Sad day

[katek]

I lost my little girl, Ann, a red squirrel I'd found at 6 weeks old, and now approximately 4.5 months old, today. I've been away and Ann has been cared for the last 3 weeks by my partner. He was feeding her Harry's squirrel blocks and the occasional almond or cherry or pinecone or walnut, but on Tuesday (today is Saturday) he ran out of Harry's food, and re-ordered, but it hadn't arrived by today. Today she was slow to wake up and not active, then was shaking in her cage. He took her out to the sunshine and tried to feed her Tums dissolved in water with an eye dropper as he was afraid it was MBD. But she wouldn't eat food or water, and then died within a few hours. It's been so sad for us.

I'm so confused as to what could have happened. Her blocks ran out 5 days ago, but she had some she'd stored away and been eating. She'd only been getting alternative food for a four days. Can MBD set in THAT quickly??

Please give whatever advice you have or feedback as gently as possible. This has been very very sad for us, and we're still incredibly broken up about it.

Thank you.

[ALittleNutty]

I lost my little girl, Ann, a red squirrel I'd found at 6 weeks old, and now approximately 4.5 months old, today. I've been away and Ann has been cared for the last 3 weeks by my partner. He was feeding her Harry's squirrel blocks and the occasional almond or cherry or pinecone or walnut, but on Tuesday (today is Saturday) he ran out of Harry's food, and re-ordered, but it hadn't arrived by today. Today she was slow to wake up and not active, then was shaking in her cage. He took her out to the sunshine and tried to feed her Tums dissolved in water with an eye dropper as he was afraid it was MBD. But she wouldn't eat food or water, and then died within a few hours. It's been so sad for us.

I'm so confused as to what could have happened. Her blocks ran out 5 days ago, but she had some she'd stored away and been eating. She'd only been getting alternative food for a four days. Can MBD set in THAT quickly??

Please give whatever advice you have or feedback as gently as possible. This has been very very sad for us, and we're still incredibly broken up about it.

Thank you.

So sorry about your loss. Was she getting any fruits or veggies? Did the cherries have pits and did she eat them?

[katek]

Yes, she would eat the pits of the cherries early on. But hasn't had any pits for the last few weeks.

[Shewhosweptforest]

Ohh no! I'm sooo sorry :dono katek I don't think it was due to diet.....at least not MBD, 5 days would not be enough time to make her deteriorate that quickly ....not a healthy normal squirrel...she was on blocks...so her calcium should have been normal. :shakehead I have no clue what could have caused her demise....sometimes there's an underlying issue from when they babies....fell from a tree, attacked by an animal :dono some sort of damage that didn't manifest until they were a little older. Could even be a birth defect that momma squirrel sensed and abandoned her because of it. Knowing her whole history...how she was found could help with some of these questions. The sad truth is sometimes we never know and we have to find solace in the fact that we made their lives better, richer for the short time they were here :grouphug I can tell by your post how much you loved and cared for Ann :Love_Icon and my heart breaks for your lost...I've been there....I'm still there :boohoo and my heart breaks that you're there now. Please, try and focus on the love, affection, comfort you gave little Ann :Love_Icon Ann will always be with you...in your heart and soul :bowdown :Love_Icon

[ALittleNutty]

Yes, she would eat the pits of the cherries early on. But hasn't had any pits for the last few weeks.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss but just wanted to clarify what her diet was, so that in the future if you get another squirrel you can feed the correct diet. Not trying to place blame in any way and like the previous poster said it could have been any number of things. Sometimes we just never know.

I asked about the cherry pits since they contain cyanide which can be toxic depending on the squirrel and the amounts they eat.

Blocks can develop mold so if she had them stored away for several days that's another possibility.

A good diet has the blocks as a base and added vegetables, a little fruit, full fat yogurt, and nuts in very small amounts as treats. There is a food chart on the site that lists all the good things they can have and if I remember right the foods not to feed.

