sudden death of 4month old squirrel--??

[Nancy in New York]

Thank you very much for your compassion & support.
The "funeral" is tomorrow.
It's going to be hard to let him go (i've had a hard time letting him go)
...but i hope another will come into my life again.

--And at that time, with the help from the Squirrel Board, I WILL KNOW what he/she will need to grow up strong n healthy for a LONG LIFE.

Peace and hope to you all!

Best,
Rachel

I just saw that you are near Albany. Where abouts are you located, you can tell me in a pm if you don't want it posted.

[ValentineSquirrel]

south of albany
columbia county. near Kinderhook

[stepnstone]

Thank you very much for your compassion & support.
The "funeral" is tomorrow.
It's going to be hard to let him go (i've had a hard time letting him go)
...but i hope another will come into my life again.
--And at that time, with the help from the Squirrel Board, I WILL KNOW what he/she will need to grow up strong n healthy for a LONG LIFE.
Peace and hope to you all!
Best,
Rachel

Once a squirrel has your heart, they never really leave...
Safe journey sweet Buddy, there is a whole new forrest that awaits you.

Rachel Buddy

[ValentineSquirrel]

thank you for the comfort. I need it

[PennyCash]

Rachel, I am so sorry for your loss. I hope that you made it through yesterday ok.

[ValentineSquirrel]

Watching all the videos of him playing and running around (hiding nuts, jumping and exploring) are a great comfort. He's super cute and so funny.

It's bittersweet, making me miss him and love him, but watching his videos & pictures helps to keep the happy memories in the front of my mind and heart.

Thank you for your compassion and reaching out to let me know you care...IT REALLY DOES HELP ME FEEL LESS SAD & LONELY... SO THANK YOU!!!

Rachel

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

[Preacher Nick]

Sadly and tragically, my 4month old squirrel ( Buddy) died suddenly yesterday (at 1pm) All morning, he was active and playful, eating almonds, butternut squash seeds, romaine lettuce --normal & healthy.

Background:
He came to me at 6week old during a bad storm, he & his siblings (who all died then) fell out of their nest to the ground. He was soaking wet and cold, but otherwise no apparent injuries.
I nursed him and rehabbed him. He had been very active and healthy these last 2.5months until yesterday.

Death:
I found him on the floor with a small amount of blood and saliva coming from his mouth... he had been eating romain lettuce on the table above him right before (almost as if he just dropped dead to the floor).

NO warning signs of illness.
NO behavioral/mental change showing signs of poison ingestion.
NO signs of injury.
NO external damage.


I am left tremendously heartbroken and confused how this happened.

Can someone help suggest possible causes of this mystery death.

The knowledge of "What" potentially caused this will provide some closure, anxiety reduction, and prevention for any repeats in the future.

Thank you for your time and consideration... I love and miss my little Buddy.

Rachel

Rachel I feel your heartache. My deacon found a six week old gray squirrel in the back room of the sanctuary. They put him outside hoping that outside hoping that momma would come and get him. After the service was over he went to see if the little squirrel had gone. He was in the same spot and following him around like a little puppy. Not wanting to leave him to drown in the storm or be picked off by a predator our Deacon asked me to take care of him. We named him Church. He left 5 Happy Days. And then without warning or Reason fell ill while I was at work. My mom sid everything she could to keep him alive until I got home. Even bringing him with her when she came to pick me up. 10 minutes after we got home after wrapping him in my arms and telling him I loved him and telling God that if it was his will I would be okay if he took him, little Church passed away. Mom said it looked like he was having a seizure. I will be praying for you. And if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior I know you will see Buddy again. Just like I am going to see my Church again.

[SophieSquirrel]

So very sorry to hear of your loss of little Buddy and little Church . Your squirrel family on TSB is here for you in your time of grief.

[Poky]

It sounds like anticoagulant poisoning to me.

[Poky]

Aw, what a precious baby.

I want very much to lie to you because your grief is quite clear. But I think you really want to know, and I also know that once you raise one of these little gems, you will want to do it again, and I don't want to see anyone go through the hurt twice.

Squirrels have very exacting nutritional needs. They require quite a bit of calcium in their diet - their skeletons need it to provide for the flexibility and gymnastics that are part of their life.

There are a few things that will block calcium uptake, and one of the big ones is phosphorus. Now phosphorus is necessary in the diet, but what you are looking for is a balance of about 2 parts of calcium for every one part of phosphorus. This all means that no only do you have to make sure they get their calcium, you also have to make sure they don't get foods that are super high in phosphorus, or it will cancel out the calcium. And guess what - of course the highest phosphorus levels are found in the things they love the most.

Corn, sunflower seeds and cashews are all EXTREMELY high in phosphorus. Corn has one part calcium and 45 parts phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have one part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Cashews are 1 to 12. Pumpkin seeds are 1 to a whopping 27. Seeds, grains, and nuts usually have the highest levels of phosphorus.

