Successfully rehab squirrel lives in a nest box in my backyard for three months now. However, he has malocclusion and needs help keeping his teeth worn down. Two weeks ago I had his teeth trimmed and now I'm trying to entice him to wear them down, but I am having trouble...
When he was in a cage, he kept his teeth worn down with nuts in a shell, hardwood, chew toys and pumice rocks. However, now that's he's free in the backyard he doesn't chew on the items I placed outside. Furthermore - he won't chew on nuts either. Instead, he buries every walnut, hazelnut, almond, etc...
Does anyone know how to 1) break him of the habit of burying 100% of nuts & 2) get him to be interested in chew toys again. I even tried giving him peanuts in a shell and he won't eat them, but digs a hole and sticks them in.
I did try sticking him back in a cage with a selection of nuts. But he spent the day jumping around with the nuts in his mouth and stashing them.
His teeth are growing back and I need to get him chewing again! Any tips welcome.
Note: I do feed him once a day with "boo balls," because I want to make sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs.