Chewing plastic tray

[Lucky17Joy]

My little friend Joy hasn't been herself today, and I'm thinking it's because she has been chewing the plastic tray that is in her cage, not sure if she is swallowing it? Like now the cage door is open she came out for 10 minutes, but now she's back in her nesting box, this is not like her? Yes, she is pooping and peeing, she gets plenty shelled nuts like acorns, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts, plus mealworms. Is this normal to have a down day for a very active squirrel, maybe 14 weeks old?

[Nancy in New York]

My little friend Joy hasn't been herself today, and I'm thinking it's because she has been chewing the plastic tray that is in her cage, not sure if she is swallowing it? Like now the cage door is open she came out for 10 minutes, but now she's back in her nesting box, this is not like her? Yes, she is pooping and peeing, she gets plenty shelled nuts like acorns, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts, plus mealworms. Is this normal to have a down day for a very active squirrel, maybe 14 weeks old?

Her diet is completely wrong.
This could/most likely is the start of Metabolic Bone Disease as the
symptoms souind all too familiar.
What formula was she raised on?
Do you give her any type of block?
Let me find links to help you and I will post more.

[LR]

To help the problem of chewing on her tray - take the top portion of her cage off and lay a piece of fleece across the bottom tray. For some reason.... They don't normally chew any thing covered with it. Just be sure the cage top secures well when you replace it.

[Nancy in New York]

Start here, and start this now.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

I am moving your thread to the emergency forum.
I will send more links in a minute.

Edit: Make sure that your scroll down to see the tums photos, and the amount of
elemental calcium in each tums.
Your goal is to get 500 mg into them in the first days.

[LR]

Is she still taking any formula? What else does she eat besides the nuts and mealworms?

[Nancy in New York]

Here's a great post about MBD.


Seeds, nuts, and corn are high in phosphorous and contain low, or no, calcium (almonds and hazelnuts do have a small amount of calcium, but also contain phosphorous). The body needs phosphorous as well as calcium, but when phos ratios exceed calcium ratios, the phos blocks the absorption of calcium, making it unavailable to the body. If one feeds a low amount of high calcium foods, and a high amount of phos foods, it will cause mbd. Therefore, calcium foods must be the major component of the diet. Squirrels love nuts, seeds, and corn and will eat those foods exclusively if given the opportunity. When these foods are the major component of the diet, they are the nutritional equivalent of candy. When given as small portions of a diet, with high calcium foods being the major item on the menu, seeds, nuts, and corn become just one more nutritional element, in this case a positive element. Again: a diet of seeds, nuts, corn will cause metabolic bone disease if they are the major, or only, components of a diet.

Symptoms of MBD: general body soreness, activity levels decline, lethargy, sometimes a drop in appetite, sometimes labored breathing, increasing in severity to seizures and or paralysis, then death if not treated. The symptoms usually manifest around the age of 10 weeks; the caretaker may not see the symptoms, or recognize what he or she is seeing, until the symptoms become severe and the animal goes down. This is the point at which people usually call me crying, “something is wrong with my baby, he is paralyzed (or having seizures).” Some babies are dying in the person’s hands as we talk. This anguish is so preventable if one feeds a high calcium diet.

[Nancy in New York]

Healthy diet for squirrels.
Feed freely from groups 1 and 2 and limited in group 3.


https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-QzfdNZJ/0/6268f870/O/i-QzfdNZJ.jpg

[Nancy in New York]

I would order the picky blocks from here.
You will feed 2 daily along with the healthy veggies listed on the chart.

https://www.henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/

[Lucky17Joy]

She does get fresh spinach, avocado and other fresh veggies and fruits plus tree limbs and bark off of the trees in her cage for climbing and chews on. She is up and playing now, like herself. Her weight is 11.4oz today, she plays and out of her cage most of the day, she has a cat tree with toys, she loves, she is very active. Yes I will order the block for her now.

[CritterMom]

Offer her a fruit flavored Tums just like you would a treat and see if she will chew at it. Many of them love the Tums! I would say that you need to get some additional calcium into her NOW - the blocks from Henrys are great but you don't have them right this minute.

[Lucky17Joy]

She took the tums and she is faster than ever, thank you. Should I give her one day till I get that block?

[LR]

11.4 oz. = 324g Don't know if your scale weighs in grams but if you need to ever dose meds you'll need to know that they are dosed by gram weight. If your scale doesn't have a switch to change weight from ounces to grams you can download a converter.

[Nancy in New York]

She took the tums and she is faster than ever, thank you. Should I give her one day till I get that block?

Not sure what you mean. Your little one will ALWAYS need blocks as part of her daily diet.
Keep up the calcium like the protocol suggests.
If she has MBD their bones are VERY brittle so we really try to
keep them as calm as possible as not to risk a fall.

[Rachell1983]

I also have a 9 week old that keeps chewing on the syringe tip. Any suggestions to help with this until she's weaned? Also I give her Henry's healthy blocks, murid blocks but she definitely prefers Henry's, they seem nuttier is that ok? She's doesn't like her broccoli, cauliflower much at all but it's eating zucchini. Also any suggestions to help her drink from a water bottle? It's not working she just flips her head and runs from it. Maybe I don't have a good bottle. I also have Henry's hazelnut treats and high protein one's but not sure if I should offer them yet?? Thank you for any help.

[Mel1959]

I posted on your other thread. It’s best to keep all your inquiries in one thread as it’s less confusing for folks trying to help. :grin2

Offer some fresh oak branches or other branches from safe trees if you know they haven’t been treated with insecticides. You can also buy small applewood sticks at pet stores that are safe for them to chew on. Antlers, clean seashells and hard marrow bones are also good for chewing.