Rodent Blocks or Rat Food

[LaShae1995]

My squirrel, Sandy hae been on the mazuri rodent blocks and the Henry rodent blocks, vegetable, fruits, leafy greens, nuts, mushrooms, and Oxbow Essentials Adult Rat Food - All Natural Adult Rat Food (from Amazon) and shes doing amazing, thankfully. She doesn't really like the blocks and she nibbles them here and there but she prefers the kibble. Should I just take the blocks out of her diet since she's getting a great brand of rodent food and doesn't seem interested in the blocks? Or should I add the blocks and keep her kibble to a limit? She has unlimited kibble and 4 blocks in her cage at all times. She gets a leafy salad topped with fruit pieces once or twice a week and two nuts a day. Like I said she's doing great and seems healthy as can be so if the blocks can be taken out of her diet and replaced with rodent food thatd be great. Or I can limit her kibble and give her the blocks. Any advice would be much appreciated thank you.

[LaShae1995]

I meant kaytee not henery sorry. Here are the foods I ordered her.

[Mel1959]

So which of these foods that you’ve pictured does she eat?

[LaShae1995]

I give her unlimited oxbow kibble and shes on the kaytee blocks as of now plus veggies, mushrooms, leafy greens, fruits, and nuts.

[Mel1959]

If she’s eating the oxbow well you can eliminate the kaytee. They’re both about the same nutritionally. Have you ever tried Envigo Harlan Teklad 2014 or 2018. It must be purchased online, but you can purchase small quantities. It is a very nutritional block and usually well received. You don’t have to limit the kibble….let her have as much as she wants.

Just be sure you go easy on the nuts. They should not be a staple of her diet and only given occasionally as a treat.

[LaShae1995]

Her teeth were too long and we had to trim them so I've been giving her hard things to chew like antlers. Walnut sized rocks, and 2 pecans a day. Ill cut her nut intake down though. How many should she receive though out the week? Ill look into that other food, thanks for sharing. Ill keep her on the kibble and ill buy a bag of the kaytee every once in a while to see if she wants any :)

[Mel1959]

I’m not certain how many nuts is too much for a captive squirrel. Are you giving in shell pecans for her teeth? Does she eat them both right away or does she stash them? A captive squirrel should never get so many nuts that they stash them….it can lead to aggression as she will protect them. I think I’d offer no more than one in shell nut a day and then offer a single shelled almond. Almonds have a better calcium to phosphorous ratio. Too many nuts can lead to metabolic bone disease so you want to be careful with them.

[LaShae1995]

I give pecans in shell twice a day but ill cut it down to one a day or one every two days. I have to order more almonds she loves them :) she eats one as soon as I give it to her and the other she stashes. She isnt aggressive at all about the stashed nut. She even stashes them in my hand and uses my fingers to cover them up. She's a real sweet heart about that ❤ I will definitely cut the nut intake down to one a day or one every two days becuase I don't want to give her that metabolic bone disease.