We solve this diet dilemma by feeding either a specially made squirrel food that one of our members manufactures, or by feeding "rat block" which is an extruded diet made for rats, which are fairly close to squirrels in their dietary needs. These foods have the proper balance, and are combined with healthy veggies and occasional fruits to make up the total diet. Nuts are fed in very small quantity as treats only. Even among nuts there is a huge disparity - almonds are not all that bad, being 1 to 2 calcium to phosphorus. Hazelnuts are about the same. But pine nuts - they are 1 to 36. So even with treats we pick and chose.

This info is not that well known. They make commercial squirrel foods from corn and sunflower seeds! Most vets don't know, no pet store employees know - you need to really mine for this info if you are not lucky enough to have found a board like this early on.

In the absence of enough calcium, or the presence of too much phosphorus, the squirrel will begin to pull calcium from it's own bones to satisfy the need. It causes the bones to become very brittle. Once that has happened, you will finally begin to see symptoms - trouble walking sometimes, and very often, seizures. Because they hide their sickness so carefully, most people do not see problems until the situation is very advanced. His age is just when it hits, too - the baby formula has plenty of calcium but once they wean from it, the danger time begins.

BTW, kitten formula is not a good milk sub for them - and I am sure you were told to use it - VETS will tell you this for God's sake. It has too much protein and not enough fat. If this ever happens to you again, first, run to a health food store and get fresh goats milk and some vanilla yogurt, for a good temporary formula can be made from those items. Then come here, and we will hook you up with a place to get a formula specifically designed for baby squirrels, and we will help you every step of the way so you never have to go through this again.

I am so sorry about Buddy. My Mister P is literally the most important being in my life, and even thinking about losing him makes it hard for me to breathe, so I can imagine how you feel. I am so, so, sorry.

So you don’t think the squirrel choked and it was diet related?

[Spanky]

So you don’t think the squirrel choked and it was diet related?

This is an old thread from 2012, but given the age of the squirrel and the diet information provided the most likely cause was MBD. Squirrels in the care of humans have a demanding the diet... the calcium to phosphorous ration need to maintain a proper balance. It is hard (if not impossible) to maintain this balance with the perception that all formulas are equal (kitten formulas versus puppy formulas, brand X and Brand Y) there are even debates within the rehab community on which "squirrel" formulas are safe. Add to the the misconception that diet of corn, nuts and seeds are a balanced diet for a squirrel... this usually results in fatal disaster over time.

[Lbaum]

This is a very old thread but I came across this information a little late for one of my squirrels. I just hope I can keep his sister alive now that I have this information. So, thank you so very much!!!!

Aw, what a precious baby.

I want very much to lie to you because your grief is quite clear. But I think you really want to know, and I also know that once you raise one of these little gems, you will want to do it again, and I don't want to see anyone go through the hurt twice.

Squirrels have very exacting nutritional needs. They require quite a bit of calcium in their diet - their skeletons need it to provide for the flexibility and gymnastics that are part of their life.

There are a few things that will block calcium uptake, and one of the big ones is phosphorus. Now phosphorus is necessary in the diet, but what you are looking for is a balance of about 2 parts of calcium for every one part of phosphorus. This all means that no only do you have to make sure they get their calcium, you also have to make sure they don't get foods that are super high in phosphorus, or it will cancel out the calcium. And guess what - of course the highest phosphorus levels are found in the things they love the most.

Corn, sunflower seeds and cashews are all EXTREMELY high in phosphorus. Corn has one part calcium and 45 parts phosphorus. Sunflower seeds have one part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Cashews are 1 to 12. Pumpkin seeds are 1 to a whopping 27. Seeds, grains, and nuts usually have the highest levels of phosphorus.

We solve this diet dilemma by feeding either a specially made squirrel food that one of our members manufactures, or by feeding "rat block" which is an extruded diet made for rats, which are fairly close to squirrels in their dietary needs. These foods have the proper balance, and are combined with healthy veggies and occasional fruits to make up the total diet. Nuts are fed in very small quantity as treats only. Even among nuts there is a huge disparity - almonds are not all that bad, being 1 to 2 calcium to phosphorus. Hazelnuts are about the same. But pine nuts - they are 1 to 36. So even with treats we pick and chose.

This info is not that well known. They make commercial squirrel foods from corn and sunflower seeds! Most vets don't know, no pet store employees know - you need to really mine for this info if you are not lucky enough to have found a board like this early on.

In the absence of enough calcium, or the presence of too much phosphorus, the squirrel will begin to pull calcium from it's own bones to satisfy the need. It causes the bones to become very brittle. Once that has happened, you will finally begin to see symptoms - trouble walking sometimes, and very often, seizures. Because they hide their sickness so carefully, most people do not see problems until the situation is very advanced. His age is just when it hits, too - the baby formula has plenty of calcium but once they wean from it, the danger time begins.

BTW, kitten formula is not a good milk sub for them - and I am sure you were told to use it - VETS will tell you this for God's sake. It has too much protein and not enough fat. If this ever happens to you again, first, run to a health food store and get fresh goats milk and some vanilla yogurt, for a good temporary formula can be made from those items. Then come here, and we will hook you up with a place to get a formula specifically designed for baby squirrels, and we will help you every step of the way so you never have to go through this again.

I am so sorry about Buddy. My Mister P is literally the most important being in my life, and even thinking about losing him makes it hard for me to breathe, so I can imagine how you feel. I am so, so, sorry.