Homemade squirrel block recipe.

[Nosetotail]

Hello again. I have been reading nutrition theads. Something that has come up several times is a link for a homemade squirrel block recipe. For some reason, I can't get the link to work.

Could someone be so kind as to post the recipe? Or has it been removed for a reason?

Thanks.

[stepnstone]

4skwerlz




Homemade Squirrel Block Recipe

Homemade Squirrel Block Recipe
Makes approximately a 4-week supply for a 1-pound squirrel.

Preheat oven to 205 degrees Fahrenheit

Dry ingredients:
80 g Pure Whey Protein Isolate for adult formula (for growth formula, use 160 g).
130 g finely ground nuts (any kind; peanuts, pecans, or almonds work well)
1/3 cup wheat flour (optional)
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 package (45 g) Henry's Healthy Vita-Mins*

Wet ingredients:
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup water, or a little more, as needed (this is for growth formula only; do not add water to the adult formula unless the dough is too dry when mixed)

Instructions:
Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until dough sticks together. It will be fairly dry, like pie crust dough. Wearing gloves or with your bare hands (oiled), press the dough down and then start to knead it. Once the dough forms a ball, place it onto a lightly greased surface and knead a few more times until smooth and uniform in color. Roll dough out into a roll or flatten into a square, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. While still warm, cut into 60 pieces with a sharp knife

Allow the blocks to cool for at least 2 hours. Then place in zip-lock bags and store them in the fridge or freezer. They will keep in the fridge for several weeks. They will keep in the freezer for several months (unopened and with as much air as possible removed from the bag before sealing). Some squirrels enjoy eating them cold or frozen, but you can also put a cold block into the microwave for about 5-10 seconds to warm it up.

Feed 2-3 per day for a 1-pound (453 g) squirrel. Different squirrels will have different energy requirements.

*If you want to make your own vitamin/mineral premix, please consult the Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals-Rats, or one of the standard nutrient profiles for rats, such as those used in commercial rodent blocks.

Copyright 2009 Henry's Healthy Pet Foods, Inc.

Henry's Healthy Pets
Henry's Healthy Blocks, Fox Valley Formula, Fleecies Cage Gear and more

The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations… ~Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928

[Nosetotail]

Thank you. As for the whey protein, should I use plain or vanilla which would probably have real or artificial sugar, or even high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener.

Are dry roasted unsalted nuts ok?
Do these usually work for picky eaters?

[DarkLies212]

Thank you. As for the whey protein, should I use plain or vanilla which would probably have real or artificial sugar, or even high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener.

Are dry roasted unsalted nuts ok?
Do these usually work for picky eaters?

I would only use the whey protein from Henry's. If you're talking about using human grade whey protein, here's a thread on it https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...t=whey+protein

I can't comment on roasted nuts, I've only ever used them raw.

[Nosetotail]

Thanks. I put together a batch last night using human grade to get me through until I place another order with Henry's.

[pradeep200417]

4skwerlz




Homemade Squirrel Block Recipe

Homemade Squirrel Block Recipe
Makes approximately a 4-week supply for a 1-pound squirrel.

Preheat oven to 205 degrees Fahrenheit

Dry ingredients:
80 g Pure Whey Protein Isolate for adult formula (for growth formula, use 160 g).
130 g finely ground nuts (any kind; peanuts, pecans, or almonds work well)
1/3 cup wheat flour (optional)
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 package (45 g) Henry's Healthy Vita-Mins*

Wet ingredients:
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup water, or a little more, as needed (this is for growth formula only; do not add water to the adult formula unless the dough is too dry when mixed)

Instructions:
Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until dough sticks together. It will be fairly dry, like pie crust dough. Wearing gloves or with your bare hands (oiled), press the dough down and then start to knead it. Once the dough forms a ball, place it onto a lightly greased surface and knead a few more times until smooth and uniform in color. Roll dough out into a roll or flatten into a square, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. While still warm, cut into 60 pieces with a sharp knife

Allow the blocks to cool for at least 2 hours. Then place in zip-lock bags and store them in the fridge or freezer. They will keep in the fridge for several weeks. They will keep in the freezer for several months (unopened and with as much air as possible removed from the bag before sealing). Some squirrels enjoy eating them cold or frozen, but you can also put a cold block into the microwave for about 5-10 seconds to warm it up.

