My Flyer has chewed his tail fur! And his testicles have shrunk? Do YOU know why?!

[itsimplyrachel]

I recently unexpectadly had to move across town and I don't know if my flyer is stressed from the move (I just got my house looking civil after a week and a half) or if there is another issue. I went away for almost 2 months over the summer and when I got back in august he had chewed a patch of fur above his tail off and it still hasn't grown back. Recently I noticed his tail thinning. I went to show my boyfriend yesterday and more was chewed off! His tail is also not thin and pink in the middle it is thicker and black on top, with the regular pink center off the bottom. Mal nutrition? I feed him exotic nutrition's deluxe squirrel food and random veggies and fruits and occasionaly but almost never some chicken. Unhappy nesting area? He sleeps in a hanging pocket with a soft cloth. Maybe I need to give him more love? I'm home now I definitley have been! Worried Mom, any ideas?
Also I notcied his testicles had gotten REALLY big and now they are small again like when he was younger? Any idea?
Vet bills are far fetched

[Mrs Skul]

:wave123 ItSimplyRachel Welcome to TSB
What is your Flyer Name? How old and How Long have you Had him?
It sounds like a Diet, Protein, & Nutrition problem. Could be Leading to MBD!!!
Flyers need a High calcium and High Protein diet. Protein consists of. Live~Wax Worms, Meal Worms, Freeze Dried chicken, Fresh cooked Chicken and Bones, Scrambled eggs.
Now What Fresh Vegetables do you feed? What Rodent block or squirrel block do you feed? Flyers need to eat the Flying Squirrel Block or the Rodent Blocks Daily. You Should be offering at least 3 or 4 Vegetables. Plus the Green Leafy salad. ("Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash, Sugar Snap Peas, Avocado, Broccoli,Mushrooms, Belgian Endive IS my Flyers Favorite. :D Belgian Endive, Romain Letta's, Kayel, Any Lettuce. A piece of fresh fruit a day.
(Chunk of apple, Orange with the Peel still on, Blue Berries, Raspberries, Strawberries, kumquats, cut in half.)
When a Flying squirrel or Any Squirrel get MBD they will Itch and chew at their Body. They will not be as active as normal.
How Much out of the cage time does your Flyer get? Is He Sleeping More then Normal?
Can you post some pictures of your Flyer? Can you post a Picture of the cage you are using?
Can you List Exactly what you feed your flyer daily? Right now I need to see a picture of the Tummy, a side view, then one just sitting. And a close up of where all the Fur is missing.
Can you do this for me? We can help you. We just need some more Back ground information. I am listing 2 cites where you Can order Squirrel and Flying squirrel Food and supply's. If you have any question just yell. :D
http://henryspets.com
http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/

PS
Do you feed any wild foods? What Nuts and seeds are you feeding? Can you list the ingredient in the Squirrel diet you are feeding? Corn should not be feed!!!:nono It is very High in Phosphors.
I am listing the Nutrition cite for you to read .
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15397
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=191

[IrishHarps]

:goodpost

What Mrs. Skul said is right :)

[IrishHarps]

Hi Rachel -

Your account should be active now and you should be able to post photos.

Can you please post some pictures?

And also answer the questions we've asked as best you can. I know it's a lot but they are important, and it's imperative that we get the answers quickly so that we can get you fast help.

Thanks! Let us know if you have any issues posting pictures.

[Mrs Skul]

Rachel About the testicles shrinking.
Allot of time a Male squirrel or Flying squirrel after Breeding Season. Their Testicles will shrink up very small.
I do not think that is a Problem for him. :thumbsup3

[Jackie in Tampa]

how old is sq?
testicles will shrink in oct nov on a grey
and although I have 70 flyers.. I don't look at their testicles, it
s darl out in there gazebo and they are fats fast...
I would imagine they too have the cycle.. it's rut time maybe.
Bald spots can be from stress and or diet..
as others have said, pics are a zillion words..
hang in there, TSB has good flyer peeps..
:Welcome

[itsimplyrachel]

My flyer’s name is Ranga. I’ve had him for 10 months now and bought him as a ‘baby squirrel’ even though the pet store did not tell me the age, or proper feeding instructions. I’m so sad :( but I am determined to reverse this, I love my little guy.

