sudden death of 4month old squirrel--??

[ValentineSquirrel]

Sadly and tragically, my 4month old squirrel ( :Love_Icon Buddy) died suddenly yesterday (at 1pm) All morning, he was active and playful, eating almonds, butternut squash seeds, romaine lettuce --normal & healthy.

Background:
He came to me at 6week old during a bad storm, he & his siblings (who all died then) fell out of their nest to the ground. He was soaking wet and cold, but otherwise no apparent injuries.
I nursed him and rehabbed him. He had been very active and healthy these last 2.5months until yesterday.

Death:
I found him on the floor with a small amount of blood and saliva coming from his mouth... he had been eating romain lettuce on the table above him right before (almost as if he just dropped dead to the floor).

NO warning signs of illness.
NO behavioral/mental change showing signs of poison ingestion.
NO signs of injury.
NO external damage.


I am left tremendously heartbroken and confused how this happened.

Can someone help suggest possible causes of this mystery death.

The knowledge of "What" potentially caused this will provide some closure, anxiety reduction, and prevention for any repeats in the future.

Thank you for your time and consideration... I love and miss my little Buddy.

Rachel

[SammysMom]

Rachel I am so sorry for your terrible loss :grouphug I am not an expert, but possibly something like an aneurism? Godspeed little Buddy...

[stepnstone]

Most likely diet related, sounds like your little one may have had a seizure.

A squirrels nutrition is the most important thing we as caretakers have to concentrate on. They may be eating whatever your feeding them well but if it's not balanced to provide their nutritional needs they can suddenly and without warning crash.

If you can tell us what all you were feeding him from the start, formula to solids, maybe it'll help us to guide you in the right direction if you should have another rescue.

Sorry about your loss... :grouphug

[Kelly Brady]

Stepnstone is correct, Quite often it is diet or lack there of. If you document the diet you gave buddy ie formula given as a baby etc, it will at least give us a chance to rule diet out.

I am so sorry you lost your Buddy. :grouphug

[sid'smommy]

My biggest fear :( RIP Buddy...

[ValentineSquirrel]

I fed him organic rice milk mixed with 1/2 dose kitten formula 4-6 times a day until he was ready for solid food. (1 dropper at each feeding)
which lasted about 3 weeks


Solid diet:
first 4 weeks:

continued rice milk from a bottle 2 times a day and:

cooked corn nibblets (cooled), 1/2 strawberry, romaine lettuce (2-3 leaves),

black sunflower seeds -free choice- (in the first few weeks of using his teeth, he preferred these)

Pistachios (plain roasted, not red) (15 nuts/day average)

weeks 5- now:

Romaine lettuce (2-3 leaves a day)

these nuts were free choice (in shell) for him to eat or hide every day:
almonds, pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, butternut squash seeds [recently he had been eating a lot of almonds and squash seeds]

zucchini, strawberry, pear (1/8 -1/4 of the whole fruit /per day) [depending on his appetite]

whole grain cracker (occasionally)

Water -free choice- daily


thank you for your help.
Sadly, It is still hard walking around my house and not having him here...still grieving and crying when seeing all the things that remind me of him.

Rachel

[sage4dylan]

No expert here, but do u think he could have choked on the lettuce somehow? It could be diet related but it seems like maybe there would have been some other signs before then? idk... so sorry for your loss.

[ValentineSquirrel]

I performed a modified "infant CPR"
When blew air into his lungs and belly, a gurgled sound and more blood/saliva mix came out of his nose & mouth. i could not revive him.

and (post mortem) i checked his throat for obstruction...a very small piece of lettuce was still in the back of his mouth.

(I realize i should have checked to clear his mouth first BEFORE CPR, but i was panicked when i found him and couldnt think straight--it all happened so fast.)



Rachel

[ValentineSquirrel]

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/546955_4528035333146_945210636_n.jpg

Buddy RIP
:Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

[CritterMom]

Aw, what a precious baby.

I want very much to lie to you because your grief is quite clear. But I think you really want to know, and I also know that once you raise one of these little gems, you will want to do it again, and I don't want to see anyone go through the hurt twice.

