Emergency help needed for adult grey squirrel!

[IloveSammySquirrel]

Good morning,

Praying someone can help with answers quickly.
I am a foster for one of the top wildlife rescues in the southeast area. I have an adult, female, 1 yr old grey squirrel. Someone tried to raise her & rehab ..but, they were not thinking when, they accidentally desensitized her to almost all domestic pets... including, cats & dogs. So, she is not releasable.

She's had an upper respiratory for approx a week.
Has been stable
Acting normal
Eating/drinking well
Medicating with Cephalexin & Amoxicillin


Previous medical history per finder:
Chronic UTI's & over medicated with antibiotics due to lack of knowledge.
Caregiver was feeding correct diet

Status this morning:
Everything was pretty much the same EXCEPT she started to slow down on eating.
I noticed she was sleeping more than usual so, I walked in to check on her & found her acting neurological. Head tilting/rapid head snapping & running her usual routine with climbing & back flipping. Non responsive to voice or touch so, I gave her crushed tums by oral syringe. After about 5 mins or so, she was pretty much back to normal.

Question??
Was this due to a calcium deficiency? If so..is, there anything else I need to do now??
And, what is her prognosis with her UTI & the over usage of antibiotics previously?? I believe she may have come down with a potential, secondary pneumonia issue??

Thank you in advance :(

[SammysMom]

I would think that if she is on a good diet including rodent block, healthy veggies and very limited nuts it is unlikely calcium deficiency and likely a fall. What kind of cage is she in and what does she eat every day?

[SammysMom]

What antibiotic was used for her uti?

[IloveSammySquirrel]

I would think that if she is on a good diet including rodent block, healthy veggies and very limited nuts it is unlikely calcium deficiency and likely a fall. What kind of cage is she in and what does she eat every day?

Thank you for responding. I'm actually still learning myself but, after reading through some of the threads on here, pertaining to calcium deficiency..that, she may not be eating her rodent blocks like I initially thought? I give her, my juveniles & my wild squirrels..a variety of fruits & nuts everyday but, always include rodent blocks daily. As for the cage..she has run of an outdoor pre fab cat condo. It's approx 4 x 6 with the indoor area & lots of thick limbs/branches for climbing.
I'm guessing nuts (pecan & walnut) should not be given everyday? Small quantities. Fruits are limited to a couple times per week. Vegetables include kale, avocado, carrots,
radishes, etc (daily). But, I do give everyone a half of a 750mg tums once per week as well.
Should I just put her on rodent blocks for now? And, how do I get her to eat them better? And, calcium deficiency is the only thing I can think of since she came out of it quickly? Thank you!

[IloveSammySquirrel]

What antibiotic was used for her uti?
I believe it was Amoxicillin only. I have a feeling she has a possible weakened system & antibiotic immunity through over usage? Do you know what causes chronic UTI's? Can antibiotics be a blocker??
Thank you very much!

[IloveSammySquirrel]

What antibiotic was used for her uti?
She's my baby, my soulmate... my LIFE. She is the greatest thing that ever happened to me.. besides my children. And...I know she loves me just as much.
I can't lose her 😭

[HRT4SQRLS]

Your baby more than likely has Metabolic Bone Disease. You need to start CONSISTENT treatment immediately. A squirrel will never eat a rodent block when they have nuts available. Nuts are only given as a treat, not as part of the diet. What you saw was a seizure from low calcium.

To save your baby you need to start the protocol NOW!

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

You only mention fruit and nuts and block. EDIT.... I see veggies on reread of your post.
Actually fruit should be limited also. They should be given an assortment of healthy vegetables.
You mention juveniles. They too likely have MBD.
Let me get the link to the Healthy Diet but for now start the MBD treatment protocol. You CAN save her but you must start now.


https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[HRT4SQRLS]

We also need to address the antibiotics. If this is indeed a UTI you don't continue to use the antibiotic if it doesn't work. It is very unusual for a one year old to get chronic UTI's. I would be willing to bet that most of her issues are related to diet.

