how and what to feed my 6-week old baby now that he has to be left home from work

[tayloriley47]

Hey everyone,

My nearly 6-week old Indian palm squirrel has to be left home from work from Thursday onward since my boss is coming back to town. I cannot come home at lunch time and I am wondering what I should leave him to eat and how. I have read that he is not quite ready for solid food based on age but he has been ravenous and nibbly lately so in addition to formula (which he seems to be getting sick of) I gave him a teeny tiny piece of banana today, which he went crazy for.

I am thinking for Thursday onward when he will be at home 9 hours a day, I can leave him a thin layer of formula in a shallow dish? Could I maybe leave him a couple tiny pieces of banana? Let me know what you think!

PS: Be weary that I don't really have the resources, or access (let alone time) to get many things that would be readily available in the U.S.

[Rhapsody]

At this age you can go home for lunch and feed him his fox valley then leave him with a block of hhb along with some chopped vegetables from the # 1 & 2 list of the food pyramid and maybe an item from the wild plant section --he should be ok until you get home again to feed him. Dont forget to add a glass water bottle to the cage in case he gets thirsty while you are away.

A balanced Squirrel Diet:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32218

HHB Squirrel Block:
http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

[tayloriley47]

Ok, thanks. I cannot go home for lunch but hopefully he will be alright.

[atterialc]

when i had my baby squirrel i had the same problem. (i worked an hour away from home so lunch break feedings were not possible) I am def. not an expert, but i would feed before i left for work in the am, then when i got home, and kept an extra feeding during the night. basically i flipped his schedule untill he was able to eat just one the two feedings and the solids during the day.

[tayloriley47]

Ok thanks that helps a lot. I am planning on leaving just a tiny bit or formula in a wide saucer and then leaving a little mashed banana and veggies for him... I am going away this weekend I'm so worried but hopefully my housemate will take care of things! Crossing my fingers all is well, I'm a pretty obsessive mommy haha

[astra]

Ok thanks that helps a lot. I am planning on leaving just a tiny bit or formula in a wide saucer and then leaving a little mashed banana and veggies for him... I am going away this weekend I'm so worried but hopefully my housemate will take care of things! Crossing my fingers all is well, I'm a pretty obsessive mommy haha
banana is not a good first solid food choice.
Fruit should be introduced last, after block and veggie eating habits are established solidly and firmly.
Given the scrace resources in your area, you won't have much to experiment with in terms of block (i.e., trying different kinds of block to see which one he will like best if he turns out picky). If he does not take to eating block/block equivalent regularly, that will be a huge challenge.
Again, I don't know, but most likely it will be just one type of block/block equivalent. And if he does not learn to like it, it will be very tough for both of you.

Again, as was said before:
the first solid food should be block or its equivalent.
Veggies are ok, but NO fruit among his first solid foods.
If he develops a sweet tooth, his nutrition will be a problem.

Please contact (if you have not done so yet) the other two TSB members in India and use what they use as a block substitute. Put that with him.

If there is no block substitute, then, leave veggies - good green veggies from the Healthy Diet list.

[nkkritters]

When mine were 7 weeks, I had to leave them too. I pulverized rodent block mixed with mashed avocado. I also left then some yougurt with rice baby cereal. They really went for the avocado, then I fed them when I got home around 6, then 10 or 11 before bed. It all worked out well. As they got older I left other fruits, veggies and natural tree limbs etc.

[Itchiku's dad]

Yours is the 5 striped iirc. Asian squirrels wean very quickly. This could explain his lack of appetite for formula. Have you tried giving him formula from a dish yet. If he will eat it like this then you'll know that you can leave some for him.

South East Asian squirrels natural diets are high in fruit. This is because fruit is plentiful in their natural environment. Papaya is good as it has a high calcium to phosphorus ratio. There are no nuts or pines in this part of the world apart from coconuts really.

As for rodent block you've got more chance of nailing smoke to the wall than finding it out here. It will need to be crunchy too, as the other part of their natural diet is seeds.

I ordered HHb's in the end, but my boy's about as interested in them as he is in nuts. They're just something to hide and forget about.

[tayloriley47]

Thanks everybody. I've been feeding him whenever I can and he seems to be doing great. He's very active and growing like crazy! I worry about nutrition since I haven't found a close local pet store so he's still on the temporary formula. Even though he seems in great health, his fur may be a little duller and thicker than it should be. An Indian member suggested adding calcium carbonate, which my local pharmacy doesn't have but can order for me, does that sound like an ok idea? I also have people vitamins, but I am guessing that wouldn't be good for a squirrel... Still working on the solid food with your suggestions, would love to make a block myself but can't find whey so I'm not sure how...