Terri's New Pics and food issues..

[petlover56]

Hi all, sorry for disappearing all the time..

Terri is doing great and here are some pics i've promised u guys for a long time!

First of all let me explain what i've been feeding her..i cannot find rodent blocks in srilanka anymore nor the ingredients to make booballs either..however i posted this online and mugzeezma and mommatoboo helped me with a different version of 'boo balls' made out of kurrukkan flour and egg..they were such a big help (link below) thank u so much ladies!


http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28140&highlight=rodent+block+balls

so anyway i've been feeding her these, along with lots of healthy vegetables and fruits mentioned in here... she's a very picky eater and she wont eat the same food mre than 2 days on a row so i need to mix and match and im running out of things to feed!! specially cuz in srilanka there are not many stuff i can find thats also recommended here..

please let me know if these food are allright;

oats - i have tinned ground oatmeal here...which says 100% oats..can i mix it with goats milk and give? and how about green bean seads (i've never given her the seads upto now), pumpikn seads? full boiled egg white/yolk? pieces of omlette? i was told i can give her cooked egg but cooked in which way? boiled? half boiled ? or fried?
how about the leaves from this plant? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centella_asiatica

and any vitamins i could give her? btw she loves cocunut milk and cooked red rice which my mum has fed her..but im nervous about those..pls let me know if its ok..

:thankyou U GUYS ARE THE BEST!! :grouphug :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

[petlover56]

And also another HUGE issue i have with terri is that SHE LOVES TO EAT DUST!!! Im working and i admit my house is not spotless clean and she always runs to a window panel or leg of a chair or any place which has some dust/ cobweb/ dirt is left and just starts chewing on it..

she knows its a bad thing and everytime she gets caught i try to put it out of her mouth and scolds her..she actually hides her head in both her arms or my hand when i scold her lol so damn CUTE!!!

she also love to bit and eat iron/metal too..i get so worried and now dont let her out even inside the house without someone to monitor her... how bad is this? i keep her cage and her bed (which is inside a coconut shell we made for her, she has made comfy with shreds of flannel and shreds of ariconut skin!) very clean so she only finds dust/dirt outside..is this why she's so attracted to it? and what can i do? i am now trying to keep the house very clean but then again i wonder why she's soo attracted to these!!

[Jackie in Tampa]

HI, good to see Terri!!!!
She looks great!
A few ideas for her...decorate her cage!~
I use a fabric that has no strings/threads when cut...Fleece...
I am always so afraid that strings will get wrapped around a toe or caught in their throat...You can also use cut up T-shirts...
put some in the bottom of cage and watch Terri have a blast!...I also put small clean cardboard food boxes in there, they love them!:crazy

Sqs like soft toys too, lots of small pieces of fleece to hide things and roll around and play in. Also a small stuffed toy, they need to play and terrorize.:crazy
You can hang soft things in the cage to bat around since she is alone without sibblings to play with.
Mental stimulation will keep her healthy.
I also bring in fresh leaves and branches that I see the outside sqs interested in. The branches will help her teeth stay in check and give hours of play.
Look at pics on here of how people set up their cages, it will give you ideas on how to make Terri's cage a happy place that she will love and feel safe in!

Dust, we all have dust..as long as you do not clean with any harsh chemicals and do not spray BUG POISONs, I would think a little dirt isn't that horrible. Sqs are from outside ya know!:D

Hmmm, as far as diet, I will let 4Skwerls help you find something that will keep your baby healthy. She has done alot of research to ensure good health. ;)
Variety in veggies is going to be best advise... always changing.
I don't think rice is a good idea:dono , but again, asking 4skwerlz is my recommendation.
Terri is so precious! I can tell you love your baby!:Love_Icon
:bowdown

I will post a few pics of a small cage I decorated safely for two baby sqs...everything is soft.
you can also make your own hammocks and toys just by being creative...
Some people use soft slippers and hats, gloves and cloth purses.