[HRT4SQRLS]

The only way to get her to eat a rodent block is to stop all nuts and fruit.

Have you tried Henry's Healthy Blocks. They are expensive but she is much more likely to eat them that regular rodent block. It is a supplement block that has pecan as a base. It is packed full of minerals and vitamins. Two blocks would provide all the minerals and vitamins when feed with a healthy diet.

Let me get the link to the Henry's block. I would highly recommend that you purchase some right now.

Edit... this is a link to Henry's Picky Eater block. She is much more likely to eat the Picky Eater block than the others. Because you only give 2 blocks per day, they aren't as expensive as they appear. A bag will last a month.

https://www.henryspets.com/picky-blocks-for-squirrels-flyers-rats-mice/

[HRT4SQRLS]

I'm not sure what to make of these 'other' issue like UTI and respiratory infection but diet has to be addressed first. Address the diet and these other issues might disappear. She is pretty young but respiratory issues can actually be teeth related.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Could you give us an idea of how many nuts she eats per day?
Nuts would always be eaten first and if they HAVE to they might eat something else.
I sure hope you come back as there are many problems here.

We can properly dose antibiotics if needed but I question the need.

[IloveSammySquirrel]

I'm still here. I actually ordered everything to make the nut squares/balls/etc. It's a LOT cheaper this way. But, THANK YOU!! I appreciate you more than you know!

Okay, I feed maybe a teaspoon of nuts per day.

Should I discontinue the antibiotics? Can she ride it out after having been on them most of her life?
I saw on another thread where someone was saying, that it is extremely rare for released squirrels to get MBD? Can you please elaborate? I have releasables so, wondering why they can't get it?

She's doing well today & I've left her no choice...other than rodent blocks. I also read not to give rodent blocks in conjunction with nut squares/balls? Due to D3 being present in both foods??

Thanks again!

[HRT4SQRLS]

OK, now you confused me. I can't imagine why a squirrel would be on antibiotics 'most of her life'. If it's not working you switch antibiotics and use something else.

What were the symptoms that prompted the antibiotics? What are you treating?

I think you misunderstood what you read. If a release isn't fed properly they likely have MBD when they are released. I think what you read is that WILD squirrels don't get MBD. MBD is a condition that is caused 'in captivity' by a poor diet. Nuts and seeds are extremely high in phosphorus. Phosphorus and calcium have a delicate balance in the body. If the phosphorus is high (due to abundant nuts) the body will strive to balance this out by pulling calcium from the bones. Wild squirrels can balance their own diet with native foods. They wouldn't have a diet that is so high in phosphorus that calcium would be leeched from the bones.

If the nut squares that your talking about are from Exotic Nutrition I'm not familiar with them but if it's the ones I'm thinking about they have a lot of seeds and nuts.
Are they the nut squares from a guy names Bill?

[HRT4SQRLS]

OK, I looked it up. This is the scalded milk guy. We don't support ANYTHING that he does. Sorry.

[IloveSammySquirrel]

The only way to get her to eat a rodent block is to stop all nuts and fruit.

Have you tried Henry's Healthy Blocks. They are expensive but she is much more likely to eat them that regular rodent block. It is a supplement block that has pecan as a base. It is packed full of minerals and vitamins. Two blocks would provide all the minerals and vitamins when feed with a healthy diet.

Let me get the link to the Henry's block. I would highly recommend that you purchase some right now.

Edit... this is a link to Henry's Picky Eater block. She is much more likely to eat the Picky Eater block than the others. Because you only give 2 blocks per day, they aren't as expensive as they appear. A bag will last a month.

https://www.henryspets.com/picky-blocks-for-squirrels-flyers-rats-mice/

A 100 of them will only last me a week.. between, feeding mine & the wild squirrels along my fence lines. Lol ;)