I had been gone for 2 months over the summer and when I got back in August he had the patch gone on his back. I thought it was just stress from me leaving. But then recently is when I noticed the tail gone.

I was not aware they needed protiens or calcium. I got some meal worms yesterday but they weren’t very lively, in fact they looked dead and he didn’t go for it. I wasn’t really feeding veggies either :/ Only random fruits when I had them for me to eat. Didn’t know they needed a squirrel block either :(

I’ve been trying to feed him salad and he barley nibbles, isn’t too big of a fan. Last night he did eat a little bit of beet leaves and orange and mushrooms. I gave him chicken today and he liked that. He is sleeping a bit more than normal, but will still come out and play and run all around his cage. I have him out all day and he will run around a bit and sleep in my jackets I have hanging by the door. I usually go to bed around midnight to 1 because I get off work around 11. But I have noticed he has been getting up later than normal, he used to get up around 9 pm, and now he won’t be up when I get home from work sometimes.

I have been feeding Exotic Nutrition Deluxe Squirrel Diet. Which has nuts and fruits in it and I realized he has only really been eating the ‘treats’ in the food. I feed him almonds and walnuts and sometimes pecans. I have not fed him any wild foods.
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[jbtartell]

awww poor baby.. he needs veggies and lots of mushrooms and flyer blocks from henry's pets.. maybe you can get him some fox valley he may take it since his nutrition is low.. for now it is important not to give fruits and nuts just high calcium and protien..

[itsimplyrachel]

That's what's in the plan! The fox valley and squirrel block will be here in two days. Thank you everyone for your replies. I love him to death and feel terrible that I didn't know more up to this point. Things will be much different from now on!

[IrishHarps]

Oh my, yes, nutrition nutrition nutrition.

He has been on junk food for so long, it will probably be difficult to feed him the good stuff at first - he will probably be very picky. So you'll need to stop feeding all junk (no nuts, fruits, hamster food, etc.) and get him to eat the blocks, yogurt, and protein. Once he is eating that, then you can feed one fruit (size of a quarter or smaller) per day, and some nuts here and there as treats. About half a pecan piece or less per day for a treat. You can keep in-shell nuts in his cage for him to gnaw on, I think, to keep his teeth length down.

Make sure you go through his cage to thoroughly clean out any stashes as well.

Keep posting with updates as much as possible and please ask us any questions you have. There are some great flyer experts on here who can help!

[IrishHarps]

Also, get your hands on some Rep-Cal from the pet store (reptile section) and dust his food with it until the FV and HHB's get in. This will help get calcium in him fast. Rep-Cal is sold at all the major pet stores.

Stop feeding the other stuff now (even if the FV and HHBs dont come in for a few days) and get him on a good diet (yogurt, veggies, protein) today!

Once everything stabilizes, you can keep the Rep-Cal and use it to occasionally dust his food for extra calcium.

[itsimplyrachel]

I have repto cal because I have a chameleon. I went to the store and have lots of veggies, mushrooms, chicken. Will he just come around to eating the greens from being so hungry? Should I get a mineral water or something, i heard they have that for rodents? Or just dust the food till the formula gets here? I did put a cuttle bone in there last night and he chewed it. I'm also gonna spice up his cage, i've been meaning to for awhile. I've been so busy with the move. I have him in that pocket with a soft little cloth. I bought him in just a piece of felt. After some reading should I make him a nest box with some nesting material? What's the best? I read cotton balls?

[itsimplyrachel]

I'm also seeing things about a light. I do have an extra dome. Should I put a heat emitter or a UVB light or something?

[CritterMom]

Not for a flyer. They are nocturnal and do not ever see the sun in nature.

The cage does need more stuff. They need multiple places to hide and peek out, curl up and sleep, etc. These little guys wouldn't be caught dead in the wide open naturally.

[IrishHarps]

"Will he just come around to eating the greens from being so hungry?"
Yes - he won't starve himself. If you make only good food available, he'll eat it.

