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Thread: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

  1. #21
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Okay, I've asked the local petshop if they could bring in the rat food but no luck. I've found a supplier of the Envigo brand here and sent them a message to see if I can order it from them. I've asked the exotic petshop if they could order the Mazuri brand and they said they'll get back to me. Sooo just praying I can get one soon as they're fussing with milk and wanting solids, but I want to make sure they eat their nutritious food first.

    I bought some full fat plain yogurt for the squirrels. I mixed it with a bit of their formula separate from the main lot as I wanted to try them out first. They didn't really like it but they each had 0.5ml of the mixture anyway. I saw you could add vanilla extract to make it taste better but I only have the synthetic stuff so I wasn't sure. I'll keep trying them with it and hopefully they'll just take it.

    I'll see how they go with the yogurt first then try the whipping cream. Can the whipping cream have emulsifiers etc or does it need to be just milk?

  2. #22
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Heavy whipping cream is actually liquid cream that when shaken or mixed it becomes whipped cream because air is pushed in between the fat. You're not looking for whipped cream for these babies so no, no emulsification is needed and the natural liquid cream is what you want.

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    Yogurt can be plain or vanilla (although the vanilla has more sugar) but should be full fat. No artificial sweeteners. It's not necessary to add vanilla extract. Try to keep their diet as close to wild or natural as possible. Vanilla extract is not part of their natural diet.

    What are the pet stores selling to people who own rats and want to feed them a daily dry diet? Have you asked that question? Have you tried amazon or any other online retailers who ship to your area for reasonable rates? Think of local places or people who might be keeping or feeding pet rats and inquire about their food.

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  4. #23
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Alright, I'll check that out. I bought 100% natural yogurt with just milk and no additives but I've had to stop the yogurt for now... They went on strike and barely drank for the rest of the day, even when I didn't give them yogurt -_- they had no diarrhea or bloating but they were very very hyper for the rest of the day and night. I'm giving them both rehydration fluids mixed with their formula today to make up for it. We're keeping a very close eye on them right now. They're still active but calmer today with no yogurt. Should I try the yogurt again or no? Maybe the cow milk doesn't agree with them? Could coconut milk/cream be okay instead?

    Good news for the rat block! The Envigo supplier in Malaysia replied and said that I can order the rat diet 2018 from them, so I'll get the prices and hopefully have it for our squirrels very soon ^_^

    It's quite difficult to get rat food/supplies as people view them as "dirty" pests here and few people have them as pets... There are only a few petshops that sell mice (mostly used for feeding snakes, etc :'( ) and they say just give them hamster food. But hopefully once the squirrels are on the rat block, we'll be okay as they will eat veges/fruit etc. So thanks for the help

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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    By the way, I was doing some research and a site (http://www.orphanedwildlifecare.com/squirrelcare.htm#12) said that when the squirrels reach 6 weeks old, they'll need a water bottle drinker and a rodent mineral stone. Both things are easy to buy here so should I get them for my squirrels?

  6. #25
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    You can provide a dish with fresh water daily or a water bottle (be sure it's working daily, check the ball). I choose to put both in the cage. It's vital that animals have access to fresh water AT ALL TIMES.

    A mineral stone is not necessary but won't hurt.

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  8. #26
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Quote Originally Posted by cava View Post
    You can provide a dish with fresh water daily or a water bottle (be sure it's working daily, check the ball). I choose to put both in the cage. It's vital that animals have access to fresh water AT ALL TIMES.

    A mineral stone is not necessary but won't hurt.
    Okay, I've given them a dish of water and they're having fun trying to figure out what it is xD I'll buy them a water bottle and mineral stone soon.

