Helen has a vastly diminished appetite for her usual foods. I am worried.

[Rock Monkey]

Helen is now young adult female squirrel. I found her when she was 4 weeks old, having just one eye open. Her mother had been run over.

Recently her appetite has diminished substantially. She gets fed three times a day 20+ grams of at least four different foods during each meal. It is all presented in one dish. She will eat her favorites, and maybe one bite or two of another item and then is done. This means she usually has eaten less than a quarter of what was in her dish.

The last two days her urine output appears to have diminished substantially, unless she is going somewhere new. Today I saw two light spots, no puddles. That was it. Poop output is down, some of which is hard and small. It is pretty much black in color.

In the previous few days she has pretty much declined water when offered. (She always has a shallow dish which gets emptied, cleaned and refilled every day. It is always placed in the same location.)

A typical meal might include microwaved sweet potato as the main course, then a few small pieces of fruit, a few chips of avocado, some organic, cold pressed coconut oil shavings, a dozen chips of organic oatmeal (raw), sometimes Greek, whole milk yogurt mixed with unsweetened applesauce, a piece of cooked squash, a few small chunks of very low sugar, homemade desert. I vary the contents to keep her interest.

So, she gets a substantial amount of her hydration from her food.

She used to love apples but that disappeared a while ago. Any interest in any particular fruit quickly looses its novelty. (Fruit generally has water content north of 80%.)


She is given deer antlers and oak branches to gnaw on. Most of the day she freely roams the house. There is the occasional crash. She is never caged, sometimes she is left in my bedroom so that I can readily go in out of the house.


I have multiple theories about her loss of appetite.

1) She is depressed. (She wants to be outside. I am building her a house, which has turned into a rather complicated wood working project, but I figure I can substantially improve her life expectancy with a secure, dry and warm house.) She is mad at me. (Once every two weeks I leave her after breakfast and return before sunset.)

2) She ate something which disagrees with her. (I have found her browsing through some old garden seeds on a shelf which is dusty and has dead bugs. I removed these today and cleaned the shelf.) She may have eaten a dead stink bunk. I think she is trying to be independent of me and feed herself. No healthy choices there, but that doesn't seem to have stopped her from trying.

3) Not eating is a bargaining strategy to get more of her treats, such as avocado, nuts and unsweetened banana chips with no sulfur. I would say that such a strategy has met with some success. (Avocado is the only one that has any water to speak of.)

4) I was peeling a butternut squash to dice and cook and she showed an interest in the peelings. I figured I would trust her sense of smell and judgement. She ate quite a bit and some raw bits as well. She has never eaten uncooked squash before. The peelings of the shell may be sitting like a stone and she may have decided not to eat any more, including sweet potato, which is similar in the same category. I don't know.

However, her appetite has never been this poor. If she really isn't peeing, organ failure is a distinct possibility.

I do not have central air conditioning. Temps inside are in the low 80's with high humidity.

She remains active. I don't think there is a noticeable change in her activity level.

How do I bring her appetite and thirst back? Has anybody else experienced anything similar?

[Chirps]

Hi! I'm not an expert, but something jumping out at me is you don't mention any kind of rodent block. That should be the basis of her diet. She may be in the beginning stages of MBD (metabolic bone disease). Check out the squirrel food pyramid in the nutrition section of the forum. There are a few options. Most people with indoor squirrels order blocks from Henry's Healthy Pets online. Does she gnaw her antler regularly? Even if she does she may still need calcium.

Do you have or can you get a cage? If she's starting MBD her bones will be weaker and she's at risk of injury from a fall. One thing you can do to get calcium into her is to get Tums or store brand antacid, the one that's just calcium, NO Vitamin D added. (It's too much D, toxic.) The experts will be more helpful, but that's something to get you started anyway.

What is the long term plan? Are you aiming for release?

[Rock Monkey]

She has taken a substantial chunk out of the antler and gnaws on it periodically.

Nuts also provide substantial amounts of calcium.

She used to eat plain yogurt as a principal component of her diet. It used to really excite her. I used to mix it with fruit based baby food. Over time she has shown less and less interest in it. Now I am lucky if I get her to eat any.

