My squirrel won't eat?

[Jessicaoliver]

I found baby two squirrel's in June when i was taking a walk.I waited for their mother to see if she would come back but she never did so i took them home.My vet told me to care for them until Spring then put them back in the area i found them.I have read instructions on sites on what to feed them and the pet store owner i had been buying the formula from told me how to care for them.Since they are bigger now I have been feeding them vegetables, rodent pellets and sunflower seed's then nut's and corn as treat's sometimes.I also give them calcium in their water.Today i noticed one of them wasn't eating, she mostly lays shivering with her eyes closed.I put different foods in front of her but she won't take anything, she did drink some water though.Does anyone know what i can do to help her?

[SammysMom]

Have you read about mbd? It is quite possible they have it due to poor nutrition.

[farrelli]

Yes, please check the nutrition thread to make sure your diet was good. It may not be, especially seeing that you've mentioned sunflower seeds, which should be treats at best.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32218

If the diet has been poor, it may indeed be MBD. Please see the following thread for treatment. We've had two MBD squirrels show up today here already and 2-3 others have died of it in the last week or so.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34495

Also, here's one of the threads from today where MBD has been suspected. It fleshes it out some more.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38266

I'm going to bed but some people are here all night. Just keep checking, tomorrow at the latest. If you think MBD might be it, start the treatment NOW. Put down your computer and go to the 7-11 and get the Tums. It can't hurt and could save your baby.

[farrelli]

Btw, the rodent blocks (Henry's are the best, as you'll see from those links) also contain vitamin D which helps with calcium absorption. Though you've been apparently introducing calcium the diet can counteract it (phosphorous levels) and with no vitamin D, it may be useless or not enough. Please DON"T feed him human vitamin D tabs though, it can be dangerous. Usually squirrels make their own D from sunlight exposure, but in captivity they have to get it from the blocks.

[Jessicaoliver]

thanks for the help.It does sound like she might have MBD but i'm not sure.If she is still sick in the morning i am going to try to put her on the diet.
i put her in a different cage so she wouldn't be able to eat any of the sunflower seeds. I got her to eat some pieces of chopped up broccoli and put her on a heating pad she got up and is moving around a little and drinking some more.

[gs1]

:grouphug if it is mbd get her on calcium now and be careful her bones are really brittle and might break very easily.

Mbd only shows up like this when it's very advanced ...

if you can start getting the calcium in her now she's got a better chance ...

you mentioned a littermate ... please start her on the same tums dosage - she's probably got mbd too and not showing it yet.

please keep us up to date (every couple of hours at least) this is a very, very dangerous disease for your squirrel.

i'm glad she's eating but she cannot eat enough to make up for the mbd... mbd means her bones have lost their calcium and have become very, very brittle. It will take her months to get back to normal (if she ever can).

:grouphug

the tums dosage if it's not mbd will not harm her especially short term ...

[SammysMom]

The best way to see if she does have MBD is to start her on Tums. If it is MBD, she will begin to show signs of improvement within days if not sooner. Please don't wait another minute! I am sure from her diet that even if she starts to act better without Tums, it will be short lived. MBD takes place over time and it is working on their bones even while they are acting healthy.
Do NOT delay! If you do the next thing you will see is a very sick squirrel who can't move. This is not a scare tactic it is the truth. I almost lost my Sammy to MBD and the people here helped me to save him. I did it by following their instructions to the letter!

[SammysMom]

I found baby two squirrel's in June when i was taking a walk.I waited for their mother to see if she would come back but she never did so i took them home.My vet told me to care for them until Spring then put them back in the area i found them.I have read instructions on sites on what to feed them and the pet store owner i had been buying the formula from told me how to care for them.Since they are bigger now I have been feeding them vegetables, rodent pellets and sunflower seed's then nut's and corn
as treat's sometimes.I also give them calcium in their water.Today i noticed one of them wasn't eating, she mostly lays shivering with her eyes closed.I put different foods in front of her but she won't take anything, she did drink some water though.Does anyone know what i can do to help her?
You MUST stop these foods and get rodent BLOCK, not pellets. These items that you mention actually can prevent your squirrels from absorbing what little calcium they are getting. It is best not to put anything in their water, but get it into them through a healthy diet. VERY important to listen to GS1's advice and treat both squirrels for MBD. They both have it, the other one just isn't showing the signs yet.

[Jessicaoliver]

After reading around other posts I went to walmart last night at almost 4 to look for tum's and was gone about 20 minutes, came home and she had passed away.She was near her food dish and there was blood all over the dish, she also had blood coming out of her mouth and nose would the MBD cause that? The other squirrel is a male and he act's alright but i will change his diet just in case.I didn't realize there was a difference between rodent pellets and block's. i feel really bad for giving her the wrong food.
Thank you everyone who helped.

[SammysMom]

Oh God Jessica, I am so sorry! Godspeed Little Girl...:Love_Icon
I want you to begin the MBD treatment with the little boy for a little while too. He is definitely in danger of MBD with the diet. Change his diet and use the Tums for a little while. You want to get him on the right track for sure!

[gs1]

oh no!!! i'm so sorry jessica that is horrible... i have never heard of this ... can you give us a little more information? is she a grey squirrel? a flyer?

:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

that is so sad... i'm so sorry ....

(yes the brother needs to start on the diet - other's will chime in).

[CrazySquirrelLady]

Sounds like an aneurysm burst with all the blood?

I'm no expert.

I am sorry your squirrel died. I am sure diet will need to be changed for the other squirrel still, the diet is not good you told us.

No corn, sunflower seeds and only 2 nuts per day as a treat after all the blocks have been eaten.

Will your squirrel eat yogurt in a shallow dish? that would be good for him.

You can get calcium powder from HenrysPets.com and sprinkle it in the yogurt or use the Fox Valley formula to add calcium to yogurt.

so sorry again about your loss.

rip little squirrel.