Pet squirrel foaming from mouth!

[Cassie6409]

I have a paralyzed squirrel. I have had her since she was 3 weeks old and she is almost a year old. She lives inside my house in a cage and have not had any problems with her besides her being paralyzed. She is sweet to me and will let me give her kisses on her cheek. I just went in to check on her to give her food and she was acting funny and running around in her cage growling. I picked her up to take her to the bathroom and see that she is foaming from her mouth and she is very angry, chattering her teeth at me and she NEVER does that to me. She keeps taking one of her hands and wiping her mouth and tongue...she is breathing fast like she does when she is scared...whats going on? I need help please i dont want my baby to die!

[stepnstone]

I have a paralyzed squirrel. I have had her since she was 3 weeks old and she is almost a year old. She lives inside my house in a cage and have not had any problems with her besides her being paralyzed. She is sweet to me and will let me give her kisses on her cheek. I just went in to check on her to give her food and she was acting funny and running around in her cage growling. I picked her up to take her to the bathroom and see that she is foaming from her mouth and she is very angry, chattering her teeth at me and she NEVER does that to me. She keeps taking one of her hands and wiping her mouth and tongue...she is breathing fast like she does when she is scared...whats going on? I need help please i dont want my baby to die!

First thing that comes to mind is what has she eaten? What was in the cage with her?
Breathing fast could be a number of things including stress.
Sounds like she got something in her mouth that is irratating her, can you look in her mouth to see if anything is caught and tell what it looks like. Check her teeth. Maybe try and flush her mouth out with some warm water after checking that out.

[farrelli]

Also, please tell us what she eats daily.

[Unikorngrrl]

The foaming could very well be a seizure... What has she been eating everyday. What is her regular diet???

[farrelli]

I PM'd her to come back, but in case she does and no one is up (I"m headed to bed), I'm just going to put the MBD thing out there. I too was thinking seizure, and MBD can cause seizures.

So Cassie6409, if your squirrel has a diet of veggies, fruits, and nuts, chances are that she's deprived of calcium and could have MBD which could be causing the problems you are seeing. If so, please check out the following link and start treatment IMMEDIATELY. Don't wait until tomorrow.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?34495-Emergency-Treatment-of-Metabolic-Bone-Disease-(MBD)

[stepnstone]

I have a paralyzed squirrel. I have had her since she was 3 weeks old and she is almost a year old. She lives inside my house in a cage and have not had any problems with her besides her being paralyzed. She is sweet to me and will let me give her kisses on her cheek. I just went in to check on her to give her food and she was acting funny and running around in her cage growling. I picked her up to take her to the bathroom and see that she is foaming from her mouth and she is very angry, chattering her teeth at me and she NEVER does that to me. She keeps taking one of her hands and wiping her mouth and tongue...she is breathing fast like she does when she is scared...whats going on? I need help please i dont want my baby to die!

That would have to be a pretty "active" seizure...??
Foaming at the mouth does not always equate to seizure,
not every scenario equates to mbd.
We need more facts...

[sassysquirrel]

Where in Arkansas are you?

I live in Texarkana. I have access to vet care.

[Unikorngrrl]

Yeah, Step, that's why I said could be. However the teeth grinding, foaming, growling and anger are all signals of discomfort that are relative to seizures for sure. Many animals present in this manner after a seizure. Many parents miss the signals in fact. In the same token, we DEFINITELY need much more information...for all we know at this point, she could have eaten something she didn't like...

[pappy1264]

First two things that come to mind are seizure or possible getting into something.

[Cassie6409]

Sorry I didnt get back on. I went and checked on her before I went to bed and she was fine! She let me love on her and everything. I thought she was choking bu the way she was acting but she wouldn't let me in her mouth at that time. And i'm a nurse and noticed her right eye was twitchig while the left was not, which I was thinking seizure last night. I have not given her anything out of the norm, i do give her fruits, veggies, yogurt treats, bread and pecans and almonds....if there is more Im not giving her then I will go to the link that was posted...ya'll think her calicium was deficient?

[pappy1264]

Yes, from what you listed, it sounds very likely to be MBD. Here is the emergency treatment for MBD:

Emergency Treatment for Metabolic Bone Disease (updated 3-31-09)

Get calcium into the squirrel IMMEDIATELY, not later, not tomorrow, NOW. Delaying treatment can cause death or permanent paralysis.

