Clumsy and unskilled

[SquirrelDad]

My baby Rhea tried jumping to me today from a tall place only 3.5 feet away and this poor baby missed by a good bit and fell on the floor... She's not hurt, but I am worried about her athletic abilities or lack thereof. She is the same baby who busted her face presumably from falling on it. Can she learn to be better or is her depth perception permantly off?? What does this mean for her potential for release?

Other notes: she is slow for a squirrel, literally slow. My other baby and the one before have been lightning fast, but she never zooms around that fast, even when she is playful and excited. She is a very small girl. I haven't weighed her in a while, but she was a runt and seems to have peaked out around the size of a younger squirrel.

[TubeDriver]

Can you post up a photo of her? What is her current age? Have you examined her eyes (do her pupils react to light, does she track treats with both eyes?)?

[Mel1959]

A photo would be very helpful. She could have some dwarf characteristics or she may just take longer to mature. Either way, be very careful about giving her the opportunity to jump, she could really hurt herself.

[SquirrelDad]

Can you post up a photo of her? What is her current age? Have you examined her eyes (do her pupils react to light, does she track treats with both eyes?)?

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She is five and a half months almost, having been born close to August 18.

She only weighs 398g, but she has a good appetite and is not picky with foods. She seems to see fine, but her depth perception may be lacking? Yes she tracks very wel. I haven't paid too close attention to her pupils, but I will check it out.

[SammysMom]

Lordy! She is precious!!! :Love_Icon

[SquirrelDad]

A photo would be very helpful. She could have some dwarf characteristics or she may just take longer to mature. Either way, be very careful about giving her the opportunity to jump, she could really hurt herself.
Yes, thank you! There is nothing taller than 4 feet she can jump from and I think she has learned now she can't jump far enough to reach everything ! She did try and fell a few times from a short distance. This is not an uncommon thing.


Lordy! She is precious!!! :Love_Icon
Definitely! :grin2 thank you. I love this precious child.

She is actually very sweet for a squirrel. Affectionate and clingy with me. She does play with her claws and teeth, but I can tell a difference between her and the other two. She is a late bloomer at the very least.

[TubeDriver]

She is a cutie!:glomp

She might just need some extra time to catch up. In the meantime, try to add some padding (extra carpet, some beach blankets et etc) to places where she could jump, miss and fall a distance or hit a hard floor. This will reduce the chances if injury, especially to her teeth (squirrels sometimes land facefirst).


What does her regular diet consist off?

[SquirrelDad]

She is a cutie!:glomp

She might just need some extra time to catch up. In the meantime, try to add some padding (extra carpet, some beach blankets et etc) to places where she could jump, miss and fall a distance or hit a hard floor. This will reduce the chances if injury, especially to her teeth (squirrels sometimes land facefirst).


What does her regular diet consist off?

There is a very soft carpet in our room! She only falls when jumping, so I'm not worried about the cage. She only goes in there at night or when I need to leave her unattended.

She eats 2-3 Henry's healthy blocks a day and some bits of veggies, fruit, sometimes pumpkin or other seeds, and occasionally a hazelnut or two, but not every day because she does hide them. Also sometimes whole fat yogurt and coconut oil on her blocks when she needs to gain weight.

[SquirrelDad]

Update:
While she does track treats when I move it from side to side, she can't follow it if I drop it into a bag. She can't seem to see it inside the bag either when I try to show her. Her pupils don't appear to dilate, for instance when moving her from a shadow to having sunlight on her eye and she doesn't seem to notice it either. I can do some more tests, just let me know your ideas! I have a rope climbing area for her to practice balance. She has been not too interested in it, but is slowly warming up to it. I have yet to see her jump more than about three feet vertical or horizontal.

[SammysMom]

Be very careful with climbing/jumping activities if her vision is compromised.