies prevent her from getting MBD?

island rehabber
12-29-2010, 04:12 PM
If she eats up to 3 rodent blocks and as much formula as she wants is it too much or just fine? When she does wean herself will the rodent blocks and fruits and veggies prevent her from getting MBD?
Ideally, once blocks become a major part of her diet she will get enough calcium & other nutrients to stay MBD-proof even after weaning. The BIG problem with squirrels is that they don't take to eating blocks all that readily, so people don't insist...and then they wean themselves, and then they are only eating nuts and no formula and no block so....MBD. :nono

I do know that two Henry's Healthy Blocks per day provide all the calcium a squirrel requires. Not sure about the actual breakdown of other blocks, cookies, etc. etc.

iheartnikon
12-29-2010, 07:27 PM
Ideally, once blocks become a major part of her diet she will get enough calcium & other nutrients to stay MBD-proof even after weaning. The BIG problem with squirrels is that they don't take to eating blocks all that readily, so people don't insist...and then they wean themselves, and then they are only eating nuts and no formula and no block so....MBD. :nono

I do know that two Henry's Healthy Blocks per day provide all the calcium a squirrel requires. Not sure about the actual breakdown of other blocks, cookies, etc. etc.

Ah I see! Thank-you so much!

CritterMom
12-29-2010, 08:13 PM
My guy Mister P didn't get any nuts at all until he was eating all kinds of rodent blocks, and he is a joy to feed. He eats a variety of veggies, several fruits, and pretty much any rodent block I give him. He adores nuts, but he doesn't ignore his blocks and I know it is because I was such a mean mommy in the beginning. He didn't stop drinking formula until he was well over 20 weeks old.

iheartnikon
12-29-2010, 08:42 PM
My guy Mister P didn't get any nuts at all until he was eating all kinds of rodent blocks, and he is a joy to feed. He eats a variety of veggies, several fruits, and pretty much any rodent block I give him. He adores nuts, but he doesn't ignore his blocks and I know it is because I was such a mean mommy in the beginning. He didn't stop drinking formula until he was well over 20 weeks old.

Oh wow on the 20 weeks! Makes me feel a lot better about Maruska's love for the formula. I will leave out the nuts all together then, because I want her to be a good eater.

island rehabber
12-31-2010, 04:40 PM
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