    Also Happy Thanksgiving to those in America! Thank you for your wonderful help and advice ^u^

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  10. #27
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    A lil update on Dek and ChiChi. They've settled back into their plain formula now and drinking lotssss of milk xD They're definitely hitting their 5-7%. Both of them weigh 100 grams too! We've meshed up a slightly bigger/taller cage as their day cage and put more sticks in for them to climb on. They really love it and starting to figure out how to jump around like little jumping beans. We've also started taking them (in their cage) outside every afternoon for 5 minutes of sunshine, and they enjoy soaking up the sun while sniffing/hearing the great outdoors. Waiting for the rat block but hopefully we'll have it soon. Here's a pic of them in their new day cage with their seashells!

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  11. #28
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    They look great! Be cautioned, they can chew through that mesh in minutes, once they set their minds on it. Keep them in a safe place, you may come in to find someone missing. What's the weather like there? Will you have to keep them through the winter?

    If so, you will have to buy or build a much larger, metal cage. We can help when the time comes.

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  13. #29
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Thanks! Okay, I'll make sure they are always somewhere secure. It's a tropical climate here, so we don't have winter. Instead, we have monsoon, which is huge rainstorms with torrential rain and high winds every day for a couple of months. We're currently in monsoon now (we had several bad storms the week we found Dek and ChiChi) and it'll last until the end of December, then it'll be the hot dry season from Jan to March. The squirrels are around 7-8 weeks now, so by the time they're 4 months, it should be hot season so they might be okay. (Though we'd have to be careful as we've had major rainstorm duirng the hot season...)

    Oh good! I think we'll be needed that help soon as they are getting very very active! Would a 3 level cat cage (around 30''L x 21''W x 48''H) be big enough for them? Also they want to jump/climb around when we take them out for a feed. Should we let them play outside of their cage (supervised of course) or only let them play inside their cage?

    Also I'm still waiting to order the rat food and they're getting fussy during the day with their formula... Should I start them solid food with the vegetables the healthy diet chart suggests while we wait or will they be okay on just formula for another week or two?

  14. #30
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    They can have one or two healthy veggies from the chart I gave you while you wait. They need solids of some sort. Always start with one veggie, like broccoli for instance and see how it will effect them for a few days before adding another. Don't feed fruit at this point. Blocks are good for them but not super tasty. If you feed them delish things like fruit or nuts they won't eat that block. If you stick with veggies (green and not sugary) it shouldn't be hard to add blocks and have them eat them.

    Meanwhile, their complete nutrition will still be coming from the formula before you get the blocks so try to get them to continue to take that like you are.

    Post a photo of the cage so we can see bar spacing, ect. We'll tell you if it will work. Yes, you can have them out to play. They are still little so avoid letting them climb too high and they will be chewing so you must ensure there are no cords, things they could ingest (lotions, dangerous people food) in your play area and watch them closely. It helps to bring in branches, rocks, leaves, etc. for them to play with while they're having out of cage time. Toilet paper rolls are fun to tear up. Bird toys are generally safe for them (wood blocks, not bird food)

    Keep up the good work and those adorable photos!

    What animals do people keep in your area, what other species of food is available to you in your area at the store?

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  16. #31
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    I reached out to another member on the board who is very knowledgeable about diets. If you are unable to get the blocks, or until you do, I am hoping she can recommend a well rounded supplemental diet based on what you have available.

    Do you have access to the foods that are listed on the food pyramid for pet squirrels? What do they eat in the wild there and are those things available to you during this season?

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  18. #32
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Are these the giant colorful Malaysian squirrels, or the smaller less colorful palm squirrels native to your region?

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  20. #33
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    @cava Alright, today I've given them sma bok choy and they absolutely love it. They've eaten about 4 leaves over today, though they may have stashed some in their bed... But they like to eat it and look pretty cute when they sit there nibbling away. We'll stick to your advice and only give them bok choy for a few days, then maybe add cabbage or lettuce. I'll definitely make sure they only eat the greens until we can eat rat food.

    Okay, we'll keep up their formula. They're drinking lots of formula again, 4-6ml each feed. We've extended it to every 3.5-4 hours so about 5 feeds a day. They swap between sucking and licking the syringe during feeds at the moment.