Sweet potato has calcium.

She has never eaten rodent block. It is highly unlikely that she would eat it. She is used to real food. The problem is that she is not wanting to eat much at all.

I would estimate that she is currently 18 weeks old.

Yes, I intend to release in another location, as far from people as possible. My desire to build her a house has slowed her release. I have found a location loaded with oak trees, acorns littering the ground.

She hates being constrained. She would injure or kill herself trying to get out of a cage. She is fast and agile and is a very good jumper, so she will manage fine outdoors. She is very cautious about new things and sounds.

She and I have a very close bond. In the first weeks, by her choice, I became her human heating pad. She would spend most of the day nestled between layers. Yet, her instinct to be outside grows stronger. I have always expected this and have never hoped or expected to keep her as a pet.

[Spanky]

Nuts also provide substantial amounts of calcium.

This sounds like the problem: Nuts actually are calcium negative... in other words they contain way too much Phosphorous compared to calcium and this will results in a calcium deficient diet. When they are calcium deficient, the body start robbing calcium from bones, making them brittle and weak, and easily broken. Soon they will have paralysis in their hind legs and the are unable to use them. This is very painful. Eventually they will have seizures and die. The results of a calcium deficit diet usually start to manifest themselves in adolescent and young adult squirrels. When it comes to calcium the key is not the net amount of calcium, it is the Phos:Ca ration in the diet. Most nuts have a Phos:Ca ratio greater than 8:1... some as high as 30:1. And ideal diet is a ratio of 1:2 so feeding nuts, even a few, can throw that way off.

Nuts should be given only as occasional treats. I would suggest you stop all nuts for now as it does sound like she is in early stages of MBD IMO.

Fruits also should be limited to only about 15% +/- of their diet.

Here is the link to the healthy squirrel diet:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

I'd also recommend starting her on the MBD protocol, even if this is not MBD following this protocol will not hurt her and may well save her life.
https://www.henryspets.com/emergency-treatment-for-mbd/

[Rock Monkey]

Spanky thanks for responding to my thread.

This morning her urine output was almost back to normal and her poop was larger and softer, some was brown rather than black. So, I would say that her hydration is improving. However, this morning, once again she ate just the two small slivers of avocado and nibbled at a few things, leaving more than 80% of it. I was subsequently able to follow her and feed her a few more bits by hand, which I have never had to do.

She may have just been constipated. She has been that way before and her appetite was greatly diminished at that time. She may have eaten something that disagreed with her and/or had too much food with little water content.

However, this also has the feel of a hunger strike. There seems to be an emotional component. I think she sees the food as a means of her control and doesn't like it. She wants complete freedom. I intend to give it to her once her house is complete, but I may not be able to wait.

MBD seems to be the first thing that comes to people's minds when a problem is presented. Life and the world is more complicated than that and often much more nuanced.

"The symptoms of MBD include loss of appetite, sleeping more, reluctance to climb or jump, nails getting caught in fabric, squirrel seems achy and doesn't want to be touched, paralysis, and finally seizures."

The only one of those symptoms that she is exhibiting is loss of appetite. Prior to the past week she would receive one or two nuts, either a small pecan or an almond. After all, nuts are an integral part of a squirrel's diet in the wild. The center piece of her diet was sweet potatoes. A cup of sweet potatoes has 76 mg of calcium (8% of RDA) and 108 mg of phosphorus (11% of RDA).

Almost two months ago I acquired two small deer antlers. When I presented it to her that is almost the most excited that I have ever seen her. Initially, in the first few days, she went at it quite vigorously. Now she gnaws on it occasionally. It continues to shrink. She has a ready mineral source and takes it as she needs it.

She remains today extraordinarily vigourous and very well coordinated in her leaping, as always. She isn't lying around or dozing. She is very much on the go on a sustained basis. Particularly in the morning.

This has the feel of a kid who has been told that she can't go out and play until she has eaten her breakfast. So she nibbles at a piece of toast eager to dash out the door and begin some adventures, everything else being secondary.

[Spanky]

MBD seems to be the first thing that comes to people's minds when a problem is presented. Life and the world is more complicated than that and often much more nuanced.

