Deer skull for calcium ?

[olorin19]

My next door neighbors are wildlife biologists, and have a few old weathered deer skulls in their garden as decoration.

As the skulls were right outside their front window, they noticed that the local squirrels were spending a fair bit of time chewing on the skulls.

When they mentioned this to me, I asked if I could have one for my NR Guro.

Here she is, happily munching away on the skull.

Guro is 22 months old, with extremely limited use of her right forelimb:

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...Release-or-Not

Anyone else try deer skulls as a calcium source?

With Guro as well as various previous squirrels (youngsters being overwintered for release) I have never had much luck with beef or chicken bones, deer antler, shells, etc. So I am very encouraged to see (and hear) Guro gnawing at the skull.

I suspect that the thinness of the facial bones helps, as it is easy for squirrels to chew.

[lovesquirrels1]

I have not. Like you i've not had much success offering antlers.

[Chirps]

I collected a lot of bones from a roadkill deer skeleton as I'm always on the lookout for educational material. I had the bones under cover on a piece of old patio furniture. My squirrels would steal them to gnaw on. I'd find a random scapula or legbone as I was walking around to feed my animals. Sometimes up in a tree. I got annoyed when they stole the jawbone though. The skull was too heavy or I'm sure they'd have made off with that too. But just the other day TigerMom was under the tarp covering everything, gnawing on something, probably the skull. I haven't looked at it in ages and suspect by now my squirrels may have it almost down to a size they can carry.


I have a couple of those hollow pieces of beef bone that people buy to put peanut butter or whatever in for their dogs. I wired them to the trees. The squirrels have been working on them for several years now but haven't put much of a dent in them. The deer bones seemed much more appealing. I don't know if they're more exotic, had more minerals, or the ability to be carried away made them more desirable. Maybe a combination of things. Also being raw, they are a bit softer than the cooked/processed beef bones. People who feed their dogs raw food feed bones and all, because the dog can handle raw bones. Cooking makes them more brittle/splintery/dangerous.

Bon appetit, Guro!

[olorin19]

With an NR like Guro, I do my best to get her as complete a diet as possible.

I cut her fresh branches every day from various shrubs and trees - both in my yard and when out on walks. Yep, I bring clippers with me.

Of all the choices, the most persistently popular branches come from the Japanese willow in my yard, which is quite tolerant of my constant snipping all year round. The catkins in late winter / early spring are particularly popular, but any time of the year Guro enjoys stripping the bark off fresh green branches.

I do the same with squirrels being overwintered for spring release, and they also love various green branches.

We also gather maple helicopters and buds from all sorts of trees and shrubs, and these are also much appreciated.

I keep an eye on what the wilds in my yard eat, and follow suit. I noticed one of my releases was quite fond of the flowers (just as they were opening) from knockout roses. Go figure, but these I have in abundance in my yard, and Guro also likes them occasionally.

Additionally, Guro is quite fond of violets, dandelions, and plantains. I dig them out whole, leaving dirt on the roots, and she nibbles on all parts - flower, leaves, stems, roots, and dirt. My guess is the dirt is helpful in maintaining her microbiome, as gut bacteria are transient (i.e. they pass through and require continual replenishment).

[olorin19]

Guro has broken off some of the skull and taken it up to her loft to chew.

Guro has full use of her left forelimb but only uses her right paw to brace against when eating. She has a decent amount of shoulder mobility, but little or none in the elbow, wrist, or paw. She has figured out ways to open pecans despite limited ability to grasp, and obviously managed to detach this chunk of bone somehow.

Her cage is huge - 9' L x 6' W x 7.5' H. I work from home a few feet away, so she has lots of company and also play time out of the cage every day.

[Charley Chuckles]

She's beautiful 🤩
Love that tree , very pretty property 👍

[island rehabber]

This is such an informative and interesting thread! Everyone with NR squirrels should take heed -- natural wild foods and chewing things are the way to maintaining good health with NRs. So often we see kidney issues, obesity problems and even odontomae in captive squirrels; these wild foods have got to be a way of avoiding the pitfalls of NR's diets. Great info, olorin19 and Chirps.

PS: I have never had luck offering deer antlers to my rehab squirrels, either. They almost shied away as if they were afraid of them! (And for us city dwellers who can't go for a walk and just "find" such things, ordering them online is pretty pricey!)