Trooper
04-05-2013, 03:55 PM
I am writing as a member of this forum and caretaker of my Easter Grey male squirrel Trooper, who has been in my care since August 2011.
MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) is a devastating ailment the sciurus family seem to suffer while in captivity, while there are unconfirmed cases of MBD in the wild. The reasons for this response difference to nutrition is not the focus of this thread, but to communicate that I have discovered a new form of calcium, now being made available for human consumption, that is soluble in neutral (pH 7.0) and slightly acidic media (< pH 7.0).
Why this is great news?..because currently available forms of calcium and its compounds salts do not readily and quickly dissolve in neutral media (like tap water) but only in acidic media (vinegar, citric acid, hydrocloric acid, etc) with pH lower then 7.0 which is the neutral water coming out of your tap.
This new form of calcium discovery will allow the intake of this mineral without having to eat it in a solid form and allow the gastric acid to solubilize it. It means we can dissolve calcium in plain neutral water and give it to our squirrels in thier water. Better yet we can give it to the wild ones as well.
Since the dissolution of this form of calcium is complete in water, without major grit residue undissolved (a small amount of calcium impurities will not dissolve and can be discarded), the water looks like plain one and not too milky. Another major advantage of this solubility is the bioavailability of the dissolved calcium to mammals who can take it in this new water-dissolved form, meaning less amount of calcium is required to be given to obtain the same results as when regular forms of calcium are administered and it will be transported by the bloodstream more easlily.
I love my Trooper, and since I work in the scientific field, it galled me that I could one day, inadvertently give him MBD. As such, I started 12 months ago a research project that led to this discovery.
Yet, my science can never overcome the experience some of you on this forum posses. I wanted to find out what is the commonly agreed amount of calcium intake to phosphorous ratio that squirrels (sciurus carolinensis) require on a daily basis (RDA)?
Your help in this project will be appreciated,
Thanks, Trooper's dad.
MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) is a devastating ailment the sciurus family seem to suffer while in captivity, while there are unconfirmed cases of MBD in the wild. The reasons for this response difference to nutrition is not the focus of this thread, but to communicate that I have discovered a new form of calcium, now being made available for human consumption, that is soluble in neutral (pH 7.0) and slightly acidic media (< pH 7.0).
Why this is great news?..because currently available forms of calcium and its compounds salts do not readily and quickly dissolve in neutral media (like tap water) but only in acidic media (vinegar, citric acid, hydrocloric acid, etc) with pH lower then 7.0 which is the neutral water coming out of your tap.
This new form of calcium discovery will allow the intake of this mineral without having to eat it in a solid form and allow the gastric acid to solubilize it. It means we can dissolve calcium in plain neutral water and give it to our squirrels in thier water. Better yet we can give it to the wild ones as well.
Since the dissolution of this form of calcium is complete in water, without major grit residue undissolved (a small amount of calcium impurities will not dissolve and can be discarded), the water looks like plain one and not too milky. Another major advantage of this solubility is the bioavailability of the dissolved calcium to mammals who can take it in this new water-dissolved form, meaning less amount of calcium is required to be given to obtain the same results as when regular forms of calcium are administered and it will be transported by the bloodstream more easlily.
I love my Trooper, and since I work in the scientific field, it galled me that I could one day, inadvertently give him MBD. As such, I started 12 months ago a research project that led to this discovery.
Yet, my science can never overcome the experience some of you on this forum posses. I wanted to find out what is the commonly agreed amount of calcium intake to phosphorous ratio that squirrels (sciurus carolinensis) require on a daily basis (RDA)?
Your help in this project will be appreciated,
Thanks, Trooper's dad.