Feed 2-3 per day for a 1-pound (453 g) squirrel. Different squirrels will have different energy requirements.

*If you want to make your own vitamin/mineral premix, please consult the Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals-Rats, or one of the standard nutrient profiles for rats, such as those used in commercial rodent blocks.

Copyright 2009 Henry's Healthy Pet Foods, Inc.

Henry's Healthy Pets
Henry's Healthy Blocks, Fox Valley Formula, Fleecies Cage Gear and more

The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations… ~Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928

IF kept in a freezer, how many months can they last, without getting spoilt?

[Mel1959]

If kept frozen in an airtight bag or container, I would say 6 months or longer.

[pradeep200417]

If kept frozen in an airtight bag or container, I would say 6 months or longer.

I had another question.
Instead of baking blocks,If I get the Henry s Vitamins and Henry's Protein powder and mix the proper dosage along with baby food and feed the Squirrel, would that be fine?

[pradeep200417]

If kept frozen in an airtight bag or container, I would say 6 months or longer.

One more Question.
I had ordered 2 Packets of Henry's Blocks.
I have opened one block and have kept it in freezer. I give my squirrels the blocks from the freezer.

The second packet I haven't opened it yet.
Do I need to put the unopened pack also in the Freezer? Also they have those Oxygen Absorber packets inside. Do i need to store the unopened packet of Henry's Block along with the Oxygen Absorber packets inside of those packets, in a freezer?

[mel_la_fee]

Hi all!

This might sound like a silly question but I'm not much of a baker and I started making this recipe to only just now realize that my baking powder is the double acting kind that lists "sodium aluminum sulfate' in the ingredients. There's no place close I can get something else nearby so late at night. Is there anything I can use to replace this ingredient? Baking soda maybe? Active yeast?? Again, I'm not much of a baker so I don't really know the difference between these things

Thanks!

[TrixiesPapa]

I had another question.
Instead of baking blocks,If I get the Henry s Vitamins and Henry's Protein powder and mix the proper dosage along with baby food and feed the Squirrel, would that be fine?

Did anyone ever provide any information regarding this? I have been making my own babyfoods and mixing with KayTee forti blocks. My latest batch was 95G of Aragula, Green and red oak lettuce mix - 70G Chayote - 40G Pear - 18G Almond Butter and 1 large egg yolk. All of the vegetables were blanched, the chayote baked and the egg hard boiled. This yielded me 5 2 oz servings. I then mix this with a whole crushed forti block and 1/8 tsp of calcium Carbonate Powder (150mg).

I have made other blends as well, such as Arugula, Kale, Butternut Squash and pineapple as well as a Cabbage, Broccoli, Sweet potatoe, Papaya, grapefruit and egg blend. All veggies blanched, squash baked and sweet tatoe boiled to lower oxalate levels. She devours one every morning and every evening with a spread of fresh raw veggies in between. I've got 4 or 5 "blends" in the freezer at any time so she is always eating something different than last time. This all started because i had to medicate her early on in our relationship and I found baby food to be the easiest way because she loved it. My first stated recipe is my most scientific to date and also her favorite by far.

I am very curious to hear any feedback regarding this as it seems a surefire way to ensure she is getting what she needs but am admittedly no expert on this stuff, its my first time taking care of a squeaker.

[Mel1959]

This thread is two years old. I’m sure your concoction is providing adequate nutrition….albeit a lot of work. The forti-diet rodent block provides proper nutrition by itself. I make boo balls all the time using store bought baby food, Harlan Teklad rodent block, coconut oil, powdered Fox valley formula and Ultraboost and ground nuts. I don’t think the wilds would eat them without the nuts so if your girl will, that’s a plus.

[James Siano]

Hi, warning NEVER give your fur baby anything with high fructose corn syrup, I've personally done research (thru a lab at UMUA), and it causes tumors and cancer in lab animals. Never use sugar or alternate sweeteners, protein isolate is very high in protein, needs to be cut with whey protein concentrate (60 isolate 40 concentrate), if anyone wants to contact me for more pointers, please do so at jamesjsiano3@gmail.com, take care of your fur babies! Nutrition is important but also use your heads here,!