You may never know for sure what happened but at least you gave this little one love, food, comfort and shelter. Sometimes they are just destined to cross the rainbow bridge sooner than others.

[katek]

Again, I am so sorry for your loss but just wanted to clarify what her diet was, so that in the future if you get another squirrel you can feed the correct diet. Not trying to place blame in any way and like the previous poster said it could have been any number of things. Sometimes we just never know.

I asked about the cherry pits since they contain cyanide which can be toxic depending on the squirrel and the amounts they eat.

Blocks can develop mold so if she had them stored away for several days that's another possibility.

A good diet has the blocks as a base and added vegetables, a little fruit, full fat yogurt, and nuts in very small amounts as treats. There is a food chart on the site that lists all the good things they can have and if I remember right the foods not to feed.

You may never know for sure what happened but at least you gave this little one love, food, comfort and shelter. Sometimes they are just destined to cross the rainbow bridge sooner than others.

Thank you for your condolences, and yes, I totally understand you're trying to help. Your question was very kind, I just had to make sure she wasn't getting any pits, and he sad she wasn't and her bedding had been changed so none were stored anywhere.

There could have been mold on the blocks, but I'd be surprised if that was what caused it. They'd been stored in the freezer and given to her frozen where she'd eat them as they thawed. If she stored them away, they might develop mold, but I don't know why she'd eat that over anything else.

She did drag a VERY dried out garlic bulb (totally dry) into her cage from a bowl we had out a week or so before she died (she was allowed to roam the apt, we just kept an eye on her) and my boyfriend removed it. But that's it. Two blocks a day and water, with a walnut, pitted cherry or pit of corn every other day.

[czarina]

I am so very sorry for your loss. I know what it feels like. The others have said it well. Sometimes we just don't know the reason that they cross the Rainbow Bridge.

But we do understand the pain and loss you are feeling. And for me, only time helped ease my pain and lonliness. Try to focus on all the fun and love that you shared, the silly little things that the 3 of you did, and perhaps that can give you a small reprieve from the pain.

I agree with the others that 4 or 5 days without blocks is not long enough to hurt her. Sometimes there is just no answer.

Again, I am very sorry for your loss, keep her close in your heart. And know that you saved her, and had that precious time together. The little rascals have a way of changing our lives.


I would love to see pictures of her and hear her story, when you are ready. You are not grieving alone.

Godspeed little one. :Love_Icon8:grouphug:Love_Icon:grouphug:Love_Icon: grouphug:Love_Icon

[HRT4SQRLS]

I am so sorry for your loss. :grouphug Most of use here have experienced the same heartbreaking loss so we definitely do understand how devastating this is. I agree that this is probably not due to MBD. It takes time to develop and would be unlikely to manifest itself in 5 days.

One thought that I would bring up is regarding the water source. Did your baby have a water bottle? There have been incidents where the water bottle malfunctioned and water was not available. It is something that you might not even notice. Another consideration, was your baby being taken care of at your home as opposed to being at a sitters home. There was another incident of a baby that wouldn't drink a different water source because it was somehow different than their own. This one was getting dehydrated before it was noticed.

Unfortunately, you might never know what happened. This won't make you feel any better but have been several cases of squirrels dying while their owner was on vacation. In those cases, there was no apparent reason why it happened. I'm so sorry. :sad

[ALittleNutty]

Thank you for your condolences, and yes, I totally understand you're trying to help. Your question was very kind, I just had to make sure she wasn't getting any pits, and he sad she wasn't and her bedding had been changed so none were stored anywhere.

There could have been mold on the blocks, but I'd be surprised if that was what caused it. They'd been stored in the freezer and given to her frozen where she'd eat them as they thawed. If she stored them away, they might develop mold, but I don't know why she'd eat that over anything else.

She did drag a VERY dried out garlic bulb (totally dry) into her cage from a bowl we had out a week or so before she died (she was allowed to roam the apt, we just kept an eye on her) and my boyfriend removed it. But that's it. Two blocks a day and water, with a walnut, pitted cherry or pit of corn every other day.