Squirrels have very exacting nutritional needs. They require quite a bit of calcium in their diet - their skeletons need it to provide for the flexibility and gymnastics that are part of their life.

There are a few things that will block calcium uptake, and one of the big ones is phosphorus. Now phosphorus is necessary in the diet, but what you are looking for is a balance of about 2 parts of calcium for every one part of phosphorus. This all means that no only do you have to make sure they get their calcium, you also have to make sure they don't get foods that are super high in phosphorus, or it will cancel out the calcium. And guess what - of course the highest phosphorus levels are found in the things they love the most.

Corn, sunflower seeds and cashews are all EXTREMELY high in phosphorus. Corn has one part calcium and 45 parts phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have one part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Cashews are 1 to 12. Pumpkin seeds are 1 to a whopping 27. Seeds, grains, and nuts usually have the highest levels of phosphorus.

We solve this diet dilemma by feeding either a specially made squirrel food that one of our members manufactures, or by feeding "rat block" which is an extruded diet made for rats, which are fairly close to squirrels in their dietary needs. These foods have the proper balance, and are combined with healthy veggies and occasional fruits to make up the total diet. Nuts are fed in very small quantity as treats only. Even among nuts there is a huge disparity - almonds are not all that bad, being 1 to 2 calcium to phosphorus. Hazelnuts are about the same. But pine nuts - they are 1 to 36. So even with treats we pick and chose.

This info is not that well known. They make commercial squirrel foods from corn and sunflower seeds! Most vets don't know, no pet store employees know - you need to really mine for this info if you are not lucky enough to have found a board like this early on.

In the absence of enough calcium, or the presence of too much phosphorus, the squirrel will begin to pull calcium from it's own bones to satisfy the need. It causes the bones to become very brittle. Once that has happened, you will finally begin to see symptoms - trouble walking sometimes, and very often, seizures. Because they hide their sickness so carefully, most people do not see problems until the situation is very advanced. His age is just when it hits, too - the baby formula has plenty of calcium but once they wean from it, the danger time begins.

BTW, kitten formula is not a good milk sub for them - and I am sure you were told to use it - VETS will tell you this for God's sake. It has too much protein and not enough fat. If this ever happens to you again, first, run to a health food store and get fresh goats milk and some vanilla yogurt, for a good temporary formula can be made from those items. Then come here, and we will hook you up with a place to get a formula specifically designed for baby squirrels, and we will help you every step of the way so you never have to go through this again.

I am so sorry about Buddy. My Mister P is literally the most important being in my life, and even thinking about losing him makes it hard for me to breathe, so I can imagine how you feel. I am so, so, sorry.:grouphug

[UDoWhat]

I am so sorry for your loss. :grouphug These wonderful babies come into our lives and steal our hearts:Love_Icon. Please do not think that any of us are being critical of you. You loved your baby and did what you thought was the very best for him. It does seem that his diet was insufficient for a baby squirrel's diet and nutritional needs. Their diets are so specific as other members have described to you.
When one squirrel comes into your life, others will follow. That is just how it is. Please stick around and read all you can about squirrel diet and nutrition. Another little one will find its way to you again. :grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

Rest peacefully little Squirrel:Love_Icon:Love_Icon

Marty

[SammysMom]

This is so well said as well as well meaning. :Love_Icon TSB is full of those of us who almost had this happen. My Sammy would never have made it without TSB. You tried your best and nobody here means anything except help and caring.


Aw, what a precious baby.

I want very much to lie to you because your grief is quite clear. But I think you really want to know, and I also know that once you raise one of these little gems, you will want to do it again, and I don't want to see anyone go through the hurt twice.

Squirrels have very exacting nutritional needs. They require quite a bit of calcium in their diet - their skeletons need it to provide for the flexibility and gymnastics that are part of their life.

