Old age?

[heathert87]

Hi! I am new here and hoping to get some advice. I have a grey squirrel that I raised from a baby. He's always been very healthy. He is almost 7 years old. For the last couple of days he's been very lethargic. He sleeps all the time and when he is awake he seems to drift off. He's only eating the smallest amount and only when hand fed. He is drinking water. Does anyone have any ideas? Is this an indication of old age or is something else going on? What can I do for him? My instinct is to help but I know sometimes leaving things alone is the best course of action. Thanks for taking the time to help.

[island rehabber]

Welcome to TSB, heather! Sorry your litle guy is not feeling well.
7 is oldER, but not really old for a squirrel. Kind of late middle-aged let's say. The type of lethargy and lack of appetite you describe is not, I would say, normal for his age at all. Let's get some information on his daily diet:

What foods does he eat on a regular basis?
How many nuts does he get every day?

This will help us see if diet, the number one cause of illness in captive squirrels, is the culprit here. Keep refreshing your screen to see our replies, ok? :great

[Nancy in New York]

Welcome to TSB!
First off can you list everything he actually eats.
We always ask about diet first as it's the KEY to many ailments.
Can you tell us about his day?
Does he get out of the cage time?
Do you ever bring him outside in his cage?
Does he get exposure to sun?
Is he drinking enough?

EDIT: I see that island rehabber also posted,
she's a MUCH faster typist! :)

[island rehabber]

EDIT: I see that island rehabber also posted,
she's a MUCH faster typist! :)

hahaha 96 words per minute, back in the day....! Thank God 'cause it paid my bills
We're both on the case, heathert87!

[heathert87]

Wow! I'm floored by how quickly you replied. Thank you.

Merlin's normal diet can be summed up in one word: variety. I try to make it as interesting and healthy as possible by including different salads, wild flowers/weeds, various fruits and berries, a mixture of fresh vegetables and different kinds of nuts. There are some foods that are staples. He gets hazelnuts and pecans to snack on, or stash, throughout the day. He also gets spinach, cucumber, peas and mushrooms on a regular basis. And of course he has mineral blocks that he can chew on whenever he wants. This is basically the same diet he has had since he was weaned. I could be wrong but I figure since he's done well on this diet for so many years it seems unlikely a problem would occur now.

As far as his day's routine goes he gets lots of attention and play time. I am not actually the person who rescued him or who administered emergency first aid. I was asked to take care of him because I'm on disability and therefore I have no commitments that take me away from home save my appointments with my doctor. I've had many different rodents as pets but none compare with my squirrel in terms of cleverness and social inclination (and cuteness). The plan was not to keep him (if he survived) but that changed after several weeks. I did not believe that he should be sentenced to life in prison just so he could live so I decided to harness train him. It went surprisingly well. He hates having the harness put on but once it's done he's fine. This allows me to take him outside with me. We walk to the corner store usually at least once every day. We also spend time in the backyard and when the weather is favourable we go to the park. On occasion we will go downtown to run errands. So not only does he get outdoor time he gets social interaction from both the employees at the stores we regularly frequent who know him well and also from random customers and pedestrians who are quite intrigued by a tame squirrel on a leash.

I hope I've answered your questions. Let me know if you need more information. Thanks again.

[Scott]

I am not an expert but it sounds as if your diet for Merlin is adequate. I would strongly encourage you to decrease the amount of nuts to one per day. They really have little nutritional value and add a lot of phosphorous which is not good. Since he is eating less, you may want to include some new foods, it could be some what boredom.

I have included the Healthy Food Pyramid that you can look at. It may give you some other choices. Just click on the link. I hope it helps. Please pay particular attention to "The Helpful Hints". Do you know Merlin's weight?

I'm sure some of the experts will be on to help you again. Please check back on. But thank you so much for offering Merlin a loving home for 7 years. I'm sure the love has gone both ways.

If you have some pictures we love them and Please post them on your thread. If you need help. I can post them for you.


File Type: pdf HealthyDietJan2014.pdf (62.7 KB, 15 views)

[heathert87]

Thanks for the advice. Here is a picture of Merlin as requested. This is an old picture, he's probably just shy of one year old. If I can transfer some recent pics to this computer I'll post more pictures later.

[stepnstone]

I could be wrong but I figure since he's done well on this diet for so many years it seems unlikely a problem would occur now.

Unfortunately this is an assumption shared by many right up to discovering their squirrel's diet has been lacking in the necessary nutrients their body requires. Once weaned from a proper formula that has the required nutrients, captive squirrels need to be eating a quality rodent block as their main staple of solid food. A good rodent block such as Henry's contains all the nutrient requirements a captive squirrel needs on a daily bases to balance their diet.
One of those extreamly necessary requirements for a squirrel is calcium. Squirrels (rodents) have a very high calcium requirement compared to other animals. Too many nuts in a captive squirrel's diet can deplete calcium levels which is why we say nuts should only be given as a limited treat. When there isn't enough calcium in your squirrel's diet, his body will dissolve the calcium in his bones and use that instead. This eventually causes his bones to become depleted of calcium. Eventually, there isn't enough calcium left to maintain sufficient calcium in the cellular fluids, and the organs can't function properly. This is what causes the symptoms of MBD: loss of appetite, lethargy, muscle pain, paralysis, seizures, and eventually death.

Another unfortunate thing for us as caretakers is a squirrels instinct is very hard wired not to show weakness or pain, this often puts us at a disadvantage to know somethings going wrong before we have to discover something is definitely wrong.

[heathert87]

When Merlin was young I researched how to care for him. I did learn about MBD and tried to design an appropriate diet. I make sure he gets lots of natural sources of calcium like spinach, he also gets cuttle bones and I avoid nuts that are significantly bad in regards to the amounts of calcium they leach from the body like peanuts. However, you are the expert so there is a strong possibility you are correct. So, what do I do? I love this little guy and I want to help him get well again.

[Mel1959]

When Merlin was young I researched how to care for him. I did learn about MBD and tried to design an appropriate diet. I make sure he gets lots of natural sources of calcium like spinach, he also gets cuttle bones and I avoid nuts that are significantly bad in regards to the amounts of calcium they leach from the body like peanuts. However, you are the expert so there is a strong possibility you are correct. So, what do I do? I love this little guy and I want to help him get well again.

You can always start him on the MBD protocol treatment by getting some tums and crushing it, mixing it with water and giving it via syringe. Someone should be along soon to help you by telling you how much to give.:w00t:blowkiss

[SammysMom]

Here is a link to the MBD protocol. Start it right away and follow through with all of it. I know that it seems like you can feed a diet without rodent block, but it never seems to work out.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment