Strange behavior and getting thinner.

[Dez]

Hey everyone.. This is in regards to my NR Bitey.

I've been noticing some odd behavior and changes in him the last few weeks that are beginning to worry me greatly.

He changed color a lot during the winter, becoming more red, and now he's gone back to grey but the worrying part is his fur is super soft and fluffy, it doesn't feel like it normally does and he kind of looks like an overgrown baby squirrel. I know this sounds endearing but it's not at all normal for him.

I've also noticed he is losing weight, even though I still feed him throughout the day. I recently ran out of teklad blocks but he would get lots of those as well as all kinds of vegetables every day.

Lastly is his behavior... He won't wrestle with my hand anymore, he isn't as vocal about being excited to see me, and he won't play 'tag' with me on my shoulders either, where he'd run back and forth from one to the other and I'd lightly bop him on the nose. In fact, all he does when I let him out of his cage is obsessively LICK me. My hands, my neck, my wrist, anywhere he can get to, he just licks and licks and licks and won't stop until I pull him away. I've tried washing my hands to see if there was something on it, but he continues the behavior. He also makes a soft, raspy squeak of protest when I pick him up from under his belly to move him. I don't know if I am causing him pain, or if he's just fussing, but the sound is not one he usually makes. He isn't lethargic, but he definitely isn't nearly as energetic as before, when he'd dash around on my bed and play with me.

Please let me know if these are symptoms for something - I am at a loss, and very concerned.

[Milo's Mom]

Have you checked his water bottle? Is it clogged? Is his pee dark and smelly?

Did you get more blocks for him? Is he eating them again?

Have you offered him any sort of fluids via syringe?

By the sounds of the way you say his fur looks, it sounds like dehydration to me.

Can you post a pic so we can see what his fur is looking like?

[Dez]

The water bottle actually leaks constantly, a very frustration problem. Maybe it was left empty too long without my realizing it?

I ordered more blocks and am waiting for them. He eats anything I give him quite readily though.

Not sure on the pee, hard to tell but I'll keep an eye and nose out for it. Will see if he takes water from a syringe too in case he hasn't been drinking from his bottle.

[Dez]

Okay so the water bottle seems to be working fine, as far as I've seen, though he was very enthusiastic about sipping water from a syringe too. Should I keep giving it to him throughout the day and see if that makes a difference?

Will try to get a picture of him today, as well.

[Milo's Mom]

I found with my water bottles when they leak its because the washer is not properly set. Unscrew the lid and take the back side (handle) of a spoon or fork and push the rubber washer down so it is nice and tight in the lid, then screw it back on, then tip the bottle so the nozzle is down and shake it a couple times to get the air out of the nozzle. This is what I do to get mine to stop dripping and it works 99% of the time. When it does not, I pull the entire thing apart and soak it all in boiling water for 20 minutes (not the washer though), then after it cools and dries I put it all back together and it is good as new.

Sometimes just tapping the ball in the nozzle will stop the leak too.

It might also just be time for a new water bottle.

[Milo's Mom]

Give him as much plain water as he wants. Plain fresh water is always a good thing.

[Dez]

I've had the same issue with pretty much every water bottle I've ever bought :tap They're a pain in the butt.

Here's a picture of Bitey from today:

231302

[Milo's Mom]

Me too that's how I figured out the thing with the washer not being properly set. Every time you open the bottle the washer moves and wiggles just a bit further away from here it should be.

Does the fur on his head and neck normally stick up in the air like that? At this point I personally would focus on keeping him hydrated. Especially since he seemed to take water from a syringe so readily.

[Dez]

H'mm it's hard to say, as I've never really looked that closely, but ultimately no. He's usually much more sleek and thickly-furred than this, as you can tell he looks quite fuzzy and the feel of his fur is almost like a chinchilla's.

[SammysMom]

What does he eat every day? What you say about the feel of the fur makes me think of kitten fur syndrome and that is dietary in nature. Does he eat a quality rodent block every day? I mean really eat it, not hide it. I have one who likes to just conceal the evidence of not eating healthy foods.:tap

[Dez]

Oh yes, up until the last few days (I ran out of blocks, waiting for more to arrive) he was getting teklad blocks and fresh veggies every day, and he eats them right in front of me.

It changes depending on what I have in the fridge, but he gets broccoli, kale, green beans, brussel sprouts, cucumber and sweet peas. Some times carrots or a piece of banana in the morning when I'm making my breakfast smoothie.

