1 years old squirrel can't open nuts

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

Please keep in mind that if GuaGua is eating Henry's Blocks, she will be getting plenty of Vitamin D and does NOT need any other source for Vitamin D including sunlight!
Regards,
StS

[wawa]

Hi WaWa:

I'm at work now for a protracted period of time which gives me very limited and intermittent access to the internet so I must be quick and brief (probably should be that way anyway!). Are you absolutely certain that GuaGua weighs only 170 Grams? Please weigh her again to be sure. If so or close to that weight indicates as mentioned before; that GG is a relatively very small Squirrel. At that weight or thereabout, she will get enough maintenance Calcium in ONE Henry's Block IF she eats all of it (or maybe give another quarter or so of another Block to cover for waste or incomplete eating). I would like to suggest that you NOT mix eggs or sugar or even added Calcium into the Henry's Blocks and NOT bake them again either. Henry's blocks are soft and this is beneficial for Squirrels with dental issues. Baking generally makes these Blocks much harder. You can break them and mix them with a small amount of Baby Food fruit or whatever to make them a little softer and to add some taste. The Henry's Blocks especially if made into softer consistency with baby food fruit, cam be easily broken up and given in 2 or 3 servings. Give the Henry's first thing in the morning when GG is most hungry!


If GG is consuming a full Henry's Block, she should need on another 125-150mg of additional Elemental Calcium as Treatment Calcium (extra Calcium as treatment for MBD) and I would suggest giving this as a supplement (not mixed into the Henry's Blocks).

You can mix a measured amount of Calcium carbonate to give 125-150mg af Elemental Calcium into Almond Butter or similar (another member is now using Almond Butter for the same purpose and it is going well). Divide this Almond Butter (or what ever) that contains the 125-150mg of Elemental Calcium up into 4 or 5 servings and give one of these servings 4 or 5 times throughout the 24 hour day.

It is also very important for GuaGua to have clean fresh, PLAIN (not mixed with anything) water available at all times and if using a Bottle, ensure that the mechanism for release of the water works well. Check it several times during the day. Better yet, have two bottles available. Water should be changed every day, especially if given in a bowl. How are you giving water to GG?

As far as sun exposure, sun through a window will not result in natural Vitamin D production. If needs to be unfiltered light (usually that means outside. There are risks to being out side and always provide shade, whether exposed to sun outside OR inside! Also water at all times!

Hopefully other will able to help you along today. I will be mostly unavailable for the next 48 hours or more.

Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Hey, StS

I weighted her again, actually, she's only 150g now. I'll adjust the amount of her food.
There's a bowl of plain water in her cage, and I changed it everyday. I've tired mixing block with Heinz baby food fruit, but she didn't want to eat it(IF only baby food fruit, she'll eat). So, I'll try more.

See, she's reallly small size.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

You are a cute little Squirrel, GuaGua! Please keep us updated WaWa!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[wawa]

She tried using her back legs this morning(once, twice, or maybe more). I'm so glad to see that, although she wasn't success, but she's trying. And I feel she's more strengh than last week. She's more active, moves quicklier and smoothlier.
BUT, eating is still a huge mystery to us. Yesterday she ate one entire block, today just two bites. I thought she's finally fond of blocks. I was wrong, now just have no idea about what magic was in yesterday's block.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

She tried using her back legs this morning(once, twice, or maybe more). I'm so glad to see that, although she wasn't success, but she's trying. And I feel she's more strengh than last week. She's more active, moves quicklier and smoothlier.
BUT, eating is still a huge mystery to us. Yesterday she ate one entire block, today just two bites. I thought she's finally fond of blocks. I was wrong, now just have no idea about what magic was in yesterday's block.

Thanks! I'm glad there appears to be some improvement. As to the Blocks; did you do anything to the Block that GG ate yesterday such as coat it with Almond Butter or soak it in formula or anything that you did not do today. Also, I would try cutting up today's Block into thirds or half or even quarters and see if GuaGua will eat the smaller portion. You can certainly try to flavor the block or try a different flavor and using a portion of the Block will save the remainder for a try with a different flavor and/or different consistency (make it softer for instance). I would not give in to giving vegetables, fruits or treats and stick with the Blocks. Is GuaGua eating her supplemental Calcium + Almond Butter?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[wawa]

