This morning I noticed my 4 mo old gray squirrel 'Gearl' has what appeared to be gray patches on her haunches. On closer inspection it turns out she is losing her longer brownish fur and the grey is the finer undercoat.
She still takes formula twice a day, eats at least 2 Henry's blocks plus 2-3 Zupreem, vegetables and a bit of fruit and an occasional nut. I don't get it? I think she's getting enough calcium. She doesn't live in squalor, I tidy her cage twice a day (she makes a mess with pine cones and twigs). I wash her fleeces every 4-5 days (she's litter trained). What else would cause sudden hair loss?
I did transport her three days ago to my daughters where we'll be staying for a couple weeks (< 2 hrs away). She is in a (new) double critter nation cage just like at home, with her own fleeces, toys, etc. Our routine is the same and her behavior appears normal.
Oh, I did give her a small oak log and leafed branch from outside the day before. But it wasn't in there even a full 24 hrs, I can't believe that contributed to this.
She's only been eating vegetables for three to four weeks because she wasn't eating her block dependably. Here are all the foods she has tried to date in case I'm feeding her something wrong.
Eats frequently- kale, acorn squash , cherry tomato , carrot, pumpkin, broccoli, gr bean, sugar snap peas , avocado , Brussels sprouts, romaine. banana, apple, cranberries, blueberry, maple seed, spruce pinecone seeds, roasted pumpkin seed, yogurt
Eats less frequently (or ignores)- red /green cabbage, chayote, parsley, onion, gr onion, radicchio, mushrooms, cauliflower, shell on walnut, pecan half
I gave her rose hips twice (small kind not the big fat ones) and she loved them, but both times coincided with violent diarrhea episodes within hours of ingestion! So no more of those on my watch!