my squirrel is underweight

[SquirrelMum]

im sorry to bug with this question. But i still can get him to eat vegetables. i mixed some peanutbutter in with salad. but he just licks the peanut butter off. I am worried because he is underweight. same thing when i mixed it with avocado

[Rhapsody]

Others sprinkle Flax Seed over their food..... have you tried that?
And we add FULL FAT VANILLA YOGURT to their Formula.

[Jackie in Tampa]

avacodo, almond butter are both fattening and yummy...
yogurt is great...
as far as veggie intake...if he has nothing else, no junk, he will get hungry and eat..
I am a tough love survivor and it works:alright.gif ...
my sqs eat what they are given, I know they are healthy!:Love_Icon
there will always be a sq that just won't eat one or two veggies no matter what, that's why variety daily is a must!
I feed $30 a day in salads...I sleep well knowing my guys are getting the best possible diet.
I use HHBs, everyone gets one a day...and I also offer formula or FV in yogurt in a lap bowl...I allow freedom of nuts as long as everyone is eating their staples!
I do not allow junk....none! no cookies, no chips, nothing:nono

A healthy sq is so beautiful...watching them roll around playfully, hop'in and pop'in...greatest thing ever!:Love_Icon

[SquirrelMum]

No junkfood for our littel guy. and i was offering him a lot of greens with peabutbutter mixed in or avocado. But he would just likc it off and throw the greens away. So I started rolling it up in a torilla wrap and he is eating that. Im not sure how long I could continue to just give him greens until he got hungry enough to eat them. He is already very skinny and I was concerned. so im trying to be as tough as possible..
Where do you get the formula?
thanks for all the advice, it really helps!

avacodo, almond butter are both fattening and yummy...
yogurt is great...
as far as veggie intake...if he has nothing else, no junk, he will get hungry and eat..
I am a tough love survivor and it works:alright.gif ...
my sqs eat what they are given, I know they are healthy!:Love_Icon
there will always be a sq that just won't eat one or two veggies no matter what, that's why variety daily is a must!
I feed $30 a day in salads...I sleep well knowing my guys are getting the best possible diet.
I use HHBs, everyone gets one a day...and I also offer formula or FV in yogurt in a lap bowl...I allow freedom of nuts as long as everyone is eating their staples!
I do not allow junk....none! no cookies, no chips, nothing:nono

A healthy sq is so beautiful...watching them roll around playfully, hop'in and pop'in...greatest thing ever!:Love_Icon

[SquirrelMum]

Thanks for all he advice everyone, I will try my best.

[Ardilla]

Here's the link for the Fox Valley formula.

http://www.foxvalleynutrition.com/prod/products.asp?PLID=1

[SammysMom]

I had the same problem with Sammy. Once I got some ground flaxseed onto the veggies, he turned around completely. He eats boo balls made with FV formula too which I think put on the weight to make him a whole lot healthier. He now eats almost every veggie offered, but different ones day to day. Snap peas are almost always a hit but even those are left on the plate some days. I make blocks from the recipe here in the nutrition forum and they are also a big hit most, but not all days. If you wouldn't give in and give a kid candy before they ate real food...don't give any nuts or treats until he eats something nutritious. It was a few very "angry squirrel" days, but we persevered and now have a healthy happy boy on our hands. :thumbsup
Good luck!
P.S. Seriously try sprinkling ground flaxseed!

[jo_schmoe]

How old is your squirrel?? Its a tough job trying to get the younger ones to eat their veggies!! You have gotten some great advice here. They will eat when they are hungry....just keep it simple. Try a different kind of green. My guys love the spring mix salad greens. They didnt at first....took some time....but eventually they understood that no more goodies were coming through that door till their veggies were gone. Another favorite is sugar snap peas and fresh green beans and brussel sprouts. Just keep trying new things and you will find your squirrels pallet. Remember to switch it up once in awhile...they tend to get bored with the same ole thing.
The biggest thing that helped me to get them to gain weight and eat good things was the removal of all nuts. I mean ALL nuts. WHere I live there is no nuts...so I decided that feeding them nuts wasn't the best thing. Occasionally they are offered some sort of seed...pumpkin, pomegranate, sunflower. You would think it was a holiday when they get seeds. LOL
The boo balls are a great idea...I found when mine were younger if I added coconut oil to the mix....they ate it all!!
I hope this helps. The result of all of this is this....2 big fat almost 3 pound fox squirrels getting excited over their veggies!!

[SammysMom]

Geez Jo...3 lb squirrels! I have a cat that isn't much bigger than that...lol Those squirrels would scare her to death! You are so right when you say that food needs to be switched up. They love it one day and the next day they act like it is poison. As I tell Sammy every day "they are so lucky they're cute!". :jump

[jo_schmoe]

Geez Jo...3 lb squirrels! I have a cat that isn't much bigger than that...lol Those squirrels would scare her to death! You are so right when you say that food needs to be switched up. They love it one day and the next day they act like it is poison. As I tell Sammy every day "they are so lucky they're cute!". :jump
LOL...they look like large house cats!! Keep in mind they are foxers of the North...so they tend to be a bigger. Gotta withstand the super cold temps. Rocky weighed in last week at 1, 348 grams. LOL Still as sweet as can be!!! And yes...very lucky they are cute!!