"Should I get a mineral water or something, i heard they have that for rodents?"
Not necessary - just fixing the diet will get him his nutrition. He may need extra calcium for a while but I will let the more experienced people counsel you on that. Extra calcium would involve something besides mineral water though.

"Or just dust the food till the formula gets here?"
I think dusting the food with Rep-Cal until the formula gets there is good. Also be sure to feed him yogurt. That will help with calcium intake :)

"I did put a cuttle bone in there last night and he chewed it."
Good! That probably means he needs calcium and he knows it.

"I'm also gonna spice up his cage, i've been meaning to for awhile. I've been so busy with the move. I have him in that pocket with a soft little cloth. I bought him in just a piece of felt. After some reading should I make him a nest box with some nesting material?"
He should have at least two nest boxes and a few pouches. It is easy to buy a bird nesting box for now if you are pressed for time. Just make sure the hole is plenty wide for him to get in (you may need to widen the hole a little). Pouches made from fleece are best.

"What's the best? I read cotton balls?"
Some people like cotton balls but I have read a lot of people say that the threads in cotton balls can get accidentally wrapped around the flyer's tiny toes. So to be safe just use hamster fluff, he will like that. You can also give him paper towels to chew up, and cotton q-tips.

"I'm also seeing things about a light. I do have an extra dome. Should I put a heat emitter or a UVB light or something?"
Not necessary - just put him in a room that is kept at normal room temperature that gets some sun, but do not put the cage in direct sunlight.

[itsimplyrachel]

THANK YOU! went and got some yougurt with 2x the calcium for children. I will make him a second nesting box tonight, I have some extra scrap wood I collected. I got some tums and a syringe, should I make a paste and give that to him tonight?

[IrishHarps]

I actually don't know much about emergency MBD treatment - let me PM the Skuls and see if they can help you out there.

Sounds like you are doing a good job and are trying really hard to take care of your little guy :thumbsup

[itsimplyrachel]

I do love him SO much and I feel like a bad mom! Or just a misled one.. So thankful for all the knowledge I have obtained from this website&Mrs. Skul. You all are saviors! The game dun changed from this point forward.

I called over to my boyfriend at home (I'm at work) and Ranga's eating his salad :)

[jbtartell]

That's what's in the plan! The fox valley and squirrel block will be here in two days. Thank you everyone for your replies. I love him to death and feel terrible that I didn't know more up to this point. Things will be much different from now on!
I know, I did the same with My Sam, she ate nuts and some fruits the first year and then had mbd from it.. that is how I come to find this board and all its angels.:Love_Icon soo dont beat ur self up u did not know but you do now and can turn it around and make ur baby healthy again.. good luck and hope to see you here for a long time with great updates:wahoo :wave123

[IrishHarps]

We're happy to have you :D

Don't feel too bad - you are a good mom because you noticed something was wrong, sought help, and are doing your best to fix the situation. Sounds like a good mom to me!

[Mrs Skul]

