Hello again CajunWoman and thank you for your response! I am at work as is not uncommon and just "checked in" with TSB and noticed your latest post! I must be very honest with you and what I am concerned about as being the direct cause of Eleanor's hind end weakness/paralysis may be Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) and if not, her diet as you mentioned is almost a guarantee that MBD will develop! One of the most common signs of MBD is a hind end weakness! MBD is where the usually Calcium stores in the bones becomes critically depleted and this can result in a multitude of signs including paralysis, weakness, decreased appetite, seizures and many other problems and it can even be fatal! MBD develops from not enough Calcium intake, excessive Phosphorus intake (phosphorus, in the diet interferes with absorption and utilization of Calcium) or a combination of both of these and the combination is most common! The diet you describe is extremely high in phosphorus and low in Calcium and is truly a High Risk Diet!! I am not in any way being judgmental or "pouncing on you" in any way by making these comments! I know that you love Eleanor and you want only the best for her! Care of a captive Squirrel, especially in regard to diet, is almost completely different form what would be ok to feed wild Squirrels who still maintain much of their usual normal wild diet even thought they may get some treats from people. We see similar variations of Eleanor's diet all too often and that is one reason I asked about her diet and if anyone needs be "pounced upon" it should be me for not asking about Eleanor's diet sooner! Much of what you mentioned as making up her diet; namely the seeds, bird foods, peanuts (by the way, peanuts are not true nuts, they are legumes) and the like are high in phosphorus low in Calcium and can lead to MBD and for a captive Squirrel; fruits and true nuts are not nutritionally for a Squirrel are NEVER recommended as comprising any part of a captive Squirrel's diet and the fruits and nuts (except NEVER give Brazil nuts under any circumstances) are only to be used as occasional treats and given only IF the Squirrel's basic nutritional status is optimal!
Does Eleanor get any quality Rodent Blocks such as Henry's Healthy Blocks, Teklad 2018 or Mazuri Rat Mouse Diet? For a captive Squirrel. quality /blocks should comprise at least 80% of the Squirrels diet and the remainder should be healthy foods on the lower levels of Henry's Healthy Foods Pyramid. Here is a link to the pyramid for you reference;
https://henryspets.com/healthy-diet-for-pet-squirrels/
Not only did I inadvertently neglect until recently to ask about Eleanor's diet, I also neglected to ask about how you came to be sharing your life with Eleanor! Did you find Eleanor as an adult in the wild as she is with her hind limb weakness already present or did someone give you Eleanor and if so, was that person providing the same diet that you are now using? This would certainly suggest an injury or disease rather than a primary nutritional deficiency but even if so, her diet is not healthy and development of MBD will add problems to those already existing and this nutritional based condition can make a pre-existing hind limb weakness worse or make any potential improvement or recovery impossible!
I am pasting links to Henry's Pets Information page on MBD and also the emergent treatment of MBD;
https://henryspets.com/what-is-metabolic-bone-disease/
https://henryspets.com/emergency-treatment-for-mbd/
I would also highly recommend that you start the Emergency Treatment for MBD immediately as even if MBD does not exist, the current diet puts Eleanor at extremely high risk for its development. Also, if MBD is later definitively ruled out, the Emergency Treatment is harmless but more to the point; if Eleanor does have MBD, the treatment can help prevent new problems for arising, may help with resolution at least to some degree of her current problems and can even be a life saver! Please read the MBD Information and the Emergency Treatment and again, I would humbly suggest that you give Eleanor a Tums (or a generic Calcium carbonate tablet) now, stop her current diet, obtain some Mazuri Rat and Mouse Diet which is available at most all pet stores including PetSmart and order some Henry's Healthy Blocks as those are a highly concentrated diet for Squirrel with the proper amounts of Calcium and the ideal balance of Calcium to phosphorus. An extra source of Calcium is also essential and the Tums is quite good but a quality source of plain Calcium Carbonate powder with NO added Vitamin D is also a good part of the treatment!
By the way, what are you using for water for Eleanor! A captive (pet or release candidate) must have a continuous source of clean fresh water available! This can be a hanging water bottle system and/or a shallow bowl with some pebbles (1/2-1 inch size) in the bottom to help prevent tipping of the bowl and to prevent the Squirrel from putting her face too deeply into the bowl and possibly aspirating (getting the water into the lungs)!
I am respectfully asking for the answers to my few additional questions about use of any Blocks and about Eleanor's life and diet (if known to you) before you two met!
Thank you and please keep posting updates! I must return to my work responsibilities but I will check back as I am able and others are her as well! Please give Eleanor a gentle Squirrel-hug from me! And again, I am NOT being judgmental of you at all, CajunWoman! Caring for a captive Squirrel is really quite specialized and nobody knows how to do it without some learning going on; but most can do it well once the basics are understood! Diet is a major issue for captive Squirrels because the need a relatively large amount of Calcium and minimal phosphorus and recognition of what constitutes treats for a captive squirrel and strict adherence to an optimal diet!
Regards,
SamtheSquirrel
Squirrel mom who needs help with a wound
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Re: Squirrel mom who needs help with a wound
Originally Posted by CajunWoman
