15 Year old squirrel loosing hair???/

[milissa]

Please help i have a 15 year old little sweetheart named Mildred. very special because she has been used as a pet therapist for Hospice patients for years. She is mostly retired now but means the world to me and many other nurses, families etc. Suddenly she got ill and seemed dehydrated. we took care of that she seems better but is still not as fast and playful as usual. now I'm have noted dramatic hair loss on her tail as well as some around her body my beautiful Mildred is looking more like a little mouse. I can live with that but I'm wondering if this is old age, dietary or is she sick can't stand the idea of her not being able to run and play the way she used too. 15 years in captivity I've been told is unreal for a flying pet squirrel. one vet who does not treat exotics suggested by phone that she is just old and offered to humanely put her to sleep. i don't see her suffering per say , she is just not very slow and not herself I would never want her to suffer. can't tell you how many patients this little squirrel has made smile often in their last days or hours of life She deserves the best RESPECT and if she is too old to enjoy her life I will do what it takes to make her death easy. But.......she is still urinating pooping and eating Yes she get Calcium and vitamins and a queen diet. How much does sudden hair loss mean! Is it normal for them to slow way down at her age. What would you do? Any Qualified advice would be a blessing and so much appreciated. Thank you all in advance Milissa and Milderd

[stepnstone]

:Welcome to TSB!
Wow, what a wonderful story and yes, 15 years is getting up there.
Don't think it has anything to do with her hair loss though.
Diet can be an issue, illness, mites. Not having flyers myself I don't
know a lot about them but will direct some flyer folk here that can
ask the right questions to be able to better assist you.
Please keep checking back...

edit: PM's sent

[CritterMom]

Please help i have a 15 year old little sweetheart named Mildred. very special because she has been used as a pet therapist for Hospice patients for years. She is mostly retired now but means the world to me and many other nurses, families etc. Suddenly she got ill and seemed dehydrated. we took care of that she seems better but is still not as fast and playful as usual. now I'm have noted dramatic hair loss on her tail as well as some around her body my beautiful Mildred is looking more like a little mouse. I can live with that but I'm wondering if this is old age, dietary or is she sick can't stand the idea of her not being able to run and play the way she used too. 15 years in captivity I've been told is unreal for a flying pet squirrel. one vet who does not treat exotics suggested by phone that she is just old and offered to humanely put her to sleep. i don't see her suffering per say , she is just not very slow and not herself I would never want her to suffer. can't tell you how many patients this little squirrel has made smile often in their last days or hours of life She deserves the best RESPECT and if she is too old to enjoy her life I will do what it takes to make her death easy. But.......she is still urinating pooping and eating Yes she get Calcium and vitamins and a queen diet. How much does sudden hair loss mean! Is it normal for them to slow way down at her age. What would you do? Any Qualified advice would be a blessing and so much appreciated. Thank you all in advance Milissa and Milderd

Aw, Mildred! 15 is just amazing. A lot of what you see is likely age related but since we can't make her younger, I think that looking at diet is important. Can you tell us exactly what she eats as part of her diet? Do you feed her a protein source like meal worms or wax worms? If not, that would be the VERY first thing to do - go to Petco or the like and buy a little container of wax worms. They are a bit pricier than the mealworms but they are also slow and easier to feed than the more active meal worms. Dust the worms with some of the calcium before feeding because they are very high in phosphorus. She should get them or another protein source (some will eat little pieces of cooked chicken, etc., too) every day.

Please give us an outline of her diet. And give her a kiss right on top of the head from all of us!

[Anne]

My what a great job for a little flying squirrel!:Love_Icon Yes, Mildred has had an very important role to play in her life. Now she too has reached far into her "golden years" and needs special care.
Not many 15 year old flyers out there, so she has most certainly had excellent care. At her age what you are seeing could just be an old girl molting and getting ready for a new year. But just in case- with humility I am providing a link to the flyer diet.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?37700-HEALTHY-DIET-for-PET-Flying-Squirrels. Also to help there should be a header under the Nutrition section that lists the Calcium-to-phosphorus ratios of foods and will help making selections easier. Will check back and see how she is doing.:grouphug

[SammysMom]

I do not know flyers very well, but I am just stopping in to say what a wonderful life you are giving Mildred! Your ability to have enjoyed her for such a long life is wonderful. You hit the jackpot being the one to spend her golden years with her too. It seems only fair that if she helped others in their golden years, she gets to enjoy her too!:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug

[island rehabber]

I'm not experienced with flyers either but I want to say thank you for telling us about Mildred -- what a wonderful little squirrel and what a meaningful life she's had for all these 15 years! Anne, Skul and Mrs Skul, and HRT4SQRLS are members here with eons of experience raising flying squirrels -- I would encourage you to reach out to them for advice.

