pee smells TERRIBLE

[Floppysquirrel04]

so as you know I've been having problems with my flyer ace. its one thing after another. he gets proper care and diet, and doesn't seem stressed. so... I'm back, and this is something that worries me. his cage was smelling normal one day but then all of a sudden overnight you can smell his pee from the other room. if i pick him up and smell him he doesn't smell good either, and thats never happened. its been like this for a week now. i just cleaned his cage the other day and now it smells.
so i do have an update on his fur while I'm here. i witnessed him pulling it out. even when the doors of the cage are opened he usually stays near his cage or in it, and so this happened last night and i came to check on him. he was sitting there, holding his skin weirdly and picking his fur out, not grooming. my dad says he might need to go to the vet if he gets worse. he said the vets don't really care what you bring in as long as they treat it. is this true? there is an all animals vet near me but idk if that applies to FLYING SQUIRRELS. will they take him from me?

EDIT: also its really hot in our house, and he has a cage cover. is he too hot? it doesn't seem too hot in there and in louisiana in the wild, were he comes from, its probably hotter, and humid. is the heat affecting him?

[HRT4SQRLS]

No, that's not true. You have to be very careful taking any squirrel to a vet. I'm not sure if flyers are 'legal' pets in your state. If they aren't legal, they can be confiscated. I wouldn't guess on this. I would check the laws regarding ownership of flyers. I would also thoroughly check out ANY vet before I took Ace.

Floppy, I have a question for you. I noticed you mentioned a squirrel getting 2-3 nuts per day. (Not in this post but another). I hope Ace isn't getting 2-3 nuts per day. That would be way too many nuts for a flyer. If you think about the size of a flyers stomach it's very tiny. 2-3 nuts would completely fill a flyer and there would be no need to eat anything else. My guys get 1/2 of an almond 5 days a week so the sum total would be less than 3 nuts per week.

When I think about over grooming and pulling out hair I think about 2 things but I'm sure there are others. The first thing I think about is nerve 'tingles' due to low calcium. Yes, Metabolic Bone Disease.

Another thing I think about is a psychological/neurological cause.

I remember a flyer several years ago with somewhat similar symptoms but not completely. Momo would overgroom a spot on her body. It got worse and worse and eventually took her life. I need to go back and study her case. She had an necropsy done. One thing I remember was 'oversupplementation'. I don't remember if there was a definitive cause of death or not.

Have you added protein to the diet? Protein in the diet makes the pee smell bad. Flyers do have stronger smelling pee than grey squirrels. With that said, my flyers pee does smell but they don't have an odor themselves. Have you noticed Ace straining to pee? I suppose there could be a UTI.

I wish I had an answer for you but I just don't know. You mentioned the heat. How hot is it in the cage? If I thought it might be too hot, I would check the temp with a thermometer. I live in FL so I know all about heat. Without AC I would die!

[Floppysquirrel04]

ok yes flyers are illegal here. no he does not get 2-3 nuts a day. he only gets about 2-3 a week. i hope its not mbd. he has blocks, and good food. should i start supplementing his food again? i stopped after i got blocks. i don't want to over supplement. he gets mealworms/waxworms whenever i have them, usually waxworks, but i haven't had them lately. it just went from unnoticeable smell to wham, and it hit you in the face. i will check the temp. what is UTI? that is probably a dumb question but whatever. can you send me a link to momos thread?

[HRT4SQRLS]

Is Ace eating the block? OK, I'm glad he isn't getting that many nuts.

UTI is urinary tract infection. I'll have to find the thread.

Are you adding supplements to the water?

[Floppysquirrel04]

yes i was surprised but happy to see that he goes crazy for his blocks. its the first thing he eats. he LOVES them. i only give him one a day. should i give him 2? i have 2 kinds, flyer blocks and picky eater. i can give him one of each. no i stopped supplementing his water. i don't know how it could be MBD. he walks and moves like a normal flyer and doesn't seem to be uncomfortable unless i have to hold him weird for pictures. lol my dad just said he would punch the guy in the face before they let the vet take ace. they are a private society and don't have the authority to confiscate animals. their job is to heal them, not get the euthanized

[HRT4SQRLS]

No I wouldn't give him two. I am THRILLED that Ace loves the blocks. It's very possible that the pee smell is from the increased protein in the diet. Give this a few days and see how it goes. The block, the greens and the worms have Ace on a very good diet. I know the blocks have been recently added to the diet. While it's all guess work at this point, I hope and pray that the added protein and vitamins/minerals from the block will help. Only time will tell.

Some vets will see 'illegal' animals. Some are strictly by the books so it's always best to KNOW before you go.

Below are Momo's threads. The first is her original thread. The second is the necropsy results. The condition of pulling hair is called 'barbering'. Momo had that also. :(
There are interesting comments in the report.



https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32877-The-Many-quot-Tails-quot-of-Momo/page25


https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?47880-Momo-s-Results&highlight=

[Floppysquirrel04]

Do you think I should look into getting another male next spring? Idk if my parents would get another one, but I might be able to, debending on our situation. Would he allow another male into his cage since he's already 3 1/2?

[Floppysquirrel04]

Also, whenever he comes out of his bed he will usually just cling to the bars, and shake a little bit. its wierd he'll just sit there and stare and shake ever so slightly, even in the dark and even thou he has a proper diet.

[Mel1959]

I'm definitely not a flyer expert, but the shaking is a little concerning. Does it seem like a seizure? I know that flyers can be prone to seizures.

[HRT4SQRLS]

I doubt that Ace will accept another flyer into his cage. My boys won't live together.

I mentioned to Floppy that the shaking could be one of two things. It might be a seizure but if it's very slight vibrating, it is normal. Flyers have a ultrasonic form of communication that we can't hear but feels like a vibration. I think that might be what this is.