[SammysMom]

You might want to try giving HHBs from Henryspets,com as they are really tasty and you only have to get them to eat 2 per day to get total nutrition. If you PM me your address I will send you some to try.

[Dez]

That would be wonderful. I did check them out on the site, but the shipping was very expensive :( I've been out of a job for three months and am starting school in May, also have to get my wisdom teeth removed Tuesday (Whoo hoo) which is going to cost me every penny I have at the moment, so times are tough.

I'll PM you my address in a moment.

[SammysMom]

:thumbsup

[Scooterzmom]

Hi Dez:

Sometimes all it takes to fix the drippy water bottle - 1st you check the washer, as MM said - is filling it all the way up to the very rim. If there is air at the top it pushes the water down and the bottle may continue to drip.

Hope You get the issue resolved with Bitey. If you need, I'm only a phone call away… with my dozen fuzzers :grin2 :crazy

[Dez]

Hey Mitch, good to hear from you. How's the family? Fur babies included.

Apologies for such a delayed response, I had my 4 impacted wisdom teeth extracted last Tuesday and the recovery process has been very miserable. It'll be a week since as of tomorrow and I'm still in a fair bit of pain. Not fun.

The water bottle seems to be working better than usual. It isn't emptying over the course of a couple hours like it used to, and I can tell it's working since my finger gets wet when I tap the nozzle.

That being said, Bitey is still not himself. I give him water with a syringe whenever I can, but some times he's not that interested. My teklads came in the other day so I've been giving him lots of those as well as bits of veggies and some apple hoping to see his weight go back up. He eats his food pretty readily, but not with his usual vigor. Just this morning I gave him his teklads, and instead of eating it right then and there he took one in his mouth and started running his 'laps' around the cage, as if unsure where to stop and eat it, until I left the room for a while. He seems confused, and this symptom on top of the others is really worrying me.

[farrelli]

Does he get a lot of interaction and out of cage time? I wou;dn;t worry about running with the block. Seems liek a lot of sqs do that and hten either eat it later or stash it.

[farrelli]

And has his weight stabilized?

[CritterMom]

I would strongly suggest you change foods for your baby.

May I suggest the Picky Bites from Henry's Pets: http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

They are designed to have ALL of the vitamins and minerals your baby needs a day in just two of the blocks.

I feed my squirrel these, PLUS the harlan teklad. He gets his two HHBs and a handful of the harlan teklad to eat as he wishes. The problem with feeding just the HT is that they are designed as a lab diet for mice and rats - and it is all they are given to eat. Your squirrel likely isn't consuming enough of them daily to get all the nutrition he needs - most of them won't.

[Dez]

He doesn't get as much time out of the cage as he needs, as my place is really not squirrel-prepped. Lots of mine and my father's stuff everywhere, rather small apartment and nowhere for him to really roam. One of many reasons why I'm trying to find a new home for him.

His weight and behavior are the same, no change. Still doesn't seem interested in playing and being his usual feisty self.

Are there any healthy fats I should try giving him, at least for the weight issue? I let him lick the spoon I used in my extra virgin coconut oil this morning and he loved it. Otherwise he's been getting teklad blocks and veggies as per the usual routine.

[CritterMom]

Try offering avocado. Do NOT let him have either the pit or the skin - he can have the meat inside only. Most squirrels love avocado and it is filled with healthy fats.

[farrelli]

Oh yeah, you're trying to re-home. You should bump your thread, often. At least once a week.

[Dez]

Went and bought an avocado. Turns out it isn't as ripe as I thought it was, though. Is it safe to give them the 'meat' while it's still a little on the hard side, or do I have to wait for it to soften up to the typical mush?

[Dez]

:bump:

[Scooterzmom]

I don't think it's very good when no ripe i.e. it is harder to digest. Place it in a paper bag with an apple and leave it on the counter for one day, it will probably be ready tomorrow.

I also give my guys the Henry's blocks - I order the vita-mins and make them myself - it's the only thing they have in their cage in the morning; that way I am sure they eat them. Then I leave them a handful of the Teklads for throughout the day, and I give them one big boo-ball at bedtime every night.

Have you noticed if Bitey's testicles are bigger than usual?

[Dez]

Haven't noticed anything like that, no.

No swelling or other weird symptoms besides the reduced weight, very soft fur and behavioral/energy level changes.