"The symptoms of MBD include loss of appetite, sleeping more, reluctance to climb or jump, nails getting caught in fabric, squirrel seems achy and doesn't want to be touched, paralysis, and finally seizures."

The only one of those symptoms that she is exhibiting is loss of appetite. Prior to the past week she would receive one or two nuts, either a small pecan or an almond. After all, nuts are an integral part of a squirrel's diet in the wild. The center piece of her diet was sweet potatoes. A cup of sweet potatoes has 76 mg of calcium (8% of RDA) and 108 mg of phosphorus (11% of RDA).

I am glad she is feeling better. :thumbsup

Yes, MBD is probably the number 2 killer of baby squirrel under human care, so of course that comes to the forefront. Once a squirrel survives the first 6 weeks or so and does not die from Aspiration Pneumonia (the #1 killer of baby squirrels being raised by humans) the next huge threat is MBD from improper diets. I have had untold number of MBD squirrels brought to me me and left in my care in hopes I can reverse the suffering from an improper diet. Many people have the belief the nuts and seeds "squirrel food" in the stores is appropriate for squirrels. They can recover from MBD if treated early enough but some have permanent impairments, like limited use of the rear legs or head traumas from a fall.

The MBD symptoms are incremental and unfortunately folks do not recognize the early symptoms. I have only seen the nail catching in advanced cases, but that is just my own experience. I have been fortunate to not have have seen MBD progress under my care (thanks to the guidance from this board when I had no experience), but too many times the first time the person realizes there is a problem is when the squirrel's back end is paralyzed. Often we have new posters with stories of a squirrel being perfectly fine in the evening and dead at the bottom of the cage the next morning trying to figure what possible could have been wrong. This is often MBD. So, yes, we see it all too often and indeed one of the first things we want to do is eliminate that as a possibility.

Nuts are not as integral to wild squirrel's diet as most people believe. After all, nuts are seasonal. Buried nuts may store well through the winter, but many are lost to mold, worms, thieves (crows here follow the squirrels and dig up whatever they buried as soon as they walk away) and of course some sprout. Wild squirrels have the advantage of foraging the forest for the foods their bodies are craving... like woodlouse which is a huge source of calcium for wilds. Captive squirrels are disadvantaged by being limited to what we make available for them to eat. A wild squirrel can eat many more nuts than a captive squirrel ever could and survive.

I would recommend you seriously consider adding rodent block to her diet, either Henry's (get the picky block IMO) as a supplement block or something like TekLad or Mazuri as a free feeding block.

[Rock Monkey]

Spanky thank you for taking the time to elaborate.

Taking care of a squirrel has been far more challenging than I ever expected. The more I read, reading and searching as quickly as I could, the more I realized that there were many potential problems, that this would be a tremendous challenge.

However, when I saw her months ago crying and clumsily clamboring about 30 ft. above the ground going to the ends of tiny swaying branches to search for buds I promised, myself and her, to help and I intend to keep that promise.

I told myself that "I just need her to be alive when she leaves my care." I thought that was a pretty low bar.

Part of the reason that I worry about her so much is that I think her brother died from a combination of inhalation pneumonia and failure to warm in the first few days of care, even though he fed himself and drank from a dish. Yes, they eat way too fast at that age, to the point of choking. That sucked.

The effort has consumed many hours and many hours of worry. Squirrels are up at dawn and I am not a morning person, but I soon learned that it wasn't at all pleasant to be bleary eyed, trying to deal with a hungry, wound-up squirrel. So I get up at 6 AM.

They are very emotionally sensitive creatures and she has always been on the high-strung side. I think that is why she was the one that survived. It is often a struggle to figure out what she wants, and needs. I have made sense of many behavior problems by reminding myself to think like a squirrel. We humans are so used to walking about without a care, being the apex predators that we are.

Is it normal for their feeding habits, such as quantity eaten at any given meal, to change as squirrels mature?

How does what they want to eat typically change as they mature?

What is the best way to deal with a squirrel that doesn't want to eat what you have given them?

(I know they are picky eaters and that their sense of smell is far more sensitive than ours and sometimes some food might be a little off and we wouldn't smell it or taste it.)

