Best way to get weight on a squirrel

[Mel1959]

My little Joey, who is a dwarf, has lost a lot of weight since he had his intestinal infection. Can someone recommend items that can be added to formula or critical care that would help put some weight back on him? He gets fed 4 to 5 times a day with a syringe and he eats very little on his own, so I need high caloric foods that can be given with the syringe.

[TubeDriver]

Avocado is high in fat and tastes good (meat only, the skin and pit are toxic).

[CritterMom]

You can add both full fat yogurt (Stoneyfield Yoababy) and heavy cow's cream - read the labels of the creams and whipping creams and buy the one with the highest milkfat number) to his formula. You need to add these things in REALLY slowly and one at a time. The longer you can spend adding new stuff like this to the diet, the better off they will be. Ultimately you can end up with a mix that is 2 parts water, 1 part formula powder, 1/2 part heavy cream and 1/2 part yogurt. I would start with the heavy cream and add in very small amounts each time I make up formula until you are finally to the 1/2 part cream. Take several days to do this.

The up side of heavy cream is that it is easily available; the down side is that it will go bad long before Joey could finish it

Fox Valley makes basically the same thing - a DRIED cream add-in to put weight on babies called Ultra Boost that makes it a little easier, because you won't have cartons of heavy cream in the fridge either going bad or tempting you to pour it in your coffee...

Henry's sells it: http://www.henryspets.com/fox-valley-ultraboost/

Has Joey ever tried avocado? You can ONLY feed the meat. Do not feed the seed or skin and in fact it is a good idea to cut a little of the meat that is against the skin and seed away before offering it. It is nice and soft and many squirrels just LOVE it and it is filled with good fats.

[Sara in NW MS]

I've been trying to get some weight on Tumbleweed, I'll tell you what I've been giving him to accomplish that.... Yo baby yogurt has fat and calcium. I add the yogurt to his formula then smash up a 3/4" thick slice of banana and blend those together with half a block. The yogurt and banana will add some weight to these guys. His formula is made with ultraboost in it as well. He gets to eat veggies and a little fruit with his formula at lunch and at dinner I smash avocado and add it to the formula and block mix. Everything is put through a syringe so the block has to be just right or it will clog. I run the block through the ninja blender and once it's in powder form then I add just enough boiling water to coat the block. I let it get soft then split it up for each meal. Foods with high carbs will also help him gain weight... sweet potatoes and such. Just remember to add a little pinch of calcium carbonate to the high phosphorus foods.

[Mel1959]

Thank you for the awesome suggestions. I have tried Joey on avocado, he won't eat it on his own, but as Sara does, I can mash it and mix it with formula and make him take it. I've used the Ultraboost, but I think I need to go very slowly adding it back in to his formula because of his intestinal problems. The only thing he really likes is formula, but even so he doesn't gulp it down. I think the banana and avocado should be safe with his intestinal issue, so I will focus on them. Thank you for your help. I've got to get some weight back on him.:strong

[DaSquirrelMom]

My little Joey, who is a dwarf, has lost a lot of weight since he had his intestinal infection. Can someone recommend items that can be added to formula or critical care that would help put some weight back on him? He gets fed 4 to 5 times a day with a syringe and he eats very little on his own, so I need high caloric foods that can be given with the syringe.

If he doesn't have renal problems, add UltraBoost from Fox Valley. It smells and looks like a creamy vanilla milkshake.