ADVISE NEEDED please…Safe soil for dig box

[Jeltje]

Hi all. So Petunia needs a dig box. 😀 I do not have access to soil here in Co. Basically the prairie out here. (and actual prairie dogs everywhere!!🦫&#129303. So I purchased this expensive chemical free, organic, natural soil. So much stuff in it that I do not know is safe. Package says safe for kids and pets. But not so sure😑Can’t believe I can’t just find plain old soil !!!
Can someone tell me if this is safe???? I won’t use it til I get the thumbs up from my genius squirrel peeps.😘
THANK YOU in advance💜🐿☮️

[olorin19]

I've used plain bark mulch (without dye) for quite a few squirrels and never had an issue. I get truckloads of this for my own landscaping, so when I need some for a new squirrel it is just a matter of grabbing some from my yard.

While I have also used topsoil, I prefer the bark mulch, especially for indoor use. With topsoil used indoors, unless you keep adding water, you get lots of dust. Plus, the squirrels enjoy chewing on pieces of the mulch.

The outdoor squirrels here (both released and wild) enjoy the same mulch in my yard - digging in it, rolling around, etc.

[olorin19]

I've used plain bark mulch (without dye) for quite a few squirrels and never had an issue. I get truckloads of this for my own landscaping, so when I need some for a new squirrel it is just a matter of grabbing some from my yard.

While I have also used topsoil, I prefer the bark mulch, especially for indoor use. With topsoil used indoors, unless you keep adding water, you get lots of dust. Plus, the squirrels enjoy chewing on pieces of the mulch.

The outdoor squirrels here (both released and wild) enjoy the same mulch in my yard - digging in it, rolling around, etc.

The plain mulch I use is not the stuff you buy in bags at the hardware or gardening store. It is basically the partly composted byproduct of tree trimming = branches, etc. run through a chipper then composted.

[Jeltje]

Thank you for your response. I worry for her because she is a para. She drags herself. I have thought that the mulch will be too sharp for her belly etc. I purchased this soil for the “safe for kids and pets” paragraph. But was just checking , I would hate to have her become ill from this. Thanks again!!!!💜🐿☮️

[olorin19]

Thank you for your response. I worry for her because she is a para. She drags herself. I have thought that the mulch will be too sharp for her belly etc. I purchased this soil for the “safe for kids and pets” paragraph. But was just checking , I would hate to have her become ill from this. Thanks again!!!!💜🐿☮️

I had not realized Petunia was para. I had an NR Ziggy for 2.5 years who was quad - limited use of all four limbs, but not able to sit with out support, walk, etc.

Ziggy would either belly crawl or slide slither to get around. Mulch would not have worked well for him, as his fur would have worn off. I had him in a long wide but short cage - 6' L x 3' W x 15" H. The bottom of the cage was a sheet made of soft cotton, with multiple towels underneath for padding. This surface let him move around easily enough without undue wear and tear on his fur. (Even on this surface, he would get bald spots in a few places.)

Ziggy loved being outdoors, and so I would spend as much time as possible letting him hang out on the grass. For winter, I would also grow sod in large plastic tubs so he could get some grass time on the sun porch when it was too cold outside.

As opposed to mulch, grass did not wear down his fur unduly, so it was a good solution.

[Jeltje]

Awww sweet Ziggy! He must’ve been so darn cute. It is amazing to watch our special needs babies love life, and seek adventure. They enrich our lives in so many ways.
Petunia is unable to use her back half. She was on her death bed (5 was old, broken back and cat bite) when I found this site. The wonderful, kind, squirrel geniuses helped me save her life
She has no idea that she is a para, never told her🙂 She can do almost anything. She jumps form couch to couch. Climbs (under supervision). She has a ferret nation condo. She just can’t eliminate on her own.
She is my love💜 She will be having a surprise bday party on August 16th. She will be 3!!!
I absolutely LOVE the sod idea! I am going to do that! I wish that I could let her run around outside. She is too fast. AND she would definitely climb a tree (but not be able to get down)
Thank you for all of the info. Great ideas! She is going to LOVE the sod!!💜🐿☮️

[Nancy in New York]

I use the same bedding that I use in the cages.
She loves digging through it and even buries "stuff" in it.
I take any nuts she may have buried out after about 5 days.
https://www.chewy.com/oxbow-pure-com...waAktKEALw_wcB


Miss Muffet in her pool.
https://nmognoni.smugmug.com/Betty-n...19/i-scpqFcG/A

Good luck with your little one.

[olorin19]

Awww sweet Ziggy! He must’ve been so darn cute. It is amazing to watch our special needs babies love life, and seek adventure. They enrich our lives in so many ways.
Petunia is unable to use her back half. She was on her death bed (5 was old, broken back and cat bite) when I found this site. The wonderful, kind, squirrel geniuses helped me save her life
She has no idea that she is a para, never told her�� She can do almost anything. She jumps form couch to couch. Climbs (under supervision). She has a ferret nation condo. She just can’t eliminate on her own.
She is my love�� She will be having a surprise bday party on August 16th. She will be 3!!!
I absolutely LOVE the sod idea! I am going to do that! I wish that I could let her run around outside. She is too fast. AND she would definitely climb a tree (but not be able to get down)
Thank you for all of the info. Great ideas! She is going to LOVE the sod!!����☮️

If you are able to hold her securely to get her from indoors to an outdoor cage then back, you could always build an outdoor space for Petunia where she could spend some time. Sounds like you would need to have some sort of wire floor to prevent her digging out or someone else digging in. But it would be easy enough to plant sod on top of the wire floor to give her the chance to play in the grass.

With Ziggy, I would not have dared leave him unattended in an outdoor cage, as he had so little mobility that a cat or other predator might have attacked him through the wire. I thought of building him a cage within a cage so he could not be reached. But with his limited mobility, there was zero chance of his escaping, so the easiest thing to do was just let him play in the grass while sitting right there with him. Ziggy loved any change to hunt around on the ground.