Muggsy's Special Blend Boo Balls

[muggsy'sgm]

I've been struggling to find a Boo Ball or rodent block that Muggsy (6 month-old grey with special needs) will eat consistently ever since he developed OCD tendencies and self-mutilation issues. He's not self-mutilated or over-groomed since his tail amputation surgery and introduction of cannabis CBD flour to his daily diet. Muggsy is on some other supplements, as well, and will continue to get those with his meals throughout the day.
Enough with the background...the following is a recipe I experimented with, that he seems to love. He ate 2 Boo Balls this morning before even coming out of his cage!!! If y'all see something that looks "off" or you think I should modify an amount, please chime in...otherwise, I think I have a winner!

60 grams Fox Valley 20/50 powder
60 grams rodent block (kaytee and mazuri)
52 grams pecans
8 grams PB2 peanut powder
8 grams baked banana chips
2 capsules CannaPet Advanced
1/8 teaspoon inositol
1/8 teaspoon calcium carbonate
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon chia seed oil
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin seed oil
1 tablespoon organic applesauce
1 jar organic pear/mango baby food

I used a food processor to grind up the rodent block, pecans, banana chips; then thoroughly mixed all the dry ingredients in one bowl

Melted the coconut oil, added the other oils to it and mixed

Combined all ingredients, mixed thoroughly, spread out in container to firm up in fridge

Voila!

[Mel1959]

My only suggestion would be to see if there is a pear/mango combination that included some type of vegetable. Or if you could add a small quantity of vegetable baby food to the mix and rotate the type of vegetable. Maybe you could make the base recipe and then divide it up into smaller quantities and try adding a different type of veggie to each one and see if he will tolerate it.

Just out of curiosity, what does the inositol help with?

[muggsy'sgm]

Just out of curiosity, what does the inositol help with?

Inositol has been shown to act as an alleviator/preventer of anxiety, compulsive tendencies, etc... It is kind of a B vitamin (I say "kind of" because that seems to be debatable, as one's own body can produce it). I've included a link below. While not scholarly or literally scientific in nature, it explains the basics.

Inositol is one of the supplements I've been using for Muggsy, as well. I introduced it after the CBD, so I cannot say for certain if it is helping tremendously. I think of it as more an insurance.

I've witnessed two prolonged "freezing/seizing" episodes in the last couple of months...but nothing like he used to have them.

As for the vegetable add-in to the Boo Ball recipe...that is an excellent idea. I've got some acorn squash and butternut squash ready to cut up and bake. I'll incorporate that into half of the batch!

As an aside, Muggsy does eat sugar pea pods, kale, dandelions, red clover, butter spinach, occasionally chayote, winter squashes, fresh coconut, arugula, bok choy, dried organic flowers from exotic nutrition (as a garnish), occasionally boiled peas or fresh corn (limited to 10 nugs), and 1 nut a day (almond or pecan or walnut). The vegetables are dusted in calcium powder or a drop of chia seed oil is rubbed on them. The pumpkin seed oil and twice daily dose of CBD flour are added to the outsides (or insides) of the Boo Balls. He eats a decent amount of vegetables, but they have to be left in his feeding area in his cage for the entire day. He "grazes" on the veggies from sun-up to sun-down-ish.

I clean out the fresh stuff, leave the block, and give him a sliver of apple or fresh coconut for bedtime. And when I say "sliver," I mean toothpick sliver!!!

I believe his diet to be extremely varied, but I DO stress daily with making sure he eats some type of rodent block--be it HHB, Picky Eaters, Sells' Squares, Mazuri, Oxbow, Kaytee, or Boo Balls made with any or all of the above!!!

If it seems my recipe above is more "dessert-esque," maybe it is. I hadn't thought of it that way. I shall get to roasting some squash pronto!!!

Thanks for the comments!!

Inositol link: https://bebrainfit.com/inositol-benefits-mental-health/

[Diggie's Friend]

Here's my chime. Using a homemade recipe, it is needful to confirm the level of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and their ratios to one another daily. To begin you will need to add up the amounts in each source included in the diet and then divide each of them by the number of blocks consumed daily. Then add in all the values of Ca, P, Mg from all the whole foods you include as daily staples by measure. If they come to about 2.25 to 2.50 Ca:P that would be a very good range, for diets have other sources added to them that are higher in phosphorus, this would give room for those sources that are good and well liked surrogatss for a squirrels diet.

IF you don't do this you can't know if the diet is truly on target as far as a healthly level and ratio of these key minerals in the diet. important as far as it being healthy or not. That is just for the minerals, the rest is even more daunting.

