Strange behavior

[Southern comfort]

I have 2 Male and female eastern Grey's the 2 are about 5 months old the male is the runt of the litter they have fine and both have been to the vet a month ago for checkups and to see how they were health wise now today outta of the blue mid morning the male has bee. Very lethargic and can barley keep his eye open and wants to do nothing but sleep we have mixed kayro syrup and calcium and 1 tum crushed as per vet she thought he was hypoglycemic which he has taken a half of a tea spoon and shows no improvement if anyone has any advice please help they both have a heathy diet of cucumbers tomatoes pecans in the shell and hazelnuts it is like it hit him all at once and we are worried the vet is 60 miles away from where we live and says to come in tomorrow if it's no better that don't sit to well with me the waiting so any advice would be appreciated thanks in advance

[Southern comfort]

Please anyone with advice would be appreciated

[island rehabber]

I am so sorry your squirrel is not well, but neither is his diet. Basically his diet is "nuts nuts and more nuts" --. Tomatoes and cucumbers have little nutrition, mostly water. Here is what I suggest you do:. Go to our section on Metabolic Bone Disease and begin the MBD protocol immediately.
Your squirrel's life depends on your getting his calcium levels where they should be, and only you can do this!

[island rehabber]

Shortcut to MBD info:

Emergency Treatment for MBD

Get calcium into the squirrel IMMEDIATELY, not later, not tomorrow, NOW. Delaying treatment can cause death or permanent paralysis.

You will need:

--Tums or calcium pills (any kind)
--a syringe, eyedropper, or spoon

Crush one Tums or calcium pill and add a little water or fruit juice. Use the syringe, eyedropper, or spoon to force-feed the mixture, a little at a time, until it is all gone. Feed a total of 600-800 mg of calcium, and spread it out through the day and night to keep his blood calcium levels as steady as possible.

If the squirrel is having seizures, weakness, or paralysis, the symptoms will usually improve within a few hours, but this does not mean the squirrel is cured. It will take many months to rebuild the calcium in the bones.

Long-Term Treatment for MBD

The next step to curing MBD is to fix the diet.

1. Remove ALL seeds, nuts, corn, and treats.

2. Follow the Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels, which can be found at the top of the “Squirrel Nutrition” forum. (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=16093) Your squirrel MUST eat rodent block or squirrel blocks every day. If your squirrel doesn't like rodent blocks, you can try crushing them up with peanut butter or avocado temporarily. You can also make a tastier version of squirrel blocks using the recipe at the top of the Squirrel Nutrition forum.

3. In addition to the Healthy Diet, you will need to continue giving extra calcium every day for several weeks. Either use the syringe/eyedropper or you can try putting the calcium on a small piece of fruit.

Week 1: calcium = 500 mg per day
Week 2: calcium = 250 mg per day
Weeks 3-8: calcium = 100 mg per day

The cause of the acute symptoms—weakness, lethargy, seizures, paralysis—is a drop in blood calcium levels. If these symptoms return at any time, you will need to give another emergency dose of calcium.

More Tips
MBD causes brittle bones that break easily. Try to keep your squirrel away from high places, where he might jump and break a bone. Also, if he is in a tall cage, either place him in a smaller cage, or pad the bottom very well.

Heat is very soothing for a squirrel with MBD. A heating pad turned to low and placed so they cannot chew the pad or cord, or a rice buddy (a sock filled with dry rice/beans and microwaved for about 20 seconds.)

[Chirps]

I have 2 Male and female eastern Grey's the 2 are about 5 months old the male is the runt of the litter they have fine and both have been to the vet a month ago for checkups and to see how they were health wise now today outta of the blue mid morning the male has bee. Very lethargic and can barley keep his eye open and wants to do nothing but sleep we have mixed kayro syrup and calcium and 1 tum crushed as per vet she thought he was hypoglycemic which he has taken a half of a tea spoon and shows no improvement if anyone has any advice please help they both have a heathy diet of cucumbers tomatoes pecans in the shell and hazelnuts it is like it hit him all at once and we are worried the vet is 60 miles away from where we live and says to come in tomorrow if it's no better that don't sit to well with me the waiting so any advice would be appreciated thanks in advance

Hello! You don't mention any kind of rodent block, so I presume you don't feed them that. Please look at the Healthy Foods Pyramid in the Squirrel Nutrition Forum. There is a sticky post near the top entitled "Healthy Diet For Pet Squirrels". You will see that the staple of a captive squirrel's diet should be some form of rodent block, then appropriate vegetables, etc. Nuts are treats that should be given sparingly. It seems your boy is in the beginning stages of Metabolic Bone Disease. The girl likely is too, but he is probably showing symptoms sooner because he is a runt, but she is sure to follow soon.

