Hi! Eastern chipmunk (Invader Zim) - maybe a bit chubby?

[dalaeck]

Hi everyone,

I rescued and adopted a tiny chipmunk when his eyes and ears were not even fully open - found him wandering half blind and dying on a bike path about to be run over.
My little foundling has since grown into a healthy, slightly bitey, often cute adult male chipmunk, he's 2 years old now.
I have had many pets over the years, and I'm an expert when it comes to rabbits but these critters are clearly very different.
Zim has everything a chipmunk could care for, and over the past ~6 months or so I think he might be having a bit too much of a good thing.

Diet information for Eastern chipmunks is not readily available and to be honest although I knew about them I haven't followed squirrel boards posted guidelines to the letter.
Zim refuses the all rodent blocks from manufacturers available here in Canada, instead of hard blocks or baked blocks he gets whole foods.
Zim has a hoard of hazelnuts and almonds, and I've balanced the calcium with daily sesame seeds and quite a bit of fruit instead. In fall he gets a hoard of local acorns and he goes through those over the fall/winter rather quickly, it's the hazelnuts he keeps as his mainstay.
He loves oranges (again calcium/phosphor positive) and most berries, yams and surprisingly rather recently lettuce.
I recently purchased some Henry's blocks and I'm going to try them out on him, as well as an MBD kit as a better-safe-then-sorry purchase.
Zim is fairly active from what I can tell from other internet accounts, loves his wheel and large cage/condo, but like all in-house munks he does sleep the majority of the day.

Rather than take potentially bad angled pictures of him I've linked a video of one of his play sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx2eTGLJ10Y&feature=youtu.be
What are your opinions? Fat munk? Or just good sized male and healthy?
He has a little bit of a chicken wing, we're not sure if it's fat or just skin, or just him getting older.
We feed the local wildlings as well (there are a lot of them...), and they are definitely skinnier then our munk but it may not be fair comparison since he's likely older than them.

Also if anyone knows of a vet in either Ontario or Quebec that would be willing to look at a chipmunk that would be fantastic, they're considered wildlife in Canada and none that I've contacted will see them.

Opinions? Advice? Much obliged!

[TubeDriver]

He is one cute little fellow, I bet he is a stubburn handful of attitude?:grin2

He looks a bit overweight to me but I have experience with squirrels and mice and not chipps.

I think that rodent block is really critical with most rodents kept indoors. Most if not all rodents will prefer nuts, fruits etc over block but block should be the foundation of his diet supplemented with everything else (nuts, fruits, veggies etc).

As you introduce the Henries block, I would not give him much else for a week or so. Let him get a little hungry and he will start eating the block. Tough love is needed here. Once he is eating block, then start to slowly add everything else back into his diet. I would give him block in the morning and then a later afternoon veggie/fruit salad after he has eaten his block. I would give him nuts only a few times per week as a treat. As long as he has a stash of nuts hidden away, he probably will not eat the blocks. So you might want to remove his stash (but not with him watching, he would be terribly offended).

Getting him to start taking blocks will take time and patience but it will really help him to be healthy and happy in the long run.

[Diggie's Friend]

Your chipmunk needs a good source of nutrition, for as you have pointed out your concern over your pets present weight. Seeds and grains are needful, no doubt about it, yet this can be provided in greater part but as Henwood points out to be fed limitedly with a block or pellet diet as to no overtop the fats, and proteins the block/pellets provide, which leads to obesity and a number of ill health conditions as a result; this especially if your chipmunk doesn't hibernate, or just sleeps for a few days during in the winter months.

You say he sleeps most of the day, in the wild that isn't the case as you know, and really shouldn't be so in captivity either. If a chipmunk doesn't have to forage for food they get lazy; this is a sign that you likely are feeding him too much that he feels he doesn't need to make an effort. Hiding some of his non messy foods for him to forage for within his habitat area, like boiled cooled green peas; a just a few seeds; and freeze dried insects , each just a 2 to 3 a day, with 3 in the fall and winter, can support his desire to forage for his food instead of sleep the day away. In doing so you will increase his activity level and overall health at the same time.

(see Camilles Vita-mealies, try their sample bag to see if your chippy likes these, but feed them sparingly.

https://vita-mealie.weebly.com/dried-mealworm-listings.html

"The Guide to Owning Chipmunks", by Chris Henwood" soft cover, offers great detail as to housing, health, diet, and handling, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Owning-Chipmunks-Ww-515-Henwood-1998-04-05/dp/B01N07KZH3

[SophieSquirrel]

Your Chipmunk looks healthy and happy. Unless there is some problem other than your concern about weight I would not take him to a vet. Do you have an exercise wheel for him? I am a Gray Squirrel person and no expert on Chipmunks but I had a Siberian and Eastern Chippie at one time and they loved the "Wodent Wheel" from Exotic Nutrition.

Just make sure you get one that isn't too big or small - about the size for a large sugar glider. If you call in an order they can assist with selection of the right size.

LINK: http://www.exoticnutrition.com/Departments/Exercise-Wheels.aspx

[Diggie's Friend]

Zim is one really cute wodent!! Thanks for the video.

I see now that he doesn't appear to be fat compared to the chippies in the wild I have seen up close in the summer.

At least try the Henry's wild bites, and the one for 'picky eater' to see if he will eat them, not just pick out the seeds that they contain.

If he still refuses then remove the seeds to see if he changes his mind, for a day or so.

First though I would get the vitamin and mineral supplement to give to him from Henry's to support him during the time of seed removal. Add a specific measure of this vitamin mineral mix from Henry's, to his diet.

https://www.henryspets.com/supplements/

[Diggie's Friend]

Ran out of time to finish my edit...

First, I would get the vitamin/mineral supplemental mix from Henry's to add to his other foods for nutrient support

during the time of transition from mostly seeds to mostly the HHB diet.

If he still refuses to accept the block then you will have the vitamin/mineral mix which is vital to include in a non-block whole foods diet

to support metabolic and bone health for your chipmunk. https://www.henryspets.com/supplements/

[dalaeck]

Thanks everyone for the replies and well met!

Zim is actually eating the Henry's blocks - to my surprise! I'm adding them in slowly to his diet and will try to make them a larger component / reduce his nuts stash.

@TubeDriver yes, has much 'tude. Very pushy for a ~100 grams of critter.
@SophieSquirrel Zim has a large wheel which is by FAR his favorite toy/activity in his cage. Every morning he is on his wheel running. He runs for ~1 hour a day, somedays less somedays more. When we first got him and put him in his aviary he had nowhere to really run, and would pace at the bottom of his cage in rather disturbing fashion, so yes wheel is best friend.
@Diggies's Friend I bought the Henry's mineral supplements pack as well, I'm thinking of adding it to his water directly. He drinks a fair amount, one of the books I have on chipmunks indicated they don't drink much but this is not my experience, he drinks regularly throughout the day.

Any advice from Canadian chipmunk/squirrel owners wrt to vets? He's quite healthy at the moment but someday some problem will come knocking.

[Diggie's Friend]

Good thought, yet the vitamin and mineral pack will clog the water bottle, as the calcium is not soluble in water alone.

Glad to here your Zim is zooming along the path to improved health!