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Thread: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

  1. #21
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    Default Re: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

    Ok I'll hold off on the calcium until I get a better source. She is one fox valley 20/50 and the syringe is about 1/4 of a teaspoon (the measurements came off the syringe). I have been rotating her veggies every night so she gets a variety (cucumber,zuchinni,yellow squash,a little carrot,romaine ,mushrooms, broccoli, sugar snap peas,kale,spinach) . I usually give her veggies then come back a little later to give her a squirrel block (she gets one in the morning too) and if she eats most of her veggies i give her a small piece of fruit (apple,berries,banana,clementine,kiwi and so on) and also a shelled nut to crack. I did discover I was overfeeding her mealworms about a week back so I have pulled back on that and only give her 1 a day (which I'm hoping it still isnt too much)shenk just loves them so much.

    I have not been able to detect any popping or clicking in her lungs (just clicking of her teeth lol).

    And I have only noticed the seizures when she has been in the bonding pouch . At first I didnt really know what was going on (still not sure it's a seizure) but I dont really see what else it could be . They started about a week ago and I have probably been present for 3 or so.It seems to happen towards the end of the day but that is also when I usually have her in her pouch with me so it could be happening other times. But I will say that she gets up so late lately that I havnt had her in her play tent often because she is so sleepy when I'm up. I might have to start waking up early to get some play time in with her and observe. I am such a paranoid person that I convinced myself they weren't seizures and I'm being crazy .....but if I am right......I dont want her to suffer.

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  3. #22
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    Default Re: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

    They diet sounds right on... thank you for the additional information. The only thing I would suggest is giving her the block before her buffet of veggies.... and make sure she is eating them and not stashing them in her nest box and other places uneaten.

    When you say overfeeding meal worms, how many was she getting before you cut back?


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  5. #23
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    Default Re: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

    Yea I will give her veggies first and hold out longer on the blocks and I was giving her 4-5 mealworms a day :0 I thought she needed alot of protein but was mortified when I read that it was far too much .....There is just so much info out there that is hard to get everything right. I think I'm on my way to perfecting it though. I also read that they will only eat what they need based off of instincts but am quickly learning that isnt the case! Dart would happily love off of fruit,mealworms and nuts if I let her lol so I'm realizing that those are more treats or her version of "junk food" hah.

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  7. #24
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    Default Re: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

    Quote Originally Posted by Catem777 View Post
    Yea I will give her veggies first and hold out longer on the blocks..
    The only thing I would suggest is giving her the block before her buffet of veggies....

    Quote Originally Posted by Catem777 View Post
    I was giving her 4-5 mealworms a day...

    Meal worms, while a good source of protein, are also calcium depleting... with about 1 part calcium to 7 parts phosphorous. The ideal diet is at 2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorous. So you do need to be careful in how many they eat, kinda like nuts. Eggs (scrambled or boiled) and cooked chicken are good sources of protein too.

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  9. #25
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    Default Re: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

    Catem, your diet is good. It just needs minimal tweaking. A flyer only needs one Henry’s block. And yes, way too many worms. I give my boys one or two at most. Based on the diet I don’t think Dart is calcium deficient. Of course a little calcium supplementing won’t hurt but I would not give a lot.

    I have a flyer that also came from a breeder. I didn’t buy him. I received him as a sickly 18 month old boy that had seizures. His original owner did everything possible but could not get the seizures under control. He went to a rehabber and later I gave him his forever home. On his third day here he had a seizure. I was devastated. Bonzai’s seizures were very bad. His body became rigid and his limbs were flailing. After that he was terrified and wanted to hide.
    His diet was not the issue. He wasn’t calcium deficient. He had never had head trauma. His seizures would be classified as idiopathic. That is a fancy word for unknown cause. There was a suggestion that it might be a genetic origin due to coming from a breeder but I have since ruled that out.

    I have seen many cases of a flyer having a seizure out of the blue for no apparent reason. My personal feeling is that they are fragile little creatures and some are just prone to seizing. After observing Bonzai, I realized that light was a trigger for him. While in the cage he never had a seizure. If I took him out with the light on he would seize. With this observation I started controlling the lighting in his room. I never just flip the light on when he is awake. He just turned 9 years old in September and in the 7.5 years that I have had him he has had only 2 additional seizures. Both of those were caused by a stressful incident with another flyer. For Bonzai, controlling the triggers was all that was needed.

    I’m not 100% sure that what you are describing is a seizure. It might be, but maybe not. Yes, they do vibrate as a means of communication.
    You said this was while he was in the bonding pouch. Have all these incidents been while in the bonding pouch? If so you might want to consider that the pouch is stressful to Dart. I didn’t try a bonding pouch with Bonzai because of his health but Tucker (an 8 week old) HATED the bonding pouch. I had to stop using it with him.

    I think observation is going to be your best course for now. I would not pump him full of calcium. The bonding pouch and the loud noise from the movie might have been a trigger. Watch him and note trends. It is easy enough to control triggers. That was what worked for Bonzai. It virtually eliminated his seizures. I don’t even think about it any longer. He is a healthy, happy, seizure free 9 year old.

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  11. #26
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    Default Re: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

    I think she likes the pouch but I might be keeping her in there either longer than she would like or too late in the evening. Sometimes she goes a little crazy trying to get out but will eventually calm down and settle back to sleep (usually in the evening). So I will just let her out from now on once she starts popping off in there because now that I think of it the seizures or intense whole body vibrations did always follow her trying to escape when they did occur. I really appreciate all of this help !!! Its priceless

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  13. #27
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    Default Re: Need advice on new baby squirrel ASAP

    I forgot to mention a protein source that I use for the boys. I buy a dog treat called PureBites dehydrated chicken. It is 100% chicken that is made in the USA. I don’t use any type of jerky as most are made in China. You can buy it in PetSupermarket and PetSmart. At PetSmart it is in the cat section as a cat treat but it’s the same product.

    Some flyers will eat baked or boiled chicken.

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