squirrel help.

[brynellandeasy]

Hi I'm very new to having a pet squirrel. We had a neighbor knock a nest out of a tree and cared for the pinky baby for 2 months now. This little pinky is now our Easy. He is quite the character. My question we stimulated him until he was going on his own. However now I am having problems with him urinating on himself. I'm trying to keep him clean. I'm afraid it will cause rashes and health problems. What do I do?

[TubeDriver]

Hi and welcome to the TSB. Thank you for rescuing Easy! There will be a lots of questions as we try to help you out with your little fellow!

Urine burn is certain if he gets urine on himself. Can you describe a couple things that will help us?

His current weight?
His diet?
What's his cage is like?
Does he gave any issues that would make you think he could not be released when he get more mature?

Again, thanks poor saving Easy!

Hi I'm very new to having a pet squirrel. We had a neighbor knock a nest out of a tree and cared for the pinky baby for 2 months now. This little pinky is now our Easy. He is quite the character. My question we stimulated him until he was going on his own. However now I am having problems with him urinating on himself. I'm trying to keep him clean. I'm afraid it will cause rashes and health problems. What do I do?

[brynellandeasy]

I'm estimating around 1 pound. He has esbilac puppy formula with part whipping cream part water. Also has a water bottle and gets grains nuts and sweet corn as well as kale. His cage is about 3 1/2 foot tall, 3 feet deep. He has a hammock, a branch, a parrot mirror, a very small stuffed toy. I do not believe he has any health issues. He appears very healthy.

[brynellandeasy]

He also has a small box in the corner of his cage with wood chipd I was hoping he'd use for a potty but no luck.

[stepnstone]

I'm estimating around 1 pound. He has esbilac puppy formula with part whipping cream part water. Also has a water bottle and gets grains nuts and sweet corn as well as kale. His cage is about 3 1/2 foot tall, 3 feet deep. He has a hammock, a branch, a parrot mirror, a very small stuffed toy. I do not believe he has any health issues. He appears very healthy.

You've had him 2 months, is it safe to say he's at least 9 weeks? A large majority of the problems we see on here can be led back to improper diet. How much formula per feeding does he take and can you get an actual weight on him? Is he drinking water on his own?
The first solid food your squirrel should have been given and eating well before any other foods were introduced is a good quality rodent block like HHB's. The diet you listed with including grains, nuts and sweet corn are highly deficient in calcium, protein and needed vitamins. It not only will counteract any benefits of his formula, it is a gateway to mbd as well as other nutritional problems.
One must understand that a wild squirrel eats a large variety of things in the wild to balance it's diet. Captive squirrels have to depend on it's captors to balance that diet and that begins with a good quality rodent block such as Henry's that is fortified with all the essential nutrients and vitamins a captive squirrel needs on a daily basics.
It is a concern that your little is wetting himself (at his age) which suggests a lack of control. Please answer questions to provide a better insight and posting a picture of your little to get an overall look at appearance can be helpful. I would keep him washed down using a damp cloth with (regular unscented) dawn dish soap to prevent urine scald. I would also like to suggest you look at the healthy diet listed, cut out the nuts corn and start your little on eating block and get him on a healthier diet.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...-Pet-Squirrels

[brynellandeasy]

Where do I get a rodent block? I do not live close to petstores. I have a walmart somewhat close and a feed store. Also what do they do in the wild for proper diet?

[Annabelle's papa]

Where do I get a rodent block? I do not live close to petstores. I have a walmart somewhat close and a feed store. Also what do they do in the wild for proper diet?

Good Morning brynellandeasy, Henry's healthy block's are formulated specifically for Squirrel's and must be ordered at www.henryshealthypets.com because they are not sold in stores. One bag will last a month, and longer if you supplement with Harlan Teklad rodent blocks which are much cheaper and can be found in most good pet stores or ordered online through Amazon.

Everything from different types of bark to a myriad of fungi, leaf buds and bugs make up a Squirrel's healthy diet in the wild. That's why nuts, corn and seeds aren't very good for a Squirrel, these items don't have much of a nutritional value for us human's and in fact can prove harmful to a Squirrel's well being.

Squirrel's require foods that have a high calcium to phosphorus ratio, or they will develop metabolic bone disease and this will cripple and eventually end their life. However you were fortunate in finding The Squirrel Board and in doing so Lil' easy will have a chance at a very happy, healthy and long life to spend in the tree's and eventually share His mates, and all of His Wonderful Babies with you.