There are a few things that will block calcium uptake, and one of the big ones is phosphorus. Now phosphorus is necessary in the diet, but what you are looking for is a balance of about 2 parts of calcium for every one part of phosphorus. This all means that no only do you have to make sure they get their calcium, you also have to make sure they don't get foods that are super high in phosphorus, or it will cancel out the calcium. And guess what - of course the highest phosphorus levels are found in the things they love the most.

Corn, sunflower seeds and cashews are all EXTREMELY high in phosphorus. Corn has one part calcium and 45 parts phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have one part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Cashews are 1 to 12. Pumpkin seeds are 1 to a whopping 27. Seeds, grains, and nuts usually have the highest levels of phosphorus.

We solve this diet dilemma by feeding either a specially made squirrel food that one of our members manufactures, or by feeding "rat block" which is an extruded diet made for rats, which are fairly close to squirrels in their dietary needs. These foods have the proper balance, and are combined with healthy veggies and occasional fruits to make up the total diet. Nuts are fed in very small quantity as treats only. Even among nuts there is a huge disparity - almonds are not all that bad, being 1 to 2 calcium to phosphorus. Hazelnuts are about the same. But pine nuts - they are 1 to 36. So even with treats we pick and chose.

This info is not that well known. They make commercial squirrel foods from corn and sunflower seeds! Most vets don't know, no pet store employees know - you need to really mine for this info if you are not lucky enough to have found a board like this early on.

In the absence of enough calcium, or the presence of too much phosphorus, the squirrel will begin to pull calcium from it's own bones to satisfy the need. It causes the bones to become very brittle. Once that has happened, you will finally begin to see symptoms - trouble walking sometimes, and very often, seizures. Because they hide their sickness so carefully, most people do not see problems until the situation is very advanced. His age is just when it hits, too - the baby formula has plenty of calcium but once they wean from it, the danger time begins.

BTW, kitten formula is not a good milk sub for them - and I am sure you were told to use it - VETS will tell you this for God's sake. It has too much protein and not enough fat. If this ever happens to you again, first, run to a health food store and get fresh goats milk and some vanilla yogurt, for a good temporary formula can be made from those items. Then come here, and we will hook you up with a place to get a formula specifically designed for baby squirrels, and we will help you every step of the way so you never have to go through this again.

I am so sorry about Buddy. My Mister P is literally the most important being in my life, and even thinking about losing him makes it hard for me to breathe, so I can imagine how you feel. I am so, so, sorry.:grouphug

[island rehabber]

Critter Mom is absolutely correct and explained it so well. My guess is that Buddy suffered from a critical imbalance of phosphorous - calcium which caused either a seizure or collapse and then a fall, which killed him. I am so sorry for your loss, ValentineSquirrel. Nutrition is SO critical with these animals.....more so even than reptiles, although similar to them with the extreme emphasis on calcium levels.

[CrazySquirrelLady]

Dear Rachel,

Sorry about Buddy. He was a really cute baby squirrel.

I know you will always miss and love him. We all know what it is like to lose your beloved, we are here for you.

I lost my first squirrel too, and now I have THREE! So true, once a squirrel comes into your life, others will follow.

We are here if you need us to lean on.

[stosh2010]

This is a food chart--PRINT IT & Keep it Handy
The first # is calcium

The second # is Phosphorus

Try to offer foods where the first # is equal to...or larger than the second #
When offering foods with a higher second #-- only give occasionally. as a treat...that is OKThe more phosphorus in the food--the more it DEPLETES the calcium in their bodies.
LOW Calcium is the cause of MBD ( Metabolic Bone Disease ) and leads to weakness in limb and grasp, seisure, stroke and DEATH...
AIM for HIGH Calcium foods
USE Squirrel Blocks ( Henry's Healthy Blocks )
Use calcium supplements ( powder to add to foods )
Offer Calcium chews ( avail. in PETCO etc.)


&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Wherever possible, the following data was collected from the USDA. The data for items (such as acorns, raw sweet potato, raw pumpkin, etc.) not listed by the USDA are marked with an asterisk (*), and data was collected from Bitelog.com. All foods, unless otherwise indicated, are listed in their raw form, and all calculations are based on milligrams per one hundred grams. Prepared by Jack D. Gill.

