Partially blind squirrel

[kath.hall43]

Hi all, I'm new here.

I have happily done baby squirrel fostering and release for years but this year I've got one (of two) Eastern Grey Squirrels who has one non functional eye. The eye is gray, I've had a veterinary ophthalmologist take a look and he said that his other eye seems functional but that the grayed out eye has very little ability, if any, to see. In addition, he is significantly smaller than the female. He's still growing, but not as quickly as the female littermate.

Since he cannot be released I now am faced with what would be best to do for him.

I could keep him, although my apt set up is not ideal.

If I do keep him, what advice can I get for housing/cage types, feeding from adolescence to adulthood as well as any other advice?

If I decide it's best that I don't keep him, does anyone have any advice on how to seek out a reputable squirrel home?
Because I took him on as a bottle baby I do feel a sense of responsibility to keeping him... plus hes so darn cute. :)

Thanks!

[Milo's Mom]

Just because a squirrel is blind in one eye does not necessarily mean that it's non-releasable. A few years ago I raised a young female that was blind in one eye and she was the biggest strongest meanest one of the bunch. She did just fine outside. It did take her a week or so longer to leave the Release Cage than the others, but her sister (she could see out of both eyes) took longer than the males too.

[lilidukes]

Just because a squirrel is blind in one eye does not necessarily mean that it's non-releasable. A few years ago I raised a young female that was blind in one eye and she was the biggest strongest meanest one of the bunch. She did just fine outside. It did take her a week or so longer to leave the Release Cage than the others, but her sister (she could see out of both eyes) took longer than the males too.

My Puffy was blind in one eye then 18 months later
he lost the sight in the other eye. I too had planned
to release him but was urged by a vet not too.

Sometimes we just dont know:tilt

[California Squirrel Lover]

Hi kath.hall43!! :wave123:Welcome I have two wild squirrels, Butch and Prince, who had eye injuries and lost sight in one eye, and they definitely learned to adapt. I'm sure there are different situations, but I would think it's at least a possibility yours might still be able to be released. Perhaps time will tell? So glad you found this site, there are some really awesome, experienced people on here. :grin3 :thumbsup I hope you can post some pics and/or video of your sweeties. :grin3

[farrelli]

We can help find a home for him if that is what's best and what's necessary.

What are you feeding? We have seen a number of sqs gray eyes heal with proper nutrition. Sometimes, but not usually. I have a goose like this, and after maybe 1-1.5 months of good food, his eye is clear. I don't think he has full vision, but he used to have none.

[czarina]

:Welcome. Kath!
You have come to the right place. There are some amazing people here, and they are well versed in squirrels. Just about any question you may have, has probably been addressed by one or more here. So you should be able to find helpful answers and ideas here.

It sounds like you are not sure yet whether your little one is releasable yet. You said it was small besides having the eye problem?
Can you tell us more about the squirrel, especially what specific diet it is on? So many squirrel problems are diet related. Also, can you post pictures?
We are some serious squirrel lovers here, and absolutely love to see pics.

But, if you decide to keep the little one, we can give advice on cages, and cage gear and all kinds of stuff. Or, we can also help find a safe forever home, if you decide you can't keep it.
And, we can also help if you decide to release.

We are very glad you are here!

[kath.hall43]

Hi all!
Thank you so much for the feedback!

242500242501

These are from yesterday when we went on a field trip to the backyard - first time they'd been in the dirt since I got them. You can (kind of) see that the pic on the left shows the grayed out eye.

I'm feeding Esbilac, the old version, and haven't had any problems. I introduced the rodent block a few days ago too.

[Fireweed]

I'm feeding Esbilac, the old version, and haven't had any problems. I introduced the rodent block a few days ago too.
Hi, there! You really want to get the new version of Esbilac with the probiotics. You may start to see improvement in his eye (and overall health) if he gets on a better formula. Also, what blocks are you feeding? You want to feed the best block you can get to give him the most chance at recovering his sight in that eye if the cause is nutritional: www.henryspets.com (http://www.henryspets.com)

To release or not to release? To me, it really depends on the squirrel, his overall health, his ability to move, run, climb, and jump without falling/hitting things, his depth perception, whether he was raised from a baby, what the loss of sight was from, and his temperament, among other things. Each case is unique and taking all that in to consideration is important, imo.