Thanks! I'm glad there appears to be some improvement. As to the Blocks; did you do anything to the Block that GG ate yesterday such as coat it with Almond Butter or soak it in formula or anything that you did not do today. Also, I would try cutting up today's Block into thirds or half or even quarters and see if GuaGua will eat the smaller portion. You can certainly try to flavor the block or try a different flavor and using a portion of the Block will save the remainder for a try with a different flavor and/or different consistency (make it softer for instance). I would not give in to giving vegetables, fruits or treats and stick with the Blocks. Is GuaGua eating her supplemental Calcium + Almond Butter?
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

I mixed some sesame in that Block. Today I made the same flavor as that one, but she rejected eating them. Every flavor just be working on her for one day(the best situation). Yesterday, I didn't give her any fruits, greens. Because she didn't eat Block. So, she's starving went to sleep. I thought she'll eat this morning, BUT the reality is the same as yesterday. Only ate two bites and then left. I'll try more.

[Mel1959]

I see that she is a red bellied squirrel. Are they typically this much smaller in size than other gray squirrels?

Can you post a picture of GuaGua’s face and her standing on all four legs? Have you considered that she may be a dwarf squirrel? Dwarf squirrels are very special…they can’t climb well, can’t open nuts, have large eyes and ears that seem to sit slightly lower on their head and have shorter legs and tail. My last dwarf never exceeded 150gr. They also do not eat well. Mine required being fed a mixture of ground up Harlan Teklad rodent block mixed with baby food and thinned with Fox Valley formula so that it would flow through a syringe. I fed him this way 4 times a day for his whole life, which was 3.5 years.

Have you tried making boo balls with ground hard extruded block like Harlan Teklad? There’s plenty of recipes in the nutrition section. You can mix favorite baby foods with the rodent block powder along with coconut oil to create a much softer ball than what Henry’s is. I also add FV powder to up the calcium and nutritional content.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

I mixed some sesame in that Block. Today I made the same flavor as that one, but she rejected eating them. Every flavor just be working on her for one day(the best situation). Yesterday, I didn't give her any fruits, greens. Because she didn't eat Block. So, she's starving went to sleep. I thought she'll eat this morning, BUT the reality is the same as yesterday. Only ate two bites and then left. I'll try more.

Hi WaWa:
Mel has some very important questions! Please post the photos requested by Mel!
Also, have tried supplementing GG's diet with Formula such as Fox Valley 20/50 or Esbilac Powdered puppy formula. FV 20/50 can also be mixed with some Ultraboost (up to 50%). Formula obviously provides the nutritional needs for babies and can still aid significantly in meeting the nutritional need for adults who may have developed difficulty eating or decrease appetite. You can also grind up a portion of one of your Henry's Blocks and mix it with formula to reach a consistency that might make GuaGua more inclined to eat it!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[wawa]

I see that she is a red bellied squirrel. Are they typically this much smaller in size than other gray squirrels?

Can you post a picture of GuaGua’s face and her standing on all four legs? Have you considered that she may be a dwarf squirrel? Dwarf squirrels are very special…they can’t climb well, can’t open nuts, have large eyes and ears that seem to sit slightly lower on their head and have shorter legs and tail. My last dwarf never exceeded 150gr. They also do not eat well. Mine required being fed a mixture of ground up Harlan Teklad rodent block mixed with baby food and thinned with Fox Valley formula so that it would flow through a syringe. I fed him this way 4 times a day for his whole life, which was 3.5 years.

Have you tried making boo balls with ground hard extruded block like Harlan Teklad? There’s plenty of recipes in the nutrition section. You can mix favorite baby foods with the rodent block powder along with coconut oil to create a much softer ball than what Henry’s is. I also add FV powder to up the calcium and nutritional content.

Hey Mel

Here's some pictures of GuaGua. Maybe can offer some information. She's a red bellied squirrel, 1.4 year.






I brought her back amlost 1 year ago. One day, a friend of mine called me and asked me if I can help this little creature. She was abandoned by the first owner.
So, I went to saw her, a little squirrel was in a little mouse cage and scared. When I got close to her, she also got close to me. I thought she loves me, so picked her back home.
Later, I've heard that her tail has broken and lost some part when she's in the previous home. So, her tail is shorter than a normal red bellied squirrel. In my obervation, I've never seen her jumping, she only can climb.(I thought she's just lack exeicise. But now I'm not sure if her back bone hurt before).
Her weight was 220g last year(Maybe eat too much nuts and fruits). After she's sick, we changed her diet, not nuts, limited in fruits and add blocks. But she doesn't like Blocks, so she eat less than before.