[Miles]

4skwerlz




Homemade Squirrel Block Recipe

Homemade Squirrel Block Recipe
Makes approximately a 4-week supply for a 1-pound squirrel.

Preheat oven to 205 degrees Fahrenheit

Dry ingredients:
80 g Pure Whey Protein Isolate for adult formula (for growth formula, use 160 g).
130 g finely ground nuts (any kind; peanuts, pecans, or almonds work well)
1/3 cup wheat flour (optional)
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1 package (45 g) Henry's Healthy Vita-Mins*

Wet ingredients:
1 whole egg
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup water, or a little more, as needed (this is for growth formula only; do not add water to the adult formula unless the dough is too dry when mixed)

Instructions:
Place dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until dough sticks together. It will be fairly dry, like pie crust dough. Wearing gloves or with your bare hands (oiled), press the dough down and then start to knead it. Once the dough forms a ball, place it onto a lightly greased surface and knead a few more times until smooth and uniform in color. Roll dough out into a roll or flatten into a square, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. While still warm, cut into 60 pieces with a sharp knife

Allow the blocks to cool for at least 2 hours. Then place in zip-lock bags and store them in the fridge or freezer. They will keep in the fridge for several weeks. They will keep in the freezer for several months (unopened and with as much air as possible removed from the bag before sealing). Some squirrels enjoy eating them cold or frozen, but you can also put a cold block into the microwave for about 5-10 seconds to warm it up.

Feed 2-3 per day for a 1-pound (453 g) squirrel. Different squirrels will have different energy requirements.

*If you want to make your own vitamin/mineral premix, please consult the Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals-Rats, or one of the standard nutrient profiles for rats, such as those used in commercial rodent blocks.

Copyright 2009 Henry's Healthy Pet Foods, Inc.

Henry's Healthy Pets
Henry's Healthy Blocks, Fox Valley Formula, Fleecies Cage Gear and more

The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations… ~Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928

I’m wondering if the Exotic Nutrition squirrel booster the same as the Henry’s healthy vita-mins

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I’m wondering if the Exotic Nutrition squirrel booster the same as the Henry’s healthy vita-mins

Hi Miles:
The short answer is NO!
As an example of a significant and critical difference between them is the Calcium content. Henrys states that for their Vitamin preparation, the daily intake should be 1 Gram per pound of body weight. They also have determined that 1 Gram has the dry volume of 1/4 Teaspoonful do this can be measured out by weight or volume. Squirrel require a relatively large amount of Calcium daily and for the "average" Squirrel, this is somewhere around 250mg. Henry's Vitamin preparation label states that 1 Gram (1/4 Tsp) contains 233mg of ELEMENTAL Calcium.

Exotic Nutrition "Squirrel Booster" reports that the entire container weighs 56 Grams (2 ounces) and that the minimum Calcium content is 0.45% and the maximum Calcium would be no more than 0.55% per pound of the supplement. If we simply calculate the amount of Calcium in the entire 2 ounce container of the supplement, it will be clear why this is not the same as Henry's. Let's go for the maximum which is listed to be 0.55%. To calculate the amount of Calcium in grams that contained in 1 pound of this supplement in Grams, we must convert the pound to Grams and 1 pound weighs approximately 454 Grams. If we multiply 454 by 0.0055 (0.55%) we would find that there are 2.5 Grams (2500mg) of Calcium in 1 pound. The container contains 2 ounces of material so if 16 ounces (1 pound) of Exotic Nutrition Vitamin Supplement contains 2.5 Grams of Calcium, the entire container of only 2 ounces contains 1/8 of this which is 313mg which is only slightly more than the recommended daily intake of Calcium for the "average" Squirrel! So the big picture is that the entire 2 ounce container will contains the calcium necessary for only one day's normal intake of Calcium for the "average Squirrel! Most of us do NOT use the Exotic Nutrition products but they do appear enticing!

