Boo Ball Variation?

[Crys]

So I was looking for the homemade HHB recipe but found the boo ball recipe instead. My little guy is a healthy grey squirrel, he is a NR due to a head injury resulting in a blind eye as determined by my friend and store vet who also owns 2 NR greys. He is about 10-12 weeks now. I am letting him self-wean, however he has started to not want the formula as much which is FV.

I work at Petsmart, and we use kaytee forti-diet for all of our small animals, which I saw is one of the reccomended blocks. I wouldn't mind trying HHB since it is formulated for squirrels, but I would rather use forti-diet as I get this for free from store-use (not every PS employee does this, I just happen to have cool managers). I'm sure you can see why I want to try him on the forti-diet first.

I had laid the blocks out for him and he would nibble but nothing really major. So I decided to try the recipe. I crushed the blocks with a hammer into a dust, and added a bit of powdered FV formula to it. To make it into a doughy consistency I added a small amount of plain yogurt and organic baby food (just enough to be able to mold it, but not sticky or overly wet).

After I gave these to him (2 small balls), he devoured them immediately and loved them completely. I was pretty surprised, he also refuses his formula now and drinks water from a water bottle successfully.

Questions:

Do I need to add any probiotics or vitamins since I am using mainly blocks and formula plus yogurt?

Can I eventually quit adding formula and only block?

If he never wants to eat a dry block is this okay to feed everyday since it has no added ingredients really?

When should I be able to supplement with veggies and wild foods since my main objective was to get him to eat his blocks before developing a taste for anything else?

:thankyou:thankyou for any advice

[Duckman]

I'll chime in here and if I am incorrect, someone will let me know. :grin2



Questions:

Do I need to add any probiotics or vitamins since I am using mainly blocks and formula plus yogurt?

You shouldn't need to add anything to them, if you're using the forti diet in place of the rodent block. Mostly the same thing.


Can I eventually quit adding formula and only block?

I recommend (and I have seen that TSB also recommends) letting the little guy wean himself, when he is ready. He is about the average age to where he will start cutting back on his desire to drink formula, especially since you are introducing more solids to his diet now. Don't stop formula though, until he stops wanting it. Trust me, HE will let you know!


If he never wants to eat a dry block is this okay to feed everyday since it has no added ingredients really?

I was told not to feed the Boo Balls as the main staple, because of the need to regulate their calcium and vitamin intake. That is why Blue Belle is eating mostly soft HHB's (Homemade) and I make Boo Balls as a treat for her.


When should I be able to supplement with veggies and wild foods since my main objective was to get him to eat his blocks before developing a taste for anything else?

If you are introducing block, you can start offering him small amounts of veggies. Make sure it is small amounts once a day, until he is weaned totally though. As for wild foods, I am not clear what you consider wild foods in your area. I would be careful with those (although I was giving Rex Dandielions when he was 2 months old, in very small amounts). If he isn't eating his block though, then withhold the extra until he eats his "Dinner" first. Rex's and the Girl's goodies are always treated as dessert and the squirrel block is "Dinner". Once they eat their block, they get dessert in the evening. It has worked out great (Blue Belle has teeth problems, so she has to finish her HHB's before she get "Dessert" which is usually Veggies and a Hazelnut)!

Hope this helps! Don't forget pictures though! We require pictures in exchange for advice! (j/k, but we do like pictures!) :grin3

[Crys]

I recommend (and I have seen that TSB also recommends) letting the little guy wean himself, when he is ready. He is about the average age to where he will start cutting back on his desire to drink formula, especially since you are introducing more solids to his diet now. Don't stop formula though, until he stops wanting it. Trust me, HE will let you know!

I did read that and my vet suggested that earlier in the road, and that's my problem haha. He has started refusing his FV, pushing it away and refusing to drink any. That's why I am wanting him to like his blocks because he did not want to drink formula yet he did not want anything else, That's why I combined crushed block with yogurt and baby food to make it more moist and appetizing which worked well.




I was told not to feed the Boo Balls as the main staple, because of the need to regulate their calcium and vitamin intake. That is why Blue Belle is eating mostly soft HHB's (Homemade) and I make Boo Balls as a treat for her.

I think I maybe should not have named this thread Boo Ball Variation, because perhaps that is not quite what it is. I omitted the nuts, and any "treat" part to it. It is essentially moistened rodent block. If it would help I could also combine it with warm water, I have done this and he still likes to eat it. I am still adding about 2 teaspoons of dry FV formula. Which I was wondering if I am not adding lots of ingredients and let's say I switch to just crushed block and warm water to make it moist and where I can mold it, can I quit adding the FV? He has antlers and bones to chew, plus I can start supplementing him with calcium rich foods.



As for wild foods, I am not clear what you consider wild foods in your area.

I am going off the nutrition pyramid on here, and I live in the Natural State :grin3 haha. No though, seriously I live in the middle of no where, about 16 miles out of a small town at the base of a mountain surrounded by trees. I have countless oak, pine, fruit tress like apple, maple, and I keep going on and on and on and on and on. I also have a inside garden in my shed with grow lights that I keep going, so plenty of opportunity to provide him with those "wild foods". I know that mostly his diet will be blocks and veggies. I just can't wait to see him try some wild foods out, especially a rose, which I have growing under lights as well. Sorry I get excited about nature... I'm a little nerdy about wild foods for humans so that's probably why I am excited about it. I have some friends that enjoy the same thing, and we usually go backpacking and take some food but mainly we enjoy finding weeds, wild plants, mushrooms, roots, and yes even trees that we can utilize as food. So of course I can't wait to make Chippers the Nugget a part of the crew.



Hope this helps! Don't forget pictures though! We require pictures in exchange for advice! (j/k, but we do like pictures!) :grin3

Here he is!!

Those range from the day we got him up to now. I know he shouldn't be chewing on the blinds thingy, I stopped him after I snapped the pic haha. The one on his back with his tummy up is how he often sleeps when he is out and burrows underneath my cover on the couch on my lap, little nugget.

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