These days, I tried mashing Block and mixing with Almond Butter. One Block cut to four parts to feed her. She can eat 3/4 Block.

[wawa]

Hi WaWa:
Mel has some very important questions! Please post the photos requested by Mel!
Also, have tried supplementing GG's diet with Formula such as Fox Valley 20/50 or Esbilac Powdered puppy formula. FV 20/50 can also be mixed with some Ultraboost (up to 50%). Formula obviously provides the nutritional needs for babies and can still aid significantly in meeting the nutritional need for adults who may have developed difficulty eating or decrease appetite. You can also grind up a portion of one of your Henry's Blocks and mix it with formula to reach a consistency that might make GuaGua more inclined to eat it!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

Hey, she can control of her paws a little more now.
She's a genius of looking for Blocks. Even I mashed them, mixed with other things, she can pick them out.

[Mel1959]

First, GuaGua is adorable! I am not familiar with this species of squirrel and have never seen one in the wild, but she definitely looks different from the pictures I’ve seen. Her ears seem to sit lower and she is definitely on the very small size compared to the 375-680gr average weight for this species. Combine that with some of her other characteristics like not being able to jump and open nuts and there’s a very real possibility that she is a dwarf.

There’s a few things I think you need to try to get her eating rodent block. Go online and find a source to purchase a small amount of Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 rodent block. I have ordered it on eBay from a vendor named Ecosandy who is in California. Once you get the block put a few of them in a blender, I use the cup for my ninja blender. Grind the block till it’s a fine powder. Once it’s ground you can mix it with a little baby food and coconut oil or mix it with peanut butter or almond butter or even mix it in some mashed avocado. You’ll have to try a variety of things to see if any of them appeal to her. Be creative. It might be necessary to grind a few of her favorite nuts and mix that in with the rodent block powder to make it tastier.

Have you tried giving her Fox Valley 20/50 formula in a shallow bowl or by syringe? Many squirrels, even adults, will drink it out of a shallow bowl. I use the lid to a baby food jar to give formula to my flying squirrel.

In the wild the mom would have kicked her out of the nest at a young age. How was she found?

Thank you for taking her. It sounds like her existence before you came into her life was terrible. Not consuming rodent block will set her up for developing MBD which if left untreated can be fatal. Please try to get her to eat it.

Here’s some links that you might be interested in. The first is a link to the nutrition section where you can find boo ball recipes. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...rrel-Nutrition. You can type boo ball recipes into the search bar once you’re on this link and some links should pop up. This link has the healthy diet for captive squirrels. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

This link has information about the condition that causes dwarfism in squirrels. I thought you might be interested in reading about it. It’s a condition called achondroplasia. https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...astic-Dwarfism

There are all levels of dwarfism. Some babies can climb….a little, others not at all. Some can thermoregulate their body temperature and others sleep on a heating pad their whole life. Some eat better than others. One thing they all have in common is a shortened life span. There’s a variety of medical conditions that they have that causes this.

Please keep us updated on any progress GuaGua makes learning to eat rodent block.

[SamtheSquirrel2018]

GuaGua is one very cute little Squirrel! Thanks for the photos, WaWa! Please keep up with the Calcium supplementation (this may require some elements of "tough love" where only Blocks are available OR what is better would be that other foods are withheld until GG eats the equivalent of one Henry's block) and please provide frequent updates on GuaGua's condition and progress.
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel

[wawa]

Have you tried giving her Fox Valley 20/50 formula in a shallow bowl or by syringe? Many squirrels, even adults, will drink it out of a shallow bowl. I use the lid to a baby food jar to give formula to my flying squirrel.

In the wild the mom would have kicked her out of the nest at a young age. How was she found?

Thanks, Mel
I'll try Fox Valley 20/50 formula. Now, I'm giving her EmerAid IC Herbivore or yogurt mix with extra calcium, if her didn't eat enough rodent block.

GuaGua's owner bought her as a pet for their kid. But the kid wasn't interested in her. They gave GuaGua to my friend's son. When my friend saw GuaGua. She realized it's a real squirrel. She used to think it's just a toy squirrel. So, she's nervous and called me. Told me that she didn't have any experienc and time to take care of a squirrel. And asked me if I'm willing to take care of her. I thought a minute and decided that I should look after her, at least she has a chance to live.