The Squirrel Board was actually founded in memory of a flying squirrel, Chipper, who lived to be 13. We always thought that was pretty much the limit for captive flyers, but apparently not -- go, Mildred! :thumbsup

[TubeDriver]

I also don't know much about flyers, but I just wanted to say that Mildred sounds like a grand old squirrel and I hope she has a couple more years in her! :grouphug

I think the main issues were listed (diet, illness and parasites). You should probably start with diet first and then move down the list if necessary.


If you get a chance, could you post of pic of her! Thanks.

[Nancy in New York]

Anne, Skul and Mrs Skul, and HRT4SQRLS are members here with eons of experience raising flying squirrels -- I would encourage you to reach out to them for advice.




Just wanted to alert you that I did reach out to Anne, thank you Anne, and HRT4SQRLS already,
stepnstone alerted the Skuls. :tilt
Thank you Anne for responding so quickly. :grouphug
Mildred you are one amazing little bundle of love. :Love_Icon

[Skul]

Christal would love to talk to her about Mildred.
I don't know if she can receive PM's as yet. I'll send one anyway.

I am wondering if Mildred gets any type of protein in her diet.

[HRT4SQRLS]

http://images.zaazu.com/img/thumbsup-thumbs-up-approve-ok-smiley-emoticon-000283-medium.gif (http://zaazu.com) Wow! I am SO impressed. A 15 year old flyer is fabulous! Thanks Milissa for sharing Mildred's story. I am so touched by her 'ministry' to the dying. If I was living my final days on earth, I can't imagine anything that would bring me more joy than to be visited by a little flyer angel.

Milissa, I really do believe that the hair loss is part of the aging process. I had 4 cats that had beautiful fluffy tails and as they reached their golden years their once beautiful tails became thin and sorta pitiful looking. Even elderly people experience hair loss in their golden years. As we age we are less able to absorb nutrients and I would think that would apply to tiny mammals like flyers also. I would certainly be interested to know what she has been eating all these years because 15 years speaks volumes. What ever you're doing I sure wouldn't change it now. The only thing that I might suggest is getting some Ensure (pecan flavor). Her friends at hospice would probably be glad to share. :tilt She might not like it but some squirrels will readily take it. It would sure be good for her if she would take it.

If I were you, I would love on her and be there for her just as she was there to provide a moment of joy to her friends in hospice. As long as her quality of life is OK, I wouldn't even listen to any vet that would suggest that her life is over. :shakehead
No one knows Mildred better than you do. I am so encouraged by Mildred. I hope and pray that my boys can live a life as long and full as Mildred's. :thumbsup Mildred is sorta in 'uncharted waters' because there sure aren't many that have lived to be 15.
Wow, She's a rock star! :Love_Icon

Do you have some pictures of Mildred? I sure would love to see her. We all love pics and I especially LOVE flyer pics! :grin2
Oh and one last thing :Welcome to TSB Mildred and Milissa

[Pnerissa]

Pictures please! :camera

Mildred's longevity makes me smile! (As does her hospice service.) I have three flyers myself and hope they stick around that long.

On a side note, one of my flyers, Nibbles, had a problem with thinning hair. In addition to making sure she was eating a proper diet, I supplemented her with a couple of drops of Vetri-DMG (available on Amazon) in her water dish daily until her hair filled in. I honestly don't know if that would make a difference for an aging squirrel, but it's a thought.

Welcome to the Nut House! :grin3

Beverly

[Shewhosweptforest]

Wow...Mildred :bowdown You go Girl!!!! What a blessing she is to those confined to their beds and the boredom and loneliness that comes with it :shakehead As HRTS4SQRLS said she's remarkable and so are you :bowdown Please tell us EVERYTHING.....and pics :hyper :Love_Icon

[Chickenlegs]

I hope to have a flyer one day. I sure would love to hear all about Mildred and her life and everything the two of you have shared. What a glorious story of love :Love_Icon I'm so glad you are both here--and YES pictures!!!!

[squirel]

Thank you so much for sharing this story :grouphug . You put a great smile on my face :grin3 .
I hope to hear more about boot of you