Weaning

[Elana]

Hi,

I have a ~7wk red squirrel. I have been taking care of her for exactly a month today and she is doing great!

She has been on Fox Valley formula and since last week she's also been nibbling at rodent block, a small mammal mineral stone, avocado, kale, twigs/leaves/bark from outside, and some nuts—but she is still getting the bulk of her food from the formula. I have a water bottle in her cage, but haven't had success yet teaching her to use it.

I'm unclear on the process of weaning her off formula entirely. Will she do this herself or do I need to start reducing the amount of formula I'm giving her? Is there a certain amount of solid food I should make sure she'd getting every day? When should she be off formula entirely?

Any guidance would be appreciated!

Thank you!

[Spanky]

:Welcome to TSB and a big :thankyou for caring for this little soul.

It is far better to not wean them and allow them to choose if they want formula. I have many (most?) that have taken formula right up until release. It is the best insurance against MBD for a captive squirrel.

The Fox Valley you are feeding is 20/50, yes? :thumbsup

As far as solids go, we like to introduce rodent block and only rodent block initially. Only once they are eating the block well do we introduce other solids starting with veggies.. and only then after they have eaten their block first! Following these guidelines will make things much better and easier in the long run.

FWIW: I have never had to teach a baby to drink from the water bottle, they have always seems to figured it out when the time came...

Fruit is a minority of their diet and nuts and seeds are treats. here is a link to the healthy squirrel diet guidelines:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[Elana]

Thanks for the reply!

In that case I'll just keep offering her the formula! She's on the Fox Valley 32/40, I read it's okay to keep them on that even when they are older, but if it's much better I can switch her to the other formula. What do you think?

I gave her rodent block first and she's eating it, but will be sure to limit other items. Thanks for the diet link, that's really helpful!

Today's the first day I've given her nuts (walnuts) and yeah I can see how it's a treat for them—she loves it!

E



:Welcome to TSB and a big :thankyou for caring for this little soul.

It is far better to not wean them and allow them to choose if they want formula. I have many (most?) that have taken formula right up until release. It is the best insurance against MBD for a captive squirrel.

The Fox Valley you are feeding is 20/50, yes? :thumbsup

As far as solids go, we like to introduce rodent block and only rodent block initially. Only once they are eating the block well do we introduce other solids starting with veggies.. and only then after they have eaten their block first! Following these guidelines will make things much better and easier in the long run.

FWIW: I have never had to teach a baby to drink from the water bottle, they have always seems to figured it out when the time came...

Fruit is a minority of their diet and nuts and seeds are treats. here is a link to the healthy squirrel diet guidelines:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[Spanky]

She's on the Fox Valley 32/40, I read it's okay to keep them on that even when they are older, but if it's much better I can switch her to the other formula.

Well, to be honest many of us refuse to use the 32/40 at all because we have collectively seen very tragic results... but that is usually with newborns up until about 3 weeks old.

When they get older we use the 20/50 because it has more fat and less protein, which fits the squirrel profile better after about 4 - 5 weeks of age...

[Elana]

Well, to be honest many of us refuse to use the 32/40 at all because we have collectively seen very tragic results... but that is usually with newborns up until about 3 weeks old.

When they get older we use the 20/50 because it has more fat and less protein, which fits the squirrel profile better after about 4 - 5 weeks of age...

Oh okay, I'll switch her! Mine did fine on the 32/40, but she started on it around 3 weeks.

Thanks again!

[Spanky]

Mine did fine on the 32/40, but she started on it around 3 weeks.

And that is great news! :bliss