Henry's blocks

[tinabrnmn]

I have never used squirrel blocks before. However, I took everyone's advice and bought some. The package says to freeze immediately. I don't want to do anything wrong. How should I thaw out the blocks. Do I put them in a zip lock bag and put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours? Thank you

[HRT4SQRLS]

You don’t even have to thaw them out. :grin2 By the time you get the meal prepared the block is thawing. Squirrel don’t seem to mind cold food. There are videos of them eating/licking ice.

If you would like you can put the block in the microwave for about 5-8 seconds. It doesn’t take long. Don’t microwave it too long as the block gets hard.

Some people put a weeks portion in a ZipLoc bag and place it in the refrigerator. I don’t do that. I only do that when the blocks arrive. They are very fresh so I put a few in the refrig.

[tinabrnmn]

Thank you so much!!!

[applecrisped]

Sometimes I take a couple out the night before and put them in a small container in the fridge. That works just fine.

Normally I drop a frozen one in a metal sauce cup with a little water and warm it in the toaster oven at a low temp for a few minutes, right before feeding. The water helps them not be so crumbly, and not dry out when warming, but it's not necessary. I also cut them into smaller pieces after heating, usually quartered, and check the inside temp then.

If you don't want to microwave the blocks themselves, you could sit thawed ones in a little hot water for... 30 seconds or so? I've not tried this method, will need some trial and error to get the right time/temp/water, but I read it in the reviews for the blocks on Henry's.

But like HRT said, squirrels will eat them cold :D
You can just thaw that days blocks over night or for a couple hours. I just prefer using the hot water because I find them a little too dry and crumbly otherwise.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I have never used squirrel blocks before. However, I took everyone's advice and bought some. The package says to freeze immediately. I don't want to do anything wrong. How should I thaw out the blocks. Do I put them in a zip lock bag and put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours? Thank you

Hi Tinabrnmn:
The reason the package of Henry's blocks has the notice to Freeze Immediately is because it is made with no preservatives. If you are going to use Henry's, it is best, as other have already mentioned, to get your Henry's blocks out of the freezer the day before or the same day you intend to give them to your Squirrel. Please remember that Henry's Blocks are marketed as meeting the essential daily dietary requirements of your Squirrel using two blocks per day. I have pasted the link to Henry's very valuable Squirrel Dietary Guide: https://henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/ This page includes a Diet Priority Pyramid where Blocks are the basic and most important constituent of a Squirrel's diet. Henry's also states in this Guide to "Feed blocks according to directions: 2 Henry's Healthy Blocks per day OR a small handful (around 50g) of Rodent Blocks per Day." Two or possibly three (at the most) HHB's (Henry's Healthy Blocks) meet the basic daily dietary needs of your Squirrel and the other levels on the pyramid represent prioritized supplements and the higher you go on the pyramid, the less each particular group should be a utilized in the daily diet.

If you elect to use commercially available blocks such as Teklad 2018 (now manufactured by Envigo) or make your own (if you do this, please use a tried and true recipe but please start with one already made such as the Teklad)); the recommendation of 50 grams is pretty much "free feeding" as each of the Teklad type blocks weigh between 5 and 10 grams. Teklad rodent blocks are significantly less expensive than HHB but this is of course not an issue for everyone. Using both HHB along with other Squirrel blocks is often a preferred option as again, Henry's is quite expensive even for one Squirrel. My rehabbing is on a low scale (not like some of the "Giants" on TSB!) and I do use HHB as supplements along with my regular daily blocks and by doing so I can derive some benefit from the Henry's for Sammy and my to-be-released Squirrels and still be able to afford a haircut! The important thing to keep in mind about Henry's is that you can get too much of a good thing and giving more than 2-3 (3 at the most) HHB can potentially result in problems among those would be ingesting excess calcium and vitamin D.

