I'm worried about Mystique

[Radagast]

My 2 years old healthy eastern gray squirrel has been acting strange since she got out. I have an indoor/outdoor cage that goes from her bedroom room to the balcony outside of her window. I have been letting her out of the outdoor hutch through a door that it has and getting her to jump into my hands for a nut, and walking her inside to her bedroom. I was hoping to show her to not be afraid of the outside world. Well, I accidentally left the door open without realizing it, for several hours, about three days ago. She had access to the roof from the balcony. My roof is mostly shaded by a big maple tree. Many of the wild squirrels jump on to my roof from this tree and visit the balcony. I left the branches accessible because I was hoping to maybe release Mystique (it's a long story). Well Mystique ventured out onto the roof. My daughter spotted her walking all over the roof very hesitantly. It took about an hour of coaxing, but we were able to lead her back over the roof peak. She jumped very enthusiastically into my hands and bolted into the cage, ran into the portal to her indoor cage and has refused to go back to the outdoor cage ever since. She won't take a nut from me and leaves the two nuts lying around the bedroom that I give her all day access to. Sometimes she'll break open the shell but not eat the meat. The only thing she's not refusing to eat are hibiscus leaves and half of a Henry's block per day. She's only acted this way since the roof adventure. Her walking and climbing looks fine, she's not limping or dragging, but she still runs around but has lost her enthusiasm to climb her pear tree or explore her old ferret cage like she usually does. It's almost like she is traumatized. Can you offer any advise on what I should feed her, or do for her? I'm worried she's looking thinner. She's also become very clingy and lovey, especially in the early evening. She just wants to be held and pet for hours, which is not like her. She is drinking water, and her body doesn't feel any warmer than usual. She doesn't have a runny nose or cough, and her eyes are clear. The inside of her mouth looks normal. Could she be traumatized, or could there be something physical?

[Sara in NW MS]

Are you sure she wasn't injured? It seems unlikely that she would be traumatized from exploring??? Especially now that she's back inside and in her safe home.
Does she typically eat well? A good diet?

[lennysmom]

Sounds like her unplanned escape outside was not a pleasant experience for her.:( I suppose it could have traumatized her to the point where she isn't wanting to eat much. Does she like avocado? Mine usually will eat that when they won't eat much else. Or you could try a little peanut butter on her veggies to see if that would encourage her to eat more.
It is also possible that she doesn't feel well. I know when my fuzzers are not feeling well or injured, they are more clingy like that.
Since it's only been three days since her tramautic experience, hopefully her appetite will pick back up here soon.:grouphug

Edit: I might add, my indoor boy goes through peorids of not wanting to eat much for whatever reason - but it is a little odd that her lack of appetite seems to correlate to her escape experience.

[Radagast]

Are you sure she wasn't injured? It seems unlikely that she would be traumatized from exploring??? Especially now that she's back inside and in her safe home.
Does she typically eat well? A good diet? She is usually a good eater. She would prefer nuts to her Henry's block and eat a good portion of all of the fruits and veggies suggested on the squirrel food pyramid that is on this forum. She would always grab the hazel nuts and immediately bury them. Now she just leaves them. This is unusual. I can't see any injuries on her. Her nose is cool and moist and her foot pads are cool and soft as usual. Her lightly air conditioned room is a perfect 72-74 degrees with open windows and a fan if it get too hot. She climbs everything, no problem. She just seems scared.

[Radagast]

Sounds like her unplanned escape outside was not a pleasant experience for her.:( I suppose it could have traumatized her to the point where she isn't wanting to eat much. Does she like avocado? Mine usually will eat that when they won't eat much else. Or you could try a little peanut butter on her veggies to see if that would encourage her to eat more.
It is also possible that she doesn't feel well. I know when my fuzzers are not feeling well or injured, they are more clingy like that.
Since it's only been three days since her tramautic experience, hopefully her appetite will pick back up here soon.:grouphug

Edit: I might add, my indoor boy goes through peorids of not wanting to eat much for whatever reason - but it is a little odd that her lack of appetite seems to correlate to her escape experience. I will definitely try the avocado and peanut butter. What kind of peanut butter should I use? I only have Skippy right now.

[lennysmom]

I will definitely try the avocado and peanut butter. What kind of peanut butter should I use? I only have Skippy right now.

I use the natural peanut butter put out by JIF. When my boy is being picky, I will spread a very small amount on his food to encourage him to eat his blocks and veggies.

[Radagast]

I use the natural peanut butter put out by JIF. When my boy is being picky, I will spread a very small amount on his food to encourage him to eat his blocks and veggies. I will try this. I'm also checking her every half hour to see if I can spot any sign of injury. I still don't see any. Could a squirrel have mated with her? She was on the roof for several hours without my noticing...

[SammysMom]

If you're going to the store, you might want a small jar of almond butter also. Mine love it!

[Radagast]

If you're going to the store, you might want a small jar of almond butter also. Mine love it! I just realized you're from CT. That's where I'm from originally. I will get some almond butter.