Swollen testicles/ awkward movement

[Saloli79]

My 15 month old grey has started walking funny. I checked him today and his testicles were covered in poo. They seem swollen and purple. I've had him since he was a baby. He gets squirrel food and veggies regularly.

[lukaslolamaus]

What kind of squirrel food and veggies are you feeding him?
Could he have somehow injured himself and could you post a picture of the swelling?
I'm not an expert, but someone more experienced will chime in soon.

[lukaslolamaus]

:bump

[Spanky]

What kind of squirrel food and veggies are you feeding him?

Could he have somehow injured himself and could you post a picture of the swelling?

I'm not an expert, but someone more experienced will chime in soon.

:yeahthat

We will need more detail on his diet... actually, we will need complete detail on his diet. And if there were any changes to his diet recently.

A picture is very critical as well, to see what exactly is going on "down there".

[HRT4SQRLS]

I agree with lukaslolamaus . Be more specific about the 'squirrel food'. Do you mean rodent block or the squirrel food that Lowes/Home Depot sells. I get concerned when I hear 'walking funny'. It throws up a red flag for Metabolic Bone Disease. Let's rule that out first.

As far as the swollen testicles I'm not as concerned because it could be normal hormonal fluctuation.

[crazy4squirrels]

The walking funny is the big problem. The testicles are probably hormonal...my males are large at this time of the year too. Diet is very important. Please give info on the diet.

[Saloli79]

Yes, he gets squirrel food from home depot. I live in south Florida and he gets fresh fruit and vegetables very often. I'm having trouble loading pics.his diet has remained stable. I moved recently and thought he had fallen in his cage. (The reason for his walking funny). He's alert and doesn't mind me poking,prodding,or squeezing him. I've tired to find the source of his problem.

[Saloli79]

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[Spanky]

Here is the link for the healthy squirrel diet. The nuts, seeds and dried corn in the typical big box store "squirrel food" will lead to metabolic bone disease (MBD - sounds as if he may already be suffering from this?). He needs high quality rodent block (preferably Henry's Healthy Block (HHB) specifically for squirrels) , lots of veggies, a bit of fruit and nuts and seeds are occasional treats (like cotton candy to a human child).
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Here is where you can get HHB:
http://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

When you say "walking funny", does he sort of drag his rear end? Or maybe show any signs of partial paralysis of his legs (especially back legs)?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Oh my, the 'squirrel food' from HomeDepot (corn, peanuts and sunflower seeds) is the equivalent of Cheetos, chips and beer. It is the recipe for Metabolic Bone Disease. Your squirrel needs to be treated for MBD. It is caused by low calcium. Corn, peanuts and seeds are 'negative' calcium foods. They are high in phosphorus and cause calcium to be leached from the bones. MBD causes brittle bones, hind end paralysis, seizures and eventually death.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

Walking funny is a sign of MBD. I would start the treatment ASAP. Do you have Tums?

[Saloli79]

He does seem to drag his hind legs. Almost like a dog dragging his buttons.

[HRT4SQRLS]

He does seem to drag his hind legs. Almost like a dog dragging his buttons.
He does have MBD. I would start the treatment tonight. If you don't have Tums I would go out tonight and get fruit flavored Tums. If it's caught early it can be completely reversed.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Another characteristic of MBD is a tendency to walk with a bunny hop. They loose a normal walking stride and tend to 'bunny hop' with the rear legs.

[island rehabber]

HRT4SQRLS is giving you the most perfect advice so I will simply say "Ditto that" --- you MUST begin that MBD protocol right now, tonight, if you want to save your squirrel's life. It will cripple him, and eventually kill him. It is a horrible painful disease which is caused by improper diet and is the number one killer of "pet" or captive squirrels. Please please listen to every word HRT says, and follow the protocol to the letter. It WORKS. We have seen squirrels in worse condition than yours eventually become normal again, and even get released back to the wild.

[lukaslolamaus]

Praying he will make a full recovery. What is his name?

[Chickenlegs]

The pros have weighed in but as it sure looks like MBD, he likely hurts--like Grama and her ostioarthritis. Maybe a little heat to ease the discomfort. And some infant iboprofen. One of the dosing wizards can help if you have a weight. Might want to limit climbing and jumping until those bones regain some strength. Don't want a break. MBD didn't come on overnight and a cure won't be a quick fix, but your sweetie CAN heal from this life threatening problem.

[stepnstone]

Oh my, the 'squirrel food' from HomeDepot (corn, peanuts and sunflower seeds) is the equivalent of Cheetos, chips and beer. It is the recipe for Metabolic Bone Disease. Your squirrel needs to be treated for MBD. It is caused by low calcium. Corn, peanuts and seeds are 'negative' calcium foods. They are high in phosphorus and cause calcium to be leached from the bones. MBD causes brittle bones, hind end paralysis, seizures and eventually death.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

Walking funny is a sign of MBD. I would start the treatment ASAP. Do you have Tums?

:yeahthat Absolutely!! http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yes/yes-i-fully-agree-smiley-emoticon.gif

[crazy4squirrels]

Restrict him to his cage and no climbing for a while. He is at risk of a spinal injury if he falls. His bones are not strong and he hurts. Confine him to a smaller environment and provide lots of fleece. Testicles look fine. MBD is the culprit

[Saloli79]

Thank you all so much. I raised him and his 2 brothers from new born almost.up all night,feeding them instead of eating lunch or breakfast at work. Napping with them in my hair. They all made it. The other 2 are with friends.I'm starting treatment and changing diet immediately. Thanks everyone. Glad to have found this group. Saloli is acting more more spry today for sure.

[lukaslolamaus]

You need to let your friends know about the diet changes so they can make necessary diet changes to keep Saloli 's brothers healthy.
Praying for a speedy recovery.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thank you all so much. I raised him and his 2 brothers from new born almost.up all night,feeding them instead of eating lunch or breakfast at work. Napping with them in my hair. They all made it. The other 2 are with friends.I'm starting treatment and changing diet immediately. Thanks everyone. Glad to have found this group. Saloli is acting more more spry today for sure.

I'm glad to hear this. Keep up the MBD treatment and Saloli will make a complete recovery.

Here is a chart that gives valuable information. It give the calcium to phosphorus ratio of foods. The best foods for mammals are those that have 2 parts of calcium for every 1 part of phosphorus. With this chart you will be able to choose the best foods for Saloli as far as calcium. It will also show you why nuts and seeds are SO bad.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67967&d=1232419601

To give you an example, kale has a Ca: P ratio of 2.4:1 . This is excellent.
Pecans have a ratio 1:4
Pine nuts have a ratio of 1:36 :eek
Sunflower seeds have a ratio of 1:8.5 :eek
Peanuts have a ratio of 1:5.9 :eek
Corn has a ratio of 1:13.8 :eek

I think from this you can see why the HD squirrel food is SO bad.
The body will try to achieve the 2:1 ratio so it will pull calcium from the bones in an attempt to balance out the high phosphorus foods. So there you go... that's how it happens.