As others have mentioned, most Squirrels will gladly eat a frozen block. This is to be expected because not all Squirrels get to live in Florida and some must deal with very harsh winters with freezing ambient temperatures for a significant portion of the year! Virtually all of their food sources during those times are frozen and they readily chow down on whatever they can find! Thanks for caring so much for your Squirrel!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[KCullen]

I have found them to get a bit crumbly sometimes, when thawed. Especially if they thaw in your hand. I have always given my squirrels Henry Blocks direct from the freezer, without injury or issue. I leave early in the mornings, and will put their food in their cages as I head out the door, which sometimes included frozen, cubed bits of root or other vegetables. They usually go for leafy stuff after the blocks, then the frozen veggies. Our vet was unconcerned as she felt the pieces thay consume are not so big or hard frozen that they would cause any dental damage. The nutty bits in the Henry blocks have never caused dental issues, and I give frozen nuts from the freezer too.

[Charley Chuckles]

I also give mine Frozen like KCullen.
My Conker basically has no incisors but he can tackle a Frozen block and they do defrost fairly quickly 👍

[bnkmoore]

If you elect to use commercially available blocks such as Teklad 2018 (now manufactured by Envigo) or make your own (if you do this, please use a tried and true recipe but please start with one already made such as the Teklad)); the recommendation of 50 grams is pretty much "free feeding" as each of the Teklad type blocks weigh between 5 and 10 grams. Teklad rodent blocks are significantly less expensive than HHB but this is of course not an issue for everyone.

I purchased the Teklad 2018 blocks for my 6 week old, it has been about a week and I have them out for him 24/7 and he has chewed on them maybe 3 times. Every time he is hungry he wants his formula, which he still gets, but how can I start getting him to eat the blocks and veggies? Should I just get Henry's? I had read another thread that said to start with the Teklad, once he eats those, then introduce the Henry's (which taste better) so that he will eat both in case for whatever reason you can't get Henry's.

Thank you!

[CritterMom]

Nibbling is all he would do at this point. Baby squirrels do not leave the nest until they are about 9 weeks or so old. That is the first time they have any access to food other than mama's milk. We normally give them small amounts of block just so it is in their environment so they can nibble to investigate it and get used to it and the fact that they can eat it. Most babies take formula (or milk from mom) way past the 9 week point, too. Weaning is gradual and your baby should be the one to set that schedule.

[Abigail123]

I have been preparing for the next stage of feeding of the baby squirrel that is in my care.

As I am in Thailand I am limited to what I can find. I have found these (https://shopee.co.th/Exotic-Nutrition-%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B 9%80%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AA% E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8 %AA%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A7%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%9F%E 0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B0-RODENT-BLOCKS-%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%99%E0%B 8%97%E0%B9%8C-%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A5%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%84%E0%B 8%AA%E0%B9%8C-1-lb.-i.147176454.3867592691)

Do they seem ok?

Ingredients: corn, wheatgrass, Wheat, corn, fish meal, soybean, limestone, molasses, salt, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin B12, calcium pantothenate, vitamin K, vitamin B1, vitamins A, biotin, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, methionine, calcium propionate, choline chloride, ferrous. sulfate, manganese oxide, zinc oxide, zinc oxide, cupric sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate.

Nutrient analysis: protein 16.0% (minimum amount), fat 6.0% (minimum amount), food residue 5.0% (maximum amount), moisture 10.0% (maximum amount), ash 8.0% (maximum amount)

[island rehabber]

Abigail I am sorry but that ingredients list does not look good to me for squirrels. Corn, first off, is something to avoid except in tiny amounts. We we always want to keep the calcium to phosphorus ratio at 2: 1, but unfortunately the phosphorus in corn is much higher than the calcium (.02 to 1 ) and too much corn in a squirrel's diet will cause Metabolic Bone disease. Soy and soybean products are also not good for squirrels and those are listed fairly high on your product. Are you able to order from the Envigo company? Their teklad 2018 blocks are a very good basic diet for squirrels.