Fruits and Vegetables

Food Cacium:Phosphorus ratio Mg/ per 100g

Apple 1.0:1.8 Cranberries 1.0:1.6 Peas, Green 1:0:4.3
Apricots 1.0:1.8 Cucumber 1.0:1.5 Peas, Snow/Sugar 1.0:1.2
Aragula 3.1:1.0 Dandelion Grns 2.8:1.0 Pepper, Banana 1.0:2.3
Artichoke 1.0:5.6 Eggplant 1.0:2.8 Pepper, Green Swt. 1:0:2.0
Asparagus 1.0:2.2 Endive/Romaine 1.8:1.0 Pepper, Red Swt. 1.0:3.7
Avocado 1.0:4.3 Grapefruit 1.5:1.0 Persimmon 1:0:2.1
Banana 1.0:4.4 Grapes 1.0:2.0 Pineapple 1.6:1.0
Beans, Green 1.0:1.0 Guava 1.0:2.2 Plums 1.0:2.7
Beet Greens .9:1.0 Honeydew 1.0:1.8 Pomegranite 1.0:2.7
Beets 1.0:2.5 Huckleberry No data Potato 1.0:4.8
Blackberries 1.3:1.0 Kale* 2.4:1.0 Potato, Sweet* 1.0:1.6
Blueberries 1.0:2.0 Kiwi 1.0:1.0 Pumpkin* 1.0:2.1
Broccoli 1.0:1.4 Kohlrabi 1.0:1.9 Radishes 1.0:1.3
Brussel Sprouts 1.0:1.6 Kumquat 3.3:1.0 Raspberries 1.0:1.2
Cabbage, Green 40:26 1.0:1.5 Leeks 1.7:1.0 Rutabaga 1.0:1.2
Cabbage, Chin. 2.8:1.0 Lettuce, Green Lf* 1.2:1.0 Spinach 2.0:1.0
Cabbage, Red 1.5:1.0 Lettuce, Bibb 1.1:1.0 Squash, Summer (yellow, zucchini) 1.0:2.5
Cantaloupe 1.0:1.7 Lettuce, Iceberg 1.0:1.1 Squash, Winter (pmpkin, acrn, buttrnut, Hubbard) 1.2:1.0
Carrots 1.0:1.1 Lettuce, Romaine 1.8:1.0 Strawberries 1.0:1.5
Cauliflower 1.0:2.0 Mushrooms 1.0:28.7 Tangerine 1.9:1.0
Celery 1.7:1.0 Mustard Greens 2.4:1.0 Tomatoes 1.0:2.4
Chard 1.1:1.0 Okra* 1.3:1.0 Tomatoes, Green 1.0:2.2
Cilantro/Coriander 1.4:1.0 Onions, Green 1.9:1.0 Turnips 1.1:1.0
Cherries, Red 1.1:1.0 Onions, Mature 1.0:1.3 Turnip Greens* Cherries, Bing 1.0:1.6 Orange 2.9:1.0 Watercress 2.0:1.0
Collard Greens 14.5:1.0 Papaya 4.8:1.0 Watermelon 7:11 1.0:1.6
Corn, Raw* 1:0:44.5 Parsley 2.4:1.0
Corn, Dried Yellow* 1.0:13.8 Parsnips* 1.0:2.0
Passion Fruit 1.0:5.7
Peaches 1.0:3.3
Pear 1.0:1.2



Nuts and Seeds
Food Ca:Phos Mg/100g Acorn, Raw* 1.0:1.9 Hazelnut 1.0:1.7 Pumpkin Seed (unr) 1.0:27
Acorn, Dried* 1.0:1.9 Hickory Nut (no data) Pumpkin Seed, roast 1.0:27
Almonds, unroast 1.0:1.8 Macademia 70:198 1.0:2.8 Sesame Seed, toastd 1.0:5.9
Almonds, roasted 1.0:1.6 Peanuts, roasted 1.0:5.9 Sesame seed, whole 1.6:1.0
Brazil Nut 1.0:4.5 Peanut Butter 1.0:8.3 Sunflower Seed (unr) 1.0:8.5
Chestnut, roasted 1.0:5.9 Pecan 1.0:4.0 Sunflower Sd (roast) 1.0:13.1
Cashews 1.0:12.3 Pine Nut 1.0:35.9 Walnut 1.0:3.5

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I edited the chart-just a little. I left ONLY the RATIO numbers to make it easier to identify the problem foods.