One thing you can do right away is to take the mean urine pH. by taking 3 readings over the day beginning at at least an hour after the first meal. and the last reading the next morning before meals; then add them up and divide by the total number of readings whic will give you the mean urine pH. Healhty lies from 64 to 6.9, as does a weekly average.

[Diggie's Friend]

In addition to ensure the diet is healthly, would be to add up the amount of zinc, manganese, two key trace mineals in the diet. Then the vitamins to see where they come to. The only easy comparison for that is the file on rat requirements daily. On it you wil notice that the Calcium and magnesium and phosphorus are not noted for maintenance of rats. Why is that reearch community doesnt ahve these values set, only those for breeding nursng mothers, and weanling rats. I don't envy you this task as in doing my own diet this was the hardest part of it to do; yet this is yet what ended up confirming my diet to be on target as far s the macro, and key trace minerals in the diet, as well as the level of b vitamins per day.

Lastly, take a hard look at what is in the sources of the Kaytee Mazuri diets, and the formula, for they are both not the best forms that are available to use to suport these animals in captivity, only the some of the more convenient ones. Oxids absorb dismally, so magnesium oxide in the diet isn't going to support like Magnesum citrate or magnesium glycinate does which are highly absorbable forms.

My own physician told me to avoid oxides in supplements. Other souces including sulfate and chloride forms are the cheapest ones, used in block diets that do not consider any other food sources add to them moreover to support their target for mean urine pH that they produce in lab rats. All really about the results of previous studies, sources like corn syrup, and caesin in the formula provide minimum requirements for sugars and fats, but are far from healthy sources to support these animals for the longterm. Including the formula for this reason I don't see as a wise choice, just a default convenient one. Soy, corn, and wheat are high in antinutrients, not natural forms for tree squirrels as they are for rats.

In doing a diet from scratch this is some of what I have learned. That you have made an attempt to provide a better diet, and asked for imput, aka: evaluation is admirable!

[Chickenlegs]

I’m currious about the Cannapet Advanced. I looked it up and the capsules I saw were for big dogs. Is this what you use and if not, is there a direct link to the capsules you do use?

[Diggie's Friend]

Check out this source of CBD oil. It was introduced to me at a local horse show. https://cbdrevu.com/green-gorilla-cbd/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Plasma+and+brain+pharmacokinetic+profile+of+ cannabidiol+%28CBD%29%2C+cannabidivarine+%28CBDV%2 9%2C+%CE%94%E2%81%B9-tetrahydrocannabivarin+%28THCV%29+and+cannabigerol +%28CBG%29+in+rats+and+mice+following+oral+and+int raperitoneal+administration+and+CBD+action+on+obse ssive-compulsive+behaviour.

Here is a study that used 120 mg per Kg. of CBD If I am correct that would be 12 mg. per 100 grams of diet. Keeping in mind studies in the rat nearly always go high in the amount tested, or very low. Best to start low and see how it goes as far as stopping the self mulitlating behavior.

[Diggie's Friend]

I noticed you wrote that you planned on incorporating the baked squash in the ball recipe. Squash will mold in about 3 days in the fridge; for this reason it is best to feed fresh, or fresh forzen, which is easily accomplished by placing the backed squash into mini icecube or baby small food cube silicone freezing trays. Then you can take out the portion to feed daily having thawed it overnight in the fridge.

Also a note here on Spinach and clover. Even so these sources are high in calcium, as studies on oxalic acid in vegetables note on that though the calcium level is high, they have a greater amount of oxalic than calcium, which makes it all non bioavailable upon digestion, adding no calcium to the diet. In addition the oxalic acid fraction in spinach was bound to binds 31% of the calcium fromother foods that are digested with it. Clover is alway a high oxalic acid source that does not add calcium to the diet.

A good source of calcium in a leafy green is immature chicory leaves, but not the mature leaves. Mature leaves that ae cultivated or wild grown, be they on a tree, bush, or ground plant do not have bioavailable calcium, even so they contain it, whihc is why this sint the most important factor to regard when seeking to determine the sources to include in a diet for tree squirrels.

An exception to thsi is immature spinach leaves that are even higher in oxalic acid than the mature leaves are.

[muggsy'sgm]

I’m currious about the Cannapet Advanced. I looked it up and the capsules I saw were for big dogs. Is this what you use and if not, is there a direct link to the capsules you do use?

https://canna-pet.com/product/capsules-canna-pet-advanced-small-30-capsules/

The "small" capsules are for the smallest size animal (dog or cat) that they treat. For Muggsy, I was advised to start out with one capsule daily--divided into three doses.

