red squirrel problems

[thundersquirrel]

we wintered over a red squirrel (alone) from last fall. when we got him, he was somewhat young but not a baby, and he came with a sister. his sister was injured, and she died.

now it's spring, and we want to release him soon, but he's having leg problems. he has trouble climbing, and even walking. he spends most of his time in his nest. when he's out, he'll make very sad but angry noises at us, but he won't move very much. it's like he's frozen to the spot.

when he does "walk", he kinda hops his back legs forward, as if his feet don't work. when he climbs, it's very jerky, since he pretty much hops then, too.

we can't release him like this. he'd die. we just aren't sure why this happened. we've been giving him a well-rounded diet. could this just be a muscle problem, from lack of use? has anyone ever had this happen before? what can we do to fix this?

at this point we plan on getting him into a bigger cage, putting him outside more often, and generally tempting him with release. but i have a feeling that won't be enough.

[island rehabber]

TS it soudns as if he's either injured himself somehow in his enclosure, or -- and I hate saying this -- classic MBD symptoms. Is it at all possible that he was being given all the right foods but for whatever reason wasn't eating them? Can you get him a calcium shot from the vet and start building up his calcium for a few weeks, then see what happens? Poor little guy.

[Liza]

That sounds kinda scary! Is this a new development, or has he always been that way? I agree that he could not be released in that condition... I don't think it is simply a case of being overwintered in a cage though. I overwintered 3 reds that were almost (but not quite) releasable age last fall. They spent the winter in a cockatiel flight cage in my living room. . They are now mature young adults and we are working on a slow, soft release. None of them had huge amounts of space for large muscle building this winter ... and they are still totally coordinated!! As a matter of fact, they are little fireballs!!! They are so excited about getting out into the big, real world that they just go CRAZY!! So if your guy is not active, stays in his nest alot, and seems uncoordinated, there is something seriously wrong.

Has he been getting the calcium and full spec light he needs? Was he injured when he came to you? What did the female die from? (there are viruses, poisons/toxins, etc that can cause brain and/or neurological damage- maybe they both had the same issue only he survived it with some damage and she didn't?)

Is there a chance that a good vet could look him over? I sure hope it turns out to be something simple to fix.... Reds just seem to be more freedom-oriented than the rest. It would be a shame to see him unreleasable.

Liza, mom to children, fuzzy and smooth

[Abacat]

TS,
Does he turn his feet under when he tries to walk? How was his sister injured, and are you sure he wasn't also injured? The reason I ask is because Riley (also a red ) when I first got him had taken quite a fall from a good distance up...He could not walk correctly for over a week, was very wobbly and hopped around like you said...He stayed in a cat carrier for the first week because I was afraid he'd try to climb and injure himself more. Slowly but surely, he became able to move about, at first I thought Oh God, nerve damage...but he seems just fine now...almost 4 months later. Keep us posted. Good Luck !

[thundersquirrel]

IR- we've been giving him corn, hardnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, apple, grapes, almonds, pine cones and spruce branches (to nibble) and vitamin water. we've offered broccoli but he doesn't eat it.

currently he spends most of his time next to a large window, and on nice days we open it so that he gets fresh air.

a calcium shot sounds interesting; is that what it's called, or is there a brand of meds to use? and how much would we give him (he's a little smaller than an average red squirrel)?

we can get him to a vet, it's just that we need to be able to tell the vet what to do.

he was not always like this, though he was very timid when we first got him. his sister was also. if i remember correctly, she died from a cat bite. we checked him over for bites, but he was fine. i think he just wanted to stick by his sister when they were found.

i'm 95% sure that this is diet/housing/long-term related. the problems with his cage include 1) it's small 2) he can only climb on one side because the other sides have vertical bars 3) he's been in there since november, at least.

i really wish i could just let him go, cause he's miserable, but we gotta get him better. :(

[Velvet Squirrel]

One, yes you can tell a vet that they need a calcium shot. I have done this a number of time with WILD squirrels. Two depending on how many sunflower seeds and almonds they get...although these are fattening and will put weight on them along with peanuts, they depleate calcium if given to many. Probably why we have had wild squirrels with MBD. They eat way to many sunflower seeds and peanuts from all the bird feeders around that they rob. But I have known of squirrels hopping and swinging and playing in their cages who have made a quick turn while holding on to the caging and actually broken or dislocated their hips. Maybe you need to have the little one X-rayed. There are just to many operables here.

[island rehabber]

Maybe you need to have the little one X-rayed. There are just to many operables here.

TS I would have him x-rayed as Velvet Squirrel suggests to rule out anything broken. Then a few weeks unders a full spectrum light by day, with calcium supplements, assuming there's nothing worse going on. I truly hope you see an improvement in him. :)