You will need:

--Tums or calcium pills (any kind)
--a syringe, eyedropper, or spoon

Crush one Tums or calcium pill and add a little water or fruit juice. Use the syringe, eyedropper, or spoon to force-feed the mixture, a little at a time, until it is all gone. Feed a total of 600-800 mg of calcium, and spread it out through the day and night to keep his blood calcium levels as steady as possible.

If the squirrel is having seizures, weakness, or paralysis, the symptoms will usually improve within a few hours, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take many months to rebuild the calcium in the bones.

Long-Term Treatment for MBD

The next step to curing MBD is to fix the diet.

1. Remove ALL seeds, nuts, corn, and treats.

2. Follow the Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels, which can be found at the top of the “Squirrel Nutrition” forum. (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=16093) Your squirrel MUST eat rodent block or squirrel blocks every day. If your squirrel doesn't like rodent blocks, you can try crushing them up with peanut butter or avocado temporarily. You can also make a tastier version of squirrel blocks using the recipe at the top of the Squirrel Nutrition forum.

3. In addition to the Healthy Diet, you will need to continue giving extra calcium every day for several weeks. Either use the syringe/eyedropper or you can try putting the calcium on a small piece of fruit.

Week 1: calcium = 500 mg per day
Week 2: calcium = 250 mg per day
Weeks 3-8: calcium = 100 mg per day

The cause of the acute symptoms—weakness, lethargy, seizures, paralysis—is a drop in blood calcium levels. If these symptoms return at any time, you will need to give another emergency dose of calcium.

More Tips
MBD causes brittle bones that break easily. Try to keep your squirrel away from high places, where he might jump and break a bone. Also, if he is in a tall cage, either place him in a smaller cage, or pad the bottom very well.

Heat is very soothing for a squirrel with MBD. A heating pad turned to low and placed so they cannot chew the pad or cord, or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans and microwaved for about 20 seconds) will work.

Administration

[pappy1264]

Does she get any type of rodent block? How many nuts a day is she getting?

[farrelli]

Indeed, if that is her diet, you should start the MBD protocol immediately and also change her diet immediately. A poor diet is the cause of most of the ills we see here. The following is the chart for a healthy diet. Rodent blocks should form the bulk of a diet.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?39275-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-(Revised-2-13)

[TubeDriver]

Just to echo what was said here, based on her diet you need to start MBD treatment NOW.

pappy1264's thread above details what needs to be done ASAP.


Good Luck, I hope you can get to her in time!

[Cassie6409]

Ok I have had another squirrel in the past and never had any problems, but I will definitely change her diet!! Thank you so much!

[farrelli]

You should also start the MBD treatment, immediately. We've very serious about this. It happens so often and squirrels hide so much. It's so sad and so preventable. Your squirrel really needs you right now!

Btw, if you buy the Henry's blocks, he should get two a day if a gray, and three if a fox.

[farrelli]

Btw, ho long did that other squirrel live? Eight years is about the minimum for one on a good diet. The record, I think, is 20 years.

[Squirrel Girls Mom]

However the teeth grinding, foaming, growling and anger are all signals of discomfort that are relative to seizures for sure. Many animals present in this manner after a seizure.

Daisy did all of the above when she started having seizures. She was chattering and banging in to the sides of her cage. The vet said that was normal after seizures. She said that they could start doing it just before a seizure, also.

[Squirrel Girls Mom]

Ok I have had another squirrel in the past and never had any problems, but I will definitely change her diet!! Thank you so much!

Cassie6409, you said your squirrel was paralyzed. Is her paralysis due to a spinal injury or a head injury/neurological damage? Do you know? The reason I'm asking is because a squirrel with a past head injury will sometimes have scar tissue that grows as they get older and it can, and often does, induce seizures. This is what happened to one of my squirrels. She'd had a severe concussion that caused blindness and other issues.

I would certainly start the MBD treatment and tweak her diet, but keep the head injury info in mind for future reference. :thumbsup I'll pray for your little girl. I know it's so hard to see them seizing and so upset. :grouphug

Please let us know how everything goes with her. :Love_Icon

[stepnstone]

Ok I have had another squirrel in the past and never had any problems, but I will definitely change her diet!! Thank you so much!