(Here is the rest of the math: The Daily recommended dose is 1/8 teaspoonful which is roughly 0.5 Grams. There are approximatively 454 Grams in a pound so there would be a maximum of 2.5 Grams (2500mg) of Calcium in that pound (454 x 0.0055). Since the daily "serving" is 1/8 Teaspoonful or approximately 0.5 Grams of the supplement, there will be a maximum of only 2.7mg of calcium contained in that amount (the equation is 2.5/454 = x/0.5 ) and when solved for x, we would find there would only be 2mg (0.0027 Grams) of Calcium contained in the 1/8 teaspoonful of the Exotic Nutrition Vitamins preparation)!)

Probably I should have stayed with my first two lines:
Hi Miles:
The short answer is NO!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[Miles]

Hi Miles:
The short answer is NO!
As an example of a significant and critical difference between them is the Calcium content. Henrys states that for their Vitamin preparation, the daily intake should be 1 Gram per pound of body weight. They also have determined that 1 Gram has the dry volume of 1/4 Teaspoonful do this can be measured out by weight or volume. Squirrel require a relatively large amount of Calcium daily and for the "average" Squirrel, this is somewhere around 250mg. Henry's Vitamin preparation label states that 1 Gram (1/4 Tsp) contains 233mg of ELEMENTAL Calcium.

Exotic Nutrition "Squirrel Booster" reports that the entire container weighs 56 Grams (2 ounces) and that the minimum Calcium content is 0.45% and the maximum Calcium would be no more than 0.55% per pound of the supplement. If we simply calculate the amount of Calcium in the entire 2 ounce container of the supplement, it will be clear why this is not the same as Henry's. Let's go for the maximum which is listed to be 0.55%. To calculate the amount of Calcium in grams that contained in 1 pound of this supplement in Grams, we must convert the pound to Grams and 1 pound weighs approximately 454 Grams. If we multiply 454 by 0.0055 (0.55%) we would find that there are 2.5 Grams (2500mg) of Calcium in 1 pound. The container contains 2 ounces of material so if 16 ounces (1 pound) of Exotic Nutrition Vitamin Supplement contains 2.5 Grams of Calcium, the entire container of only 2 ounces contains 1/8 of this which is 313mg which is only slightly more than the recommended daily intake of Calcium for the "average" Squirrel! So the big picture is that the entire 2 ounce container will contains the calcium necessary for only one day's normal intake of Calcium for the "average Squirrel! Most of us do NOT use the Exotic Nutrition products but they do appear enticing!

(Here is the rest of the math: The Daily recommended dose is 1/8 teaspoonful which is roughly 0.5 Grams. There are approximatively 454 Grams in a pound so there would be a maximum of 2.5 Grams (2500mg) of Calcium in that pound (454 x 0.0055). Since the daily "serving" is 1/8 Teaspoonful or approximately 0.5 Grams of the supplement, there will be a maximum of only 2.7mg of calcium contained in that amount (the equation is 2.5/454 = x/0.5 ) and when solved for x, we would find there would only be 2mg (0.0027 Grams) of Calcium contained in the 1/8 teaspoonful of the Exotic Nutrition Vitamins preparation)!)

Probably I should have stayed with my first two lines:
Hi Miles:
The short answer is NO!

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Thank you so much SamtheSquirrel I appreciate you letting me know!!!!

[lovesquirrels1]

I have a couple of questions.


1/3 cup wheat flour (optional) Is this the same thing as whole wheat flour (that's all I could find)?

1 package (45 g) Henry's Healthy Vita-Mins* The packages now come in 100 grams and say feed 1lb squirrel 1 gram per day.

If a Squirrel eats 2 blocks per day and weighs 1 lb, and this makes 60 blocks, wouldn't 45g of vitamins be too much? Seems like it would be closer to 30?


Reason I am asking is my flying squirrels are under 3 ounces so 1 block per day with 45g spread over 60 blocks seem like it would be multiple times the recommend daily value?

