Calcium supplement for WILD squirrels?

[FireWood]

Two big thumbs up for all the nutritional info for pet squirrels. You guys/gals really know your stuff.

A question though about wild squirrels - particularly those that continuously raid the bird feeder of sunflower seeds or *cough* take walnuts out of your hand.

Is the consensus view that the wild squirrels get enough calcium in their natural diet, or is this something I can help with?

My squirrel buddies eat a lot of seed and walnuts. I've even got a friendly chipmunk that hoovers peanuts like he was storing up for a nuclear winter.:shakehead

So... what (if anything) should I do?

Tums mixed with peanut butter? :thinking That would probably get eaten. I'm not sure about anything else.

[astra]

generally, wilds do not have calcium deficiency problems. It seems that their wise wild nature guides them what to eat so as to maintain a healthy balanced menu. What they get from us and from birdfeeders is mostly their treats.
Of course, there can always be exceptions, but I, personally, have never read/heard about MBD problems in wild squirrels.

However, if you would like to supplement them sometimes, it won't hurt either.
THe only thing is - they might not be too interested in your supplementation, and will be expecting the usual treats.;-)

I used to give my wilds home-made HHBs and Boo-Balls. The younger ones, who weren't as "sophisticated" as the older guys, didn't mind, but the older ones would sniff it, drop it and look up at me expecting a good old nut.:D
However, if I left HHBs and Boo-Balls in the feeder and left, they were all gone when I was back. So, they do eat them.

Supplementation might be more helpful Dec-April. Not only because it's winter, but also because very often by mid winter they run out of their stashes (or cannot get to them, if there is too much snow, or it is too cold and the ground is too hard to dig), especially, by March they certainly do.
Supplementing them with something like a rodent/squirrel block might be very helpful because it can keep their immune systems from failing, thus preventing them from getting mange and similar problems.
Although, rodent/squirrel block might be a bit of a price supplement for a wild squirrel.;-)
A lot of people add Echinacea extract to the water bowl they keep for the wilds, it helps to boost their immune system as well. Mrs. Skul can tell you the kind of Echinacea she is using (and "swears by", almost).

I am sure, other people will share their experiences with supplementing wilds.

[Bushkins]

I feed 3 wild squirrels on a regular basis for 10 months now, I dust the walnuts / Pecan mixture I feed them occasionally with crushed calcium carbonate every 3 weeks now !! I just started doing this so I cannot divulge any health improvement BUT it cannot hurt, correct ?? The calcium I give them is so minimal I cannot see this making a big difference BUT it's better then nothing I would assume !! I asked this question in another thread that was dealing with squirrel nutrition and was told wild squirrels usually are OK and get what they need from the outdoors themselves as far as a nutritionally balanced diet BUT.. I have a hard time understanding / believing this in the winter months as a previous post described. Winter can mean the death of the weak and old and I think they need all the help they can get during this extremely cold / snowy period in their lives !! I'm really loving these little guys..Any advise is greatly appreciated !!

[Spanky]

I feed 3 wild squirrels on a regular basis for 10 months now, I dust the walnuts / Pecan mixture I feed them occasionally with crushed calcium carbonate every 3 weeks now !! I just started doing this so I cannot divulge any health improvement BUT it cannot hurt, correct ?? The calcium I give them is so minimal I cannot see this making a big difference BUT it's better then nothing I would assume !! I asked this question in another thread that was dealing with squirrel nutrition and was told wild squirrels usually are OK and get what they need from the outdoors themselves as far as a nutritionally balanced diet BUT.. I have a hard time understanding / believing this in the winter months as a previous post described. Winter can mean the death of the weak and old and I think they need all the help they can get during this extremely cold / snowy period in their lives !! I'm really loving these little guys..Any advise is greatly appreciated !!

Don't overlook the value of a fresh, clean water supply! :thumbsup

[Rocky1]

Ideally, calcium rich vegetables which also have a decent water content, if you can find any that they would eat. I do not have specific suggestions as I am also in the process of researching this. (Indeed, I am weaning my wilds off of my help, but also learning as much as possible as I am nowhere near finished helping squirrels.)

[Bushkins]

Don't overlook the value of a fresh, clean water supply! :thumbsup

I supply Fresh Water everyday and boy they sure drink alot !! These guys got it good around here !! Walnuts / Pecans / Grapes / Blueberries / Apple / Pear / Carrots / Bok Choy stem and a dusting of calcium carbonate on the nuts occasionally !! Their are 2 fe-male squirrels I feed that look like they have strips of fur ripped off both sides and the back !! These fe-males were fine a month ago !! Upon researching, these fe-males are nursing young and have ripped off their own fur to line the nest !! They scare away every other squirrel now that comes for food and the males wait for these fe-males to go away before they come and feed !! It's like their defending a food source !! Amazing creatures these squirrels !!

[Turfguy]

I've seen a few posts regarding Antlers as a good calcium source as well as a good way to keep teeth in check.
Antler pieces at the pet stores are ridiculously overpriced.
I went to a local taxidermist and told him what I needed them for, he gave me 2 fair sized racks that aren't "display quality" for free.
I put one in my girl's cage, and not only does she love to chew on it, she also plays with it.

[Bushkins]

I've seen a few posts regarding Antlers as a good calcium source as well as a good way to keep teeth in check.
Antler pieces at the pet stores are ridiculously overpriced.
I went to a local taxidermist and told him what I needed them for, he gave me 2 fair sized racks that aren't "display quality" for free.
I put one in my girl's cage, and not only does she love to chew on it, she also plays with it.

That's pretty cool !! Amazing little creatures these squirrels are ! The natural habits these creatures demonstrate in the wild absolutely amaze me ! There has to be some definite measured calcium need these animals require AND I cannot get an answer to that question for the life of me ! How much calcium is too much ?