If it was given the same diet as this one I doubt that you got lucky, you also said "had." How long did you have it is the question and what happened to it?
Squirrels have a natural wild instinct not to demonstrate weakness as it leaves them subject to predators. In many cases squirrels are lost to mbd without any viable warnings or signs, diet is always the key culprit.
In the wild they know how and what to eat to balance their nutritional needs, they eat an extensive variety of things most would never imagine them eating. In captivity they have to depend on us to keep their nutrition in balance, a good quality rodent block is a must have for that nutritional balance.

If you've been given a sign consider yourself lucky and take it very seriously! Mbd can be treated but mbd will kill if left untreated and diet not corrected.

[stepnstone]

a squirrel with a past head injury will sometimes have scar tissue that grows as they get older and it can, and often does, induce seizures.
:thumbsup :goodpost

I have no personal experience in this area but it did cross my mind,

the diet is still an issue...

[Cassie6409]

Ok I don't abuse my animals so yes I have gave the tums and she took it like a champ. Im not sure why she is paralyzed? My mom found her in the yard and her eyes were still closed when I got her and she was VERY dehydrated I had to spend countless hours with her she almost died. She has never had any problems getting around though she is very fast to be paralyzed. My other squirrel i had for three years I just gave him to my grandma a few months ago so he is STILL alive and i raised him since he was about 10 weeks old. I never had problems with him so I didn't know i was doing anything wrong. I don't know where to get the rodent blocks is the only way to order then online? I always give my squirrels deer antlers too cause I have heard they chew on the for the calcium. But sandy is very very picky with the foods i give her my other squirrel was NEVER as picky as this one is.

[farrelli]

The best rodent blocks are from Henry's and can be gotten at the following website. You'd want the adult ones or the Picky Eaters ones if you think she might not go for the regular ones. You should feed two blocks a day for a gray and three for a fox. A bag should last you about a month and should be kept in the fidge if opened and in the freezer if if's going to be stored for awhile. Your best best is to buy a few bags at once because it's flat rate shipping.

http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

If these blocks are too expensive for you, there are cheaper blocks available but your best bet would be to give at least one Henry's block (HHB) a day combined with the cheaper blocks like Kaytee Forti Diet, Mazuri, etc., which you can buy at local pet stores.

Really, feeding these EVERY DAY is very, very important and both of your squirrels should have their diet changed immediately. I can't tell you how critical this is to having a happy, healthy, long lived squirrel.

[Cassie6409]

Ok thank you! I will order some, i have been giving her the tums and she seems to be a little more energetic. I appreciate the help!

[Unikorngrrl]

Ok thank you! I will order some, i have been giving her the tums and she seems to be a little more energetic. I appreciate the help!

If she's picky you may want to order the picky formula of HHBs (Henry's Healthy blocks) from Henry's. Also the squirrel you gave to you grandma should have them. In the wild they manage their own diet (which is very delicate and tricky), but since they can't forage in captivity, we have to manage it for them. I can here at first for the same reason, my flyer had MBD from the diet I was feeding him and that was just this past April. Many of us have been there, you are not alone!! Did they give you links to the healthy diet? I didn't go back and read. I'll post a link to the nutrition forum just in case so you'll have it. You're going to have to show her tough love. She has to eat the blocks period, so don't give in and give her anything else. She won't starve herself, but she'll surely make you feel guilty!!! They're GREAT at it!! Good Luck!! :thumbsup

Nutrition forum: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?191-Squirrel-Nutrition

[Cassie6409]

Ok I have a question. I got the rodent blocks in today, i was so excited! Sandy is eating it!!! But every time i go to the links for nutrition it will say no longer exists? How do I need to do her diet? Give her the 2 rodent blocks per day then fruits and veggies as treats? Or what? And i have been still giving her calcium and spreading it out throughout the day...

[farrelli]

Here's the link again:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?39275-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-%28Revised-2-13%29

Two blocks a day for a gray, three for a fox. Keep in fridge. Freezer for longer storage. Unless you're treating for MBD, additional calcium is usually not needed when eating HHBs.

[Cassie6409]

Ok thank you!