I am only into my first cup of coffee so not totally awake yet but I do think that garlic and onions are on the list of what not to feed. If what you posted above is all she was getting then the corn could have caused a problem with her calcium levels. She should have had a variety of different veggies every day. I don't think she could have possibly been getting nearly enough calories. This is a very hard lesson but I am only trying to point out what may have been issues with her diet so that if you get another squirrel you will know what to do in the future. Research and learn as much as you can about these beautiful creatures needs.

:grouphug again. I would also love to see some pictures of your little one.

[katek]

I am only into my first cup of coffee so not totally awake yet but I do think that garlic and onions are on the list of what not to feed. If what you posted above is all she was getting then the corn could have caused a problem with her calcium levels. She should have had a variety of different veggies every day. I don't think she could have possibly been getting nearly enough calories. This is a very hard lesson but I am only trying to point out what may have been issues with her diet so that if you get another squirrel you will know what to do in the future. Research and learn as much as you can about these beautiful creatures needs.

:grouphug again. I would also love to see some pictures of your little one.

The blocks said to feed gray squirrel babies (much bigger than her) or fliers 1 block a day, and I was feeding her two. She never ate them all. Always stored them away. She got other veggies too, but not that much. She also loved to eat pinecone seeds and we gave her lots of those. What I don't understand is why she would STOP eating and drinking if the problem was malnutrition. But I appreciate your thoughts, and I would love to have another red squirrel, but I don't know how I'd even go about doing that. Do you have any idea?

[katek]

Also, I should add, that Henry's blocks say they are COMPLETE 100% nutrition for baby squirrels and should be fed them until they are 6 months old (she was only 4.5 months).

[Nancy in New York]

The blocks said to feed gray squirrel babies (much bigger than her) or fliers 1 block a day, and I was feeding her two. She never ate them all. Always stored them away. She got other veggies too, but not that much. She also loved to eat pinecone seeds and we gave her lots of those. What I don't understand is why she would STOP eating and drinking if the problem was malnutrition. But I appreciate your thoughts, and I would love to have another red squirrel, but I don't know how I'd even go about doing that. Do you have any idea?

I'm sorry to hear about your baby. I know these deaths can be so difficult to come to terms with.
Any squirrels is illegal to keep unless you live in Florida or a small handful of other states.
Most do NOT do well in captivity. It's difficult to keep them entertained and happy when everything indoors goes
against their nature.
IF she was stashing her blocks, they can get moldy since there are no preservatives in them.
Mold can kill squirrels. I saw that you addressed this above, however, you would be surprised
at what they will eat.
The cherry pits could have contributed, along with the fact that her diet was not great.
I am just saying this for future reference.
They can be very fussy eaters and we have to make sure they eat the good stuff before any kind of
treats.
Again, I am so sorry for your loss.

[California Squirrel Lover]

I'm so very sorry for your loss. :sad

[ctmom]

I'm so sorry for your loss. We here understand the pain and grief that you are experiencing.
Know that it was nothing that you did nor could you have prevented this from happeneing.

I lost my 4 month old grey 2 months ago. I still cry and feel incredibly guilty. I know in my heart there was nothing I could have done. It just hurts and I miss him. I loved my guy and he gave me alot of joy.

I doubt we will ever know what really happened. One thing to remember is why we had them in the first place. I believe mine sustained an injury while falling from the nest and that injury didn't show until he was older. Mine passed very quickly and was never injured in my care.

I would say time heals, well, it does in a way. The void these little ones leave is huge.
It is a gift to have been loved by a squirrel.

You may be able to find another here that needs to be rehomed. Stay here and learn what you can. There is a wealth of information here.
I'm sure one will come your way..

[LindaR]

so so sorry :( I know all too well the loss...many prayers and hugs :grouphug:grouphug:grouphug:Love_Icon