I can wet my fingertip and put a small amount on it and she actually lets me put it in her mouth. Thanks for everyone’s help. I am committed to getting her well.
I can wet my fingertip and put a small amount on it and she actually lets me put it in her mouth. Thanks for everyone’s help. I am committed to getting her well.
Diggie's Friend (08-19-2019)
Is there a difference between calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. I have read the difference online but have found out TSB doesn’t always agree with everything online. I respect TSB opinions more.
There is some thought that the citrate might be more easily digested and utilized because it already has the acid required to utilize calcium in it. Which sounds good until you realize that any calcium taken orally is immediately going to run into acid in the stomach - that is what digests our food. Both can be used but if you decide to switch from carbonate to citrate you will have to give considerably more total product, because calcium carbonate has a lot more calcium in it by volume than calcium citrate.
Is there an artificial light TSB recommends. There are days that I work that I can’t take Peetie outside. I know she needs sunlight and being beside a window doesn’t provide the UV rays that she needs
Repti-sun 10.0 UVA/UVB bulb. I ordered mine online, it's much cheaper than the pet stores. If you buy a 4 ft bulb then you can buy a standard shop light housing at Lowes or Home Depot to put it in. If you buy the shorter length bulbs they will require the housing that repti-sun makes which are more expensive. Plug the light into an automatic timer so it comes on for about 5 hours a day. Place it on the top of the cage to minimize it directly shining into your squirrels eyes.
A day or two isn't going to be an issue as sun exposure is concerned. If you want to get lights to help with providing vitamin D to metabolize calcium, you MUST buy REPTILE LIGHTS. Everything else called "full spectrum" is actually referring to the color range of the bulb - what it looks like. They don't provide any UV and UV is what you are looking for.
Don't purchase locally unless you just want to spend twice as much. www.petmountain has the best prices I have found. They are available as the twisty little compact fluorescents that fit in a lamp base and as the long fluorescent bulbs in various lengths.
If you decide to purchase the long tube type, the least expensive setup will be the 4 foot tubes. 4 feet is an industry standard for fluorescent lights and fixtures - shorter and longer lengths are much more expensive - both the lamps and the fixtures. Lowes and Home Depot both sell 4 foot 2 light fixtures that can be plugged into a standard wall outlet (most fluorescent fixtures have to be hard wired by someone who knows what they are doing) for around $20. I usually use (1) UV reptile light and (1) regular old daylight color fluorescent per fixture. The reptile fluorescents are the skinny ones - the size is T8. So you would ask for "a 4 foot 2 light T8 fluorescent shop light."
If you buy the twisty compact fluorescents, they will fit any socket that a standard incandescent bulb fits.
I work 3 days one week then 4 days the next.
I have been giving Peetie her calcium and she fights me. I am having a hard time trying to get her to eat the blocks. Will she eat them eventually? I worry about her starving. I left her blocks and a few veggies this morning.