[czarina]

We sre glad you found us! And thank you for carIng for this precious baby. I can't wait to see pictures!

Proper diet is the most important thing you can do for your little friend. The majority of health problems we see here, are related to improper diet.
Everybody thinks squirrels eat corn and nuts, right? WRONG! In captivity that will end ip giving your squirrel a very painful disease called Metabolic Bone Disease, their poor little bodies don't have enough calcium, and they have terrible pain, become paralyzed. Out in the wild, they instinctively know what to eat to get the proper nutrients to avoid this horrible disease, but in captivity they can only eat what we give them.

We will help you with his diet, because as I already said, it is the important thing you can do for your little guy.

The rodent blocks they are telling you about, are specifically made for squirrels tp prevent this horrible disease. They eat 2 blocks a day, along with things from the healthy diet list, and you are good to go. Most of us have trained our squirrels to know that they get nothing to eat until they eat their blocks first!

The other blocks they are talking about can be ordered from Petsmart or Petco.
Oxbow makes a good quality rodent block, and also Harlan Teckland, wich can be purchased on ebay. You need the 18% block.
They can eat these blocks along with their HHB'S. Most of us leave a handful of these blocks in their cage at all times, for them to nibble on.

Its really important that you stop feeding the grains, corn and nuts immediately.
It will make it really hard to get him to eat a healthy diet, because the things you are hiving him taste REALLY GOOD to a squirrel. We do allow 2 nuts a day, as a treat.

We know you love Easy, or you wouldn't be here. And believe me, the rest of us love our squirrels just as much!

I have a couple of questions about Easy's urination problems. This will sound odd, but it is quite common in squirrels. Have you noticed if he is sucking on his penis? This can cause severe irritation and swelling and lead to a urinary tract infection. This is kinda what I suspect might be going on. When you have a UTI itis very uncomfortable and can actually lead to severe pain. That is why he is probably not using his potty box. Does his urine have a foul odor? That is another sign of a UTI. Does his penis look reddened or irritated or swollen?
It is not normal for him to be leaking urine like this, and will lead to urine scald, whivh is also quite painful, so try to keep him clean.

We are here to help you, so the more information you tell us, the better help we can give you!

So, answer my questions and also ask any questions you have.

[brynellandeasy]

Ok a update. Took all bad food out. Still doing the esbilac with whipping cream and water. Made a roadtrip to a petsmart. Got oxbow rodent and small pet food. It has protein, crude fat, crude fiber, moisture, calcium, phosphorus, copper, vitamins a, d, and e. He seems to love it. No seeds sugary fruits or nuts no artificial preservatives colors or flavors.

[Annabelle's papa]

Ok a update. Took all bad food out. Still doing the esbilac with whipping cream and water. Made a roadtrip to a petsmart. Got oxbow rodent and small pet food. It has protein, crude fat, crude fiber, moisture, calcium, phosphorus, copper, vitamins a, d, and e. He seems to love it. No seeds sugary fruits or nuts no artificial preservatives colors or flavors.

Hi brynellandeasy, this is wonderful, Easy is very fortunate to be cared for so well, you can continue with the Esbilac for as long as you can. Some Squirrels will continue drinking it from a shallow dish as they get older, along with the oxbow a single Henry's healthy block a day would completely round out Lil' Easy's complete nutritional needs.

Please share some photos, just a few hundred to start with and it's never to late to start Easy his very own thread, you can't keep all of his cuteness to yourself.

[brynellandeasy]

Some pictures

[Annabelle's papa]

Absolutely Beautiful, very fine looking young man, Thank You very much for the photos, I know this is just a few but I'm sure you will have many more.

How is it going with the urination problem, because his tummy area certainly appears to be fine. Did you ever pick up one of the inexpensive digital food scales in Walmart, they give very accurate weights measured in grams.

[brynellandeasy]

Henrys healthy blocks have been ordered.

[Annabelle's papa]

Henrys healthy blocks have been ordered.

This is great to hear brynellandeasy, you will receive them by Friday or Saturday, Henry's process, and ship quickly.

You will want to keep the full bag in your freezer, and keep about 2 or 4 blocks at a time in your refrigerator in an airtight container. They contain no preservatives at all, and I try to roll the air out of each bag before resealing it. The bags are very thick and they seal with an airtight ziplock, you're providing oxbow so you will only need to offer a single HHB each day. At that rate a single bag could last for two months, however please make sure each HHB is eaten and not just shredded.