[Mel1959]

You can purchase Fox Valley 20/50 formula from Henrys Pets @ Henryspets.com. I don’t remember if you said you’ve tried the Henry’s blocks with GuaGua, but there is a difference in the products as to how well they’re received. My guys prefer the hazelnut or picky eater blocks. Given GuaGuas’s aversion to eating them I’d definitely try those two varieties. Also Henry’s sells two varieties of treat sticks, one is walnut and the other is hazelnut. I encourage you to get a bag of one of them. They are well loved by my flyer and might be the thing to get GuaGua used to eating block.

Have you examined GuaGua’s teeth? Can you get a picture of her open mouth so we can see the length of her teeth?

[wawa]

You can purchase Fox Valley 20/50 formula from Henrys Pets @ Henryspets.com. I don’t remember if you said you’ve tried the Henry’s blocks with GuaGua, but there is a difference in the products as to how well they’re received. My guys prefer the hazelnut or picky eater blocks. Given GuaGuas’s aversion to eating them I’d definitely try those two varieties. Also Henry’s sells two varieties of treat sticks, one is walnut and the other is hazelnut. I encourage you to get a bag of one of them. They are well loved by my flyer and might be the thing to get GuaGua used to eating block.

Have you examined GuaGua’s teeth? Can you get a picture of her open mouth so we can see the length of her teeth?

Yeah, I'm giving her Henry’s healthy blocks. But, she doesn't like it. I think she might doesn't like the smell of this block, it smells a little sour. I'll try those different of varieties blocks and treat sticks. Hope she'll love eating blocks.
And I noticed that she's a little fond in EXOTIC RODENT BLOCKS, while it smells like fish food. I've no idea if this block is good for her. It has less ingredients than Henry's.
Thanks, Mel.

[Mel1959]

I have never been a fan of Exotic Nutrition products. I think their nutritional value is inferior to other rodent blocks. I think the best hard extruded block for nutritional value is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014. The next best ones in my opinion are Mazuri rodent block and Oxbow Rat block.

The Henry’s Healthy block variety was the least liked by my guys. They definitely prefer the Picky Eater or Hazelnut varieties better. Are you storing the block in the freezer? Henrys block must be kept frozen as it’s extremely perishable. Just take out what you need for a few days and store them in the fridge.

Based on what you’re saying about the way your Henry’s block smells it could be spoiled. If that’s the case, I’d avoid feeding them.

[wawa]

I have never been a fan of Exotic Nutrition products. I think their nutritional value is inferior to other rodent blocks. I think the best hard extruded block for nutritional value is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014. The next best ones in my opinion are Mazuri rodent block and Oxbow Rat block.

The Henry’s Healthy block variety was the least liked by my guys. They definitely prefer the Picky Eater or Hazelnut varieties better. Are you storing the block in the freezer? Henrys block must be kept frozen as it’s extremely perishable. Just take out what you need for a few days and store them in the fridge.

Based on what you’re saying about the way your Henry’s block smells it could be spoiled. If that’s the case, I’d avoid feeding them.

Yes. Since I was delivered Henry's Blocks. I store them in the freezer. Everyday I just take one or two blocks out. It can dehydrate very quickly in air and was becoming drier and harder.
That smell seems from yeast, not because of be spoiled.

[wawa]

I have never been a fan of Exotic Nutrition products. I think their nutritional value is inferior to other rodent blocks. I think the best hard extruded block for nutritional value is Envigo Harlan Teklad 2018 or 2014. The next best ones in my opinion are Mazuri rodent block and Oxbow Rat block.

The Henry’s Healthy block variety was the least liked by my guys. They definitely prefer the Picky Eater or Hazelnut varieties better. Are you storing the block in the freezer? Henrys block must be kept frozen as it’s extremely perishable. Just take out what you need for a few days and store them in the fridge.

Based on what you’re saying about the way your Henry’s block smells it could be spoiled. If that’s the case, I’d avoid feeding them.

Hey, Mel
Please help take a look. The Mazuri rodent block is this one?

Please accept my heartfelt thanks.

[Mel1959]

Yes, these blocks are fine. I was referring to a different brand altogether. Thank you for clarifying.

[wawa]

I opened a new package of Henrys' healthy blocks this morning, and mixed them with coconut oil. She loves it. She's eaten half block now. Fingers crossed. It'll be working for a while.