[petlover56]

HI, good to see Terri!!!!
She looks great!
A few ideas for her...decorate her cage!~
I use a fabric that has no strings/threads when cut...Fleece...
I am always so afraid that strings will get wrapped around a toe or caught in their throat...You can also use cut up T-shirts...
put some in the bottom of cage and watch Terri have a blast!...I also put small clean cardboard food boxes in there, they love them!:crazy

Sqs like soft toys too, lots of small pieces of fleece to hide things and roll around and play in. Also a small stuffed toy, they need to play and terrorize.:crazy
You can hang soft things in the cage to bat around since she is alone without sibblings to play with.
Mental stimulation will keep her healthy.
I also bring in fresh leaves and branches that I see the outside sqs interested in. The branches will help her teeth stay in check and give hours of play.
Look at pics on here of how people set up their cages, it will give you ideas on how to make Terri's cage a happy place that she will love and feel safe in!

Dust, we all have dust..as long as you do not clean with any harsh chemicals and do not spray BUG POISONs, I would think a little dirt isn't that horrible. Sqs are from outside ya know!:D

Hmmm, as far as diet, I will let 4Skwerls help you find something that will keep your baby healthy. She has done alot of research to ensure good health. ;)
Variety in veggies is going to be best advise... always changing.
I don't think rice is a good idea:dono , but again, asking 4skwerlz is my recommendation.
Terri is so precious! I can tell you love your baby!:Love_Icon
:bowdown

I will post a few pics of a small cage I decorated safely for two baby sqs...everything is soft.
you can also make your own hammocks and toys just by being creative...
Some people use soft slippers and hats, gloves and cloth purses.


Hey thank u so much for the great advice!! and wow that cage looks like a little paradise!! looks so comfy!

yes i do put some new safe branches now and then..and hang clothes but i think i must get her soft toys soon!! thanks so much for all the great advice on what i can do to her cage! and my hubbys planning to build a bigger cage for her and now i can really accessorize it!! :)

her small bed in cocunut shelf will be fixed into the new cage too...she closes its opening at night with the ariconut shreds its so sweet! as if closing the door lol

its very difficult to take pics of her cuz she's always running around and everytime i try to take a photo she grabs or jumps to the camera/phone!

btw i still feed her the goat milk recipe u gave me when she was very small...
she loves it even now...

with food she has her moods and she loves one food one day and the next day hates it lol so thats why i need a variety of food..

thank u so much for all the great advice and for referring me to 4Skwerls...terri says thank u!!! :multi

[island rehabber]

Wow what a beautiful girl she's turned out to be -- good work, mamma!! Jackie has given you great advice already so I only have one idea for you: if you have a microwave, you could get a bowl of dirt from outside and "nuke" it for a couple of minutes. According to my BF the environmental engineer, this will kill any harmful bacteria in the soil and you can let her play with it. :D

As for foods, the best thing to do if possible is watch what the wild palm squirrels are eating in your area. :thumbsup

[Scooterzmom]

She certainly is a sweetheart :Love_Icon A darling little girl who seems to be enjoying herself.

[allie]

I enjoy seeing all the variations in "squirrel cage decor" - but I am wondering what is the best way to deal with "bathroom" habits. I have tried to keep lots of soft fuzzy fleece bits, etc. at the bottom of the cage. When I do that, she just seems to "go all over.." Also, tried cat litter in a small pan....she uses that sometimes... I seem to have lots of squirrel laundry lately, to keep her fleece, etc. clean.... Anything that has worked really well for any of you?
:thankyou

[momma2boo]

Hi all, sorry for disappearing all the time..

Terri is doing great and here are some pics i've promised u guys for a long time!

First of all let me explain what i've been feeding her..i cannot find rodent blocks in srilanka anymore nor the ingredients to make booballs either..however i posted this online and mugzeezma and mommatoboo helped me with a different version of 'boo balls' made out of kurrukkan flour and egg..they were such a big help (link below) thank u so much ladies!


http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28140&highlight=rodent+block+balls

so anyway i've been feeding her these, along with lots of healthy vegetables and fruits mentioned in here... she's a very picky eater and she wont eat the same food mre than 2 days on a row so i need to mix and match and im running out of things to feed!! specially cuz in srilanka there are not many stuff i can find thats also recommended here..

please let me know if these food are allright;

oats - i have tinned ground oatmeal here...which says 100% oats..can i mix it with goats milk and give? and how about green bean seads (i've never given her the seads upto now), pumpikn seads? full boiled egg white/yolk? pieces of omlette? i was told i can give her cooked egg but cooked in which way? boiled? half boiled ? or fried?
how about the leaves from this plant? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centella_asiatica

and any vitamins i could give her? btw she loves cocunut milk and cooked red rice which my mum has fed her..but im nervous about those..pls let me know if its ok..

