broken heart

[speasy80]

i have had two squirrels for 3yrs and 8mos. they are brother and sister and i got them when they were pinks. the little boy had rear end paralysis since birth. they grew up together side by side all day everyday of their luves. they are so close its hard to watch and think about something happening to one or the other. anyways, the inevitable happened and little boy past away this last week. as expected little girl is taking it hard and we dreaded what it would do to her. we joked in the past about if something were to happen it would kill the other. could it? shes been down but its gotten serious. shes devastated and i dont know what to do about it. its like shes willing herself to die. shes in good health but wouldnt think it to see it. what to do?

[CritterMom]

Some questions:

Did they live indoors or outdoors?

Did sister see her brother after he died? She would have known there was a problem with him even if you didn't, and it is pretty important for them to know what happened.

Can you give us some information about their diet? What do they eat every day? Do you feed them a rodent block of some kind? It is important to rule out something that was an issue for both but he showed signs first due to his less robust health.

[speasy80]

we feed them kale, sweet potatoes, artichoke, squash zucchini, apples (no seeds), peaches, pears, avocado. usually a mix of greens and veggies then fruit for a snack. im between meals the occational pecan or walnut in the shell. they lived indoors and never had them in a cage. we had built them nesting boxes scattered through the house and they would take their pick for the night to sleep in.

a little about him. he was the most unique spirit i have ever seen. he was a fighter and lover of life. he inspired both me and my girlfriend. there were many close calls with him but he woild pull through every time. we had to have him neuteredlast October cause he had injured his "coinpurse" and had a coin poking out. they said he may not make it then but he surprised everyone. apparantly they are difficult to neuter cause of how their stomach is placed right above their testicles. plus him dragging his hind legs didnt help. life dealt him a bad had for sure but he acted as if he ws normal and everyone else was different. he was special. if he was sick he didnt show it but we do think she knew beforehand that he was ill.

[speasy80]

and yes she saw him afterwards but is still devastated. its hard to watch cause its a love story you only hear about in movies but its playing out in front of us by wild animals at that. if only people loved like that these days.

[CritterMom]

So I think that there may be something more to what is happening than mourning. I asked specifically about whether you fed a rodent block and you didn't list any. They desperately need them.

Squirrels have some very specific nutritional requirements especially as related to keeping enough calcium in their system to properly build bone AND function correctly and if they do not get it they contract metabolic bone disease ("MBD"). PLEASE read this: https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

I would strongly suggest you follow the MBD treatment as shown at the link, and also, start feeding a rodent block. A few of them along with what you described would be perfect.

The first three items on this page: https://www.henryspets.com/diets/ are really the best, as they are designed to be a food AND a vitamin/mineral supplement specific to squirrels. Mine have always liked the Picky Blocks and especially the Hazelnut. 2 per day of these plus the variety you outlined would be a pretty perfect diet.

The first signs of MBD are pretty vague and your description and the fact that there have not been any foods with the specific mineral mix was a flashing red light for me. There is NO down side to starting the MBD protocol I linked to and the best thing about the Henry's diet is that it is apparently pretty yummy!

[speasy80]

So I think that there may be something more to what is happening than mourning. I asked specifically about whether you fed a rodent block and you didn't list any. They desperately need them.

Squirrels have some very specific nutritional requirements especially as related to keeping enough calcium in their system to properly build bone AND function correctly and if they do not get it they contract metabolic bone disease ("MBD"). PLEASE read this: https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32122-MBD-Treatment

I would strongly suggest you follow the MBD treatment as shown at the link, and also, start feeding a rodent block. A few of them along with what you described would be perfect.

The first three items on this page: https://www.henryspets.com/diets/ are really the best, as they are designed to be a food AND a vitamin/mineral supplement specific to squirrels. Mine have always liked the Picky Blocks and especially the Hazelnut. 2 per day of these plus the variety you outlined would be a pretty perfect diet.

The first signs of MBD are pretty vague and your description and the fact that there have not been any foods with the specific mineral mix was a flashing red light for me. There is NO down side to starting the MBD protocol I linked to and the best thing about the Henry's diet is that it is apparently pretty yummy!

we have the rodent blocks out at all times and they would consume at the least one to one and a half daily. we also dust their veggies with henrys calcium powder and multi vitamin. remember the little boy was special needs so his diet was extremely important and that is what we based their diet on.

[CritterMom]

we have the rodent blocks out at all times and they would consume at the least one to one and a half daily. we also dust their veggies with henrys calcium powder and multi vitamin. remember the little boy was special needs so his diet was extremely important and that is what we based their diet on.

Thank you. When you listed the foods above and didn't mention them, I immediately became concerned. We see so many and often the people who love them don't see anything happening because the symptoms can be so subtle.

[speasy80]

Just an update. Little girl is coming around slowly. You can see the pain in her eyes still. She misses her brother so much. It hurts me thinking about it. They were inseperable and she always watched out for him. She's lost without him but she's showing signs of closure. We hung his picture up outside of her little nesting box and she slept next to it staring at it for a few days. I think it gave her some comfort. I miss him also he was a dear friend.