:wave123 Hi Rachel
RepCal Is not Best used for Squirrel or Flying Squirrels. It is to course. It will cut and Injurer the insides of the Flyer when they Pee out the Excess. :eek: This will cause Infection. Don't dust his food, Their is enough changes going on that he will completely shout down & not eat. Did he eat the Yogurt? Keep trying. Smoosh it on his mouth. :D Let him lick it off. He will get to Liking it. 2X the Calcium in that Yogurt is Great. :thumbsup3(Calcium Powder is ground very Fine.)
Chicken Did you get the Freeze dried Chicken? You can keep several pieces in the cage with him for now. (one in the pouch,one in his food dish.) He will eat it during the day when he gets Hungary. Did the WaxWorms Look any good? :dono
Have you tried Fresh Cooked Chicken or Scrambled or Boiled eggs? :thinking
Tums Offer him a Whole Tums and watch for him to eat it. If he just stashes it then do mix up the Past and squirt in his mouth a little at a time. (When we spoke yesterday, I was suppose to Post something for you. I can't remember what!) :dono Did the Order we Placed come in yet? Their is Flyer Blocks, FV, Calcium, Vitamin Parakeet, Nipple and Syringe. Let me know when it gets to you.
Vegetables Did he eat the Avocado? Did you get any Butter Nut Squash, Acorn Squash, Snow Pees, Broccoli? Did you fined the Belgian Endive Lettuce? Glad he is trying some of the Greens. Keep putting them in the cage fresh when he is waking up. (Mine usually get the Bulk of the foods in the cages around 6 or 7. That is when every one starts waking up to eat.)
Scrap Wood) Try Putting Fresh Green Tree Limbs in the cage. He will shred them. The Scrap Wood is to Dry and Hard, He WILL NOT chew on it. :noon You can build the Nest Box, or Plat Forms, out of it. Just make sure it is not Chemical treated. (I would stick it in the Freezer, or the Oven) to try to Kill out any Bugs that might be living in the Scrap wood be for you build the Nest box. It should be the size of a Parakeet nest box. You can hang Pouches, Sleeping Bags, any kind of toy made for Birds, Hamster, Genny Pig, & Rats. You wont it to be mostly wood. Their are a few Members who make these Fleece Pouches, Bowa, Sleeping Cubes, & More. Jacki in Tampa makes and sells a lot. (Lots Cheaper then you Pay at Pets Store.)
If you Line the Bottom of the cage with Fleece. He will go to the bottom of the cage a little more. (You can take it out side every 3 days or so to shake it off.) It can be kept in the cage for a week or two. :D
With him changing the sleep pattern, This is what I warned you about. (Changing Patrons or acting different.) The Lack of Calcium is finely catching up to him.

PS
How did he Like the Tums? Did he eat the Yogurt? Did he try any of the Vegetables? You have my Number. Call me in the morning or tonight with a update. (If you wont.) I just got Busy and Could not find the time to call. (But I was on the Phone with quite a few Pep Needing Help. :D

[itsimplyrachel]

Angels no doubt! Thanks guys! :) I gave him some tums in yogurt last night and he gobbled it up! he was bouncing all around this morning asking out of the cage to play! Ran all around the living room, ate some more yogurt and is sleeping now. The squirrel block should be here soon. I'm confident he'll get better now :) I'll be even more happy when he comes around to eating more greens! Soon enough.

[Mrs Skul]

:wave123 Hi Rachel
Did The Pkg come to day?

[jbtartell]

Angels no doubt! Thanks guys! :) I gave him some tums in yogurt last night and he gobbled it up! he was bouncing all around this morning asking out of the cage to play! Ran all around the living room, ate some more yogurt and is sleeping now. The squirrel block should be here soon. I'm confident he'll get better now :) I'll be even more happy when he comes around to eating more greens! Soon enough.

That is what I call TSB members{{Angels}}.. They are great, they helped me through one of the worst times of my life and the biggest heart ache. I can honestly say they are great people and have invisible wings. and know their stuff. soo you cant loose here. and even when the problem cant be fixed you are looked after twice as much and helped through.

[itsimplyrachel]

I haven't recieved the package. I left my house at 3pm to go to work.

I gave him a little bit of tums in yogurt last night.

I put a platform under his food bowl and saw that he ate avacado, zucchini, acorn squash, and freeze dried chicken. I don't think he touched the greens.

He wieghed 56.5 today. .5 up from yesterday.

I put in new branches and he chewed the ends of the sticks. I checked his teeth and they aren't razor sharp.

He woke up for a short time this morning and ate a bit of orange peel and went back to bed.

[itsimplyrachel]

No package today.

[IrishHarps]

Sounds like he's eating healthier - that is a good thing! Keep it up :)

[itsimplyrachel]

Will his fur grow back after he is re-nourished?

[Mrs Skul]

:morning Hi Rachel
Yes the Fur will grow back. It will just takes some time. Did the PKG come? Call me today when you get a chance.
I will Contact Henry's Pets and see what is going on. It was suppose to be Next Day Delivery to You. :eek: I alls ordered me some things. I haven't gotten mine either. It is not like them to take this long. :shakehead
Did you find The Belgian Endive Lettuce? Ask if they will order it for you. :thinking I will text you a Picture of what it looks like. My Flyer LOVE IT!!!:thumbsup3
Do you have any Almond or Hazelnuts in a Shell? Offer them to him. It will help with his teeth. I am glad he is eating some New vegetables. Did he like the mushroom?