Fox squirrel overweight

[melobryan]

I have a fox squirrel that is 2 1/2 years old, I have had her since she was 1-2 days old. We had some problems early on with possible GI upset but got it worked out and things have been going good. I am concerned because she is overweight. She gets 2-3 Henry’s picky blocks every day, variety of veggies and minimal fruit. Nuts as treats have been cut back she was getting a nut a day but have cut back to try to get her to lose the weight. Also keep rodent block accessible in her cage at all times. She has a deer antler that she chews on also. She gets playtime but I have noticed she does want to sleep more. I am not sure what else to do to slim her down, as of yesterday she’s weighs 2 pounds, 12 ounces.

[Mel1959]

It sounds like you are doing everything right with her diet. The only things I can suggest are to limit her to no more than 2 Henrys blocks per day and offer lots of greens. Fox squirrels are quite big compared to grays.

I don’t know if she’d run in a wheel or not, but there is a very large wheel that might allow her to run without injury. You don’t want a wheel that has a middle beam it needs to be large enough so it doesn’t injure her back and there is easy access in and out. A wheel for a ferret would be good.

[melobryan]

I did buy her an extra large wheel sometime ago, but haven’t been able to get her to try it. It is inside her cage but it seems to just collect dust.�� I will cut back on the blocks and try to get her to eat more greens. Thank you!

[Mel1959]

I’m familiar with that wheel. I don’t think it’s large enough, nor stable enough for a Fox squirrel. There is a wheel made for a cat (I believe) that would probably be more appropriate. From what I understand they are pricey, though.