Not entirely sure....

[Squirrly69]

Squeakers has been on and off with formula this last week. It's has to have cream in it to get her to bite at it. The local rehabers here told us to use a small critter/gerbil feed for hard food. She LOVES sunflower seeds and I use as a treat to out her away. She has been testing carrots and lettuce. Should I worry? She also has a dog bowl for water. I'm worried she's not drinking the needed water. She is very energetic and adventurous! She obviously has energy. I have cut down to 3 feeding a day if shell take em. I have henerys rodent blocks on order.

[Spanky]

Squeakers has been on and off with formula this last week. It's has to have cream in it to get her to bite at it. The local rehabers here told us to use a small critter/gerbil feed for hard food. She LOVES sunflower seeds and I use as a treat to out her away. She has been testing carrots and lettuce. Should I worry? She also has a dog bowl for water. I'm worried she's not drinking the needed water. She is very energetic and adventurous! She obviously has energy. I have cut down to 3 feeding a day if shell take em. I have scenery rodent blocks on order.

No, no, no and no to the critter food / gerbil food. She should have rodent block..... sunflower seeds right now is a huge mistake, it will make her not want to eat the healthy things she needs (sunflowers seeds... all seeds... are very unhealthy... like feeding cotton candy to a human toddler).

The first and ONLY solids should be the Henry's block and nothing else until she is actually eating the block well.

If offering water in a dish, it should be a shallow dish of water. Not like a dog bowl.

[Squirrly69]

No, no, no and no to the critter food / gerbil food. She should have rodent block..... sunflower seeds right now is a huge mistake, it will make her not want to eat the healthy things she needs (sunflowers seeds... all seeds... are very unhealthy... like feeding cotton candy to a human toddler).

The first and ONLY solids should be the Henry's block and nothing else until she is actually eating the block well.

If offering water in a dish, it should be a shallow dish of water. Not like a dog bowl.


She tips over all her other water bowls...its is shallow enough where she cannot drown....she's also 11 to 14 weeks old and leaping across the room. As for the food, like I said, I have Henry's on order along with other calcium supplements specifically for squirrels. My question is, would she be energetic if she wasn't eating or drinking water. She is starting to distance from formula.

[Spanky]

She must have been a very early baby to be that old!!!

Usually block is introduced at 5 - 6 weeks of age, by 7 weeks or so they are eating block well and we begin to introduce vegetables followed by some fruit. When you said testing carrots and lettuce, that is what a 7 week old would normally be doing. Seeds and nuts are occasional treats. I am attaching the link to the healthy squirrel diet pyramid.

By 11 weeks old they should be well established on eating rodent block, as I suggested this is recommended to be the first and only solids they are given. If you are feeding Henry's and she is eating Henry's additional calcium supplements are not necessary... too much calcium can also be an issue. This also assumes a healthy diet; a bad diet cannot be corrected simply by supplementing more calcium.

My shallow dish comment was no so much a fear of drowning as a fear of her being able to submerge her nose in the water and aspirate. :thumbsup

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

[Diggie's Friend]

You could try a glass water bottle hung on the outside of the cage (nozzle through the wire space) placed down low at a height that the squirrel can easily access it without having to climb up to it on all fours. I've seen wilds drink from dripping faucets; the bottle not much different save it shouldn't drip.:grin3

[Rock Monkey]

She also has a dog bowl for water. I'm worried she's not drinking the needed water.

Young squirrels get everything (all nutritional needs) from their mother. They know how to suckle. Drinking from a dish is not a skill they are wired with at that age.

Unless the dish is just barely covered with a layer of water they can inhale water into their lungs. This can cause inhalation pneumonia and in less than 24 hours you may well have a dead squirrel. Ask me how l know.

A water bottle is much, much better. They draw water with a suckling technique.

Formula provides water, more than ample amounts of water.

If you squirrel stops peeing or has very dark urine or it smells funky, then you should worry.