please read, new to this! i need advice/tips

[chelsea]

SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR SUCH A LONG POST.
If you don’t want to read since its so long PLEASE skip down to where you see *** and PLEASE give me tips/opinions about that, im worried!!
I just need more ideas and tips on what to feed my picky babies! They will not eat anything they cannot hold in their hand(yogurt, guac) also they wont hold cold/wet stuff. So heres a list of what ive tried and the results ive gotten.

"spring mix" salad
"hearts of romain"
"mean green" salad mix
butternut squash.-my big one loved it at first, but not a huge fan anymore. my little one has never even tasted it
sugar snap peas- they are seriously obsessed with sugar snaps, i have to keep a bag at all times.
cucumbers-hate it
carrots-HATE HATE HATE for some reason. they will just throw it off of their plate.
broccoli-dont care for it, but will eat it at times
cauliflower-theyll gobble it up sometimes and then other times wont touch the stuff.
apples
pinnapple-the 1st time they had it they love it so much. wanted more and more. but now they wont eat it.
cantelope-same as pinnapple.
celery- wont touch it.
tomatoes-wont eat
green beans-wont eat
raspberries- liked the first time, wont eat them anymore
blueberries-they’ll eat 1 or 2 at a time, no more than that.
Banana- but the 2 times I gave them bananas they get runny poo! Is this normal ? runny poo doesn’t make me feel confident.
im sure theres more but i cant think of any right now.


i was also giving them pecans and walnuts, as many as they wanted as a snack. I found that thats a HUGE no-no. they didnt eat for THREE days because they were holding out for nuts. finally on the fourth day they ate the food that i gave them.
i couldnt believe they would starve themselves like that. I noticed their poop looked like very little poop and a lot of nuts….
so now, its only 3-4 pecan or walnut HALVES a piece after dinner or before bedtime.
Ive only been able to find pecans, almonds, walnuts and peanuts around here. They do not get peanuts at all, and haven’t had any almonds yet because someone told me they were too “fatty” is this true??
Theres a park here in town that has some acorn trees, but im really afraid to try them…. Ive read too many horror stories about acorns.

also,*****IMPORTANT ive tried water bottles,syringes i used with their formula, bowls, lids, a small upside down water container(like a dog or cat would use) but way smaller. its actually for bird seeds, but hey whatever works, right? the bigger squirrel(Rambo) will drink out of all the above. BUT my smaller squirrel(Dixon) used to drink out of the water bottle you'd put on the cage but now the only way i can get him to drink water is out of my hand. he wont drink it if its a little puddle, my hand just has to be wet and then he likes licking it off. even if theirs a tiny puddle in my hand, he somehow always gets water up his nose, and then he starts freaking out and he'll, not necessarily sneeze, more like hes blowing that water out, so then i have to hold him upside down.
has anyone else had this problem? its so bad that he cant even drink out of a pop bottle or water bottle lid, without it going up his nose. i feel so bad....

sorry for the long post, im just concerned!

[Milo's Mom]

Have you read the Healthy Diet Chart? http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...-Pet-Squirrels

Have you read this thread also? http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...h-Picky-Eaters


I believe most of your questions will be answered by reading and following the above 2 threads.

No treats, no nuts, till they eat the healthy stuff and love it. Then and only then do they get a treat or a nut. Kinda like expecting a kid to eat salad and veggies when the alternative is a candy bar. They may throw a tantrum and not eat anything for a couple days. They are programmed to survive and they will not allow themselves to starve to death.

Start with the items on Group 1, when they are being eaten add items from group 2, then group 3.

[island rehabber]

Milo's Mom got it a few minutes before me -- exactly what I was gonna say.
Most of those food behaviors you describe sound perfectly normal. I have NEVER had squirrels who liked carrots or cucumber and very very few who like squash....and that's after 200+ squirrels. Sugar snap peas are squirrel crack.

ALMONDS ARE NOT TOO FATTY. Please do this to the person who told you that:
They are the safest nut to feed your squirrels because their calcium-to-phosphorous ratio is very good. ALL other nuts must be fed sparingly to captive squirrels.

[stepnstone]

Of all the foods listed I do not see mention of a rodent block of any
type which should be and have been a main staple to their diets.

[czarina]

You will also find that one day they will love something, then the next refuse to eat it. This is normal, jus wait a few
days and offer it again. You may have to use tough love, but it is so important to their health, for them to eat properly. Go to the links provided to you. Most of us here follow it like it is the bible.

Caution:
It gets pretty expensive to feed and house squirrels properly. But it is completely worth it in my opinion.
Good luck.

[chelsea]

Milo's Mom got it a few minutes before me -- exactly what I was gonna say.
Most of those food behaviors you describe sound perfectly normal. I have NEVER had squirrels who liked carrots or cucumber and very very few who like squash....and that's after 200+ squirrels. Sugar snap peas are squirrel crack.

ALMONDS ARE NOT TOO FATTY. Please do this to the person who told you that:
They are the safest nut to feed your squirrels because their calcium-to-phosphorous ratio is very good. ALL other nuts must be fed sparingly to captive squirrels.

I will definitely let them know how wrong they are!!
thank goodness, because where i am from, almonds are the easiest nut to find in stores.



and thank you Milos Mom!!
I printed both of those web pages out and am now in the process of making a "Squirrel guide" of important tips and tricks and emergency situation. just in case i cant get on here for whatever reason. ill have my quide on hand for emergencies.

[chelsea]

Of all the foods listed I do not see mention of a rodent block of any
type which should be and have been a main staple to their diets.

im glad you brought up rodent block! cant believe i forgot to bring this up.

When the squirrels were ready for solid food. i started out with the kaytee brand, blue bag. couldnt even get them to touch the stuff.
so i ordered "henrys healthy blocks growth formula".. man did they LOVE it. they would eat 3-4 AT A TIME if i would have let them.
but now its a struggle for them to even eat one a piece.
they will each eat one in the morning, sometimes... but thats it

another question the other day when i went to order more blocks i saw that henrys doesnt sell the growth blocks anymore?! they now have "Hi-Protein Blocks - for Baby Squirrels and Flyers of All Ages"
I went ahead and ordered it just so i wont go with out any blocks. but is it the same thing, or what?
the package is smaller, i know that.. ugh!
how many blocks a day and a piece should they be eating?

[chelsea]

You will also find that one day they will love something, then the next refuse to eat it. This is normal, jus wait a few
days and offer it again. You may have to use tough love, but it is so important to their health, for them to eat properly. Go to the links provided to you. Most of us here follow it like it is the bible.

Caution:
It gets pretty expensive to feed and house squirrels properly. But it is completely worth it in my opinion.
Good luck.

Honestly, veggies where im from arent costly at all. thank goodness.
the most expensive food i buy for them is their blocks.
the price of one bag of blocks= a weeks worth of veggies... crazy!