:thankyou U GUYS ARE THE BEST!! :grouphug :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

I wish I could say thank you for the help I gave you, but in all honesty I didn't do much. I suggested a couple things for protein and I gave you the link to the calcium/phosphorous ratio for veggies/fruits.

[petlover56]

I enjoy seeing all the variations in "squirrel cage decor" - but I am wondering what is the best way to deal with "bathroom" habits. I have tried to keep lots of soft fuzzy fleece bits, etc. at the bottom of the cage. When I do that, she just seems to "go all over.." Also, tried cat litter in a small pan....she uses that sometimes... I seem to have lots of squirrel laundry lately, to keep her fleece, etc. clean.... Anything that has worked really well for any of you?
:thankyou

terri usually keeps her fleece clean..she loves stuffing them inside her nest of cocunut shell and inside is surprisingly quite clean...(she seems to be a neat, clean gal unlike her momma lol) instead she litters and pees all over humans lol and also on the table on which the cage is kept.. (we have kept her cage on a table and the lower part of the cage has all soft thin iron bars and when she litters it falls onto the table..which i clean everyday after keeping the cage somewhere else...i only clean her cage twice a month or so (then i wash the whole cage and keep it to dry in the sunlight) ..however i check on her nest, fleece and what not daily and wash if she has made those dirty...

and i think this question should go to Jackie in Tampa :) who obviously has a little squirrel paradise for those two lucky fellows!!

[petlover56]

I wish I could say thank you for the help I gave you, but in all honesty I didn't do much. I suggested a couple things for protein and I gave you the link to the calcium/phosphorous ratio for veggies/fruits.

well THAT was a big help for terri :) :Love_Icon mjs :Love_Icon

[petlover56]

today early morning when she woke up and i held her she was fine for a moment but sleepy and then started shaking about three times as if having hiccups...i panicked but when i caressed her it stopped... she then drank her morning milk and she was fine...should i worry?? this has never happened before?? maybe she was thirsty? do squirrels get hiccups?

and the other prob is that she doesnt drink enough water..just licks once or twice and thats it...she has been drinking her milk and i was fine cuz maybe she gets enough liquid from that but should i panic? she pees regularly..

[chickoo]

hope terri is better now :Love_Icon

maybe u should post this in the "help needed" section..............it will get better visibility there............

[Marci]

Petlover56

I am confused, the photos from your first post show??? :dono Is it a chipmunk?

And then later on, your photos show that you have a squirrel.

Please help. Diets for chipmunks are slightly different than the ones for squirrels.

Marci

[petlover56]

Petlover56

I am confused, the photos from your first post show??? :dono Is it a chipmunk?

And then later on, your photos show that you have a squirrel.

Please help. Diets for chipmunks are slightly different than the ones for squirrels.

Marci

I believe I have an Indian Palm Squirrel..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Palm_Squirrel
Indian palm squirrel looks just like chipmunks..these are the only squirrels in Sri Lanka where we live... Im confused too are IPSs and Chipmunks the same or not??

We refer to them as squirrels here..

And the pics posted by Jackie in Tampa are her squirrels and not my one..

Btw I give her hot water with little salt and little sugar and she drinks it well...if not very lazy to drink water..I'll put up more pics..

Thank u so much

[CritterMom]

If you are concerned about how much she drinks, you may want to try adding a little bit of a clear fruit juice (apple, pear - what do you have there?) to it. Bear in mind that any organic material added to water (like the juice) becomes food for airborne bacteria, so you need to dump, clean and refill several times a day if you do. Then I would VERY SLOWLY begin to back off on the juice and hopefully she will continue drinking enough.