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Hi LovesSquirrels1:
I often begin my posts in a new thread with some sort of appropriate disclaimer such as, "I am not a Veterinarian" but with your thread, my disclaimer is that I am not a chef or a baker. Those facts will not, of course, keep me from posting my comments! Furthermore, if my responses seem to ramble, feel free to slap me with a wet piece of pasta which incidentally would most likely be made from Semolina which is a coarsely ground flour made from Durum Wheat! At one time I made my Squirrel Blocks from scratch but now I make them using Envigo 2014 or 2018 as a base and add other ingredients and also ensure that the original Elemental Calcium content of the Envigo base is maintained and I do that by adding a calculated amount of Calcium carbonate to compensate for the "dilution" that occurs by my adding ingredients. In the past I have utilized the recipe that you site from Henry's and it seems fine EXCEPT that I do NOT agree that all nut have the same nutritional and potential health benefits (or risks) and in fact all that are called nuts are not necessarily nuts! Peanuts are legumes, not actually nuts! Personally, I use Pecans for all of the Block recipes I have utilized. Squirrels generally like Pecans and so do I! I have put my answers under your questions.
Regards,
SamtheSquirel

I have a couple of questions.


1/3 cup wheat flour (optional) Is this the same thing as whole wheat flour (that's all I could find)?

My Answer: Wheat Flour is a general term and in fact, Whole Wheat is also a general term. There are a number of different types of wheat and there are a number of different types of wheat flour that can be made from the various wheat kernels (also called a wheat berry). Just for examples, there are Hard Red Wheats, Soft Red Wheats, Hard Whites, Durum and more. Hard and soft have to do with the relative protein content which is directly related to the gluten content and the gluten is what confers much of the cohesion characteristics of the dough. Hard wheats have more gluten than soft wheats. Whole wheat is usually ground from Hard Red Wheat but it can be made from other wheats and all it means is that it is made from the entire kernel of the wheat. When you get wheat flour for Blocks, my suggestion would be to get flour made Hard wheat such as Hard Red Winter Wheat as the greater amounts of glutenin in the hard wheats will help with cohesion of your blocks.

1 package (45 g) Henry's Healthy Vita-Mins* The packages now come in 100 grams and say feed 1lb squirrel 1 gram per day.

If a Squirrel eats 2 blocks per day and weighs 1 lb, and this makes 60 blocks, wouldn't 45g of vitamins be too much? Seems like it would be closer to 30?

Reason I am asking is my flying squirrels are under 3 ounces so 1 block per day with 45g spread over 60 blocks seem like it would be multiple times the recommend daily value?

My Answer: Yes! It may be that Henry's at one time sold a package of Vitamins that weighed 45 Grams. I know that they fairly recently sold a package of Vitamins weighing 33 Grams. The recipe that you quoted was updated in 2014 to specify the 33 Gram pack which as you note, makes more sense. Since the "average" Squirrel or the one pound Squirrel that Henry's talks about has a recommended daily Vitamin intake of 1 Gram; the math is really quite simple and that is that you would add the 33 Gram bag (or just 30 Grams if you want to be a purist; and now with the 100 Grams bag, use only 30 Grams for each 30 day supply of Blocks) to the concoction you are using to form the dough for a 4 week supply of Blocks. If you cut the dough into 60 equal pieces, the intake for this "average" Squirrel would be 2 blocks per day. With you little Flyers, your could actually cut up the dough into more pieces as the tiny 3 oz flyer is slightly less than a fourth the weight of the theoretical "average" one pound Squirrel. Giving 1/4 the amount would probably be fine and makes the math simpler.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I see that I posted my responses to LoveSquirrels1 questions within the quote and my comments are not obvious because of that! I usually try preview my posts but was pressed for time and neglected to proofread. Sorry for my making this even more confusing than it would be to just read my responses!
Regards,
StS

[lovesquirrels1]

No worries I found it. If you've done the math on a formula utilizing blocks, would you also be able to post that? I am wondering if that might be more cost effective as the vitamins, shipping, etc is a little costly. I don't think there is much savings making the blocks myself utilizing the vitamins since those are costing probably around 7$ per 60 blocks made. I'll look up the nutritional value of different nuts. This first batch I made with walnuts, but I can get pecans and other nuts too. I've tried boo balls but honestly after my squirrels eat them for a few days their appetite seems to decrease. It could just be that the boo balls are bigger (I've not weighed them yet) or maybe the fox valley isn't fully desolved or something, but I just don't have the warm and fuzzies about those and they seem to do better on Henrys for me.