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

so well put
Please don't beat yourself up , you didn't know and you know what......most us didnt know anything either, thats how we found this board, thats why this board started. Mistakes were made just as we made mistakes. This is how we larn so we we can continue to help the little guys. They wouldnt need as much help from us if we didnt cause most of their problems in the first place. Read the threads here, ask questions, learn..........it is so worth it.
welcome aboard




Aw, what a precious baby.

I want very much to lie to you because your grief is quite clear. But I think you really want to know, and I also know that once you raise one of these little gems, you will want to do it again, and I don't want to see anyone go through the hurt twice.

Squirrels have very exacting nutritional needs. They require quite a bit of calcium in their diet - their skeletons need it to provide for the flexibility and gymnastics that are part of their life.

There are a few things that will block calcium uptake, and one of the big ones is phosphorus. Now phosphorus is necessary in the diet, but what you are looking for is a balance of about 2 parts of calcium for every one part of phosphorus. This all means that no only do you have to make sure they get their calcium, you also have to make sure they don't get foods that are super high in phosphorus, or it will cancel out the calcium. And guess what - of course the highest phosphorus levels are found in the things they love the most.

Corn, sunflower seeds and cashews are all EXTREMELY high in phosphorus. Corn has one part calcium and 45 parts phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have one part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Cashews are 1 to 12. Pumpkin seeds are 1 to a whopping 27. Seeds, grains, and nuts usually have the highest levels of phosphorus.

We solve this diet dilemma by feeding either a specially made squirrel food that one of our members manufactures, or by feeding "rat block" which is an extruded diet made for rats, which are fairly close to squirrels in their dietary needs. These foods have the proper balance, and are combined with healthy veggies and occasional fruits to make up the total diet. Nuts are fed in very small quantity as treats only. Even among nuts there is a huge disparity - almonds are not all that bad, being 1 to 2 calcium to phosphorus. Hazelnuts are about the same. But pine nuts - they are 1 to 36. So even with treats we pick and chose.

This info is not that well known. They make commercial squirrel foods from corn and sunflower seeds! Most vets don't know, no pet store employees know - you need to really mine for this info if you are not lucky enough to have found a board like this early on.

In the absence of enough calcium, or the presence of too much phosphorus, the squirrel will begin to pull calcium from it's own bones to satisfy the need. It causes the bones to become very brittle. Once that has happened, you will finally begin to see symptoms - trouble walking sometimes, and very often, seizures. Because they hide their sickness so carefully, most people do not see problems until the situation is very advanced. His age is just when it hits, too - the baby formula has plenty of calcium but once they wean from it, the danger time begins.

BTW, kitten formula is not a good milk sub for them - and I am sure you were told to use it - VETS will tell you this for God's sake. It has too much protein and not enough fat. If this ever happens to you again, first, run to a health food store and get fresh goats milk and some vanilla yogurt, for a good temporary formula can be made from those items. Then come here, and we will hook you up with a place to get a formula specifically designed for baby squirrels, and we will help you every step of the way so you never have to go through this again.

I am so sorry about Buddy. My Mister P is literally the most important being in my life, and even thinking about losing him makes it hard for me to breathe, so I can imagine how you feel. I am so, so, sorry.:grouphug

[ValentineSquirrel]

Thank you for all the nutritional and care giving information. The added emotional support and encouragement is crucial to my grieving process. So, thank you for the positive regard. All of your medical expertise, advice and kind words have brought me closer to closure.

