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Bajing
10-14-2021, 05:21 AM
Seeking help!

In our location, we don't have the greatest options for rodent block, and although we do have plenty (well, a few!) of Mazuri stockists for all kinds of reptilians, birds, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, primates, ferrets etc.. the Mazuri Rat and Mouse block is widely out of stock. However, I have found Mazuri® Chinchilla diet.. from the ingredients - it looks to me like the Chinchilla diet might be better for the tropical (fruit and insect-eating) squirrels (e.g. a Plantain). If anyone is able to give any suggestions or advice - from what I can distinguish the biggest difference in ingredients is the Ground Timothy Hay in the Chinchilla mix, and the lack of vitamin K.

These are the ingredients for the rat and mouse block:
Dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, wheat middlings, ground wheat, soybean oil, cane molasses, ground oats, calcium carbonate, dried beet pulp, dehydrated alfalfa meal, wheat germ, brewers dried yeast, salt, calcium propionate, dicalcium phosphate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, dl-methionine, choline chloride, dried yucca shidigera extract, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K), vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin A acetate, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (form of vitamin E), vitamin B12 supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate.

These are the ingredients for the Chinchilla food:
Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Wheat Middlings, Ground Soybean Hulls, Ground Timothy Hay, Ground Oats, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Ground Flaxseed, Cane Molasses, Dicalcium Phosphate, Wheat Germ, Soybean Oil, Dried Whey, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, d-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Vitamin A Acetate, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Yeast Culture, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Ferrous Carbonate, Copper Sulfate, Nicotinic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate.

Any ideas anyone? :grouphug Thank you for your help

Mel1959
10-14-2021, 07:19 AM
Squirrels do not typically eat hay, which is the primary ingredient in the chinchilla food. They don’t have the same type of guts to process hay the way bunnies, and evidently chinchillas do.

Can you order from Amazon or eBay where you are located? Both of those sources have the rodent block needed. These are the brands that are recommended: Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014, Oxbow Regal Rat and Mazuri rat block. These items are all a hard extruded block, NOT a seed mixture.

We have a member on here that raises chinchillas and also knows about squirrels. She goes by BCChins. You could reach out to her by sending her a private message and ask for her input on the chinchilla food.

Private messages are accessed by clicking on the “notifications” heading at the top of the page.

Bajing
10-14-2021, 07:39 AM
Thanks Mel1959 - that's really helpful to understand. The world of squirrels is very new to us - and the wild ones here only eat coconut, fruits, kenari nuts and insects

Unfortunately keeping rats and mice is not popular in Indonesia (other than for feeding to snakes), whereas keeping every other small creature is - so there's not much market for the rodent blocks (amazon, ebay not available). Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014, and Oxbow Regal Rat are definitely not available. Mazuri have an online store here but are out of rat and mice block.. I have found one petshop reseller that has 2 repacked 50g packs of it and that's it - so I'll have to make do for now and keep searching out some restocking.

Many thanks for the heads up!

Here's some photos of sleeping beauty (the only ones that aren't a fast running paced blur)

Mel1959
10-14-2021, 07:43 AM
Adorable! :klunk:klunk:Love_Icon

That little one looks young enough that it should be on formula. You can make your own formula from goats milk. Here’s the recipe:
3 parts goat’s milk
1 part heavy whipping cream*
1 part vanilla yogurt

Fresh goats milk is best. Feed with a little 1cc syringe.

HRT4SQRLS
10-14-2021, 08:08 AM
Another option for formula is Royal Canin baby dog formula. It is not available in the US and seems to be the preferred formula in the East. It is an excellent formula.

That is an adorable baby.

island rehabber
10-14-2021, 08:09 AM
Bajing, is eBay an option for you? I have been ordering the Envigo Teklad and even Mazuri through re-sellers on eBay. They purchase in bulk and then re-package into 5, 10, or 15lb bags at very economical prices. Worth a try?

PS your squirrel baby is absolutely beautiful :Love_Icon

Bajing
10-14-2021, 09:14 AM
Don't worry - he's definitely on formula too and loves it! (Esbilac + goats milk + yogurt) and he's drinking 5mls 5 times a day now with food in between ...it's just that he seems pretty keen on eating too, he's been eating (and drinking) coconut, papaya, mangosteen, mandarin, sawo (zapote), rambutan etc, as well as bark.. lots of it. The last two days fruit chopped up into tiny tiny pieces doesn't seem to be cutting it as he just wants to bite everything - my finger, hand, hair, his box, clothes. I gave him some carrot, walnut and pumpkin seed today and it's been appeasing him.. but he just seems really keen to get those teeth into things and I think it's time to let him try sinking those teeth into some block too..:grin2 He only opened his eyes 2 weeks ago, but now he runs and jumps and chirps. I will hopefully be able to order in some of the Mazuri rat and mouse block, it just may take some time so he's going to have to be patient.

First photo - almost 2 weeks ago, second photo today

Bajing
10-15-2021, 11:46 PM
Oke so the update to this is that sourcing rat and mouse blocks are coming up with endless deadends (I've now tried 12 places online and it always comes back after I've ordered and paid that when they go to ship it - it is out of stock). So for now we're going to try the mazuri sugar glider diets because sugar glider food is readily available. Importing is a long, unpredictable process with new customs rules making it very difficult. Top teeth are growing rapidly and all he wants to do is chomp. He still drinks the formula but is away more interested in using the teeth right now.

In theory, because plantain squirrels eat roughly 50% insects and have a very similar diet to sugar gliders (fruit, flowers, insects) - this should work, right? I know that needs are likely different between the marsupials - rodents, but the diets between sugar gliders and plantain squirrels match in the wild - is there any reason this can't work while I continue the endless hunt for the rodent blocks?

Chirps
10-16-2021, 12:09 AM
Hi! Love your baby, thanks for being such a caring "parent"! Your logic seems sound to me. Maybe check other threads on plantain squirrels (I think there are a few) to see what other people fed them? But as you say it might not matter if you can't get what they used. Maybe post the ingredients of the sugar glider diet for the experts here to see what they think? Maybe it will actually be better for a plantain squirrel, or maybe you'd still need to switch to the more "squirrel-based" block when you can get it. Best wishes!

Chirps
10-16-2021, 12:21 AM
Here ya go!

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?48762-CHEAT-SHEET-for-Plantain-Squirrels-(Care-and-Feeding)


Looks like your instincts are correct about diet.

Mel1959
10-16-2021, 07:10 AM
Try providing some sticks off of trees that he would find in the wild. Maybe just chewing on the stick will appease his desire to chew….not necessarily as a food source.

Bajing
10-16-2021, 11:28 PM
He's making good use of those too! Mulberry, apple, mahogany, monkeypod, acacia branches and sticks in his cage have lost their bark in patches

The need to naw wood seems second only to the need to master run, jump and spin manoeuvres, and drinking/eating seems to come somewhere after that. Keeping us on our toes with the rate of daily growth!

I will see if he eats any of the sugar glider and rat blocks when they arrive or if he just sinks his teeth into them

Thanks everyone for the great advice :grin3