Crazy itchy sqirrel

[Wally]

Hi folks.I rescued a red squirrel about 8 months ago after a wind storm. The mother didn't come back for him. It wasn't until 2 days later that I found his brother near the same place but he didn't survive. I named the survivor "Twitch".
I thought at first that Twitch had an obsessive grooming problem but it ends up he is nibbling and scratching because he is terribly itchy. He has no fur loss, no dandruff and no scabbing. His fur looks thick and shiny too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Wally

[HRT4SQRLS]

Hi Wally
to TheSquirrelBoard

This might sound odd but we like to start with the diet. Give us an idea of what Itchy... I mean Twitch eats. Squirrels do groom a lot but overgrooming can be a problem. It's good to rule out dietary issues as a cause first.

[Wally]

Thanks for responding.
Twitche's normal diet consists of:
Almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and walnuts mixed together.
For fruit he gets:
Apple, banana or grapes and he gets dark greens for veggies like spinach or kale.
He also gets the occasional pine cone if we get to a treed area.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, Wally

[HRT4SQRLS]

Oh dear... Houston, we have a problem.

Seriously, the diet is all wrong. Nuts and seeds are extremely unhealthy and believe it or not, this diet will kill him. A diet of nuts and seeds will cause a condition called Metabolic Bone Disease. It is the result of low calcium in the diet. Nuts and seeds have high phosphorus. In the body, Phosphorus competes with calcium. There is a delicate balance between the 2 minerals. In proper balance, there should be 2 parts calcium to one part phosphorus. When fed a high phosphorus diet like nuts and seeds the body will pull calcium from the bones to achieve this balance. It is much MORE than brittle bones. It is that and MORE. It is also a metabolic disorder. Many metabolic processes require calcium. If not corrected they will go down in the hind end and drag the back legs, seizures will start and death follows. It is BY FAR, the most common condition we see on TSB because everyone thinks squirrels eat nuts, right. Wrong.... not in captivity. In the wild they can balance their diet. In captivity they only eat what we give them. There is no other way to say it... nuts will kill him. We only give a single nut as a treat after they eat their healthy diet.

Here is a link to the Healthy Diet. You will have a time getting him to eat a healthy diet because they prefer the unhealthy things like nuts.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

[HRT4SQRLS]

There is a good chance that the itching is a result of Metabolic Bone Disease.
They will get tingly nerve sensations that will cause them to scratch.

If it was you I would start the MBD treatment right away. It is a simple treatment. It involves megadosing calcium by using crushed Tums.

Here is a link to the MBD treatment.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-MBD-Treatment

[stepnstone]

Due to the life threatening nature of this issue I've sent OP an e-mail linking their
forum asking they come back on to view reply and understand the seriousness of it.

Thank you HRT!

[Wally]

Wow! I'll buy the Tums today. Thank you very much for the info. He isn't paralyzed but I have noticed him getting quite lazy and a little bit clumsy. Rest assured, I'm on it!!!

[HRT4SQRLS]

Thank you Wally. We are here to help in any way!

One note on the MBD treatment. Because this is a red squirrel (much smaller than a grey) I would give 1/2 the amount of calcium that's indicated on the treatment protocol.
The laziness and clumbsiness are also signs of MBD. A healthy little red squirrel is like toddler on speed... definitely not lazy and clumsy.
Because you caught this before the devastating symptoms appeared you can expect a full recovery with the MBD treatment. Follow it closely and also change up the diet. That will be the hardest part because you have a little junk food junkie there.

One other thing, be careful with him because the bones are brittle and subject to breaking. Good luck to you!

[cava]

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...h-Picky-Eaters

[Wally]

You folks know your stuff. Thank you so much for your help. I gave twitch the Tums (1/2 dose) and he bounced back within 24 hrs!!
I found some rodent block but you're right, he's being very picky about eating it.
He's still quite itchy though so I was wondering if I should add a wee bit of coconut oil to his diet?
And one more thing, his teeth are too long so I want to trim them. The clippers Iv'e found in pet stores have a curve on one side and a scissor on the other. I don't want to snip two teeth at one time in case I end up breaking them. Can you recommend a proper set of trimmers?
A part or product number would be great.
Thank you very much for you're help. Twitch thanks you too.

[cava]

And one more thing, his teeth are too long so I want to trim them. The clippers Iv'e found in pet stores have a curve on one side and a scissor on the other. I don't want to snip two teeth at one time in case I end up breaking them. Can you recommend a proper set of trimmers?
A part or product number would be great.
Thank you very much for you're help. Twitch thanks you too.

guillotine cutters work by smashing the nail/teeth to one side while the blade cuts. One side is being crushed. Yes, these will lend to breaking teeth. You want a tool that cuts from both sides.

First, however, can you post a photo of the teeth. Does he have a history of teeth problems, misalignment? Why are they not being worn down?

[Wally]

guillotine cutters work by smashing the nail/teeth to one side while the blade cuts. One side is being crushed. Yes, these will lend to breaking teeth. You want a tool that cuts from both sides.

First, however, can you post a photo of the teeth. Does he have a history of teeth problems, misalignment? Why are they not being worn down?

It's because he doesn't chew on anything except fingers (lovingly). I've tried wood, cuddle stone, and rocks but he ignores them. His teeth are still nice and straight but long. I'm concerned that they might touch the roof of his mouth soon.
I'll try to get some pics and post them. Thanks again.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Wally, you will need to get creative with the rodent block. That will require grinding the rodent block into powder. You can add things that will make the block palatable.
You'll have to experiment to find a recipe that he will eat.
Some add fruit baby food, almond butter, etc. You could add a little coconut oil as a binder. Baking a few minutes will hold things together.

There is a recipe thread for making rodent block palatable. I will see if I can find it.

Edit: here is the link. It has some ideas for making the block more appealing.
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...ight=Cook+book