Was the vet knowledgeable about squirrels? Did she ask about their diet? You need to start the MBD protocol immediately. In the same forum (Squirrel Nutrition) is a sticky thread on how to treat MBD. You need to get calcium into your squirrels NOW. Tums or the store brand equivalent are a quick way to get started. You want the calcium carbonate tablets with no added Vitamin D. Read the thread for ideas on how to get it into them, such as what foods you might mix them with that the squirrels will eat willingly. Do you still have any formula from raising them? If your formula is still good, try making a batch and see if they'll take it. A lot of adult squirrels enjoy formula, so hopefully they will still take it if offered. If you can give them some that will be the quickest way to get calcium into them.

Stop all nuts immediately, and either order the Henry's blocks from their site, or get one of the other brands. You will have a hard road ahead, because it will be very hard to get them to start eating blocks now, but it is crucial. Henry's were designed to be more palatable to stubborn/picky squirrels, so your best bet is probably to just order theirs. They have several kinds. Hopefully members here will see your post and chime in with what their squirrels like. Hopefully someone will add to what I've said because I probably forgot to mention something, but it's a start. Please keep us posted.

[Chirps]

Thanks, IR. I didn't see any response when I started on mine.

[Spanky]

Here is a link to the healthy diet that will provide some insight into the kinds of necessary changes that are needed. MBD can be reversed but takes a long, long time and diet is everything...

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

[island rehabber]

Thanks, IR. I didn't see any response when I started on mine.

It's all good, Chirps -- some things (like MBD protocols) can't be posted often enough.

[stepnstone]

12 plus years ago I rescued my first baby squirrels,(2) they were approx 5 weeks old. Being inexperienced, I fed them what many "newbies" do, nuts and fruit. At 3 months they were both active and playful... right up until I found the one girl deceased in their nest box. The other girl still active dropped in front of me the following morning. I resuscitated her but she was horribly crippled, I thought she had a stroke as that was what it resembled. I went on line, found TSB and learned it was MBD. I followed the mbd protocol advised, it seemed to take forever to get her back to "normal" but she made it.
This is my Annie, she turned 12 years old this past August.


One of the most important things to learn is one cannot feed a captive / kept squirrel like a squirrel in the wild. A squirrel has a high calcium intake, you may see a wild eating at a bird feeder, eating all the nuts thrown to them and they are still active, fat and healthy. But in the wild they eat a large variety of things to balance their required nutrition, their natural instincts tell them what to eat and how to eat to balance that nutrition. In captivity, we have to learn how to feed and what to feed to balance that daily required nutrition. Nuts rob the body of calcium! When the body gets depleted it pulls the calcium from their bones. This is what pulls them down, often cripples them and eventually can kill them. MBD is very painful, MBD can kill. This is why we stress nuts are only to be given as an occasional treat, not part of their diet. MBD can be turned around when addressed quickly and diligently!

Through TSB and it's members I went on to become a licensed rehabilatator, now a master rehabilatator. Follow the MBD protocol, feed from the healthy diet and definitely feed a high quality rodent block.
Personally I feed my girl Henry's healthy blocks alternating between the healthy block and the picky block.
Below are the links to Henry's and the healthy diet for "pet" squirrels:
https://henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

[island rehabber]

It can never be said better than by someone who has walked that path themselves.

[Charley Chuckles]

I also give Healthy Henry's Block.
I use to try making them but I never felt confident mine had the exact amounts of each required ingredient.
It takes the guess work out of feeding ( also I hate to bake 😜 )