New here!!

[TANIA7120]

Hello everyone! Of course I am new here, due to my toothless cat bringing home a baby boy squirrel. He is lucky Papa is toothless, which means he had no cuts or injuries. I have had the baby since (I am guessing 3 weeks old) since his eyes were not open, opened 2 weeks after I rescued him. Now I am guessing he is approximately 8 weeks, and very active :)

I have him living in a bird cage at this time on top of my shelves to keep my 4 year old from the "cute little baby squirrel," as she calls him. All cats and dogs are NOT allowed in my room. However, I have questions on switching him onto a few solids for nibbling. He seems to be more attached to the milk/rice than he is anything solid at all. Today I tried a mix of corn/barley/pecan mix for him to chew on. I hope he will try it. Maybe try it when he is hungry? He seems like he tries to overfill on the milk/rice mixture.

Thank you in advance for any ideas!

[island rehabber]

hi Tania, and :Welcome. Thank you for rescuing this baby. Now we have to tell you to sit down, take a deeeeep breath, and prepare to change everything you're doing. :D

Have you visited our Baby Squirrel Care and Nutrition Forums yet? I'm not sure what you mean by milk/rice but if it's not Fox Valley Formula for Squirrels, your little one may be severely deficient in nutrients. He should be eating solid foods by now but may be seeking out the "milk" so much because he IS deficient in vitamins and their bodies tell them what they need.

First thing: go to www.foxvalleynutrition.com (http://www.foxvalleynutrition.com) and order a 1-lb bag of Day One Formula 20/50 for squirrels.
Second thing: Go to henryspets.com and order a 1-lb bag of Henry's Healthy Blocks, Growth Formula for squirrels. He'll get 1 or 2 per day.

The sooner your little guy is on these two foods the closer he will be to perfect squirrelly health. Diet is Job One, Two, and Three with these animals: poor diet results in a crippling disease called MBD and may kill him.

You'll see all the "good" veggies and fruits listed in our Nutrition Section under the Healthy Diet for pet Squirrels, but you can start him out on things like raw broccoli and cauliflower, a chunk of raw sweet potato, green beans, sugar snap peas in the pod, and dark green leafy veggies like kale, chickory and escarole.

Sorry to hit you with all this but milk/rice scares me and we want your squirrel to be as robustly healthy as he possibly can! :)

[TANIA7120]

I will do that today! Everything I read from rehabbers said he should totally wean off milk by 10 weeks of age? Is it sooner now? When he gets strong enough and old enough he needs to go back out, which is why I came here to get tips for later release as well :) I will do some more looking around :)

[island rehabber]

I will do that today! Everything I read from rehabbers said he should totally wean off milk by 10 weeks of age? Is it sooner now? When he gets strong enough and old enough he needs to go back out, which is why I came here to get tips for later release as well :) I will do some more looking around :)

No no -- don't wean him! Sorry if I was misleading.....we allow squirresl to wean themselves off formula when they are ready. The formula is a baby's insurance against calcium deficiency -- which may result in the dreaded MBD. Hopefully your guy will love the Fox Valley and will stay on it for another month or so. What I meant is that he should be eating solid foods now AS WELL AS the formula, so the Henry's blocks are a perfect way to get him into that, as well as the good veggies.

[TANIA7120]

Aaagh, ok :) LOL, just making sure I wasn't misreading anything :) The little guy is precious and deserves a chance for life. I want to do anything that will give him a better chance especially when it come to release :)

[island rehabber]

Aaagh, ok :) LOL, just making sure I wasn't misreading anything :) The little guy is precious and deserves a chance for life. I want to do anything that will give him a better chance especially when it come to release :)

Tania there is such a wealth of information here on TSB -- just grab a cup of your favorite beverage and start reading. We can walk you through the soft release process, too, when he's ready....it's the best way to reintroduce squirrels into the wild. And ask questions -- ask ask ask! We love to answer them! Oh and most important of all.....we LOVE pix. Post 'em if you got 'em!

[newsquirrelmommy]

:Welcome TANIA7120:D Cant wait to see pictures:D