    I'll post up a picture this week of the cage for you guys to check out. Cool, we'll do that for the little guys! They currently have a lot of sticks and toilet rolls in their cage to play with, which they love. We used to put them in a shoebox for nighttime, but they got really upset last night sooo we just kept them in their day cage. Their day cage has a shoebox "nest" in it with a hottie so they're okay (once they settle down to sleep xD) We're actually going to mesh up a slightly bigger cage for them tomorrow, as their current cage doesn't have much room for a food/water bowl.

    The other pets people have here besides cats, dogs, and birds are hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas, sugar gliders, and lizards/snakes. Those are the types of food that just about every pet store has.

    Thank you so much! I'd really appreciate the help there's another company I'll contact on Monday to see if I can order their rat food.

    Yes, I have access to a lot of the foods, vegetables and fruits/nuts. There are some of the chart's wild food here too. I've seen the squirrels here eat bananas, palm nuts, coconuts, figs, and a couple of plants too, all of which currently grows around or in my backyard so it's easily accessible. I've found a study done in Thailand on their species' diet, and it lists quite a few plant species along with tamarind. I'm going to Google the plants and see what grows around here to help us figure out their diet in the wild.

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  22. #34
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Quote Originally Posted by Diggie's Friend View Post
    Are these the giant colorful Malaysian squirrels, or the smaller less colorful palm squirrels native to your region?
    These guys are similar to the smaller palm squirrels, but slightly bigger (they're the biggest squirrel I've seen in our garden and around our neighborhood though!). They're grey-bellied squirrels and more common up north than around here.

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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    http://ecologyasia.com/verts/mammals...d_squirrel.htm

    This gray-bellied squirrel?

    Its diet comprises fruits, seeds, flowers and insects
    If dried grub insects (mealworms & Silkworm larva) are sold in your area you may be able to provide them for the squirrels.

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  25. #36
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Grey-bellied Squirrel (Callosciurus caniceps)

    http://www.academia.edu/767879/Niche...sular_Malaysia

    If you scroll down you will see a a pie chart showing the percentage of the forms of foods that they consume.

    C. caniceps: 45% of its diet is fruit, 21 % leaves, 17 % bark.

    Also in (Table 1.) with three squirrels, including C. caniceps .

    The foods that they eat are noted in the column under their name by percent; the abrev. of the foods noted above, and next to each food.

    For example:

    (Artocarpus elasticus) fruit is the top source this species of Malaysian squirrel was found in this study to consume.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artocarpus

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  27. #37
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    Though no seeds are noted in this study, other sources note they consume seeds, as all tree squirrels do.

    As for this study, it may be that it is included in the fruits they eat.

    The Giant Malaysian squirrel species consume jack fruit, which the key part of is the seeds.

    The number one source of leaves that they consume is that of the 'Common bamboo' (Bambusa vulgaris)

    The Gray-bellied Malaysian squirrel also consumes 10 percent flowers.

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  29. #38
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    DF!!! Thank you!!

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  31. #39
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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    http://www.academia.edu/767879/Niche...sular_Malaysia

    I read further in the study file, and found this noted:

    Fruits (including seeds) were a major food item for all three species.
    As to which fruit seeds they are known to consume, that I have yet to find specifically noted.

    Smaller Jack fruit seeds may be one, as it is noted to belong to a group of edible fruits, amongst which they are known to consume.

    I would do some further investigating into the seeds of fruits you feed before feeding them, for you never know one might have toxic seeds.

    For those fruits confirmed to have edible seeds also, I figure feeding them each about a (1 1/2) inch portion of a fruit daily with the seeds.




    I would do som

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    Default Re: Need help with orphaned Malaysian Squirrels!

    If she can get some wild edibles from her area that may be better than store bought veggies, especially if they are mainly fruit eaters.

    Pinkspacecat15, can you get any of the above mentioned wild foods (bamboo leaves, jack fruit)? Our squirrels would only naturally get fruit at a certain time of year, yours have different seasons which offer fruit longer or year round even so the advice to withhold fruit until they eat their veggies may not be the best advice for your Malaysian squirrels.

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