Jordan_Fish
05-03-2017, 08:16 PM
My Trixie is about a year old now and she has been a part of the family since last fall. I saved her from a feral cat at about 6 months old (estimate) and she took to us immediately. Her leg was injured and has only partially (mostly) recovered. The last few days her balance has been WAY off.
When she is standing still, she stretches her legs out more than normal like she's trying to keep her balance, and while doing so, she kind of wobbles. When she walks, she strays to the right. She hasn't been able to perch properly since we got her due to her leg injury. She can climb, jump, run, etc, but she always just lays on her side (or just lets me hold her) when eating her food. This got considerably worse this past Sunday. We interact with her and give her run of the house every day, but Sunday is the first day we noticed a change. Sunday, we noticed she was less energetic than normal, but the last 2 days her energy levels have been about normal. She is just really awkward.
A few months ago we posted about her having some behavior changes and becoming lethargic, losing coordination, etc... We found that our diet was way off and have since fixed it. It seemed to a few that responded to that initial post that she was showing signs of Metabolic Bone Disease and we need to start calcium supplements IMMEDIATELY. For about 2 months now she has been ingesting a supplement of approximately 330mg of Calcium Carbonate per day. She did not miss a single day of this supplement until yesterday. After weeks of experimenting with ways to get her to eat it, we found two ways to ensure she gets nearly all 330 mg. We mix it with either peanut butter or smashed up avocado. As soon as I get home, I give her her second squirrel block (From Henry's), and after about 10 minutes I open the cage and she jumps to me, climbs down my leg, and runs straight to her meds mixed with the avocado and eats every bit of it. She didn't want any of it yesterday for the first time since we started her on it two months ago. We read a lot about calcium intake for a squirrel and were told it's difficult to overdo it, but if their urine and feces have a white film, then it's too much. This hasn't happened at all since we started.
This bit may not be relevant to her situation, but I thought it may be worth mentioning just in case. On Saturday, we purchased corn on the cob and she always roots through our grocery bags in the kitchen as we put things away. We let her get into the corn and pick one. We let her chew through the husk and "silk" (stringy things) to get to the corn. We feed her corn on the cob a good bit (after her blocks and meds), but this was the first time she chewed in it before we cleaned the husk and strings off of it. Most nights, she also receives 3-4 of the following: squash noodles, cucumber, lettuces, carrots, snap peas and/or green beans (fresh/uncooked), broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. She gets maybe one or two nuts per night (walnut or hazelnut), and sometimes a single grape. We purchased Walnuts when we got the corn as well, and it's the first time she's had one in weeks. I know some nuts can grow a fungus that is not good for squirrels (I've heard horror stories about peanuts in the shell).
I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to be thorough. If a video of her being off-balance is needed, I can upload it and provide a link. There is also a wildlife rehab lady about 45 minutes from here that we took a glider to about 2 years ago. My state requires a permit to house any indigenous wildlife, and I do not have one. I'm not sure if she'll try to keep Trixie if I take her there, but I'm willing to do anything that is needed.
When she is standing still, she stretches her legs out more than normal like she's trying to keep her balance, and while doing so, she kind of wobbles. When she walks, she strays to the right. She hasn't been able to perch properly since we got her due to her leg injury. She can climb, jump, run, etc, but she always just lays on her side (or just lets me hold her) when eating her food. This got considerably worse this past Sunday. We interact with her and give her run of the house every day, but Sunday is the first day we noticed a change. Sunday, we noticed she was less energetic than normal, but the last 2 days her energy levels have been about normal. She is just really awkward.
A few months ago we posted about her having some behavior changes and becoming lethargic, losing coordination, etc... We found that our diet was way off and have since fixed it. It seemed to a few that responded to that initial post that she was showing signs of Metabolic Bone Disease and we need to start calcium supplements IMMEDIATELY. For about 2 months now she has been ingesting a supplement of approximately 330mg of Calcium Carbonate per day. She did not miss a single day of this supplement until yesterday. After weeks of experimenting with ways to get her to eat it, we found two ways to ensure she gets nearly all 330 mg. We mix it with either peanut butter or smashed up avocado. As soon as I get home, I give her her second squirrel block (From Henry's), and after about 10 minutes I open the cage and she jumps to me, climbs down my leg, and runs straight to her meds mixed with the avocado and eats every bit of it. She didn't want any of it yesterday for the first time since we started her on it two months ago. We read a lot about calcium intake for a squirrel and were told it's difficult to overdo it, but if their urine and feces have a white film, then it's too much. This hasn't happened at all since we started.
This bit may not be relevant to her situation, but I thought it may be worth mentioning just in case. On Saturday, we purchased corn on the cob and she always roots through our grocery bags in the kitchen as we put things away. We let her get into the corn and pick one. We let her chew through the husk and "silk" (stringy things) to get to the corn. We feed her corn on the cob a good bit (after her blocks and meds), but this was the first time she chewed in it before we cleaned the husk and strings off of it. Most nights, she also receives 3-4 of the following: squash noodles, cucumber, lettuces, carrots, snap peas and/or green beans (fresh/uncooked), broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. She gets maybe one or two nuts per night (walnut or hazelnut), and sometimes a single grape. We purchased Walnuts when we got the corn as well, and it's the first time she's had one in weeks. I know some nuts can grow a fungus that is not good for squirrels (I've heard horror stories about peanuts in the shell).
I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to be thorough. If a video of her being off-balance is needed, I can upload it and provide a link. There is also a wildlife rehab lady about 45 minutes from here that we took a glider to about 2 years ago. My state requires a permit to house any indigenous wildlife, and I do not have one. I'm not sure if she'll try to keep Trixie if I take her there, but I'm willing to do anything that is needed.