:shakehead Sadly, i am still crying and missing Buddy :squirrel1 :Love_Icon each day...but in time I will move forward --and thanks to your help, I will be prepared in the event another little squirrel needs my help.
Since I have 2 acres of oak trees & over 15 adult squirrels that live directly around my house (all day everyday), I find a high likelihood of the aforementioned need for my help. :innocent :squirrel1

Again, the support from you all has helped tremendously. THANK YOU!!!

Rachel

one more picture (sorry the size is so big...im working on resizing future pics) of buddy: RIP BUDDY my LOVE :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/18242_4584738470689_1748127850_n.jpg

[CritterMom]

Oh, I am very glad to see you back - I was afraid I had offended you with my response.

You may want to hang with us...we have qute a few members in the NY area. Baby season is over up here for a few months, but come spring, there will be people who overwhelmed with numbers that may need help. We also sometimes have rehabbers who end up with non releasable babies for one reason or other that need permanent homes. If you stick around, read the board, especially the nutritional info, and spend the winter learning, come spring, well who knows what will happen. Nothing can replace Buddy, but knowing that your intervention can save another life can be some pretty powerful medicine.

[Garden71]

Sorry for your loss...:grouphug
RIP Buddy :Squirrel :sad

[ValentineSquirrel]

Thank you very much for your compassion & support.
The "funeral" is tomorrow. :shakehead :sad :Squirrel
It's going to be hard to let him go (i've had a hard time letting him go)
...but i hope another will come into my life again.

--And at that time, with the help from the Squirrel Board, I WILL KNOW what he/she will need to grow up strong n healthy for a LONG LIFE.

Peace and hope to you all!

Best,
Rachel :Love_Icon

[Nancy in New York]

Thank you very much for your compassion & support.
The "funeral" is tomorrow. :shakehead :sad :Squirrel
It's going to be hard to let him go (i've had a hard time letting him go)
...but i hope another will come into my life again.

--And at that time, with the help from the Squirrel Board, I WILL KNOW what he/she will need to grow up strong n healthy for a LONG LIFE.

Peace and hope to you all!

Best,
Rachel :Love_Icon

I just saw that you are near Albany. Where abouts are you located, you can tell me in a pm if you don't want it posted.:thumbsup :)

[ValentineSquirrel]

south of albany
columbia county. near Kinderhook

[stepnstone]

Thank you very much for your compassion & support.
The "funeral" is tomorrow. :shakehead :sad :Squirrel
It's going to be hard to let him go (i've had a hard time letting him go)
...but i hope another will come into my life again.
--And at that time, with the help from the Squirrel Board, I WILL KNOW what he/she will need to grow up strong n healthy for a LONG LIFE.
Peace and hope to you all!
Best,
Rachel :Love_Icon

Once a squirrel has your heart, they never really leave...
Safe journey sweet Buddy, there is a whole new forrest that awaits you. :Love_Icon

Rachel :grouphug Buddy

[ValentineSquirrel]

thank you for the comfort. I need it :sad

[PennyCash]

Rachel, I am so sorry for your loss. I hope that you made it through yesterday ok. :grouphug

[ValentineSquirrel]

Watching all the videos of him playing and running around (hiding nuts, jumping and exploring) are a great comfort. He's super cute and so funny. :)

It's bittersweet, making me miss him :shakehead and love him, but watching his videos & pictures helps to keep the happy memories in the front of my mind and heart. :Love_Icon

Thank you for your compassion and reaching out to let me know you care...IT REALLY DOES HELP ME FEEL LESS SAD & LONELY... SO THANK YOU!!! :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

Rachel

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

:grouphug

[Preacher Nick]

Sadly and tragically, my 4month old squirrel ( :Love_Icon Buddy) died suddenly yesterday (at 1pm) All morning, he was active and playful, eating almonds, butternut squash seeds, romaine lettuce --normal & healthy.

Background:
He came to me at 6week old during a bad storm, he & his siblings (who all died then) fell out of their nest to the ground. He was soaking wet and cold, but otherwise no apparent injuries.
I nursed him and rehabbed him. He had been very active and healthy these last 2.5months until yesterday.

Death:
I found him on the floor with a small amount of blood and saliva coming from his mouth... he had been eating romain lettuce on the table above him right before (almost as if he just dropped dead to the floor).

NO warning signs of illness.
NO behavioral/mental change showing signs of poison ingestion.
NO signs of injury.
NO external damage.


I am left tremendously heartbroken and confused how this happened.

Can someone help suggest possible causes of this mystery death.

The knowledge of "What" potentially caused this will provide some closure, anxiety reduction, and prevention for any repeats in the future.

Thank you for your time and consideration... I love and miss my little Buddy.

Rachel

Rachel I feel your heartache. My deacon found a six week old gray squirrel in the back room of the sanctuary. They put him outside hoping that outside hoping that momma would come and get him. After the service was over he went to see if the little squirrel had gone. He was in the same spot and following him around like a little puppy. Not wanting to leave him to drown in the storm or be picked off by a predator our Deacon asked me to take care of him. We named him Church. He left 5 Happy Days. And then without warning or Reason fell ill while I was at work. My mom sid everything she could to keep him alive until I got home. Even bringing him with her when she came to pick me up. 10 minutes after we got home after wrapping him in my arms and telling him I loved him and telling God that if it was his will I would be okay if he took him, little Church passed away. Mom said it looked like he was having a seizure. I will be praying for you. And if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior I know you will see Buddy again. Just like I am going to see my Church again.

[SophieSquirrel]

So very sorry to hear of your loss of little Buddy and little Church :Squirrel. Your squirrel family on TSB is here for you in your time of grief. :grouphug

[Poky]

It sounds like anticoagulant poisoning to me.

[Poky]

Aw, what a precious baby.

I want very much to lie to you because your grief is quite clear. But I think you really want to know, and I also know that once you raise one of these little gems, you will want to do it again, and I don't want to see anyone go through the hurt twice.

Squirrels have very exacting nutritional needs. They require quite a bit of calcium in their diet - their skeletons need it to provide for the flexibility and gymnastics that are part of their life.

There are a few things that will block calcium uptake, and one of the big ones is phosphorus. Now phosphorus is necessary in the diet, but what you are looking for is a balance of about 2 parts of calcium for every one part of phosphorus. This all means that no only do you have to make sure they get their calcium, you also have to make sure they don't get foods that are super high in phosphorus, or it will cancel out the calcium. And guess what - of course the highest phosphorus levels are found in the things they love the most.

Corn, sunflower seeds and cashews are all EXTREMELY high in phosphorus. Corn has one part calcium and 45 parts phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have one part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Cashews are 1 to 12. Pumpkin seeds are 1 to a whopping 27. Seeds, grains, and nuts usually have the highest levels of phosphorus.

We solve this diet dilemma by feeding either a specially made squirrel food that one of our members manufactures, or by feeding "rat block" which is an extruded diet made for rats, which are fairly close to squirrels in their dietary needs. These foods have the proper balance, and are combined with healthy veggies and occasional fruits to make up the total diet. Nuts are fed in very small quantity as treats only. Even among nuts there is a huge disparity - almonds are not all that bad, being 1 to 2 calcium to phosphorus. Hazelnuts are about the same. But pine nuts - they are 1 to 36. So even with treats we pick and chose.

This info is not that well known. They make commercial squirrel foods from corn and sunflower seeds! Most vets don't know, no pet store employees know - you need to really mine for this info if you are not lucky enough to have found a board like this early on.

In the absence of enough calcium, or the presence of too much phosphorus, the squirrel will begin to pull calcium from it's own bones to satisfy the need. It causes the bones to become very brittle. Once that has happened, you will finally begin to see symptoms - trouble walking sometimes, and very often, seizures. Because they hide their sickness so carefully, most people do not see problems until the situation is very advanced. His age is just when it hits, too - the baby formula has plenty of calcium but once they wean from it, the danger time begins.

BTW, kitten formula is not a good milk sub for them - and I am sure you were told to use it - VETS will tell you this for God's sake. It has too much protein and not enough fat. If this ever happens to you again, first, run to a health food store and get fresh goats milk and some vanilla yogurt, for a good temporary formula can be made from those items. Then come here, and we will hook you up with a place to get a formula specifically designed for baby squirrels, and we will help you every step of the way so you never have to go through this again.