Thanks.

[Spanky]

Is it normal for their feeding habits, such as quantity eaten at any given meal, to change as squirrels mature?

How does what they want to eat typically change as they mature?

What is the best way to deal with a squirrel that doesn't want to eat what you have given them?

Yes, there eating habits may fluctuate from time to time. Did you check out the healthy squirrel diet link I posted above?

I believe the key is variety. I find that if they are not eating something, I switch it up and a week later if I rotate that back into the buffet, they are eating it again.

My wife often will gives me various veggies and especially fruit she may have bought that is not the best... sour grapes, not so tasty apples, etc. to feed the squirrel. I find the squirrels more often than not are not interested in these foods rejected by my wife, likely for the same reason. Some things that always seem to be consistent hit are sugar snap peas, avocado (fresh, ripe but no skin or pits (skin and pits contain toxins)), butternut squash (fresh)... I never give any veggies cooked.

I hand out the Henry's Picky Block before every meal... they seem to think is a special treat since it is given to each squirrel separately instead of dumped into a dish with everything else. Another good thing about squirrels having cage mates is a squirrel always wants what another squirrel (or person) has... it does not matter what it is. I hand out the block and then prepare the veggie buffets while they eat their block; I always want the block to be eaten first. Since I am usually feeding a large crew, it takes a while to prepare half a dozen to a dozen and a half (or more) buffets.

As long as the food you are providing is fresh and healthy, the best way to deal with them not eating is as you would a toddler. Just as a toddler will learn if the refuse to eat the healthy dinner and still get desert, they soon won't eat dinner and hold out for desert (or McDonald's?): Squirrels are exactly like a toddler in this regard. I have never had a squirrel starve themselves to death with perfectly good and healthy food available for them to eat.

Thanks for taking care and looking out for your Helen.

[Rock Monkey]

Oh yeah, their sense of smell is far better than ours. Even having some other food in the fridge go bad can turn them off from other foods stored in the fridge. The fresher the better, the more likely they are to eat it. I think giving them something which is going bad or a really bland version can turn them off that food in the future.

I had just recently given her some uncooked butternut squash for the first time, which she seemed really excited about, but I withdrew it from the menu when she exhibited vastly diminished appetite, as I wasn't sure what was causing the problem. Previously it had always been cooked. (I don't add any salt to my cooking.)

Yes, I read the linked menu several months ago and stored it on my computer, along with several others. I have studied vigorously on squirrel related topics. There is still so much more to learn.

I do rotate foods, but I will try to increase the degree to which I do that.

Regarding your child analogy, there is definitely an element of bargaining. So, I would ziplock her uneaten breakfast and present it to her at lunch and she would often eat a tiny bit and still leave the rest. She is very strong willed. The amount she would eat would continue to diminish, which is the point I decided to post for help and suggestions.

Her appetite continues to improve, however output is still subnormal. I really hope to release her soon.

In the last couple of days she has started eating apples again, which is wonderful since they are 86% water and have fiber. [Apples have always been a small aside, say 10-15% of the mass offered at meals.]

In the course of this trying journey I found the article below useful and thought others might find it useful as well.

http://www.ewildagain.org/assets/stoolproblemssquirrels.pdf

I have always given her nuts, which are always in the shell, in moderation, as a snack between lunch and breakfast and between lunch and dinner. Almonds are pretty close to 2 to 1, where phosphorous to calcium is concerned. Pecans, from my large, beautiful trees, are 4 to 1.

www.anuts.com I have found to be a good, inexpensive source for nuts in the shell.

Below is a good source for detailed nutrition data about food.

https://nutritiondata.self.com/

[Mel1959]

I see you posted an online site for in shell nuts. I wanted to share a place that I purchase in shell pecans from because they have a 30# bag of what they classify as “squirrel food” for $65.00. The squirrel food is the smaller sized pecans that their sorting machine rejects. This price breaks down to $2.17 per pound, but of course you have to add shipping. If you happen to live near or be traveling through Vienna, GA you can visit their store and pick up a bag. The company is called Ellis Brothers Pecans.com.