[Jackie in Tampa]

Chipmunks are ground squirrels...they live in holes and under rocks.
They are smaller than the normal grey tree squirrels that are common in the USA.
Where I live we do not have chippies...:shakehead

Be careful giving too much salt if your squirrel is drinking plain water well...
If your sweetie is drinking and peeing normally, I would stop offering the rehydration fluid.

I have never seen a sq with hiccups, but have read where others have...as far as I know, nothing serious has ever happened during their hiccups.:dono

:poke we need new pics!!! PLEASE!!!!:D

[petlover56]

Why are you putting salt in her water? Unless Terri is actually dehydrated, she needs plain, cool water to drink. No salt, no sugar.

Different species of rodents have different tolerances for salt. Tree squirrels have a high tolerance, while hamsters cannot tolerate sodium at all. We don't know the tolerance for an Indian palm squirrel (at least I don't) but I would not add salt to her water. All animals need fresh plain water available at all times.

ok thanks..she doesnt drink plain cool water though i keep it for her all the time..thats why i did that... all right no more salt... I'll try adding a little fresh fruit juice (orange) to the water and reduce it slowly like critter mom said

thanks a lot guys

[petlover56]

Chipmunks are ground squirrels...they live in holes and under rocks.
They are smaller than the normal grey tree squirrels that are common in the USA.
Where I live we do not have chippies...:shakehead

Be careful giving too much salt if your squirrel is drinking plain water well...
If your sweetie is drinking and peeing normally, I would stop offering the rehydration fluid.

I have never seen a sq with hiccups, but have read where others have...as far as I know, nothing serious has ever happened during their hiccups.:dono

:poke we need new pics!!! PLEASE!!!!:D

she is definitely an indian palm squirrel, i called my vet who has seen her before...she looks like a chipmunk cuz she's small and fat lol

yes i will upload new pics :) too bad i broke my camera..these pics were taken from my mobile n thats why not too clear..

btw hiccups or whatever it was didnt happen again..thank god..

[Marci]

An indian palm squirrel, it looks like a cross between a grey squirrel and a chipmunk. Very cool looking!

You were correct, I did get confused between the photos and the postings.

Good luck with Terri, I hope everything is well.

Marci

[petlover56]

More pics of our babygal

[chickoo]

awww.............she is ADORABLE............kisses and squidges to your baby girl all the way from her squantie in india :Love_Icon

[SquirrelsinSingapore]

I just L:Love_Iconve that climbing pose ..


.....Excellent :thumbsup

[petlover56]

awww.............she is ADORABLE............kisses and squidges to your baby girl all the way from her squantie in india :Love_Icon

aww terri is thrilled to hear from her squantie..

she sends her LOVE

She's soo naughty as ever these days always running all over the house!

:Love_Icon :Love_Icon kisses to chickoo from terri :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

[petlover56]

I just L:Love_Iconve that climbing pose ..


.....Excellent :thumbsup

:thankyou

she's playing with a shirt hanger in the last pics..isnt her belly the cutest thing!!

[petlover56]

These days I've noticed that Terri eats and drinks less than she usually does...but she's very active, happy and shows no sign of sickness or uncomfort... she's also full of love for me and her daddy especially at night..purring and snuggling in our hands or clothes...her poops and peeing are also normal and regular...

I feed her what i've mentioned earlier in this post, veggies, blocks i made as mentioned earlier, fruits and nuts..offers plain water and goat milk with whip cream and yogurt everyday..

Am i just worrying for nothing here...however she seems to have gone down a little too...

She still loves eating dusts/cobweb even cement..she loves cement and now i have pulled all the furniture away from walls cuz she stays on them and starts eating cement like mad! I use a broom to scare her when she stays on high windows and eat dirt/cement! she runs away from the broom and jumps onto me scared and hides in my shirt or under my hair!! she never seem to realise that im the one who's holding the broom lol

[chickoo]

i wonder whats going on with your baby...........

maybe the experts can chime in...........

i agree with you on the broom though............chickoo is positively terrified of them...........isnt it adorable that they run to us for comfort and safety even if we are actually HOLDING the broom???!!!................darling little creatures...........