I am so sorry about Buddy. My Mister P is literally the most important being in my life, and even thinking about losing him makes it hard for me to breathe, so I can imagine how you feel. I am so, so, sorry.:grouphug

So you don’t think the squirrel choked and it was diet related?

[Spanky]

So you don’t think the squirrel choked and it was diet related?

This is an old thread from 2012, but given the age of the squirrel and the diet information provided the most likely cause was MBD. Squirrels in the care of humans have a demanding the diet... the calcium to phosphorous ration need to maintain a proper balance. It is hard (if not impossible) to maintain this balance with the perception that all formulas are equal (kitten formulas versus puppy formulas, brand X and Brand Y) there are even debates within the rehab community on which "squirrel" formulas are safe. Add to the the misconception that diet of corn, nuts and seeds are a balanced diet for a squirrel... this usually results in fatal disaster over time.

[Lbaum]

This is a very old thread but I came across this information a little late for one of my squirrels. I just hope I can keep his sister alive now that I have this information. So, thank you so very much!!!!


Aw, what a precious baby.

I want very much to lie to you because your grief is quite clear. But I think you really want to know, and I also know that once you raise one of these little gems, you will want to do it again, and I don't want to see anyone go through the hurt twice.

Squirrels have very exacting nutritional needs. They require quite a bit of calcium in their diet - their skeletons need it to provide for the flexibility and gymnastics that are part of their life.

There are a few things that will block calcium uptake, and one of the big ones is phosphorus. Now phosphorus is necessary in the diet, but what you are looking for is a balance of about 2 parts of calcium for every one part of phosphorus. This all means that no only do you have to make sure they get their calcium, you also have to make sure they don't get foods that are super high in phosphorus, or it will cancel out the calcium. And guess what - of course the highest phosphorus levels are found in the things they love the most.

Corn, sunflower seeds and cashews are all EXTREMELY high in phosphorus. Corn has one part calcium and 45 parts phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have one part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Cashews are 1 to 12. Pumpkin seeds are 1 to a whopping 27. Seeds, grains, and nuts usually have the highest levels of phosphorus.

We solve this diet dilemma by feeding either a specially made squirrel food that one of our members manufactures, or by feeding "rat block" which is an extruded diet made for rats, which are fairly close to squirrels in their dietary needs. These foods have the proper balance, and are combined with healthy veggies and occasional fruits to make up the total diet. Nuts are fed in very small quantity as treats only. Even among nuts there is a huge disparity - almonds are not all that bad, being 1 to 2 calcium to phosphorus. Hazelnuts are about the same. But pine nuts - they are 1 to 36. So even with treats we pick and chose.

This info is not that well known. They make commercial squirrel foods from corn and sunflower seeds! Most vets don't know, no pet store employees know - you need to really mine for this info if you are not lucky enough to have found a board like this early on.

In the absence of enough calcium, or the presence of too much phosphorus, the squirrel will begin to pull calcium from it's own bones to satisfy the need. It causes the bones to become very brittle. Once that has happened, you will finally begin to see symptoms - trouble walking sometimes, and very often, seizures. Because they hide their sickness so carefully, most people do not see problems until the situation is very advanced. His age is just when it hits, too - the baby formula has plenty of calcium but once they wean from it, the danger time begins.

BTW, kitten formula is not a good milk sub for them - and I am sure you were told to use it - VETS will tell you this for God's sake. It has too much protein and not enough fat. If this ever happens to you again, first, run to a health food store and get fresh goats milk and some vanilla yogurt, for a good temporary formula can be made from those items. Then come here, and we will hook you up with a place to get a formula specifically designed for baby squirrels, and we will help you every step of the way so you never have to go through this again.

I am so sorry about Buddy. My Mister P is literally the most important being in my life, and even thinking about losing him makes it hard for me to breathe, so I can imagine how you feel. I am so, so, sorry.:grouphug