Help: Potentially sick female squirrel (4ish yrs old)

[Zenn]

Hey all, not sure if this is the right spot for this but I'm new and a little worried.

I've got a squirrel I've been taking care of for a while. She's about 4 years old at this point I believe. She's been healthy for her entire life I've taken care of her, but these last couple days she started acting weird; barely eating and drinking. Today she wouldn't come out of her little nest we made her and I decided to check on her and she's incredibly weak and not as warm as she usually is.

I did manage to get her to eat some(a blueberry and a half, and about half of a Henry's Hazelnut Block) and I'm warming her up a bit now, but I'm not sure what's happening really. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

[bigguy]

I'm new as well so, take this with a grain of salt. I know how worried it can make you. Is this an indoor squirrel ? Do you have plants or any type of liquids around it may have gotten into. Someone that knows more will be along soon I'm sure. I just thought I would ask.

[Zenn]

I'm new as well so, take this with a grain of salt. I know how worried it can make you. Is this an indoor squirrel ? Do you have plants or any type of liquids around it may have gotten into. Someone that knows more will be along soon I'm sure. I just thought I would ask.

She's mostly indoor, yeah. When she's unsupervised she has a little "play-room" I keep her in that has all her stuff she'll need while I'm at work or such (water, food, nest, toys) that only has safe plants and branches. Otherwise she stays supervised.

I don't think she's been into anything. I had a family member who helps me out with caretaking occasionally suggest it might be MBD(Metabolic bone disease) so I'm reading on that now

[bigguy]

I'm so sorry to hear about all this. I have never had a sick squirrel...well, I did feed an injured one for awhile. Someone here will know better. I'll be watching this thread and hoping all comes out good.

[supersquirrelgirl]

What has she been eating and drinking for the last few days ?? Has she been peeing and/or pooing ??

Its important to keep her hydrated. Mix-up 1/4 cup water (slightly warm) and add a few drops molasses or honey.

What is normal diet ??

Any fall or injury ??

[Zenn]

What has she been eating and drinking for the last few days ?? Has she been peeing and/or pooing ??

Its important to keep her hydrated. Mix-up 1/4 cup water (slightly warm) and add a few drops molasses or honey.

What is normal diet ??

Any fall or injury ??

Her normal diet in a day is as follows

2-3 of Henry's Wild Blocks (Picky Blocks, Hazelnut or Walnut variation)
Small handful of washed greens (spinach, cabbage, lettuce)
Healthy helping of washed vegetables such as: Green beans, radish, cucumber, carrots, squash(if it's in the garden), occasionally a chunk of mushroom for the vitamins and minerals
A few washed berries or a small piece of fruit
Every couple days I will also give her a couple nuts, like a couple almonds or a couple hazelnuts or a pecan.

As far as water, I refill one of those rodent bottle things with filtered water every couple days for her.

Update on her health as well: I did get her to eat a blueberry and more of another Hazelnut Block, as well as to eat a bit of calcium supplement that was recommended as treatment for MBD on Henry's Pets website. She's more vocal and moving around more, did pee quite a bit on me a minute ago, too. I'll also be trying the honey and water method you recommended.

[BigNibbler]

How is she doing? Hard to tell from your diet description... seems like a lot could be omitted in your spontaneous list.
How much does she weigh today? How much did she weigh last year at this time?
Does her pee smell normal... does it smell like ammonia at all?
Is that her age, or is that how long you have know her?
What are her sources of sunlight or vitamin D3 ? ( I know you feed HHBs )

[Zenn]

How is she doing? Hard to tell from your diet description... seems like a lot could be omitted in your spontaneous list.
How much does she weigh today? How much did she weigh last year at this time?
Does her pee smell normal... does it smell like ammonia at all?
Is that her age, or is that how long you have know her?
What are her sources of sunlight or vitamin D3 ? ( I know you feed HHBs )

Currently she's still weak and sleeping in my lap trying to warm up and rest. She did drink a fair bit of that honey water you recommended.

As far as her weight; I haven't actually done anything to weigh her properly, but she definitely weighs significantly less these last few days than she did say a week or two ago (I handle her consistently)

Pee doesn't smell like ammonia,

4 years is her age. I kinda lost count, but I found her at a couple weeks old after she fell out of a nest during a severe storm and we couldn't find or get her back to her mother. She gets decent sunlight, I take her outside at least 3 times a week, I try to get more but I work long schedules and the sun is barely out anymore this time of year. As far as Vit-D3 supplements I don't give her anything to supplement that other than what's in fruits and the blocks(I believe they're fairly high in supplemented D3 off the top of my head). If you think I should try mixing some crushed and mixed D3 supplement or orange juice with her water I can try this as well.

[BigNibbler]

Zenn, I don't think I ever said anything about honey water and not sure what you refer to?
Perhaps that is just to get her appetite to kick in, not for a regular routine... I dunno.

I have a post, about MySquirrel. And about the high calcium blocks I make for her and she is doing great...
She is over 13 years old now.