With the exception of during our vacation recently, Muggsy gets two measured doses of the CannaPet flour per day. That's 2 of the recommended 3. So far, so good!

I have considered going with another brand, in an oil form...but haven't yet heard back from the respective manufacturers' reps RE: squirrel usage!

For the Boo Balls, I consider whatever amount of CBD is in each ball to be more of an "insurance" or "supplement" to the supplements. Though I've not gotten specific measurements as to how much is in each Boo Ball...I'm sure that there is waste involved with a juvenile squirrel's eating habits. This prevents me from feeling as though I am giving Muggsy too much of a good thing...ignorant though I may be. It's been trial and error, and finding any info out there for CBD treatment in rodents is fairly difficult.

Hope that helps!

[muggsy'sgm]

When I do the baked squash, I use a melon scooper to get balls out of it once it's cooled. Then I put these in a single layer in a freezer-proof container and use as needed! I nuke the balls if I'm in a hurry, 1 or 2 at a time...just to soften.

So many things to do to ensure these squirrels stay healthy, eh?!

[muggsy'sgm]

Check out this source of CBD oil. It was introduced to me at a local horse show. https://cbdrevu.com/green-gorilla-cbd/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Plasma+and+brain+pharmacokinetic+profile+of+ cannabidiol+%28CBD%29%2C+cannabidivarine+%28CBDV%2 9%2C+%CE%94%E2%81%B9-tetrahydrocannabivarin+%28THCV%29+and+cannabigerol +%28CBG%29+in+rats+and+mice+following+oral+and+int raperitoneal+administration+and+CBD+action+on+obse ssive-compulsive+behaviour.

Here is a study that used 120 mg per Kg. of CBD If I am correct that would be 12 mg. per 100 grams of diet. Keeping in mind studies in the rat nearly always go high in the amount tested, or very low. Best to start low and see how it goes as far as stopping the self mulitlating behavior.

Hey DF! Green Gorilla reps didn't want to talk to me at all about squirrel usage of their products. They recommended the product they would MAYBE try, but weren't very helpful. Charlotte's Web (the original mainstream producer of CBD oils for seizure disorders) has finally responded to me to say they will "get back to me" with add'l info! (I've got the human Charlotte's Web formula for my teenage daughter's migraines and accompanying nausea...and it works so far, as well!)

CannaPet has been more than willing to help...and for me, customer/patient service goes a long way...especially when the product seems to work. I understand the CBD flour is not pure CBD, but rather contains other components of cannabis.

As it is a cold weekend here, and we are still recovering from our vacay...I plan on doing a TON of squirrel research and meds research. Sitting in front of a fire right now...computer fully-charged, and lots of caffeine in my system!

(Thank-you, DF for always reaching out. Your info and sources are simply mind-boggling, and I appreciate every bit of it!):blowkiss

[Diggie's Friend]

As far as the CBD goes just glad to hear it is working well for your squirrel. I posted it for reason of another member asking about dosage, which is why I posted the study. There are vets here on the west coast that are prescribing CBD for the pet patients. I wish I knew one to ask about what dosage they would recommend. All I can do for now was to share the study and the dosages used in it and why. That the one company has stepped up to help is encouraging! As for "Green Gorilla", just another source that uses a different base, in this case organic iive oil, that supports uptake better than powder forms do. I thought to share that since it was brought up again here; very glad about the CBD helping your boy!

Some of what I have shared on diet will become more clear when I get my next thread on the diet on. For now there are few other options than relying upon some form of block to supply sufficient nutrients in the diet of tree squirrels, save to do it from scratch as a few have done. Such a project takes allot of time to complete, which means that a block source is going to have to be relied upon.

[Diggie's Friend]

When I do the baked squash, I use a melon scooper to get balls out of it once it's cooled. Then I put these in a single layer in a freezer-proof container and use as needed! I nuke the balls if I'm in a hurry, 1 or 2 at a time...just to soften.

That's how my friend Luv's does it, it sure makes it easy to preserve it, as well as serving it up.


So many things to do to ensure these squirrels stay healthy, eh?!

You can say that again about 20 times a day! I don't have any squirrels in my care now, yet the responsibility of researching and developing a diet for a gray squirrel another cares for has been perhaps the greatest challenge of any project to complete that I have every sought to do in my entire life, including college.I hope I get a chance to get it on soon, as does Luvs, who has waiting in expectancy to share from her experience with the diet, and creativity as to how she has made it very easy to use, and how it has changed the life of her squirrel for the better, as she often reminds me.