[SquirrelMum]

He will be one year in May. thanks for asking. I never thought of adding cocunut oil.Interesting. No one seems to care that much about me. Because I am not a squirrel rehabilater. But everyone fails to realize is that because of this experience i AM INTERESTED in being one. People think I just have a pet squirrel and dont care about the other squirrls out there when this has changed my life. anyways.....enough of the sadness..I ordered some of those henrys blocks. He seems to like them. Thanks for the advice. Where do I get those boo boo balls? so most make them or order them?

How old is your squirrel?? Its a tough job trying to get the younger ones to eat their veggies!! You have gotten some great advice here. They will eat when they are hungry....just keep it simple. Try a different kind of green. My guys love the spring mix salad greens. They didnt at first....took some time....but eventually they understood that no more goodies were coming through that door till their veggies were gone. Another favorite is sugar snap peas and fresh green beans and brussel sprouts. Just keep trying new things and you will find your squirrels pallet. Remember to switch it up once in awhile...they tend to get bored with the same ole thing.
The biggest thing that helped me to get them to gain weight and eat good things was the removal of all nuts. I mean ALL nuts. WHere I live there is no nuts...so I decided that feeding them nuts wasn't the best thing. Occasionally they are offered some sort of seed...pumpkin, pomegranate, sunflower. You would think it was a holiday when they get seeds. LOL
The boo balls are a great idea...I found when mine were younger if I added coconut oil to the mix....they ate it all!!
I hope this helps. The result of all of this is this....2 big fat almost 3 pound fox squirrels getting excited over their veggies!!

[jo_schmoe]

Well, Im sure I speak for a LOT of members in saying WE CARE!!!!
Momma2Boo is the genius responsible for the boo balls. The recipe is on her thread.
Lemme see if I can find it real quick.
There are a lot of us that arent rehabers.....we just have super big hearts that have been changed by the love of a squirrel.
Good that he's eating block. There are a lot of essential vits in them that he has GOT to have. The boo balls actually are made out of block.
I forgot to ask....what kind of squirrel do you have??

[UDoWhat]

:wave123 SquirrelMum, the boo ball recipe is a "sticky" in the squirrel nutrition section. I use them with my squirrels and even add some things to the mix that my squirrels especially like. Sometimes apple sauce, or baby food peaches, mashed avocado, or any other thing that they like. Usually baby food type foods. You can add just 1-2 Tbs. You can experiment with what your squirrel likes and make smaller batches just to see if they like them. I have even rolled them out in long pencil sized "ropes", cut them in about 1 in. pieces and then bake them for 30 min in the oven at 225 degrees. I sometimes shut off ths oven and let them stay in the oven to cool. It hardens them a bit, almost like rodent blocks. Try this, or the original recipe and see if they like it. My squirrels also eat rodent block too.

Marty, Licensed Maryland Master Wildlife Rehabilitator

[SquirrelMum]

Here's the link for the Fox Valley formula.

http://www.foxvalleynutrition.com/prod/products.asp?PLID=1

thank you so much

[SquirrelMum]

Well, Im sure I speak for a LOT of members in saying WE CARE!!!!
Momma2Boo is the genius responsible for the boo balls. The recipe is on her thread.
Lemme see if I can find it real quick.
There are a lot of us that arent rehabers.....we just have super big hearts that have been changed by the love of a squirrel.
Good that he's eating block. There are a lot of essential vits in them that he has GOT to have. The boo balls actually are made out of block.
I forgot to ask....what kind of squirrel do you have??

U. He is either a eastern grey squirrel or a fox squirrel. He has a lot of red fur along his sides. I will look for the boo boo snacks. I fell like I am talking about my pet. His name is boobs or boobie for a nick name

[jo_schmoe]

U. He is either a eastern grey squirrel or a fox squirrel. He has a lot of red fur along his sides. I will look for the boo boo snacks. I fell like I am talking about my pet. His name is boobs or boobie for a nick name
Well...you actually make the boo balls. Its real easy and they just love them.
The FV is very important and is also an ingredient in the boo balls.
What color are the pads on his feet? Greys are pink and Foxers are black.
Greys have very white bellies while Foxers have mostly orangish to light tannish bellies.
I love the name Boobs!!! awwww, little Boobie just sort of rolls off the tongue doesnt it?? LOL
Any pics??

[UDoWhat]

Hi :wave123 SquirrelMum, Did you find the Boo Ball Recipe in the Squirrel Nutrition section? It is a "Sticky" called Boo Ball Recipe. Let us know if Boobie likes them. As I mentioned you can add different flavors to them that would best suit your squirrel. Will check back soon to see how it is going.

Marty