Your squirrel - What is her current weight, and what was it last December ?
Vit D3 is different from D.
But not saying she needs any if she gets sun, or rodent nuggets or HHBs - if she actually is eating most of that.

If you see a change - drastic enough to post... there is no doubt a serious reason, and it should not be ignored or put off.
Her being 1/100 - 1/200th our weight.. her changes can really come on fast.

[Zenn]

Zenn, I don't think I ever said anything about honey water and not sure what you refer to?
Perhaps that is just to get her appetite to kick in, not for a regular routine... I dunno.

I have a post, about MySquirrel. And about the high calcium blocks I make for her and she is doing great...
She is over 13 years old now.

Your squirrel - What is her current weight, and what was it last December ?
Vit D3 is different from D.
But not saying she needs any if she gets sun, or rodent nuggets or HHBs - if she actually is eating most of that.

If you see a change - drastic enough to post... there is no doubt a serious reason, and it should not be ignored or put off.
Her being 1/100 - 1/200th our weight.. her changes can really come on fast.

Apologies, I misread and thought you were supersquirrelgirl.

I can attempt to weigh her to get her current weight if needed- given I can find a scale, but as I said previously I've not actually weighed her other than in my hand since she was a baby, but the change is pretty severe.

She normally does eat all of the Henry's Blocks we give her, at least until recently. In fact, she'll even ignore pecans and walnuts over the blocks on most days because she likes them so much.

If you could link me to your post or send a recipe of those calcium blocks you make for your squirrel I'd appreciate it, if you aren't able to I can go looking around for it when I have some time.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Good that she is peeing (just not on you!). The water is needed to keep her hydrated. Adding a drop or two of honey is to motivate her to drink it. If she drinks water without honey, that's good too!

Any chance she ate something bad leaving her with a stomach ache?? Check around her cage for stash. Henry block are preservative-free and can go bad.

Diet sounds good and other TSB folks can comment. Not sure if this is MBD or not but following the protocol will not harm her.

Only other thought is fall or injury. Do you see any signs of pain ??

Mr.SSG

[BigNibbler]

I am sure she is important to you and that you are giving her every bit of care that she might need - because regret is a terrible thing!

Here is a link to my recipe, which I continue to modify as MySquirrel continues to thrive.

Read it through... you need the maximum calcium... from earlier batches probably.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...92#post1380992

Good Luck!

[Zenn]

Good that she is peeing (just not on you!). The water is needed to keep her hydrated. Adding a drop or two of honey is to motivate her to drink it. If she drinks water without honey, that's good too!

Any chance she ate something bad leaving her with a stomach ache?? Check around her cage for stash. Henry block are preservative-free and can go bad.

Diet sounds good and other TSB folks can comment. Not sure if this is MBD or not but following the protocol will not harm her.

Only other thought is fall or injury. Do you see any signs of pain ??

Mr.SSG

So, another update on her as well as responses to some questions!

She started becoming very mobile and talkative in the last 20-30 minutes. I gave her a couple CCs of a tiny bit of crushed tums and water with a drop or two of honey and she perked up a lot more after that. She also went and drank a lot of filtered water from her bottle after my insistence that she stop running around like a maniac. She hasn't eaten anymore but I did set up some easy, safe food for her and refreshed water just in case it could've been any of that.

I don't believe she has a stash but I will look around a bit tonight and some more in the morning. She's currently climbed back into her nest and has enough strength to nip and complain at me when I attempt to retrieve her. Just gave her some warm socks to keep her temp up.

She hasn't had any nasty falls or injuries that I've seen or heard, and she didn't seem hurt or in pain. Gonna keep doing what I'm doing to treat her and make her diet a bit more specific and strict with the help of BigNibbler's recipe (which I'm so very thankful for, thank you!).

Gonna keep checking on the bugger through the night and tomorrow in the morning to see how she improves. I appreciate all the help, advice, and ideas so far. Even though she's seeming to do better anything extra would be super appreciated.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Sounds good. No fall, no injury, no pain is good too.

Hope other TSB members will comment on diet.

Keep the updates coming.

Post some pics....We love pictures!

[Zenn]

Sounds good. No fall, no injury, no pain is good too.

Hope other TSB members will comment on diet.

Keep the updates coming.

Post some pics....We love pictures!

I'm back! With good news. Been working so that's why the lack of update.

She has been doing much healthier and better. She won't take anymore MBD treatment, but she's putting weight back on and her coat and tail are getting back to their normal state again.

I have no clue what caused her sudden weight loss and sickness. I can only assume 1 of the following 3 things.

1. I noticed while I was replacing her water and food and cleaning out her nest a bit from any potential junk that her water tube thing wasn't providing nearly any water despite being relatively full. I usually refill and replace her water every other day, however on work weekends it can get a bit hectic and forgetful to replace the water. I think this is least likely.

2. She ate a bad berry or piece of fruit and got sick. I think this could be most likely of the 3 ideas? There's not really much more to it. Produce quality isn't great from stores in our area, and I can't afford a greenhouse so a garden of the stuff is out of the question due to winter being here.

