HELP! Sickly 8 month old fox squirrel

[Lauren]

I noticed my 8 month old fox squirrel is not moving around much and not eating much. I am giving her pedialyte through a syringe. She will take some applesauce but not much. Looking for any suggestions as I have called a few vets in my area and they will not see her. She was found at about a month old, dehydrated and freezing. She does have a birth defect to one hind leg where the paw did not develop. She has not had any problems until now.

[Sara in NW MS]

Someone with more experience should answer you soon. Maybe you could give them a little history so they won't have to ask. What does she eat, how much does she weigh and so on.

Just give a little more history on her and what her daily life is like.

[Lauren]

She eats a variety of nuts, different seeds, corn, different vegetables, rabbit grains. I give her pine cones from outside. She sleeps on hay. She let out for exercise and she is monitored. I'm not sure of her weight. She seems smaller than other squirrels around here. I'm going to try to get scales for an accurate weight.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Hi Lauren,
Your squirrel more than likely has Metabolic Bone Disease caused by the diet. The diet is seriously deficient in calcium.

Here is a link to the treatment.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment
You need to start the treatment right away.

I have to step away from the computer but others will be here to help you. Start reading the treatment protocol. This is serious and can be fatal. I would start the treatment STAT.

Sorry to be such a downer. Welcome to The Squirrel Board. We are here to help you. :thumbsup

[HRT4SQRLS]

Here is a link to the healthy diet for pet squirrels. Nuts, corn and seeds are very bad for squirrels and cause MBD.

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

[TubeDriver]

Hi Lauren,
Your squirrel more than likely has Metabolic Bone Disease caused by the diet. The diet is seriously deficient in calcium.

Here is a link to the treatment.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment
You need to start the treatment right away.

I have to step away from the computer but others will be here to help you. Start reading the treatment protocol. This is serious and can be fatal. I would start the treatment STAT.

Sorry to be such a downer. Welcome to The Squirrel Board. We are here to help you. :thumbsup


:goodpost MBD is a potentially fatal illness and treatment (calcium throughout the day as well as improving/changing the diet) is critical. Time is of the essence, start the protocol ASAP! The good news is that if the treatment is started in time and followed through, most squirrels will recover!

[Nancy in New York]

You should also order some squirrel blocks.
Since your little one has been on such a "nut" diet, I would order the picky blocks.
You can also call and speak to Leigh, she will help you chose the correct things to get
your squirrel through this.
Also, their bones are very brittle with MBD and this is very painful. Try to restrict his movement,
and NOT alloow him to climb up where he can potentially fall. What kind of cage do you have him in?
You can dose infant ibuprophen, but we do so by weight. Do you happen to know the weight of your squirrel?
If not, post a picture and we will guesstimate.
They also may enjoy a heating pad under them, if you have one that is chew proof.....put it under the
bed that he sleeps in and set it on low. ONLY IF IT HAS A CHEW PROOF CORD.
http://www.henryspets.com/

[Lauren]

Thank you all so much for your help. I gave her a tums tablet at about 4p. She does seem to be doing better however I am concerned about aspiration due to her not taking it willingly. I make sure she is sitting up before giving her anything and I watch her closely.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Lauren, split up the dose of Tums over a 24hr period. That serves two purposes.
(1) it keeps the calcium up in the blood as opposed to erratic 'up and down' levels if given all at one time. (2) the amount given is smaller so it's not a huge volume to give at one time. You definitely DON'T want to aspirate her.

I would only add a little water to the Tums. You don't want to have to get a large volume of fluid into your baby. Sometimes they will actually nibble on Tums but when treating MBD you need to monitor the amount more closely than that.