[farrelli]

Surprised no one mentioned it but we STRONGLY advise that sqs never be taken outside uncaged until they are ready for the soft release process. This is particularly true for NRs. Doing so has lead to many tragedies.

[kath.hall43]

Hi, there! You really want to get the new version of Esbilac with the probiotics. You may start to see improvement in his eye (and overall health) if he gets on a better formula. Also, what blocks are you feeding? You want to feed the best block you can get to give him the most chance at recovering his sight in that eye if the cause is nutritional: www.henryspets.com (http://www.henryspets.com)

To release or not to release? To me, it really depends on the squirrel, his overall health, his ability to move, run, climb, and jump without falling/hitting things, his depth perception, whether he was raised from a baby, what the loss of sight was from, and his temperament, among other things. Each case is unique and taking all that in to consideration is important, imo.

Thank you!

I got the new version of Esbilac, and will order the blocks from henryspets in a minute.

The female is almost ready to be released -- and by comparison he is very much behind her, developmentally. He doesn't seem to have enough vision for depth perception and is much, much smaller. Maybe he'll start to grow a little more with the new formula.

What are your thoughts on my releasing her without him? I've always released in groups.

Thank you, again!

[kath.hall43]

Surprised no one mentioned it but we STRONGLY advise that sqs never be taken outside uncaged until they are ready for the soft release process. This is particularly true for NRs. Doing so has lead to many tragedies.

OK!
Thankfully, nothing bad happened. Thanks for the advice!

[Fireweed]

Thank you!

I got the new version of Esbilac, and will order the blocks from henryspets in a minute.

The female is almost ready to be released -- and by comparison he is very much behind her, developmentally. He doesn't seem to have enough vision for depth perception and is much, much smaller. Maybe he'll start to grow a little more with the new formula.

What are your thoughts on my releasing her without him? I've always released in groups.

Thank you, again!

Good to hear they are on the new Esbilac! :alright.gif Hopefully that will help the boy. The HHBs will help, too.

Releasing a singleton: I see you're in Oregon, so I'd overwinter her since she likely won't have enough time to prepare for winter. How old are these two?

I have to say, they both kind of look a little awkward, for lack of a better word. I'm thinking this has to do with the old Esbilac formula. It could be just the photo, but even the girl looks like she could benefit from more time on the appropriate formula and HHBs. Overwintering will also give the boy more time to grow and possibly gain his vision back now that he's on the new formula and HHBs.

Build a release cage this winter. Then, first thing next spring you will be ready to release. And by then, you will be able to tell if the boy is releasable. If he's non-releasable, at least the girl can be released on her own when there is leaf-cover and spring food. One or both of them will have the best chance at a successful release if you follow the soft-release process.

Soft-release process: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?41071-SOFT-RELEASE-The-How-to-Sticky

Don't hesitate to ask questions right up to release day, ok? :thumbsup

Oh, and when you get the HHBs, make sure they are eating their blocks every time (without making too many crumbs) before you introduce other foods. When they are consistently eating their blocks, then you can introduce foods from group 1 and 2 of the healthy diet (link below). When they are eating some of those on a regular basis (you can switch them up for variety), you can then add other foods. Don't overload them with fruit and nuts - those are treats only. You want to give both of them the best diet possible to hopefully reverse this partial blindness and set them both up for a healthy life.

Healthy diet: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[Steve]

I Agree here,
They both look a bit petite to be released. I also see where you changed the formula you were feeding them. I was doing research on the type to use and esbilac did come to play 5 out of 5 times. There was however a certain receipt I was told to be the best. it stated that the best esbilac to use was the type that has .....the first 5 ingredients as follows (with no exceptions).

1) Vegetable oil,preserved with (Tocopherols),
2)casein
3)dried whey protein concentrate
4)cream
5)dried skimmed milk

If there is someone here that can elaborate a bit more on this topic for me I would appreciate it. Knowledge is our best weapon to helping nature during its trying times.

I have 3 little male critters myself. had them since 4-15-15.Eyes opened on 4-20-15 which would put them around 6 1/2 weeks old to date. Squirrely,Little Foot and good ole Bubba J are doing fantastic.And seem much bigger than your little friends.I would hate to think with the effort you have already put in.And the care you obviously have for your little friends that an early release contribute to their demise. And their intake of your new formula (although may not solve their sight issue) but can only help.. Best of luck to you and your furry little family..

Steve