3. Last and not least, it could actually be MBD, but I doubt it. She's been on the upswing the last couple days, going as far as to chitter at me while making a full-speed dash out of the room out of nowhere.

Overall? She's doing much better, and I appreciate all the help and advice. If anyone has any recommendations for diet to help me give her more of what she needs, I'll be incredibly thankful and appreciative.

Also, here's a couple photos of her nibbling on a treat I gave her while we were outside, as requested. I don't take photos often tbqh.

[BigNibbler]

she is perfectly healthy and has full use of her legs right? I means she can run and jump etc.? Pretty well?
Just seems like if you take her outside...
with no leash(which takes a lot of training - yourself to know how to operate the leash and make sure she cannot get out of it)
well if a sudden wind, sound, truck, plane, animal etc,. were to surprise her, might she not panic and run somewhere like up a tree, or a distant spot
and from there - what happens.
Just seems very risky.
Here I am speaking from personal experience of all sorts spanning decades. And multiple squirrels.

Also - should really have two sources of water. Changing every other day can be tricky, its easy to lose sight of which day is the day.
Either change like on Sundays and Thursdays, or Every day.
Free advice here.

[supersquirrelgirl]

Hi Zenn,

Good Update! I would suspect #2 for bad food. Certainly check her water per #1 daily as clean water is important.

A Beautiful Grey!

Mr.SSG

[Zenn]

she is perfectly healthy and has full use of her legs right? I means she can run and jump etc.? Pretty well?
Just seems like if you take her outside...
with no leash(which takes a lot of training - yourself to know how to operate the leash and make sure she cannot get out of it)
well if a sudden wind, sound, truck, plane, animal etc,. were to surprise her, might she not panic and run somewhere like up a tree, or a distant spot
and from there - what happens.
Just seems very risky.
Here I am speaking from personal experience of all sorts spanning decades. And multiple squirrels.

Also - should really have two sources of water. Changing every other day can be tricky, its easy to lose sight of which day is the day.
Either change like on Sundays and Thursdays, or Every day.
Free advice here.

I have thought about leash training her so we can go on more extended walks, in all honesty. That being said she is very intelligent when it comes to language and commands, and I'm not sure if this is normal for squirrels or not?

She knows obvious words and reacts to them, such as when she's getting fresh water or fed, but also knows and reacts to commands such as Stay, Perch(she climbs me and will sit on my shoulder or head), "Go to bed", and Inside. I can try and get a video of her doing some if I can get someone to record it. For some reason she has a weird disposition towards phones and will try to throw/kick them out of your hands given the chance.

I'll acquire her another source of water at your recommendation, acquire a nice bowl and a fancier bottle that she can have both sources from, something like that? I'll do some more reading on the board over the week, look into leash/harness training her as well, all the jazz. I found this board in a panic search (the reason for this little forum spot as can be gathered) which is a good thing since I can utilize the resource now. Most of my other research and knowledge is from Google which is hit or miss nowadays.

[supersquirrelgirl]

You will find that TSB has a wealth of information and many people have deep experience in squirrels. I would toos-out Google as its just a search engine redirecting you. TSB is a direct community with people of all skills and experience focused on squirrels. Glad you are here!

I'm not a Rehabber or parent of pet squirrel. Its very restrictive in California to have wildlife as pets and Rehab licenses are needed. Not sure your state laws regarding wildlife. Please do serious research on state laws and such before going out in public with your squirrel. Same goes for a simple Vet visit with a squirrel.

In my case, I have a yard full of wild foxers that come. They are very friendly and 99% trusting. Even 7+ year Ms. Mo is only 99% trusting with 1% wild instinct. Many allow touching but NONE will ever jump on you. Since your squirrel is well trained, its different. I have no voice commands like you. Just lots of chatter sitting next to me and alot of alert/barking with predators come near. My only concern in your case, would be if something unexpected happens, like a dog or hawk, would your squirrel runs for the trees out of reflex for safety ??

Mr.SSG

[BigNibbler]

You will find that TSB has a wealth of information and many people have deep experience in squirrels. I would toos-out Google as its just a search engine redirecting you. TSB is a direct community with people of all skills and experience focused on squirrels. Glad you are here!

I'm not a Rehabber or parent of pet squirrel. Its very restrictive in California to have wildlife as pets and Rehab licenses are needed. Not sure your state laws regarding wildlife. Please do serious research on state laws and such before going out in public with your squirrel. Same goes for a simple Vet visit with a squirrel.

In my case, I have a yard full of wild foxers that come. They are very friendly and 99% trusting. Even 7+ year Ms. Mo is only 99% trusting with 1% wild instinct. Many allow touching but NONE will ever jump on you. Since your squirrel is well trained, its different. I have no voice commands like you. Just lots of chatter sitting next to me and alot of alert/barking with predators come near. My only concern in your case, would be if something unexpected happens, like a dog or hawk, would your squirrel runs for the trees out of reflex for safety ??

Mr.SSG

YES - THIS is good Advice!