not sure what else to do

[nutz1]

I have a 3 year old squirrel. He remains in the house and is confined to a large cage. I have controlled his diet by giving him 60-80% of his diet as rodent blocks the rest fruits and veggies and a pecan daily for dessert. In the last 3-4 days he has become very sluggish and his appetite has declined. I am lucky if I get him to eat one rodent block a day. He is drinking water and will eat a few blueberries. But his intake has decreased by 70%. He doesnt appear to be in any respiratory distress but seems to be getting stiffer. So I am unsure if he is in pain. I have researched what is wrong with him but everything has the same symptoms. I read to give him an orange slice and give foods high in calcium. But I am having trouble just getting him to eat. He is drinking but im sure that has decreased with his food intake. I dont know how to treat him because I am not sure what is wrong with him.

[Nancy in New York]

I have a 3 year old squirrel. He remains in the house and is confined to a large cage. I have controlled his diet by giving him 60-80% of his diet as rodent blocks the rest fruits and veggies and a pecan daily for dessert. In the last 3-4 days he has become very sluggish and his appetite has declined. I am lucky if I get him to eat one rodent block a day. He is drinking water and will eat a few blueberries. But his intake has decreased by 70%. He doesnt appear to be in any respiratory distress but seems to be getting stiffer. So I am unsure if he is in pain. I have researched what is wrong with him but everything has the same symptoms. I read to give him an orange slice and give foods high in calcium. But I am having trouble just getting him to eat. He is drinking but im sure that has decreased with his food intake. I dont know how to treat him because I am not sure what is wrong with him.

Is there a possibility that he has fallen recently.
Have you given him any kind of hard nuts.
Does he ever have free roam?
Where in Arkansas are you located?
What kind of blocks does he eat.
Is he ever exposed to other animals?
Sorry so many questions, it will help us to
eliminate some concerns.
Can you post a picture?

[Charley Chuckles]

Does he get sun/or a D3 replacement :thinking He needs to be able to run around several times a day, unless he has a large room. Nancy would the MBD protocol be a thing to try here, no mater what the diet :dono
Sure hope he gets better soon, it is so worrisome when our babies don't feel good :grouphug

[Nancy in New York]

Does he get sun/or a D3 replacement :thinking He needs to be able to run around several times a day, unless he has a large room. Nancy would the MBD protocol be a thing to try here, no mater what the diet :dono
Sure hope he gets better soon, it is so worrisome when our babies don't feel good :grouphug

The diet looks "ok", but there are no leafy greens, and does he actually eat the block? Fruits are more of a treat food, as we don't recommmend lots of fruit....so my thought is that the MDB protocol would not be a bad thing at all, and may acutally help.
Here's a link to the protocol.

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

And a link to the healthy diet.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39275

[island rehabber]

He needs sunlight, or (a poor substitute) at least a UV lamp. Even the best diet in the world is useless if the squirrel gets no natural sunlight to metabolize the calcium he needs. This may explain his stiffness and lethargy. Can you put his cage out on a terrace or porch near a window with no screen?

[Charley Chuckles]

I agree Nancy :thumbsup

[Charley Chuckles]

He needs sunlight, or (a poor substitute) at least a UV lamp. Even the best diet in the world is useless if the squirrel gets no natural sunlight to metabolize the calcium he needs. This may explain his stiffness and lethargy. Can you put his cage out on a terrace or porch, or near a window with no screen, and open it?
Absolutely he needs sun as well:thumbsup

[nutz1]

We live in eastern arkansas. He has been eating the forti diet pro health rodent blocks. I have not been giving him green leafy veggies until he got sick and I read they are higher in calcium. In the last 2 days I have got him to eat 2 small branches of broccoli, 1/2 of a small orange slice and 4 -5 blueberries. He has only ate 1 1/2 rodent blocks. This is not his normal diet as the rodent blocks are the main thing he eats but I have been desperate and just trying to get something in him. I did follow the directions I saw about putting him in a smaller cage and making sure he is warm. I have had him for 3 years and his diet has not changed any during this time. I am just surprised that he is just now showing signs of not getting enough calcium. Also his cage stays in front of french doors that i open everyday for him to get fresh air. They have blinds in them but they remain open. We did however go on a weeks trip. I believe the blinds on the doors may have remained close during that time. So could the week without his normal amount of sun caused this to happen so quickly?

[Monipenny]

You could put a dab of molasses in his mouth, it is high in calcium and will regulate his blood sugar level which could be low due to not eating very much. You should see immediate improvements but this does not correct MBD, that will require long term treatment.

I would recommend changing the blocks to Henry's healthy blocks found here www.henryspets.com Get the one for picky eaters since he may not take to these readily since he wasn't raised on them.

[TubeDriver]

Some of the more energy efficient windows block out UV and other light that might be beneficial for vit D synthesis. Old style, plain glass windows does this as well but not as much.

[CritterMom]

OK, normally, how many of the Forti-Diet does he eat a day?

The problem with the commercial rodent blocks is that they are not very tasty and while they have the calcium to phosphorus levels we are looking for, I do not believe that most squirrels eat enough of them - which is like 7 or 8 a day - to actually get the nutrition they need. That is the whole reason Leigh made the HHBs as concentrated as they are - 2 a day is a lot more realisting than 8 a day.

It is possible that this is a really gradual MBD case - probably took years to get there - caused by inadequate nutrition. I would order a bag of the Henry's Picky Blocks from www.henryspets.com immediately, and I would start the MBD protocol.